Detailed Action
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This action is responsive to the communications filed 6/25/2024. As per the claims filed 11/09/2023:
Claims 1-20 are pending.
Claim(s) 1, 10, 19 is/are independent claim(s).
Note Regarding Prior Art
Examiner cites particular columns, paragraphs, figures and line numbers in the references as applied to the claims below for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested that, in preparing responses, the applicant fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner.
Note Regarding AIA Status
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 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 1-7, 9-16, 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jeon Gi Seok et al (KR2022-0160375; Puiblished: 12/06/2022)(hereinafter: Seok.)
Note: Seok was cited in the IDS filed 6/25/2024. A machine translation of Seok is provided along with this Office Action.
Claim 1:
As per independent claim 1, a control method of a smart occupancy sensor system,[[0027] [Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of a target identification system (100).] the control method comprising:
receiving a switch status value of a switch configured to control power supply of a sensor module [[0035] As an example, the first identification unit (106) can automatically adjust the priority by varying the on/off status or weight of the plurality of sensors according to the environment information.]and a spatial information value of a space that is a detection target of the sensor module [[0028] The judgment unit (102) detects a moving object existing within a set monitoring area and determines whether the moving object is an approved object];
generating a sensor priority signal based on the received switch status value and the received spatial information value [[0034] The first identification unit (106) automatically adjusts the priority of a plurality of sensors for monitoring the monitoring area according to the collected environmental information, and derives a plurality of target candidates corresponding to the moving body based on the priority];
generating an increase event signal or a decrease event signal based on the sensor priority signal [[0035] As an example, the first identification unit (106) can automatically adjust the priority by varying the on/off status or weight of the plurality of sensors according to the environment information.]; and
generating a new control signal and controlling the sensor module based on the generated new control signal [[0059] Next, the first identification unit (106) automatically adjusts the priority of a plurality of sensors for monitoring the monitoring area according to the collected environmental information (5108). The first identification unit (106) can automatically adjust the priority by, for example, varying the on/off status or weight of the plurality of sensors according to the environment information].
Claim 2:
As per claim 2, which depends on claim 1, Seok discloses wherein the generating of the sensor priority signal comprises: generating the sensor priority signal based on a sensor of which the received switch status value and the received spatial information value changed according to a sensor priority hierarchy that indicates priority between sensors [[0034] The first identification unit (106) automatically adjusts the priority of a plurality of sensors for monitoring the monitoring area according to the collected environmental information, and derives a plurality of target candidates corresponding to the moving body based on the priority [0059] the first identification unit (106) automatically adjusts the priority of a plurality of sensors for monitoring the monitoring area according to the collected environmental information (5108).]
Claim 3:
As per claim 3, which depends on claim 1, Seok discloses wherein the generating of the increase event signal comprises: generating, when a value of a signal controlled by the switch needs to be increased, the increase event signal [[0035] the first identification unit (106) can lower the weight of the camera among the multiple sensors and increase the weight of the infrared sensor and the ultrasonic sensor [0066] the on/off status or weights of the sensors corresponding to the specific environmental information can be continuously updated, and as this process is repeated, the accuracy of target identification can gradually increase.].
Claim 4:
As per claim 4, which depends on claim 3, Seok discloses further comprising: extracting a priority of a plurality of sensors included in a sensor priority hierarchy; and generating a new control signal in order of decreasing priority [[0033] [The first identification unit (106) automatically adjusts the priority of a plurality of sensors for monitoring the monitoring area according to the collected environmental information, and derives a plurality of target candidates corresponding to the moving body based on the priority.].
Claim 5:
As per claim 5, which depends on claim 1, Seok discloses wherein the generating of the decrease event signal comprises: generating, when a value of a signal controlled by the switch needs to be decreased, the decrease event signal[[0035] the first identification unit (106) can lower the weight of the camera among the multiple sensors and increase the weight of the infrared sensor and the ultrasonic sensor [0066] the on/off status or weights of the sensors corresponding to the specific environmental information can be continuously updated, and as this process is repeated, the accuracy of target identification can gradually increase.]. By changing the weights of the sensors, some of the previously highly ranked sensors would decrease in the hierarchy.
.
Claim 6:
As per claim 6, which depends on claim 5, Seok discloses further comprising: extracting a priority of a plurality of sensors included in a sensor priority hierarchy; and generating a new control signal in order of increasing priority [[0035] the first identification unit (106) can lower the weight of the camera among the multiple sensors and increase the weight of the infrared sensor and the ultrasonic sensor [0066] the on/off status or weights of the sensors corresponding to the specific environmental information can be continuously updated, and as this process is repeated, the accuracy of target identification can gradually increase.].
Claim 7:
As per claim 7, which depends on claim 6, Seok discloses wherein the new control signal is a maximum value among new control signal values at the time the decrease event signal was generated [[0035] the first identification unit (106) can lower the weight of the camera among the multiple sensors and increase the weight of the infrared sensor and the ultrasonic sensor [0066] the on/off status or weights of the sensors corresponding to the specific environmental information can be continuously updated, and as this process is repeated, the accuracy of target identification can gradually increase.].
Claim 9:
As per claim 9, which depends on claim 1, Seok discloses further comprising: reporting an abnormal case when the increase event signal or the decrease event signal occurs [[0017] The target identification method considering environmental information of the above-mentioned monitoring area may further include a step in which the result of selecting the final target in the second identification unit is fed back to the first identification unit, and the on/off status or weight of the plurality of sensors according to the environmental information is updated [0033] The collection unit (104) collects environmental information of the monitoring area when it is determined that the above-mentioned moving body is not an approved object]. Abnormal case is analogous to not approved object.
Claim 10:
As per independent claim 10, it recites a control apparatus of a smart occupancy sensor system, the control apparatus comprising: a processor; and at least one memory configured to store instructions executable by the processor, wherein, when the instructions are executed by the processor, the processor is configured to execute the steps of the method of claim 1, therefore it is rejected under the same rationale as claim 1 above. Additionally, Seok discloses [[0069] The computing device (12) includes at least one processor (14), a computer-readable storage medium (16), and a communication bus (18).]
Claim 11:
As per claim 11, it is rejected under the same rationale as claim 2 above.
Claim 12:
As per claim 12, it is rejected under the same rationale as claim 3 above.
Claim 13:
As per claim 13, it is rejected under the same rationale as claim 4 above.
Claim 14:
As per claim 14, it is rejected under the same rationale as claim 5 above.
Claim 15:
As per claim 15, it is rejected under the same rationale as claim 6 above.
Claim 16:
As per claim 16, it is rejected under the same rationale as claim 7 above.
Claim 18:
As per claim 18, it is rejected under the same rationale as claim 9 above.
Claim 19:
As per independent claim 19, it recites a smart occupancy sensor system comprising: a sensor module configured to receive a spatial information value of a space that is a detection target of the sensor module; a switch configured to control power supply of the sensor module; and a control apparatus configured to control the sensor module based on a control signal, wherein the control apparatus is configured to: perform the tasks of claim 1, therefore it is rejected under the same rationale as claim 1 above.
Claim 20:
As per claim 20, which depends on claim 19, Seok discloses wherein the sensor module comprises: at least one of a hardware switch, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a software switch, or an occupant counting sensor [[0038] For example, assuming there is an on/off status or weight of sensors corresponding to specific environmental information (e.g., the size and range of the monitoring area is within 20m X 20m, the time period is 7 to 8 PM, the temperature of the monitoring area is 20 to 25°C, etc.), t]
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 8, 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seok in view of Zubin Varghese et al (US PG Pub No.US2023/0079403; Filed: 04/08/2022)(hereinafter: Varghese).
Claim 8:
As per claim 8, which depends on claim 1, Seok discloses wherein the spatial information value comprises: information on a temperature of the space, weather of the space. [[0065] assuming there is an on/off status or weight of sensors corresponding to specific environmental information (e.g., the size and range of the monitoring area is within 20m X 20m, the time period is 7 to 8 PM, the temperature of the monitoring area is 20 to 25°C, etc.), the weight of the sensor that had the greatest influence on selecting the final target can be updated to be higher. [0010] The above environmental information includes one or more of the size and range of the monitoring area, the light conditions of the monitoring area, the current weather, and the current time zone].
Seok failed to specifically disclose humidity of the space, and a number of occupants of the space.
Varghese, in the same field of occupancy detection discloses this limitations in that [[0038] the humidity sensor 150 and the occupancy sensor 152 may be co-located within a central device such a thermostat 154. In other examples, some or all of these sensors may be located as separate components or part of another device. The occupancy sensors may provide an indication of the number of people within a space… Humidity sensors 150 may also be used to provide humidity information, e.g., relative humidity, web bulb temperature, etc].
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the spatial information gathering teachings of Seok to include means of gathering information about the humidity of the space, and a number of occupants of the space as disclosed by Varghese. The motivation for doing so would have been to more accurately gather spatial information thus resulting in a more efficient control system.
Claim 17:
As per claim 17, it is rejected under the same rationale as claim 8 above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Contact
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HOWARD CORTES whose telephone number is (571)270-1383. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Scott T Baderman can be reached on (571)272-3644. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HOWARD CORTES/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2118