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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 13 is objected to because of the following informalities: in the recited “a robot equipped with the device for measuring the odor” is unclear as to what and how this robot being equipped is relevant or its intended function for the device to perform its function as cited in claim 1. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 19 is objected to because of the following informalities: in the recited “A vehicle”, “a vehicle body”, “the vehicle body” is unclear as to what and how this vehicle is being equipped with the device is relevant or how its function for the device to perform its intended function as cited in claim 19. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 20 is objected to because of the following informalities: in the recited “a purpose-built vehicle or an urban air mobility” is unclear as to what and how this vehicle or air mobility is being equipped with the device is relevant or how its function for the device to perform its intended function as cited in claim 19. Appropriate correction is required.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “a robot”, “A vehicle”, “a vehicle body”, “the vehicle body”, “a purpose-built vehicle or an urban air mobility” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-3, 14-16, & 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mottram [US PATENT No.: US 6,488,635 B1].
With regards to claim 1, Mottram discloses a device for measuring an odor (Condition can be determined from a component of the exhalation, which component may be an odour or specific compound or other material, Col. 6, Fig. 5), the device comprising: a prechamber (507, mixing chamber, Col. 16, lines 5-6, Fig. 5) comprising an inlet and an outlet provided (507, having inlet via tube 506 and outlet tube 513, Col. 16, lines 2-15, Fig. 5) in respective end portions thereof (501, inlet and 518, outlet, Fig. 5, Col. 16, lines 2-15, Fig. 5); a flow guide pipe disposed in the prechamber and connected between the inlet and the outlet in a predetermined pattern to allow air containing the odor to flow therethrough (506, tube having flow path as illustrated by arrow being disposed in 507, mixing chamber (prechamber) being connected via tubing/flow path between 501 (inlet) and 518 (outlet), Fig. 5, Col.16, lines 2-24); a first sensor mounted to the inlet, the first sensor being configured to measure a temperature and a humidity of the air entering the flow guide pipe (502, temperature and humidity of animal exhalation entering the apparatus through the inlet 501 is monitored by sensors, Fig. 5, Col. 15, lines 63-65); a second sensor mounted to the outlet, the second sensor being configured to measure the temperature and the humidity of the air discharged from the flow guide pipe (516, temperature and humidity sensors, Col. 16, lines 19-20, Fig. 5); a first temperature/humidity controller (508, microprocessor, Col. 16, lines 6-7, Fig. 5) mounted to the prechamber (507, mixing chamber as the (prechamber), Col. 16, line 6, Fig. 5), the first temperature/humidity controller being configured to adjust the temperature and the humidity (temperature adjusted by use of heating means 504 present in the flow path, Col. 15, line 67) of the air flowing through the flow guide pipe (508, microprocessor Col. 16, line 6-7, Fig. 5); an odor sensor chamber connected to the outlet via a connection pipe (514, sampling chamber, Fig. 5); and an odor sensor mounted in the odor sensor chamber (517, sensor arrays mounted in 514, Col. 16, line 18-24, Fig. 5) the odor sensor being configured to sense the odor contained in the air discharged from the flow guide pipe (Fig. 5).
With regards to claim 2, discloses further comprising a controller (508. microprocessor, Col. 16, lines 6-7, Fig. 5) configured to determine a need for a heating operation or a cooling operation of the first temperature/humidity controller based on the temperature and the humidity of the air measured by the first sensor (502, sensors) and the temperature and the humidity of the air measured by the second sensor (516), (Fig. 5, Col. 15, lines 63-67).
With regards to claim 3, discloses wherein the controller (508. microprocessor, Col. 16, lines 6-7, Fig. 5) is configured to control the first temperature/humidity controller to perform the heating operation in response to a determination that the temperature of the air measured by the first sensor is less than a first reference value or the humidity of the air measured by the first sensor is equal to or greater than a second reference value and to control the first temperature/humidity controller to perform the cooling operation in response to a determination that the temperature of the air measured by the first sensor is equal to or greater than the first reference value or the humidity of the air measured by the first sensor is less than the second reference value (The temperature and humidity of animal exhalation entering the apparatus through the inlet 501 is monitored by sensors 502. The exhalation is propelled into the apparatus by use of pump 503 and its temperature adjusted by use of heating means 504 present in the flow path. A proportion of the exhalation is directed at valve 505 and the diverted sample is passed via tube 506 into a concentrating and mixing chamber 507 where it is mixed with calibration gas or other conveying medium as appropriate. The temperature and humidity of the sample in the mixing chamber 507 is monitored and controlled by a microprocessor 508. Use may be made of the drier 509, humidifier 510 and pump 511 to change the temperature and humidity of the sample in the mixing chamber. Valve 512 controls the relative proportions of dried and humidified calibration gas reaching chamber 507, Col. 15. Line 62- Col. 16, line 11).
With regards to the method claims 14, 15, & 16 are thereby met by the apparatus of Mottram as cited above in claims 1-3.
With regards to claim 19, Mottram discloses a device for measuring an odor (Condition can be determined from a component of the exhalation, which component may be an odour or specific compound or other material, Col. 6, Fig. 5), the device comprising: a prechamber (507, mixing chamber, Col. 16, lines 5-6, Fig. 5) comprising an inlet and an outlet provided (507, having inlet via tube 506 and outlet tube 513, Col. 16, lines 2-15, Fig. 5) in respective end portions thereof (501, inlet and 518, outlet, Fig. 5, Col. 16, lines 2-15, Fig. 5); a flow guide pipe disposed in the prechamber and connected between the inlet and the outlet in a predetermined pattern to allow air containing the odor to flow therethrough (506, tube having flow path as illustrated by arrow being disposed in 507, mixing chamber (prechamber) being connected via tubing/flow path between 501 (inlet) and 518 (outlet), Fig. 5, Col.16, lines 2-24); a first sensor mounted to the inlet, the first sensor being configured to measure a temperature and a humidity of the air entering the flow guide pipe (502, temperature and humidity of animal exhalation entering the apparatus through the inlet 501 is monitored by sensors, Fig. 5, Col. 15, lines 63-65); a second sensor mounted to the outlet, the second sensor being configured to measure the temperature and the humidity of the air discharged from the flow guide pipe (516, temperature and humidity sensors, Col. 16, lines 19-20, Fig. 5); a first temperature/humidity controller (508, microprocessor, Col. 16, lines 6-7, Fig. 5) mounted to the prechamber (507, mixing chamber as the (prechamber), Col. 16, line 6, Fig. 5), the first temperature/humidity controller being configured to adjust the temperature and the humidity (temperature adjusted by use of heating means 504 present in the flow path, Col. 15, line 67) of the air flowing through the flow guide pipe (508, microprocessor Col. 16, line 6-7, Fig. 5); an odor sensor chamber connected to the outlet via a connection pipe (514, sampling chamber, Fig. 5); and an odor sensor mounted in the odor sensor chamber (517, sensor arrays mounted in 514, Col. 16, line 18-24, Fig. 5) the odor sensor being configured to sense the odor contained in the air discharged from the flow guide pipe (Fig. 5).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-11, 17, 18 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
With regards to claim 4, the prior art does not disclose nor suggest the claimed “controller is configured to control the first temperature/humidity controller to stop the heating operation or the cooling operation in response to a determination that the temperature of the air and the humidity of the air measured by the second sensor have reached respective reference values” in combination with the remaining claimed elements of claim 4 and from which it depends.
With regards to claim 5, the prior art does not disclose nor suggest the claimed “a first heater mounted to the prechamber, the first heater being configured to heat the air flowing through the flow guide pipe in order to adjust the temperature and the humidity of the air; and a first cooler mounted to the prechamber, the first cooler being configured to cool the air flowing through the flow guide pipe in order to adjust the temperature and the humidity of the air” in combination with the remaining claimed elements of claim 5 and from which it depends..
With regards to claim 6, the prior art does not disclose nor suggest the claimed 6. a Peltier element mounted to the prechamber to heat or cool the air flowing through the flow guide pipe in order to adjust the temperature and the humidity of the air” in combination with the remaining claimed elements of claim 6 and from which it depends.
With regards to claim 7, the prior art does not disclose nor suggest the claimed predetermined pattern of the flow guide pipe connected between the inlet and the outlet is a helical pattern, a zigzag pattern, or a spiral pattern in order to secure a heating time or a cooling time for adjustment of the temperature and the humidity of the air” in combination with the remaining claimed elements of claim 7 and from which it depends.
With regards to claim 8, the prior art does not disclose nor suggest the claimed a first flow guide pipe and a second flow guide pipe; and the first flow guide pipe and the second flow guide pipe are independently connected between the inlet and the outlet in order to secure a heating time or a cooling time for adjustment of the temperature and the humidity of the air” in combination with the remaining claimed elements of claim 8 and from which it depends.
With regards to claim 9, the prior art does not disclose nor suggest the claimed second temperature/humidity controller mounted to the odor sensor chamber, the second temperature/humidity controller being configured to secondarily adjust the temperature and the humidity of the air introduced into the odor sensor chamber in response to a first control signal of a controller” in combination with the remaining claimed elements of claim 5 and from which it depends. Claim 10 depends therefrom claim 9.
With regards to claim 12, the prior art does not disclose nor suggest the claimed “a first odor sensor chamber and a second odor sensor chamber that are independently connected to the outlet via branch pipes” in combination with the remaining claimed elements of claim 5 and from which it depends.
With regards to claim 17, the prior art does not disclose nor suggest the claimed first temperature/humidity controller to stop the heating operation or the cooling operation in response to a determination that the temperature and the humidity of the air measured by the second sensor have reached respective reference values” in combination with the remaining claimed elements of claim 17 and from which it depends from.
With regards to claim 18, the prior art does not disclose nor suggest the claimed “a second temperature/humidity controller mounted to the odor sensor chamber to perform the heating operation or the cooling operation in order to secondarily adjust the temperature and the humidity of the air introduced into the odor sensor chamber in response to a determination that the temperature and the humidity of the air measured by the second sensor have not reached respective reference values” in combination with the remaining claimed elements of claim 18 and from which it depends.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FRANCIS C GRAY whose telephone number is (571)270-3348. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7am-5pm.
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/FRANCIS C GRAY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852