DETAILED ACTION
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5, 12-13, 15, 21, 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) and Pado (US-4721055-A) in view of Zarudiansky (US-4302138-A).
1. (Currently Amended) Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) discloses A system for robot teleoperation comprising:
an underwater robot vehicle;
(Lebo [0003] Underwater vehicles may be deployed in various underwater environments for exploration, research, investigation, commercial, law enforcement, military, and other purposes. These vehicles may include, without limitation, unmanned underwater vehicles, remotely operated underwater vehicles, autonomous underwater vehicles, and/or other maritime vehicles)
a subsea sensing module associated with the underwater robot vehicle;
(Lebo [0092] Navigation of the underwater vehicle 100 may utilize one or more navigation sensors, including, without limitation, inertial sensors (including attitude and heading reference system (AHRS), inertial navigation system (INS), etc.), Doppler Velocity Loggers (DVL), acoustic sensors, imagers, Ring Laser Gyroscopes (RLG), accelerometers, pressure sensors, GPS, sound velocity sensor (SVS), Conductivity and Temperature Sensor (CT), Forward Looking Sonar (FLS), and/or the like;)
a workplace module; and
(Lebo [0140-0142] computer system 1200, environment transducer devices)
a user interface,
(Lebo [0139] In one implementation, the input devices convert a human-generated signal, such as, human voice, physical movement, physical touch or pressure, and/or the like, into electrical signals as input data into the computing system 1200 via the I/O port 1208…The input device may be another type of user input device including, but not limited to: direction and selection control devices, such as a mouse, a trackball, cursor direction keys, a joystick, and/or a wheel; one or more sensors, such as a camera, a microphone, a positional sensor, an orientation sensor, a gravitational sensor, an inertial sensor, and/or an accelerometer; and/or a touch-sensitive display screen (“touchscreen”),)
wherein the subsea sensing module senses hydrodynamic features and temperatures of an environment of the underwater robot vehicle and provides sensor data to the workplace module, wherein the hydrodynamic features sensed by the subsea sensing module include ***sensor data***,
wherein the workplace module reproduces the environment and instructs the user interface to provide sensory augmentation associated with the environment ***sensor data*** to an operator,
(Lebo [0139] The output devices may include, without limitation, a display, a touchscreen, a speaker, a tactile and/or haptic output device, and/or the like.)
(Lebo [0140] the environment transducer devices sense characteristics or aspects of an environment local to or remote from the computing device 1200, such as, light, sound, temperature, pressure, magnetic field, electric field, chemical properties, physical movement, orientation, acceleration, gravity, and/or the like)
Pado (US-4721055-A) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for hydrodynamic features further comprising environmental data including a/an “… near-field water flow, …environment including the near-field water flow”;
(Pado [col.2 l.7] Vehicles in accordance with the invention can be fitted with various types of instrumentation such as temperature, pressure and flow sensors to measure water ambient conditions...)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Lebo to include sensor data comprising hydro-dynamic features to include near-field water flow with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Pado, for the benefit of providing information regarding current and hydrodynamic features that may affect functions of a system during operation (e.g. flow/current).
wherein the subsea sensing module comprises ***sensors to detect*** stress of the environment.
(Lebo [0092] Navigation of the underwater vehicle 100 may utilize one or more navigation sensors, including, without limitation, inertial sensors (including attitude and heading reference system (AHRS), inertial navigation system (INS), etc.), Doppler Velocity Loggers (DVL), acoustic sensors, imagers, Ring Laser Gyroscopes (RLG), accelerometers, pressure sensors, GPS, sound velocity sensor (SVS), Conductivity and Temperature Sensor (CT), Forward Looking Sonar (FLS), and/or the like;)
Zarudiansky (US-4302138-A) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for artificial skin and sensors comprising “… lateral-line sensory mechanism of hair like cells throughout a sensing module surface, wherein the hair like cells are configured to detect pressure gradients and shear stress of the environment”;
(Zarudiansky [col.2 l.16] The handling device according to the present invention is principally distinguished by the fact that the slave arm comprises means for detecting certain useful parameters, such as for example force, pressure, couple, temperature, relating to the action of the slave arm on the object being handled, ...)
(Zarudiansky [FIG.5] illustrates schematically an example of a pressure and temperature sensor capable of being used to implement a slave hand according to FIG. 2;)
(Zarudiansky [col.3 l.65] the sensors 11 are pressure sensors capable of measuring the local pressure exerted by the respective element of the slave hand under the effect of the contact of this element with the object being manipulated)
(Zarudiansky [col.4 l.30] actuators which are schematically shown at 30, 31 and 32 and which are capable of applying to the skin of the human hand local stimuli in response to the signals emitted by the corresponding sensors of pressure and temperature of the slave hand.)
(Zarudiansky [col.5 l.5] Each, or certain, of the articulated elements of the slave hand 41 comprise one or several sensors of parameters such as pressure, displacement, temperature, providing signals X, Y, Z representative of the interaction between the object being manipulated and the slave hand)
(Zarudiansky [col.2 l.16] Thus it can be seen that judicious distribution of electrically conductive material in the zones such as 53 and 59, associated with the deposition of metallic electrodes such as 55, 56, 57, 58 with a suitable choice of the metals used, permits a mosaic of sensors, some sensitive to pressure and others sensitive to temperature, to be obtained, the support of this mosaic being a flexible material capable of constituting an "artificial skin" suitable for use in apparatus according to the invention.)
(Zarudiansky [col.6 l.60] The element 51, 53, 52 thus constitutes a pressure sensor, variations of pressure being translated into variations of current flowing from a source of potential applied by means of electrodes 55 and 56, which are implemented for example by the deposition of metallic layers on the opposite surfaces of the material 50. In other words, a matrix of pressure sensors can be obtained, disposed in the body of a layer of flexible material, by suitably doping certain portions of this layer and by connecting the terminal parts of said portions to sources of potential.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Lebo to include lateral-line sensory mechanism of hair like cells throughout a sensing module surface, wherein the hair like cells are configured to detect pressure gradients and shear stress of the environment with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Zarudiansky, for the benefit of providing a means for detecting sensory information within an environment (e.g. pressure, current, movement).
2. (Original) Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) discloses The system according to claim 1, further comprising:
a robot control module, wherein the user interface receives input from the operator and the robot control module controls the underwater robot vehicle according to the input.
(Lebo [0139] The input device may be an alphanumeric input device, including alphanumeric and other keys for communicating information and/or command selections to the processor 1202 via the I/O port 1208.)
(Lebo [0142] The computer system 1200 may include a vehicle sub-systems port for communicating with one or more systems related to the underwater vehicle 100 to control an operation of the underwater vehicle 100 and/or exchange information between the computer system 1200 and one or more sub-systems of the underwater vehicle 100.)
3. (Original) Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) discloses The system according to claim 2, wherein the user interface receives input in as body gestures of the operator, wherein the robot control module controls the underwater robot vehicle according to the body gestures of the operator.
(Lebo [0139] In one implementation, the input devices convert a human-generated signal, such as, human voice, physical movement, physical touch or pressure, and/or the like, into electrical signals as input data into the computing system 1200 via the I/O port 1208.)
5. (Previously Presented) Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) discloses The system according to claim 1, wherein the user interface provides haptic feedback to the operator indicative of the hydrodynamic features ([0140] e.g. temperature) of the environment of the underwater robot vehicle ***including environmental data ***.
(Lebo [0139] The output devices may include, without limitation, a display, a touchscreen, a speaker, a tactile and/or haptic output device, and/or the like.)
(Lebo [0140] the environment transducer devices sense characteristics or aspects of an environment local to or remote from the computing device 1200, such as, light, sound, temperature, pressure, magnetic field, electric field, chemical properties, physical movement, orientation, acceleration, gravity, and/or the like)
Pado (US-4721055-A) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for hydrodynamic features further comprising environmental data including a/an “… near-field water flow, …environment including the near-field water flow”;
(Pado [col.2 l.7] Vehicles in accordance with the invention can be fitted with various types of instrumentation such as temperature, pressure and flow sensors to measure water ambient conditions...)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Lebo to include sensor data comprising hydro-dynamic features to include near-field water flow with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Pado, for the benefit of providing information regarding current and hydrodynamic features that may affect functions of a system during operation (e.g. flow/current).
In re claim 12. The limitations of claim 12 are similar in scope to those disclosed within the features of claim 1 and are therefore rejected under the same premise, for more information please see in re claim 1.
In re claim 13. The limitations of claim 13 are similar in scope to those disclosed within the features of claim(s) 2 and 3 and are therefore rejected under the same premise, for more information please see in re claim(s) 2 and 3.
In re claim 15. The limitations of claim 15 are similar in scope to those disclosed within the features of claim 5 and are therefore rejected under the same premise, for more information please see in re claim 5.
21. (Previously Presented) Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) discloses The system of claim 1, wherein the subsea sensing module comprises:
at least one sensor to sense far field hydrodynamic information; and
at least one sensor to sense near field hydrodynamic information.
(Lebo [0092] Navigation of the underwater vehicle 100 may utilize one or more navigation sensors, including, without limitation, inertial sensors (including attitude and heading reference system (AHRS), inertial navigation system (INS), etc.), Doppler Velocity Loggers (DVL), acoustic sensors, imagers, Ring Laser Gyroscopes (RLG), accelerometers, pressure sensors, GPS, sound velocity sensor (SVS), Conductivity and Temperature Sensor (CT), Forward Looking Sonar (FLS), and/or the like… may be disposed in other locations of the underwater vehicle 100 and/or in the integrated sensor module. )
23. (Previously Presented) Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) discloses The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one sensor to sense far field hydrodynamic information comprises an acoustic Doppler current profiler to collect underwater wave profiles.
(Lebo [0092] Navigation of the underwater vehicle 100 may utilize one or more navigation sensors, including, without limitation, inertial sensors (including attitude and heading reference system (AHRS), inertial navigation system (INS), etc.), Doppler Velocity Loggers (DVL), acoustic sensors, imagers, Ring Laser Gyroscopes (RLG), accelerometers, pressure sensors, GPS, sound velocity sensor (SVS), Conductivity and Temperature Sensor (CT), Forward Looking Sonar (FLS), and/or the like… may be disposed in other locations of the underwater vehicle 100 and/or in the integrated sensor module.)
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) Pado (US-4721055-A) and Zarudiansky (US-4302138-A), as applied to claim 5 above and further in view of Chung (US-20210191400-A1).
6. (Original) Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) discloses The system according to claim 5, wherein the hydrodynamic features include ***environmental factors*** affecting the underwater robot vehicle.
(Lebo [0140] the environment transducer devices sense characteristics or aspects of an environment local to or remote from the computing device 1200, such as, light, sound, temperature, pressure, magnetic field, electric field, chemical properties, physical movement, orientation, acceleration, gravity, and/or the like)
(Lebo [0092] Navigation of the underwater vehicle 100 may utilize one or more navigation sensors, including, without limitation, inertial sensors (including attitude and heading reference system (AHRS), inertial navigation system (INS), etc.), Doppler Velocity Loggers (DVL), acoustic sensors, imagers, Ring Laser Gyroscopes (RLG), accelerometers, pressure sensors, GPS, sound velocity sensor (SVS), Conductivity and Temperature Sensor (CT), Forward Looking Sonar (FLS), and/or the like;)
Chung (US-20210191400-A1) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, regarding autonomous vessel simulations, a consideration for a hydrodynamic features including “…water currents”;
(Chung [0018] environment information collecting system 120… that monitors the waves and ocean currents (tidal currents) to obtain climate information including monsoon, fog, or thunderstorms, and water surface information such as waves or ocean currents (tidal currents). Chung further discloses wherein the system is configured to calculate [0021] electronic chart information, object information, and water surface information … to construct a virtual reality three-dimensional scene.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Lebo to include wherein hydrodynamic features include water currents with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Chung, for the benefit of providing climate information relative to water based operations wherein weather conditions such as monsoons or thunderstorms can affect water surface conditions such as waves or ocean currents (tidal currents) [0018].
Claim(s) 7-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) Pado (US-4721055-A) and Zarudiansky (US-4302138-A), as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Ballard (US-20190278369-A1).
7. (Original) Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) discloses The system according to claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises:
a ***providing*** haptic feedback garment comprising a first sensor array disposed across a front side of the operator and a second sensor array disposed across a back side of the operator,
(Lebo [0139] The output devices may include, without limitation, a display, a touchscreen, a speaker, a tactile and/or haptic output device, and/or the like.)
wherein ***providing*** feedback provides haptic feedback to the operator reflecting a position and orientation of the underwater robot vehicle.
(Lebo [0140] In one implementation, the environment transducer devices sense characteristics or aspects of an environment local to or remote from the computing device 1200, such as, light, sound, temperature, pressure, magnetic field, electric field, chemical properties, physical movement, orientation, acceleration, gravity, and/or the like.).
Ballard (US-20190278369-A1) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for “…a body worn haptic feedback a first sensor array disposed across a front side of the operator and a second sensor array disposed across a back side of the operator”;
(Ballard [0021] The user 100 may receive force feedback that simulates virtual forces in the virtual environment 108 via a plurality of haptic devices that are in communication with the computing system 102. In the depicted example, the user 100 is wearing a haptic vest 130 including a plurality of vibrating components arranged on the front, back, and sides of the user's torso.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Lebo to include a body-worn haptic feedback garment comprising a first sensor array disposed across a front side of the operator and a second sensor array disposed across a back side of the operator with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Ballard, for the benefit of providing more than one set of haptic sensor arrays allowing for individual control instructions to affect a front or back of a user worn haptic garment to function individually according to control operations, such as an instruction to turn force-feedback motors located on the front of the vest with higher intensity and turn force-feedback motors located on the back of the vest with a lower intensity [0043].
8. (Original) Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) discloses The system according to claim 7, wherein ***the system provides*** haptic feedback to the operator reflecting hydrodynamic features of the environment of the underwater robot vehicle.
(Lebo [0139] The output devices may include, without limitation, a display, a touchscreen, a speaker, a tactile and/or haptic output device, and/or the like.)
(Lebo [0140] In one implementation, the environment transducer devices sense characteristics or aspects of an environment local to or remote from the computing device 1200, such as, light, sound, temperature, pressure, magnetic field, electric field, chemical properties, physical movement, orientation, acceleration, gravity, and/or the like.).
Ballard (US-20190278369-A1) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for “…haptic feedback garment provides”;
(Ballard [0021] The user 100 may receive force feedback that simulates virtual forces in the virtual environment 108 via a plurality of haptic devices that are in communication with the computing system 102. In the depicted example, the user 100 is wearing a haptic vest 130 including a plurality of vibrating components arranged on the front, back, and sides of the user's torso.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Lebo to include a body-worn haptic feedback garment comprising a first sensor array disposed across a front side of the operator and a second sensor array disposed across a back side of the operator with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Ballard, for the benefit of providing more than one set of haptic sensor arrays allowing for individual control instructions to affect a front or back of a user worn haptic garment to function individually according to control operations, such as an instruction to turn force-feedback motors located on the front of the vest with higher intensity and turn force-feedback motors located on the back of the vest with a lower intensity [0043].
9. (Original) Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) discloses The system according to claim 8, wherein the user interface further comprises:
***environmental sensor data relating to an *** indication of the environment of the underwater robot vehicle.
(Lebo [0140] The environment transducer devices convert one form of energy or signal into another for input into or output from the computing system 1200 via the I/O port 1208... In one implementation, the environment transducer devices sense characteristics or aspects of an environment local to or remote from the computing device 1200, such as, light, sound, temperature, pressure, magnetic field, electric field, chemical properties, physical movement, orientation, acceleration, gravity, and/or the like.).
Ballard (US-20190278369-A1) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for environmental sensor data comprising “…a virtual reality headset worn by the operator, wherein the virtual reality headset provides a visual indication of the environment”;
(Ballard [0016] FIG. 1 shows a user 100 wearing a head-mounted display (HIVID) type virtual-reality computing system 102. The computing system 102 includes a near-eye display 104. The near-eye display 104 is configured to visually present a field of view (FOV) 106 of a virtual environment 108 to the user 100. The virtual environment 108 may simulate a real world and/or an imagined world, allowing the user 100 to interact with that virtualized world.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Lebo to include a virtual realty headset worn by the operator with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Ballard, for the benefit of simulating a real world and/or an imagined world, allowing the user to interact with that virtualized world [0016].
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) Pado (US-4721055-A) Zarudiansky (US-4302138-A) and Ballard (US-20190278369-A1) as applied to claim 8 above and further in view of Hoellwarth (US-20100079264-A1).
10. (Previously Presented) Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) discloses The system according to claim 8, wherein ***the system comprising vibratory sensors***.
(Lebo [0139] The output devices may include, without limitation, a display, a touchscreen, a speaker, a tactile and/or haptic output device, and/or the like.)
Ballard (US-20190278369-A1) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for “… a body worn haptic feedback garment comprising sensor arrays wherein the array compromises vibratory sensors”;
(Ballard [0021] The user 100 may receive force feedback that simulates virtual forces in the virtual environment 108 via a plurality of haptic devices that are in communication with the computing system 102. In the depicted example, the user 100 is wearing a haptic vest 130 including a plurality of vibrating components arranged on the front, back, and sides of the user's torso.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Lebo to include wherein the first sensor array comprises vibratory sensors and wherein the second sensor array comprises vibratory sensors with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Ballard, for the benefit of providing more than one set of haptic vibrating sensors allowing for individual control instructions to affect a front or back of a user worn haptic garment to function individually according to control operations, such as an instruction to turn force-feedback motors located on the front of the vest with higher intensity and turn force-feedback motors located on the back of the vest with a lower intensity [0043].
However, while Ballard discloses receive force feedback that simulates virtual forces in the virtual environment discussed above, Ballard is silent as to distinctly disclosing “…wherein the first sensor array comprises a series of rows and columns of vibratory sensors and the second sensor array comprises a series of rows and columns of vibratory sensors.”;
Hoellwarth (US-20100079264-A1) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for “…a series of rows and columns of vibratory sensors”;
(Hoellwarth [0035] … As should be appreciated, in some cases (as shown), the haptic transmission nodes 15 may be configured to form a matrix of rows and columns across the surface 5. It should be appreciated, however, that this is not a limitation and that other configurations may be used.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Lebo to include wherein the array comprises a series of rows and columns with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Hoellwarth, for the benefit of providing a matrix of sensory devices which cover a surface effectively.
Claim(s) 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) Pado (US-4721055-A) and Zarudiansky (US-4302138-A), as applied to claim 12 above and further in view of Ballard (US-20190278369-A1).
17. (Original) Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) discloses The method according to claim 12, wherein generating, at the workplace module, instructions for the user interface comprises generating, for the user interface using at least one ***operations including***, haptic feedback instructions for the user interface based on the sensor data from the subsea sensing module associated with the underwater robot vehicle.
(Lebo [0139] The output devices may include, without limitation, a display, a touchscreen, a speaker, a tactile and/or haptic output device, and/or the like.)
(Lebo [0140] the environment transducer devices sense characteristics or aspects of an environment local to or remote from the computing device 1200, such as, light, sound, temperature, pressure, magnetic field, electric field, chemical properties, physical movement, orientation, acceleration, gravity, and/or the like)
Ballard (US-20190278369-A1) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for operations including “…using at least one of a game engine or a physics engine to provide haptic feedback instructions to a user interface”;
(Ballard [0017] virtual environment 108 including …mathematical patterns (e.g., physics engine) [0025] FIG. 2 schematically shows an example scenario in which a game engine 200 executable by the computing system 102 of FIG. 1 controls the plurality of haptic devices of FIG. 1 to provide spatialized force feedback that simulates virtual forces in the virtual environment 108...)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Lebo to include at least one of a game engine or a physics engine with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Ballard, for the benefit of providing a user feedback within a virtual environment through the use mathematical patterns enabled through the use of a physics/game engine executable by a computing system [0017, 0025].
18. (Previously Presented) Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) discloses The method according to claim 17, further comprising:
generating, at the user interface, haptic feedback for the operator based on the haptic feedback instructions, wherein the haptic feedback provides simulation of the subsea environment of the underwater robot vehicle.
(Lebo [0139] The output devices may include, without limitation, a display, a touchscreen, a speaker, a tactile and/or haptic output device, and/or the like.)
(Lebo [0140] In one implementation, the environment transducer devices sense characteristics or aspects of an environment local to or remote from the computing device 1200, such as, light, sound, temperature, pressure, magnetic field, electric field, chemical properties, physical movement, orientation, acceleration, gravity, and/or the like.).
19. (Previously Presented) Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) discloses The method according to claim 18, wherein the simulation of the subsea environment of the underwater robot vehicle comprises simulation of hydrodynamic properties of the subsea environment of the underwater robot vehicle.
(Lebo [0139] The output devices may include, without limitation, a display, a touchscreen, a speaker, a tactile and/or haptic output device, and/or the like.)
(Lebo [0140] The environment transducer devices convert one form of energy or signal into another for input into or output from the computing system 1200 via the I/O port 1208. ... In one implementation, the environment transducer devices sense characteristics or aspects of an environment local to or remote from the computing device 1200, such as, light, sound, temperature, pressure, magnetic field, electric field, chemical properties, physical movement, orientation, acceleration, gravity, and/or the like…).
Claim(s) 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) Pado (US-4721055-A) and Zarudiansky (US-4302138-A), as applied to claim 21 above and further in view of Lerro (US-20060007784-A1).
22. (Previously Presented) Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) discloses The system of claim 21, further comprising at least one sensor to sense micro field hydrodynamic information, wherein far field hydrodynamic information ranges from ***an environment around*** the underwater robot vehicle, near field hydrodynamic information ranges from ***an environment around*** the underwater robot vehicle, and wherein micro field hydrodynamic information is within ***an environment around*** of the underwater robot vehicle.
(Lebo [0092] Navigation of the underwater vehicle 100 may utilize one or more navigation sensors, including, without limitation, inertial sensors (including attitude and heading reference system (AHRS), inertial navigation system (INS), etc.), Doppler Velocity Loggers (DVL), acoustic sensors, imagers, Ring Laser Gyroscopes (RLG), accelerometers, pressure sensors, GPS, sound velocity sensor (SVS), Conductivity and Temperature Sensor (CT), Forward Looking Sonar (FLS), and/or the like… may be disposed in other locations of the underwater vehicle 100 and/or in the integrated sensor module… )
(Lebo [0093] The survey payload captures data over one or more frequencies. For example, the survey payload may scan at side scan frequencies ranging from approximately 75 kHz to 1600 kHz. Multiple frequencies may be scanned simultaneously in some implementations. The alternate payloads may include, without limitation, a multibeam echosounder, an interferometric synthetic aperture sonar to replace side scanning, a low frequency ultra-wideband synthetic aperture sonar, a subsea camera, a magnetometer, and/or the like. )
However; with regards to the limitation(s) wherein; “far field hydrodynamic information ranges from three meters to twenty meters from the underwater robot vehicle, near field hydrodynamic information ranges from a tenth of a meter to three meters from the underwater robot vehicle, and wherein micro field hydrodynamic information is within a tenth of a meter of the underwater robot vehicle”.
Lerro (US-20060007784-A1) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for using SONAR systems for close-range and long-range sensing, wherein higher frequencies are used for object sensing and retrieval (i.e. close-range, interpreted to require approach and acquisition of said object.
(Lerro [0076] for ranges of less than a meter), and lower frequencies are used for long-range anti-submarine warfare search and detection (i.e. interpreted to require distance for maneuvering, etc., see [0056] for range up to 6.5 km))
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Lebo to include frequency ranges associated with close and long range sensing with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Lerro, for the benefit of providing a flexibility in the applied range associated with signal frequencies used in underwater operations.
Regarding feature(s) directed toward specific definitions/classifications of ranges; it has been held that (a) where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art (In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233), and (b) discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art (In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980))). Examiner notes the specification of the present application discloses multiple non-critical ranges.
Claim(s) 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) Pado (US-4721055-A) and Zarudiansky (US-4302138-A), as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Kikuo (US-5010774-A).
24. (Previously Presented) Lebo (US-20210371067-A1) discloses The system of claim 1, wherein the subsea sensing module comprises ***sensors*** to measure hydrodynamic forces exerted on the underwater robot vehicle.
(Lebo [0139] The output devices may include, without limitation, a display, a touchscreen, a speaker, a tactile and/or haptic output device, and/or the like.)
(Lebo [0140] the environment transducer devices sense characteristics or aspects of an environment local to or remote from the computing device 1200, such as, light, sound, temperature, pressure, magnetic field, electric field, chemical properties, physical movement, orientation, acceleration, gravity, and/or the like)
Kikuo (US-5010774-A) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for sensors comprising “…an array of pressure sensors embedded within an elastomer”;
(Kikuo [col.3 l.25] The pressure sensitive conductive rubber for use for or in the present invention may be any of known pressure sensitive conductive rubbers comprising conductive particles such as carbon particles dispersed in rubber or an elastomer...)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Lebo to include sensors embedded within an elastomer with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Kikuo, for the benefit of providing a known pressure sensitive conductive rubber for measuring an environment within an operational space.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Contact
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW JOHN MOSCOLA whose telephone number is (571)272-6944. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-5:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abby Flynn can be reached on (571) 272-9855. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/M.J.M./Examiner, Art Unit 3663
/ABBY J FLYNN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3663