DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al (12,154,011) in view of Schwarz et al (2017/0115737).
Regarding claim 1 Zhang discloses,
A device capable of being worn around a wrist or arm of a use (note fig. 1 block 104, shows device worn around a wrist), the device comprising:
A plurality of sensors having a field-of-view and adapted to be positioned circumferentially around the user's wrist or arm (note fig. 2 block 102 and fig. 8 block 102, plurality of sensor circumferentially around wrist), wherein the field-of-view of each sensor of the plurality of sensors is unique (note col. 8 lines 48-64, fields of view of the cameras are shown as squares with each camera capturing a unique view), wherein the field-of-view includes at least one of the user's hand, torso, and immediate environment (note col. 6 lines 63-67, field of view includes user’s hand),
wherein each sensor comprises a low-resolution depth sensor providing depth data (note col. 5 lines 8-20, sensor low resolution and col. 14 lines 42-44, camera may be depth sensing); and
Zhang does not clearly disclose a controller that receives the depth data and forms a composite depth image, wherein the controller merges data from each sensor in the plurality of sensors to form the composite depth image, Schwarz discloses receives the depth data and forms a composite depth image, wherein the controller merges data from each sensor in the plurality of sensors to form the composite depth image (note paragraph 0039, fused to create a single signal stream or image, for example, a three-dimensional image, a contoured two-dimensional image, a two-dimensional image). Zhang and Schwartz are combinable because they are from the same field of endeavor. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include merging data to form composite depth image in the system of Zhang as evidenced by Schwartz. The suggestion/motivation for doing so provides action based upon gesture identified (note paragraph 0021). It would have been obvious to combine Schwartz with Zhang to obtain the invention as specified by claim 1.
wherein the composite depth image has a greater resolution and field-of-view than any single sensor of the plurality of sensors (note Schwartz, cites scenario of higher resolution paragraph 0016).
Regarding claim 2 Zhang discloses,
A strap adapted to circumferentially engage the user's arm or wrist, wherein the plurality of sensors are disposed on the strap (note fig. 1, block 104 and col. 4 lines 54-55, wrist band plurality of cameras 102)
Regarding claim 3 Zhang discloses,
Wherein the plurality of sensors are equally spaced around the strap (note fig. 1 block 102 and col. 4 lines 44-47).
Regarding claim 4 Zhang discloses,
Wherein the field-of-view of the plurality of sensors comprises at least two angles relative to the user's arm (note col. 4 lines 15-20, cites sensor around arm).
Regarding claim 5 Zhang discloses,
Wherein the plurality of sensors includes a first ring of sensors have a first field-of-view angle and a second ring of sensors having a second field-of-view angle (note col. 8 lines 46-63, multiple field of views).
Regarding claim 6 Zhang discloses,
Wherein the first field-of-view angle and the second field-of-view angle are not equal (note col. 8 lines 46-63, are unique).
Regarding claim 7 Zhang discloses,
Wherein the first field-of-view angle is substantially 20 degrees and the second field-of-view R (note col. 8 lines 46-63, field of view at an angle)
Regarding claim 8 Zhang discloses,
Wherein the low-resolution depth sensor comprises a sensor having a resolution of less than 1 megapixel (note col. 4 lines 60- col. 5 lines 15, cites low resolution).
Regarding claim 9 Zhang discloses,
Wherein the low-resolution depth sensor comprises a sensor having a resolution between 1-pixel and 1 megapixel (note col. 4 lines 60- col. 5 lines 15, cites low resolution).
Regarding claim 10 Zhang discloses,
An inertial measurement unit, wherein data received from the inertial measurement unit is combined with the composite image to determine a pose of the user's hand or arm (note col. 13 lines 38-50 inertial measuring unit)
Regarding claim 11 Zhang discloses,
Wherein the plurality of sensors are positioned around a strap matching a circumference of the user's wrist, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is spaced apart from an adjacent sensor (note fig. 2 block 102 and fig. 8 block 102, plurality of sensor circumferentially around wrist)
Regarding claim 12 Zhang discloses,
Wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is equally spaced apart from the adjacent sensor (note fig. 2 block 102 and fig. 8 block 102, plurality of sensor circumferentially around wrist)
sch
Claims 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang and Schwartz as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Davis et al (9,690,376).
Regarding claim 13 Zhang and Schwartz does not clearly disclose,
Wherein the controller transforms the composite depth image into a 3D point cloud. Davis discloses transforms the composite depth image into a 3D point cloud (note col. 6 lines 19-26). Zhang, Schwartz and Davis are combinable because they are from the same field of endeavor. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include transforms the composite depth image into a 3D point cloud in the system of Zhang and Schwartz as evidence by Davis. The suggestion/motivation for doing so provides improvement of wearable technology devices. It would have been obvious to combine Davis with Zhang and Schwartz.
Regarding claim 14 Zhang, Schwartz and Davis discloses,
Wherein the controller transforms the composite depth image into the 3D point cloud based on a relative position of a sensor of the plurality of sensors and the field-of-view (Davis col 6 lines 19-26).
Regarding claim 15 Zhang, Schwartz and Davis discloses,
Wherein the 3D point cloud is oriented in relationship to an orientation of the device on a user's wrist, to gravity, or to an upper body of the user (Davis col 6 lines 19-26).
Related Prior Art
Shen et al (10,565,791) the 3D point cloud is oriented in relationship to an orientation of the device (note col. 4 lines 54-58)
Conclusion
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G.D.
January 10, 2026
/GREGORY M DESIRE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2676