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 9 is objected to because of the following informalities: the claims should not include: “first step-sixth step”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. This claims recite the term “dynamic”. The specification does not provide some standard for measuring that degree.
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) 1-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Rageot et al. (GB 2549102).
Referring to claim 1. Rageot et al. discloses comprising a water tank (spools 108a & 108b), a seabed simulation mechanism (frame 320), a deep-water pipeline model (PLIM 350), a horizontal mooring mechanism (Fig. 3), a pipeline departure angle control mechanism (pages 4 & 5) and an anchor end connection mechanism (anchor flange 126); wherein, a U-shaped trailer frame is mounted above a water tank, two sliding rails are mounted on two sides of the trailer frame in parallel, and a six-degree-of-freedom motion signal receiver is mounted at one end of the trailer frame (pages 3, 4, 7 & 28); and a pipe-laying ship model floats on a water surface of the water tank, and a six-degree-of-freedom motion sensor corresponding to the six-degree-of-freedom motion signal receiver is mounted on an upper surface of the pipe-laying ship model (PLIM 150 & Figs. 7 & 8); the seabed simulation mechanism is located on a bottom surface of an interior of the water tank (Figs. 7, 9, 11 & 12); the pipeline departure angle control mechanism for adjusting an included angle between a top end of the deep-water pipeline model and the pipe-laying ship model is mounted between the top end of the deep-water pipeline model and the pipe-laying ship model, and a bottom end of the deep-water pipeline model is connected with the seabed simulation mechanism through the anchor end connection mechanism (pages 4 & 5); and the deep-water pipeline model naturally bends under a gravity, a touch-down zone of the deep-water pipeline model is laid on the seabed simulation mechanism, and a yellow fluorescent sticker for marking is mounted on a nearby part of a touch-down point (S-lay installation method and PLIM 350); and the horizontal mooring mechanism comprises four sets of horizontal mooring assemblies (Figure 3 & the Reel-lay Installation Method); the four sets of horizontal mooring assemblies are respectively connected to four corners of the pipe-laying ship model (Figure 3 & the Reel-lay Installation Method); each set of horizontal mooring assemblies comprises a horizontal mooring line, a mooring line adjustment unit and a mooring line tension sensor (Fig. 7 & 110); various mooring line adjustment units are horizontally movably mounted on corresponding sliding rails (Fig. 3); and when various mooring line adjustment units move on the corresponding sliding rails, lengths and tail end positions of the horizontal mooring lines are changed, thus adjusting pre-tensions of the mooring lines and a wave-approach angle of the pipe-laying ship model in the water tank (S-lay installation method).
Referring to claim 2, Rageot et al. discloses wherein: the horizontal mooring line is formed by sequentially connecting a steel wire, a spring and a nylon cord (Fig. 10); one ends of various steel wires are connected with four corners of side walls of the pipe-laying ship model through corresponding mooring line tension sensors (pages 12 & 13); the other ends of various steel wires are connected with one ends of corresponding springs (Fig. 10); the other ends of various springs are connected with one ends of corresponding nylon cords (Fig. 10); and the other ends of various nylon cords are connected with corresponding mooring line adjustment units (Fig. 7 & 110).
Referring to claim 3, Rageot et al. discloses wherein: the pipeline departure angle control mechanism comprises a base, a rocker, a connecting rod, a top end tension sensor and a pipeline top end sleeve (22 & Figs. 9, 11 & 12); a top end of the base is mounted on the pipe-laying ship model, and a push rod motor is mounted at a bottom end of the base (Fig. 13d); an upper end of the rocker is hinged with a side wall of the base, the tension sensor is mounted at a lower end of the rocker, and a sliding groove is arranged in the middle of the rocker (Fig. 13c); and the connecting rod is L-shaped, one end of the connecting rod is movably arranged in the sliding groove of the rocker in a length direction of the sliding groove, and the other end of the connecting rod is connected with a push rod of the push rod motor (Fig. 13d); and the tension sensor is coaxially mounted at an upper end of the pipeline top end sleeve, a lower end of the pipeline top end sleeve is connected with a top end of the deep-water pipeline model (22 & PLIM 350); and when the push rod motor drives the connecting rod to make a linear motion through the push rod, the rocker swings to drive the top end of the pipeline model to rotate to a specific angle, thus adjusting the included angle between the top end of the deep-water pipeline model and the pipe-laying ship model (Figs. 3, 7 & 13d).
Referring to claim 4, Rageot et al. discloses wherein: the mooring line adjustment unit comprises a main body, and three pulleys are mounted on one side of the main body (Fig. 3 & 7); and the three pulleys are respectively contacted with an upper surface
and two side surfaces of the sliding rail (124); and a brake for fixing the main body and a winch for retracting and releasing the nylon cord are respectively mounted on one side of the main body (page 25).
Referring to claim 5, Rageot et al. discloses wherein: the deep-water pipeline model comprises a polypropylene pipe, an interior of the polypropylene pipe is fully filled with micro-spherical stainless steel powder, and the polypropylene pipe is a straight cylinder (Fig. 13d); and two ends of the polypropylene pipe are respectively plugged through polypropylene pipe orifice plugs by hot-melting (Fig. 13d).
Referring to claim 6, Rageot et al. discloses further comprising a polypropylene connection sleeve, wherein, a plurality of polypropylene pipes are provided (page 25); and various polypropylene pipes are coaxially connected, and a corresponding connection sleeve is mounted at a joint of two polypropylene pipes by hot-melting (Figs. 13c & d).
Referring to claim 7, Rageot et al. discloses wherein: the seabed simulation mechanism comprises a main frame, a bottom plate, a seabed model, a camera frame, an underwater high-definition binocular camera, a counterweight and a pull
rope (22 & Figs. 10); the bottom plate is fixed at a bottom portion of the main frame, and a bottom surface of the bottom plate abuts against the bottom surface of the interior of the water tank (Fig. 7); the seabed model is laid on an upper surface of the bottom plate, and the seabed model is contacted with the touch-down zone of the deep-water pipeline model (Figs. 9, 11 & 12); the camera frame is mounted on the main frame and capable of sliding in a length direction of the bottom plate (Figs. 7-10); the underwater high-definition binocular camera is mounted on the camera frame (Figs. 7-10); four counterweights are provided, and the four counterweights are respectively mounted on positions on outer sides of four corners of a bottom portion of the main frame (Figs. 9, 11 & 12); and four pull ropes are provided, and lower ends of the four pull ropes are respectively connected with the four corners of the main frame (Figs 7, 8, 9, 11 & 12).
Referring to claim 8, Rageot et al. discloses wherein: the anchor end connection mechanism comprises a universal joint coupler, an underwater tension sensor and a pipeline bottom end sleeve which are coaxially connected in series sequence (Fig. 9); the universal joint coupler is mounted at a midpoint of a tail end of the upper surface of the bottom plate (Figs. 11 & 12); and the pipeline bottom end sleeve is coaxially and fixedly connected with the bottom end of the deep-water pipeline model (Figs. 7-9).
Referring to claim 9, Rageot et al. discloses wherein the experimental method comprises the following steps of: first step: arrangement of above-water part: moving the pipe-laying ship model into the water tank to be connected with the horizontal mooring mechanism, respectively controlling four mooring line adjustment units to gradually tighten the horizontal mooring lines after the pipe-laying ship model is stable until the pipe-laying ship model moves to specified coordinates and the mooring line tension sensors read specified pre-tensions after being stable, and calibrating a motion coordinate system of the pipe-laying ship model through the six-degree-of-freedom motion sensor (pages 2-4); second step: carrying out of pipe-laying ship motion experiment: making waves in the water tank after the above-water part is arranged and still water is restored, and recording a six-degree-of-freedom motion of the pipe-laying ship model and tension changes of four horizontal mooring lines (9, 11 & 12); and respectively making various preset groups of regular waves with different wave height and period combinations and irregular waves with different significant wave height and spectral peak period combinations in sequence, and comparing system dynamic responses under different sea conditions (Figs. 7 & 8); third step: arrangement of underwater part: after all experimental conditions of the pipe- laying ship motion experiment are finished, on the premise of keeping the position of the pipe-laying ship model and the tensions of the horizontal mooring lines unchanged, connecting the deep-water pipeline model with the pipe-laying ship model through the pipeline departure angle control mechanism, then connecting with the seabed simulation mechanism through the anchor end connection mechanism, lowering the seabed simulation mechanism to the specific position on the bottom surface of the interior of the water tank and adjusting a posture of the seabed simulation mechanism through the pull ropes, and adjusting a pipeline top end departure angle by remotely controlling the pipeline departure angle control mechanism, so as to ensure that the pipeline top end tension sensor and the pipeline bottom end tension sensor read predetermined values after the system is stable, wherein the pipeline model is ensured to be not subjected to structural damages such as yield, fracture and plastic deformation in the process (22); fourth step: carrying out of coupling response experiment: after the underwater part is arranged and still water is restored, making waves in the water tank, recording the six-degree-of-freedom motion of the pipe-laying ship model, the tension changes of four horizontal mooring lines, and tension changes of top and bottom ends of the pipeline model under a full coupling condition, and acquiring a motion condition of a marked point near the touch-down point of the pipeline model within an underwater camera shooting range by an image recognition technology (Figures 10); and respectively making regular waves and irregular waves with the same parameters as those in the second step in sequence, and comparing coupling system dynamic responses under different sea conditions (Figs. 7, 9, 11 & 12); fifth step: changing the pipeline top end departure angle to other preset angles through the pipeline departure angle control mechanism, and repeating the fourth step to simulate the coupling system dynamic responses under different pipeline departure angles (22); and sixth step: adjusting a wave-approach direction of the pipe-laying ship model to other preset angles through the mooring line adjustment unit, and repeating the first step to the fifth step to simulate the system dynamic responses under different wave-approach directions (Figs. 7-12).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KESHA FRISBY whose telephone number is (571)272-8774. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 730AM-4PM.
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/KESHA FRISBY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3715