DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
2. 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 allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). 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, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 7/1/2025 has been entered.
Claims 1-20 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
3. Acknowledgement is made to the information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 7/1/2025, 7/23/2025, 8/7/2025, 9/16/2025, 9/26/2025, & 10/21/2025. The information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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 (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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
4. Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Krasko et al. (US 2017/0004444 A1), hereinafter Krasko, and Wang (US 2012/0089639 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Krasko discloses a method comprising:
obtaining, by at least one of at least one processor, an International Air Transport Association (IATA) license plate number of a checked luggage item on an air carrier from one of: a field in a first baggage information message, a computer system associated with an airline carrier being an originator of the IATA license plate, or a manifest [Abstract, 0021, 0022, 0086, & 0090]; and
generating, by at least one of the at least one processor, a second baggage information message that includes the IATA license plate number and at least one of: a primary identifier (ID) from a baggage handling system that links to a security screening image of the checked luggage item or information associated with a contents list [0023, 0050, 0051, 0061, 0063, & 0070-0073].
Regarding claim 11, Krasko discloses a system comprising:
at least one processor; and at least one non-transitory, tangible memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one memory storing at least one instruction, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the at least one instruction to:
obtain an International Air Transport Association (IATA) license plate number of a checked luggage item on an air carrier from one of a field in a first baggage information message, a computer system associated with an airline carrier being an originator of the IATA license plate, or a manifest [Abstract, 0021, 0022, 0086, & 0090]; and
generate a second baggage information message that includes the IATA license plate number and at least one of: a primary identifier (ID) from a baggage handling system that links to a security screening image of the checked luggage item or information associated with a contents list [0023, 0050, 0051, 0061, 0063, & 0070-0073].
With respect to claims 1 & 11, the teachings of Krasko have been discussed above.
Krasko is silent with respect to explicitly disclosing information associated with a contents list, as recited in claims 1 & 11.
Wang teaches, regarding claims 1 & 11, information associated with a contents list [0019 & 0030].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to further employ the content information features of Wang within the system and methods of Krasko for at least the benefit of reducing the costs and work load for the travel carrier as well as improving the success rate of finding the baggage owner [0003, 0009, & 0020].
Regarding claim 2, Krasko, as modified above, discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the second baggage information message is one of: an IATA baggage processing message (BPM); or an IATA baggage transfer message (BTM) [0090 & 0107-0110].
Regarding claim 3, Wang, as modified above, discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the contents lists includes one of: a list of contents associated with security screening image; or a contents list identifier to a location of the list of contents in a secure database [0019 & 0030].
Regarding claim 4, Krasko, as modified above, discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the generating, by at least one of at least one processor, the second baggage information message further includes: obtaining, by at least one of at least one processor, a security screening imaging requirement, and wherein the second baggage information message includes the security screening imaging requirement [0021-0023, 0050, & 0071-0073].
Regarding claim 5, Krasko, as modified above, discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the first baggage information message is a terminating baggage source message (BSM); and wherein the method further comprises: causing, by at least one of at least one processor, a communication device to receive the terminating BSM [0063, 0070, 0094-0098, & 0122].
Regarding claim 6, Krasko, as modified above, discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the first baggage information message is a transfer baggage source message (BSM); and wherein the method further comprises: causing, by at least one of at least one processor, a communication device to receive the transfer BSM [0063, 0070, 0099, & 0100].
Regarding claim 7, Krasko, as modified above, discloses the method of claim 1, further comprises: generating, by at least one of at least one processor, a third baggage information message that includes the IATA license plate number and information associated with a baseline luggage image [0050, 0051, 0071, 0072, & 0123].
Regarding claim 8, Krasko, as modified above, discloses the method of claim 6, wherein the information associated with the baseline luggage image includes one of: baseline image data of the luggage item; or a luggage image identifier to a location of the baseline image data in a secure database [0050, 0051, 0071, 0072, & 0123].
Regarding claim 9, Krasko, as modified above, discloses the method of claim 8, further comprises: capturing real-time image data of the luggage item, by an image capturing device, at a location; performing, by at least one of at least one processor, a feature recognition of the luggage item using the captured real-time luggage image data relative to the baseline image data, to recognize the luggage item at a location; and locating, by at least one of at least one processor, the luggage item [0024, 0029, & 0069].
Regarding claim 10, Krasko, as modified above, discloses the method of claim 8, further comprises: generating, by at least one of at least one processor, a fourth baggage information message that includes the IATA license plate number and information associated with a location of the luggage item based on the captured real-time luggage image data [0063, 0069, 0070, 0098-0100, & 0122].
Regarding claim 12, Krasko, as modified above, discloses the system of claim 11, wherein the second baggage information message is one of: an IATA baggage processing message (BPM); or an IATA baggage transfer message (BTM) [0090 & 0107-0110].
Regarding claim 13, Wang, as modified above, discloses the system of claim 11, wherein the information associated with the contents lists includes one of: a list of contents associated with security screening image; or a contents list identifier to a location of the list of contents in a secure database [0019 & 0030].
Regarding claim 14, Krasko, as modified above, discloses the system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the at least one instruction to, when generating the second baggage information message: obtain a security screening imaging requirement, and wherein the second baggage information message includes the security screening imaging requirement [0021-0023, 0050, & 0071-0073].
Regarding claim 15, Krasko, as modified above, discloses the system of claim 11, wherein the first baggage information message is a terminating baggage source message (BSM); and wherein the method further comprises: causing, by at least one of at least one processor, a communication device receive the terminating BSM [0063, 0094-0098, & 0122].
Regarding claim 16, Krasko, as modified above, discloses the system of claim 11, wherein the first baggage information message is a transfer baggage source message (BSM); and wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the at least one instruction to: cause a communication device receive the transfer BSM [0063, 0070, 0099, & 0100].
Regarding claim 17, Krasko, as modified above, discloses the system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the at least one instruction to: generate a third baggage information message that includes the IATA license plate number and information associated with a baseline luggage image [0050, 0051, 0071, 0072, & 0123].
Regarding claim 18, Krasko, as modified above, discloses the system of claim 17, wherein the information associated with the baseline luggage image includes one of: baseline image data of the luggage item; or a luggage image identifier to a location of the baseline image data in a secure database [0050, 0051, 0071, 0072, & 0123].
Regarding claim 19, Krasko, as modified above, discloses the system of claim 18, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the at least one instruction to: receive real-time image data of the luggage item, from an image capturing device at a location; perform feature recognition of the luggage item using the captured real-time luggage image data relative to the baseline image data, to recognize the luggage item at a location; and locate the luggage item [0024, 0029, & 0069].
Regarding claim 20, Krasko, as modified above, discloses the system of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the at least one instruction to: generate a fourth baggage information message that includes the IATA license plate number and information associated with a location of the luggage item based on the captured real- time luggage image data [0063, 0069, 0070, 0098-0100, & 0122].
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAULTEP SAVUSDIPHOL whose telephone number is (571)270-1301. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F,7-3 EST. If the examiner cannot be reached by telephone, he can be reached through the following email address: paultep.savusdiphol@uspto.gov
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone and email are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael G. Lee can be reached on (571) 272-2398. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PAULTEP SAVUSDIPHOL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876