Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 4/27/2026 has been entered.
DETAILED ACTION
The following Non-Final office action is in response to application 18/394,046 filed on 4/27/2026.
Status of Claims
Claims 1-2, 4-9, 11-16, and 18-20 are currently pending and have been rejected as follows.
Response to Amendments
New rejections under 35 USC 103 are issued below.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s prior art arguments and amendments have been fully considered but they are moot in light of the newly cited references.
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 1-2, 4-9, 11-16, and 18-20 are rejected under 35 USC 103 as being unpatentable over the teachings of
Yamada, US Publication No. 20160292627, hereinafter Yamada, in view of
Sengupta et al., US 20130325223 A1, hereinafter Sengupta, in view of
Wills et al., US 20150066561 A1, hereinafter Wills. As per,
Claims 1, 8, 15
Yamada teaches
A method, comprising: /
A system comprising one or more processors and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: /
One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media embodying instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: (Yamada fig. 1; [0020])
receiving a request to schedule maintenance for one or more railroad stations; (Yamada [0009] “a maintenance management device includes a maintenance target device candidate determination unit that determines maintenance target device candidates in a maintenance segment based on an operation mode determined for the track running vehicle system” noting the system’s ability to identify and schedule maintenance tasks based on operational needs)
displaying, on a graphical user interface (GUI), a first visual representation of locations for a plurality of railroad stations in relation to a plurality of railroad tracks, the plurality of railroad stations including the one or more railroad stations, wherein the first visual representation is associated with a first time period; (Yamada [0053] “ FIG. 2 shows an operation mode candidate display screen 201. For example, the operation mode candidate display screen 201 is a screen displayed on the display if the user designates a condition such as an operation segment of a vehicle, an operation date, an operation time zone;” [0056]-[0059] “FIG. 2 shows a route 203 on which the vehicle is operated. FIG. 2 shows stations 204 and 205 at which the vehicle stops. FIG. 2 shows a “M1” station 204 and a “M2” station 205. A double-lined arrow indicates a route 206 on which the vehicle is operated in each operation mode. FIG. 2 shows a construction segment 207. In the case of FIG. 2, the vehicle is not operated in a route 203-1” noting the screen described to show station locations and tracks and an operation date and time zone)
displaying, in the first visual representation, a visual indication indicating that a subset of the one or more railroad stations are associated with the request to schedule maintenance; (Yamada [0071] “ FIG. 3 shows a segment (maintenance segment) 210 in which the maintenance can be executed. The output unit 80 displays a maintenance segment in a state different from the state of the operation route (reference numeral 206) of the vehicle or other segments (segments 203 and 211). For example, the output unit 80 may display the maintenance segment 210 in a different color, or may display the maintenance segment by using a broken line shown in FIG. 3. The user can ascertain the maintenance segment at first glance” noting the visual indication of maintenance)
receiving, via the first visual representation displayed on the GUI, a selection of a railroad station from the subset of the one or more railroad stations; (Yamada [0070] “the user presses a portion of “Operation Mode C” 202-1 on the screen of FIG. 2, and thus, the maintenance target candidate display screen 301 may be displayed”)
[…];
determining whether at least one of the one or more traffic gaps has a duration sufficient to allow performance of the maintenance for the subset of the one or more railroad stations; and (Yamada [0076] “The list 310 includes a “required time” row 313. The output unit 80 outputs time required for each maintenance operation read by the maintenance target device candidate determination unit 20 from the required maintenance time DB 106 to the row 313” noting the determination of the time required to perform the maintenance)
providing a control element on the single visual representation to enable scheduling the maintenance for the subset of the one or more railroad stations during a maintenance window within one of the one or more traffic gaps. (Yamada [0079] “The user may determine whether or not to execute the maintenance operation;” [0080] “The list 310 includes a “selection” row 317. For example, the output unit 80 displays a check box in the row 317. The user determines an item on which maintenance is executed by checking another field of the list 310, and gives a check mark in the “selection” field of the item (column) on which the operation is executed” noting the user controlling the execution of scheduling maintenance)
Yamada does not explicitly teach, Sengupta however in the analogous art of scheduling teaches
displaying, on the GUI, in response to the selection of the railroad station on the first visual representation, a second visual representation of information associated with the subset of the one or more railroad stations covering the first time period, […] indicating both the subset of the one or more railroad stations associated with the request to schedule maintenance and […]; and (Sengupta [0083] “Both the mouse and the keyboard may be used to initiate Planner/Controller functions while the keyboard may be used for alphanumeric input when required;” [0103] “Some of the objects the Planner/Controller may select for more detailed information include: [0104] trains;” [0105] “maintenance blocks;” [0106] “resources/stations/sections;” [0115] “The detail display may make it convenient to visualize specific recorded static but also including dynamically changed details of resources like passing loops, stations and/or block sections. By focusing on selected portions of the railway network, this view may permit the Planner/Controller to comprehend resource e.g. station/passing loop or section usage/occupancy. Tracks, vehicles and signaling, etc. may be schematically laid out to support convenient recognition by the operator” note the station/section identified as an object selectable for more detailed information and the detailed display showing the selected section’s usage or occupancy; [0086] “The displays may refresh in response to field and Planner/Controller initiated events, including: [0087] train/vehicle movements between track sections and/or arrival at or dispatch from stations [0088] train schedules being created, modified or deleted [0089] maintenance blocks being proposed, modified or cancelled;” [0090] “The Train Graph display may be used to monitor/view/collect;” [0092] “train schedules (both timetabled and with changes made by the Planners/Controllers);” [0094] “maintenance and other blocks on resources, e.g. at stations/sections” note the proposed maintenance block and the display refreshed in response to that proposed block and shows maintenance blocks at sections)
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Yamada’s maintenance scheduling interfaces to include a concurrent display of different visual representations in view of Sengupta in an effort to provide a user friendly interface for rapidly responding to problems (see Sengupta ¶ [0006] & MPEP 2143G).
Yamada / Sengupta do not explicitly teach, Wills however in the analogous art of scheduling teaches
[…] wherein the first visual representation and the second visual representation are displayed as a single visual representation […] one or more traffic gaps associated with the one or more railroad stations within the first time period, the one or more traffic gaps representing durations of time uninterrupted by a train scheduled to cross the railroad station or another maintenance window, the one or more traffic gaps displayed on the single visual representation covering the first time period; (Wils [0038] “Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for visually presenting a representation of a vehicle yard (such as a rail yard) and the activities occurring within the yard in a single, easily understood collection displays. Within a single display window, a user may identify a vast amount of information including yard resources, vehicle consists (for example, trains) approaching the yard, the vehicle consists scheduled to depart from the yard, the entire lifecycle of planned activities in order to meet outbound schedules of the vehicle consists, and the like;” [0041] “Additional information may be presented to the user through the use of visually presented planned activities, gadgets, or tools on the display device. Activities may be grouped by the type of activity and a data-rich container specific to a planned activity may be presented for viewing by the user. The user may expand and collapse each group of activities, as well as a specific activity, to allow the user to view only desired information, or to interrogate a planned activity for detailed information” note the single display window and expandable detail inside the displayed plan; [0022] “the vehicle yard planner system is configured to identify one or more opportunities for track maintenance within one or more idle times between planned activities;” [0064] “the yard planner system 100 may identify one or more opportunities for track maintenance within one or more idle times between planned activities. The yard planner system 100 may reserve one or more yard resources, such as tracks, facilities, equipment, or the like, for the opportunities. For example, the yard planner system 100 may identify unused resources within the yard (such as track segments, idle personnel, idle equipment, and the like), and then reserve one or more of these resources in the yard plan that is created and updated.” Note the maintenance opportunities identified in the idle times between planned activities)
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Yamada’s maintenance scheduling interfaces and Sengupta’s concurrent display of visual indicators to include available times to schedule maintenance in view of Wills in an effort to improve performance and orderliness of operating a railroad system (see Wills [0035] & MPEP 2143G).
Claims 5, 12, 19
Yamada teaches
determining, based on a visual representation displayed prior to the displaying of the single visual representation and covering a second time period occurring prior to the first time period, that no traffic gaps are present within the visual representation having a duration sufficient to allow performance of the maintenance for the one or more railroad stations; and (Yamada fig. 2; [0056]-[0060] noting the selection of the operation modes and the associated time intervals)
selecting the first time period to display the first visual representation on the GUI. (Yamada fig. 2; [0056]-[0060] noting the selection of the operation modes and the associated time intervals)
Claims 6, 13, 20
Yamada teaches
generating a maintenance reply including an indication of a time period of the maintenance window during which the maintenance for the one or more railroad stations is scheduled within one of the one or more traffic gaps. (Yamada [0036] “The maintenance plan list creation unit 70 reads the information recorded in the maintenance plan record DB 112, generates a list of maintenance operations in a predetermined period, and outputs the generated list to the output unit 80;” [0104]; fig. 5 noting the generation and display of the maintenance plan that includes the schedule information including timing)
Claims 7, 14
Yamada teaches
generating a map view that displays the maintenance window; and (Yamada fig. 3)
generating a calendar that displays a date and a time duration for the maintenance window. (Yamada fig. 3, noting the time required; fig. 5 noting the date and calendar view)
Claims 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, and 18 are rejected under 35 USC 103 as being unpatentable over the teachings of
Yamada, in view of Sengupta, in view of Wills, in view of
Matheson et al., US 7222083 B2, hereinafter Matheson. As per,
Claims 2, 9, 16
Yamada / Sengupta / Wills do not explicitly teach, Matheson however in the analogous art of scheduling teaches
wherein the information associated with the one or more railroad stations covering the first time period comprises one or more of: an indication of a time that a respective train is scheduled to cross one or more of the one or more railroad stations associated with the request to schedule maintenance during the first time period; and (Matheson 12:14-21 “The planner/dispatcher 204 receives the coarse schedule from the system wide planner 200 and, as explained further below, determines a detailed schedule of the resources termed a movement plan. The movement plan may then be used by the dispatching portion of the planner/dispatcher 204 to be transmitted ultimately to the train controller 308 on board the locomotive in the trains being controlled.”)
an indication of a time duration during which another maintenance for a respective railroad station of the one or more railroad stations has been scheduled to occur during the first time period, wherein the indication of the time that the respective train is scheduled to cross the one or more of the one or more of the plurality of railroad stations and the indication of the time duration during which another maintenance has been scheduled to occur are presented in the second visual representation concurrently. (Matheson 30:20-26 “A second category is rules which receive availability information from the user interface 500 and process these rules into a form which is suitable for application to the constraint based process. Availability is modified to account for extrinsic traffic, locomotives out of service for repair or maintenance, track out of service, or other factors which affect the availability profiles” noting availability modified to account for maintenance)
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Yamada’s maintenance scheduling interfaces, Sengupta’s concurrent display of visual indicators, and Wills’s traffic gaps to include available times to schedule maintenance in view of Matheson in an effort to plan more efficient train schedules (see Matheson 40:22-25 & MPEP 2143G).
Claims 4, 11, 18
Yamada / Sengupta / Wills do not explicitly teach, Matheson however in the analogous art of scheduling teaches
wherein enabling scheduling the maintenance for the one or more railroad stations within one of the one or more traffic gaps includes: enabling scheduling the maintenance for the one or more railroad stations during the maintenance window within one of the one or more traffic gaps based on a determination that the one of the one or more traffic gaps has a duration sufficient to allow performance of the maintenance for the one or more railroad stations. (Matheson 28:39-63 “The interaction of rule based and constraint based systems in the order scheduler of FIG. 4 and the movement planner of FIG. 6 may be more readily understood by reference to the system as illustrated in FIG. 8 … Constraints considered in this description generally fall into three categories, those time constraints which are inherent in the task of filling an order, those constraints which are inherent in the structure of the railroad, and those constraints which are explicitly specified by the user … Constraints are also inherent in the structure of the railroad. Such constraints include gap-able elements (sidings located between segments) and single/multiple track configurations. A wide variety of user defined constraints may be included. These constraints are generally time constraints which seek to restrict the resource scheduler 330 from scheduling certain resources over certain time periods” noting the constraints for scheduling certain resources over certain time periods)
The rationales to modify/combine Yamada / Sengupta / Wills with Matheson persists.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 20130318002 A1: A resource management plan creation support device reads in a travel schedule, represents, as one node, each path from an originating location to a terminating location of each leg included in a travel schedule that has been read in, and creates a network model by connecting together, using links, the legs over which consecutive travel is possible based upon the place and time. In addition, nodes representing auxiliary resources are added to the created network, and the network model is updated by adding links representing temporary usage of the auxiliary resources or temporary cessation of use of business-use resources. Also, by finding a path group encompassing each node of the network model so as to satisfy a pre-supplied condition (the condition of allocating resources to all of the legs), a management plan for resources which execute transport services is created.
AU 2015264896 A1: A railroad control system is disclosed for a network of trains (14). The system may include a centralized control system configured to transmit trip parameters for each train (14) in the network. The system may include an energy manager (30) in communication with the centralized control system and located onboard each train (14). The energy manager (30) may be configured to determine an energy profile for a consist of the train (14) based on the trip parameters. The system may further include a consist manager (40) located onboard the consist and configured to determine a distribution of the energy profile for each locomotive (18) of the consist. The system may also include one or more locomotive managers (50), each associated with a locomotive (18) of the consist, and configured to determine a power configuration of the one locomotive (18) based on the distribution of the energy profile and known parameters of the locomotive (18).
Suzumura et al., Multi-modal traffic simulation platform on parallel and distributed systems, 2014: In this paper we describe a highly scalable multi-modal traffic simulation platform on parallel and distributed environments ranging from multi-core or many core machines to multi-node clusters or supercomputer environments. We evaluated our platform with multi-modal transportation networks from the capital city of Ireland, Dublin, and verified its high scalability and real-time performance on both a 1-node with 12 core machine for a multi-threading environment and a cluster of 12 nodes (with a total of 144 cores) for a distributed system. With this platform, municipal planners or traffic engineers at transportation companies can quickly conduct many series of simulations with various what-if scenarios in a parallel and distributed manner, allowing them to assess and select the best responses to sudden incidents, or plan for major events or disaster responses.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMED EL-BATHY whose telephone number is (571)270-5847. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8AM-4:30PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, PATRICIA MUNSON can be reached on (571) 270-5396. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MOHAMED N EL-BATHY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3624
