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 . Claims 1 and 3-8 are pending and examined below. This action is in response to the claims filed 4/20/26.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 4/20/26 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s arguments, see Applicant Remarks Section III. filed on 4/20/26, regarding 35 U.S.C. § 103 rejections are persuasive in view of amendments filed 4/20/26.
However, upon further search considerations, new grounds of rejection are made in view of Lambert et al. (US 2005/0180263) below.
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 and 3-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. (US 2020/0042020) in view of Lambert et al. (US 2005/0180263).
Regarding claims 1, 7, and 8, Zhang discloses an integrated method and system for communication, positioning, navigation, and timing of sea vehicles including a ship monitoring system/control method/recording medium comprising (Abstract and Fig. 2):
a shipboard information processing apparatus provided on a ship and including a shipboard communication unit and an information acquisition unit that acquires ship motion information related to a ship motion of the ship (¶221-222 - the integrated system for communication, positioning, navigation, and timing of a deep-sea vehicle, communication, positioning, navigation, and timing mainly serves the deep-sea vehicle supplemented by the water surface monitoring platform and the scientific research ship or shore-based monitoring center.); and
a support information processing apparatus provided outside the ship and including: a support side communication unit capable of communicating with the shipboard communication unit; a time lag identification unit; and a state prediction unit (¶209-210 and ¶214-220 – shore based monitoring center and surface monitoring platform corresponding to the recited support information processing apparatus outside the ship including communications units capable of communicating with the shipboard communications unit including transmitter-receiver integrated acoustic transducer 6 of the water surface monitoring platform where the monitoring platform includes the time lag identification unit and the state prediction unit),
wherein the time lag identification unit identifies a time from transmission of the ship motion information from the shipboard communication unit to reception of the ship motion information by the support side communication unit as a reception time lag (¶89 and ¶173-175 – Obtain a transmission delay corresponding to the recited reception time lag according to the time when the water surface monitoring platform transmits the communication information and the time when the deep-sea vehicle receives the communication information), and
wherein the state prediction unit inputs the ship motion information and the reception time lag to a ship motion model related to the ship motion of the ship to predict a second motion state of the ship ahead of a first motion state of the ship indicated by the ship motion information by a period of time based on the reception time lag (¶94-97 and ¶173-175 – obtaining integrated navigation information corresponding to the recited predicted second motion state information utilizing inertial navigation information corresponding to the recited first motion state and the relative position information based on the transmission delay corresponding to the recited time lag),
wherein the shipboard information processing apparatus includes an engine control unit that controls a propulsion machine or a rudder machine provided in the ship, based on a ship maneuvering command received via the shipboard communication unit (¶172-174 – deep sea vehicle being an autonomous vehicle implicitly includes a propulsion machine and a rudder machine which is controlled by command information included in the instruction information sent to the deep-sea vehicle corresponding to the recited shipboard information processing unit. The claim element “engine control unit” is interpreted as a controller utilized to control either the propulsion machine or the rudder machine and not explicitly an engine as the “mechanism for obtaining a propulsion force may merely need to propel the ship” and “is not limited” to a propeller or an engine (Own Specification ¶116-117)),
wherein the support information processing apparatus transmits the ship maneuvering command to the shipboard communication unit via the support side communication unit (¶173-175 - the water surface monitoring platform corresponding to the recited support information processing apparatus delivers the command information corresponding to the recited ship maneuvering command to the deep-sea vehicle corresponding to the recited the shipboard communication unit),
wherein the time lag identification unit identifies a time from transmission of the ship maneuvering command from the support side communication unit to reception of the ship maneuvering command by the shipboard communication unit as a transmission time lag (¶89 and ¶172-175 – Obtain a transmission delay corresponding to the recited time lag according to the time when the water surface monitoring platform transmits the communication information, including the command information, and the time when the deep-sea vehicle receives the communication information),
wherein the engine control unit controls the propulsion machine or a rudder machine based on the ship maneuvering command (¶172-175 and ¶200 deep sea vehicle being an autonomous vehicle implicitly includes a propulsion machine and a rudder machine which is controlled by command information included in the instruction information sent to the deep-sea vehicle corresponding to the recited shipboard information processing unit. The claim element “engine control unit” is interpreted as a controller utilized to control either the propulsion machine or the rudder machine and not explicitly an engine as the “mechanism for obtaining a propulsion force may merely need to propel the ship” and “is not limited” to a propeller or an engine (Own Specification ¶116-117)), and
wherein the support information processing apparatus includes an information display unit that displays the third motion state (¶210 - The information processing unit and the display are mainly configured to intuitively display the position information, the energy consumption information, the attitude information, the alarm information, and the like of the deep-sea vehicle corresponding to the recited an information display unit that displays all position information including the third motion state).
While Zhang discloses the time lag based position modeling as being performed in the shipboard information processing apparatus (deep sea vehicle part) and not in the support information processing apparatus (water surface monitoring platform/scientific research ship/shore-based monitoring center), it further discloses measuring time intervals upon receiving a signal bidirectionally at the shipboard information processing apparatus (deep sea vehicle part) and in the support information processing apparatus (water surface monitoring platform/scientific research ship/shore-based monitoring center) in a first and second time interval (¶197 and Fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date to perform time lag based localization in both directions in order to compensate a time drift error of an atomic clock of the deep-sea vehicle, so as to implement precise underwater timing and therefore positioning (Zhang - ¶177).
While Zhang does disclose utilizing transmission time lag to determine positional information as well as utilizing bidirectional time lag determinations, it does not explicitly disclose utilizing two time lag measurements for performing position measurement.
However, Lambert discloses a signal transmission delay based localization system including wherein the state prediction unit uses the transmission time lag to predict a third motion state of the ship ahead of the first motion state by a total time derived from adding up the reception time lag and the transmission time lag (¶28-32 and ¶36 – projected position corresponding to the recited third motion state is determined utilizing the pseudorange measurements which includes the time of transit from of the acoustic message signal from the source transmitter to the receiver and requires two range observations corresponding to the recited the reception time lag and the transmission time lag), and
wherein the time lag identification unit identifies a time duration from a start time point when the ship maneuvering command is transmitted from the support-side communication unit to an end time point when the engine control unit executes the maneuvering command received by the shipboard communication unit as the transmission time lag (¶28 – pseudorange measurements corresponding to the recited transmission time lag includes the acoustic transit time from the transmitter through the receiver to the processor for extraction and implementation corresponding to the recited time duration from a start time point when the ship maneuvering command is transmitted from the support-side communication unit to an end time point when the engine control unit executes the maneuvering command received by the shipboard communication unit as the transmission time lag).
The combination of the bidirectional time lag localization system of Zhang with the multiple observation based transmission time lag localization system of Lambert fully discloses the elements as claimed.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date to have combined the bidirectional time lag localization system of Zhang with the multiple observation based transmission time lag localization system of Lambert in order to account for transmitter motion when calculating position utilizing transmission lag localization methods (Lambert - ¶36).
Regarding claim 3, Zhang further discloses wherein the time lag identification unit identifies a time difference between a point of time in the support information processing apparatus when the predetermined information is transmitted and a point of time in the shipboard information processing apparatus when the predetermined information is received as the transmission time lag (¶89, ¶172-175, and ¶200 – Obtain a transmission delay corresponding to the recited time lag according to the time when the water surface monitoring platform transmits the communication information, including the command information, and the time when the deep-sea vehicle receives the communication information where the command information is then executed by the deep sea vehicle).
Regarding claim 4, Zhang further discloses wherein the support information processing apparatus further includes an information display unit that displays the second motion state (¶213 - display 3 of the scientific research ship or shore-based monitoring center and the information processing unit 2 of the scientific research ship or shore-based monitoring center are configured to display the status information of the deep-sea vehicle where status information includes the motion states and positions).
Regarding claim 5, Zhang further discloses wherein, when the ship motion model is updated, the state prediction unit predicts the second motion state by using the updated ship motion model (¶188-190 – each time the positioning process is completed and the result is not an outlier, the SINS+DVL corresponding to the recited ship motion models are corrected corresponding to the recited updated model which is then utilized to determine future positioning results corresponding to the recited second motion state).
Regarding claim 6, Zhang further discloses wherein the ship motion model is updated by using the ship maneuvering command (¶173-175 – the instructions corresponding to the recited ship maneuvering command is included in the transmitted information which is relied upon to determine transmission delay and therefore updated ship motion model).
Additional References Cited
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Hauschildt (US 2017/0350976) discloses a system for locating an object utilizing a transmitter and a receiver and measuring the time from transmission, reflection off the object, and receipt by a receiver (¶5-7).
Ahmed et al. (US 2024/0210536) discloses a time of flight distance determination system including a source device 102 transmits a signal 103a, which strikes and is reflected 103b from object 106 to the ego device 104. Of particular note for the first case is that the distance between the source device 102 and the object 106 is equal to the distance between the object 106 and the ego device 104, as is depicted in 108. In this manner, the signal travels from the source device 102, to the object 106, and to the ego device 104 over a path that is twice the length of the distance between the ego device 104 and the object 106. (¶28)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Matthew J Reda whose telephone number is (408)918-7573. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday 7-4 ET.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Hunter Lonsberry can be reached on (571) 272-7298. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see https://ppair-my.uspto.gov/pair/PrivatePair. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/MATTHEW J. REDA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3665
Prosecution Insights