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 .
Status of Claims
This Office Action is in response to the application filed on February 6th, 2026. Claims 1-10, 13-25 are presently pending and are presented for examination.
Response to Amendment
In response to the Applicant’s response filed February 25th, 2026, Examiner; maintains the previous 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 prior art rejections.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 February 25th, 2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed February 25th, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding the arguments provided for the rejections of claims 1, 13, and 23 as put forth on page 12 of applicant’s arguments, have been fully considered. Applicant argues “in contrast to Applicant’s presently claimed invention, the geofences and geozones in the invention of Otulic are created by the user directly drawing them using a stylus or a finger on a touchscreen (see, for example, paragraph [0069] of Otulic). In response to the Examiner's allegation that Applicant's recited processor merely acquires the designated boundary range, Applicant has amended claims 1, 13, and 23 to clarify that the processor itself causes the computer to designate the boundary range in response to the user's designation of two points on the boundary… In summary, Otulic does not teach or suggest any operation in which the user designates two points on a boundary in a map”.
As to point (a), Applicant’s arguments have been fully considered and are not persuasive. As mentioned previously Otulic teaches [0069] the ability of a user to create and assign parameters for a geozone. Otulic describes the setting of the geozone to be done by using a finger or stylus on the touchscreen to divide the image into different geofenced regions. Otulic does not specifically describe setting the geofenced region by designating two points; however, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill looking at the geofenced areas of Fig. 4 that the mooring location is a location between two points on the shoreline and extending out into the water. The method of setting the geofenced area by simply selecting two points and a range versus fully drawing the geofenced area are merely obvious variants. It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to set the zone in the manner described by applicant, since applicant has not disclosed that, setting the zone in this manner solves any stated problem or is for any particular purpose and it appears that the invention would perform equally as well with the method of zone setting of Otulic. Therefore, Examiner maintains that this limitation remains taught by Otulic.
Regarding the arguments provided for the rejections of claims 1, 13, and 23 as put forth on page 12 of applicant’s arguments, have been fully considered. Applicant argues “with respect to the Examiner's comments in the paragraph bridging pages 4 and 5 of the Office Action regarding paragraph [0066] of Otulic, e.g., preventing children from traveling more than a certain distance from the shore or restricting movement along the shore, these are merely conceptual illustrations of operational purposes or usage examples and have no relevance to the actual setting of the geozones”.
As to point (b), Applicant’s arguments have been fully considered and are not persuasive. Examiner directs the Applicant to Fig. 4 of Otulic which displays the geozones which have been set by an administrator to prevent a user of the waterskis from venturing outside of a designated zone. As can be seen there is a longitudinal limit to how far along a shoreline the zone takes up there is also a lateral limit as well, the geozone 315 has a lateral distance lasting from the shoreline up until the beginning of geozone 316. This distance from the shore corresponds to Applicant’s designated distance, for more context the determination of this distance can be determined as stated previously [0066] based on preventing children to travel more than a certain distance from the shore. Therefore, Examiner maintains that this limitation remains taught by Otulic.
Regarding the arguments provided for the rejections of claims 1, 13, and 23 as put forth on page 13 of applicant’s arguments, have been fully considered. Applicant argues “In anticipation of the Examiner considering rejecting Applicant's claims 1, 13, and/or 23 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as allegedly being obvious over Otulic, Applicant notes that one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of Applicant's claimed invention would not have had any reason or motivation to modify the embodiments or features of Otulic to include all of the features recited in Applicant's claim 1, or perform all of the method steps recited in Applicant's claims 13 and 23, because there would have been no reason or motivation to explain why providing such an arrangement or performing such method steps would have been beneficial or otherwise desirable”.
As to point (c), see points (a-b).
Regarding the arguments provided for the rejections of claims 1, 13, and 23 as put forth on page 14 of applicant’s arguments, have been fully considered. Applicant argues “The Examiner relied upon Hashizume, Ramasamy, and Tsubone to allegedly cure the deficiencies of Otulic. However, Hashizume, Ramasamy, and Tsubone also fail to teach or suggest the features and method steps of Applicant's claims 1, 13, and 23 discussed above. Thus, Applicant respectfully submits that Hashizume, Ramasamy, and Tsubone fail to cure the deficiencies of Otulic described above”.
As to point (d), see points (a-c).
Regarding the arguments provided for the rejections of claims 2-10 and 14-22 as put forth on page 14 of applicant’s arguments, have been fully considered. Applicant argues “Claims 2-10, 14-22, 24, and 25 depend upon claims 1 and 13 and are therefore allowable for at least the reasons that claims 1 and 13 are allowable”.
As to point (e), see points (a-c).
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-6, 8, 13-18, 20 and 23-25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by US-20160180721 (hereinafter, “Otulic”).
Regarding claim 1 Otulic discloses an information processing system (see at least [0041]; “The system is applicable to monitoring a single watercraft 1 or a plurality of watercraft la-le by a single user utilizing a single server 4 for or mobile device 5”) comprising:
a computer (see at least [0045]; “A remote access device 5 such as a mobile smart phone, a tablet, or even a laptop with communication capabilities for communicating with system 10 is provided so that a user may control the monitoring and operation of jet skis la-le.”) associated with an administrator who is authorized to set an attribute target area for a specific area (see at least [0069]; “In one further embodiment, a user may utilize mobile device 5 to create and assign parameters for each geozone 315, 316);
a server, communicably connected to the computer (see at least [0043]; “system 19 also includes a server 4 for assisting control of jet skis 1a-1c…server 4 includes a transmitter/receiver 3 (transceiver) for communicating with the various elements of system 10”), to transmit to the computer a map (see at least [0069]; “remote device 5 downloads a map onto a screen of mobile device 5. The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft 1a-1e including the mooring location,” and [0074]; “mobile device 5 is able to access the data stored at server 4 and to make use of the data stored at server 4”) including information on a boundary between a land area and a water area (see at least [0069]; “remote device 5 downloads a map onto a screen of mobile device 5. The map would include a desired geolocation of each watercraft 1a-1e including the mooring location,” the mooring location as shown in Fig. 4 designates a boundary between the land area and the water);
at least one memory to store a set of instructions (see at least [0043]; “System 10 also includes a server 4 for assisting in the control of jet skis 1a-1c, and having a memory for storing data/information about the operation of each jet ski la-le as known in the art, both historically and in real-time”); and
at least one processor (see at least Fig. 3; it would be obvious the controller would contain a processor) configured or programmed to execute instructions to:
cause the computer to:
receive, from the administrator, a designation of two points on the boundary in the map, a designation of a distance, and a designation of an attribute (see at least [0069]; “In one further embodiment, a user may utilize mobile device 5 to create and assign parameters for each geozone 315, 316. In one preferred embodiment, remote device 5 downloads a map onto a screen of mobile device 5. The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft la-le including the mooring location. With graphical user interface (GUI) as known in the art, the user then inputs a desired geophysical location as a geofence 300 by using for example, a stylist or a finger on the touchscreen. The user may divide the image into two or more regions. Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e,” as shown by fig. 4 a first zone 300/315 is created between a boundary range of where the mooring location and the land meet and a distance from the shore);
designate a boundary range in response to the designation of the two points on the boundary, the boundary range being a boundary line between the designated two points (see at least [0066]; “When controlling the use of jet ski 1 by novices, children, or by renters at a commercial environment, it is desirable to control the area in which the jet ski 1 may be operated, the parameters of the operation of jet ski 1 within distinct regions within the overall geophysical location of the geofence and hours of operation. By way of example, one may not want their children to be able to travel more than a mile from the shore or along the shore so that it is easier to monitor jet ski 1,” the limit of one mile along the shore in either direction corresponds to two points along the boundary, the boundary being the shore)(Additionally, It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to set the zone in the manner described by applicant, since applicant has not disclosed that, setting the zone in this manner solves any stated problem or is for any particular purpose and it appears that the invention would perform equally as well with the method of zone setting of Otulic.); and
transmit the designated boundary range, the designated distance, and the designated attribute to the server (see at least [0069]; “In one further embodiment, a user may utilize mobile device 5 to create and assign parameters for each geozone 315, 316. In one preferred embodiment, remote device 5 downloads a map onto a screen of mobile device 5. The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft la-le including the mooring location. With graphical user interface (GUI) as known in the art, the user then inputs a desired geophysical location as a geofence 300 by using for example, a stylist or a finger on the touchscreen. The user may divide the image into two or more regions. Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e. The regions may be linked together in a manner to create a controlled tour or trail,” the geofence area as shown by fig. 4 includes both a boundary range and boundary distance, furthermore a parameter is assigned to the geofence area which corresponds to Applicant’s designated attribute, and finally this information may all be stored from the mobile device 5 to the server 4); and
cause the server to:
acquire the designated boundary range, the designated distance, and the designated attribute from the computer (see at least [0069]; “In one further embodiment, a user may utilize mobile device 5 to create and assign parameters for each geozone 315, 316. In one preferred embodiment, remote device 5 downloads a map onto a screen of mobile device 5. The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft la-le including the mooring location. With graphical user interface (GUI) as known in the art, the user then inputs a desired geophysical location as a geofence 300 by using for example, a stylist or a finger on the touchscreen. The user may divide the image into two or more regions. Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e,” as shown by fig. 4 a first zone 300/315 is created between a boundary range of where the mooring location and the land meet and a distance from the shore);
set the attribute target area based on the designated boundary range and the designated distance, and associate the designated attribute with the attribute target area (see at least [0069]; “The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft 1a-1e including the mooring location. With graphical user interface (GUI) as known in the art, the user then inputs a desired geophysical location as a geofence 300 by using for example, a stylist or a finger on the touchscreen. The user may divide the image into two or more regions. Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e,” the speed-limit or mooring zone 315 can be created by user and designated as such); and
update the map by including the attribute target area associated with the attribute in the map (see at least [0069]; “Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e,” once a zone is created it is added to the map and saved/stored this constitutes updating since previously the map did not constitute a zone and the newly saved map would contain said zone).
Regarding claim 2 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 1. Additionally, Otulic discloses wherein the at least one processor is configured or programmed to cause the server to:
set, as an area boundary, a position spaced apart from the designated boundary range by the designated distance on a side opposite to the land area with respect to the designated boundary range; and set the attribute target area with reference to the area boundary (see at least [0069]; “The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft 1a-1e including the mooring location. With graphical user interface (GUI) as known in the art, the user then inputs a desired geophysical location as a geofence 300 by using for example, a stylist or a finger on the touchscreen. The user may divide the image into two or more regions. Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e,” the speed-limit or mooring zone 315 can be created by user and designated and set as such, the user can specify the distance from the shore which would correspond to the area boundary and therefore the mooring zone which corresponds to Applicant’s attribute target area).
Regarding claim 3 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 2. Additionally, Otulic discloses wherein the at least one processor is configured or programmed to cause the server to:
acquire inside/outside designation information indicating an inside or an outside of the area boundary (see at least [0069]; “the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones,” and [0070]; “geozone 315 is a low speed narrow area geozone to ensure safety of other vehicles and nature, and, in some environments, swimmers or waders, who may be in the area or bear the area” the parameter that the user assigns to the area corresponds to the inside/outside designation, [0067]; “the parameters for geozone 315 stored in modules 6a-6e of a respective jet ski 1a-1e will have a maximum speed in accordance with local custom and/or law”); and
in a case where the inside/outside designation information indicates the inside of the area boundary, set an area between the designated boundary range and the area boundary as the attribute target area; and in a case where the inside/outside designation information indicates the outside of the area boundary, set an area opposite to the designated boundary range with respect to the area boundary as the attribute target area (see at least [0069]; “The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft 1a-1e including the mooring location. With graphical user interface (GUI) as known in the art, the user then inputs a desired geophysical location as a geofence 300 by using for example, a stylist or a finger on the touchscreen. The user may divide the image into two or more regions. Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e,” the speed-limit or mooring zone 315 can be created by user and the inside of the created zone can be designated and set as such).
Regarding claim 4 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 1. Additionally, Otulic discloses wherein the attribute includes at least one of an area where a navigation speed of a marine vessel is limited, an area where a volume of audio is limited, or an area where entry of the marine vessel is prohibited (see at least [0067]; “As is known under most maritime laws and customs, geozone 315 containing mooring 317 is normally a no wake, low speed zone. Furthermore, it is usually a relatively narrow zone to avoid other moors, other boats, swimmers or the like. Therefore, the parameters for geozone 315 stored in modules 6a-6e of a respective jet ski la-le will have a maximum speed in accordance with local custom and/or law, which will be significantly lower than the maximum speed in geozone 316 which is far away from the crowded mooring geolocation 315.”).
Regarding claim 5 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 4. Additionally, Otulic discloses wherein the at least one processor is configured or programmed to warn the marine vessel that a condition indicated by the attribute has not been satisfied (see at least [0068]; “Generally, if module 6 of any respective jet ski 1a-1e senses that a particular jet ski is operating outside of the parameters, such as speeding in zone 315 or operating outside of geofence 300, it may send a signal to engine control unit 105 to lower the speed to within the permitted speed limit, turn off the engine as a warning, or to prevent further escape from the geofence area, or may send a signal to buzzer 11 as a warning to the user to control their manner of operation. Alternatively, module 6 may send a signal to mobile device 5 indicative of the actual or potential (as a function of a pattern of parameters) violation of the parameters so that remote device 5 can send a command to control a particular jet ski 1a by way of example,” an applicant is warned if a condition for the speed limit to be below a predetermined value is not met).
Regarding claim 6 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 1. Additionally, Otulic discloses wherein the at least one processor is configured or programmed to warn a marine vessel that a condition indicated by the attribute has been satisfied (see at least [0068]; “Generally, if module 6 of any respective jet ski 1a-1e senses that a particular jet ski is operating outside of the parameters, such as speeding in zone 315 or operating outside of geofence 300, it may send a signal to engine control unit 105 to lower the speed to within the permitted speed limit, turn off the engine as a warning, or to prevent further escape from the geofence area, or may send a signal to buzzer 11 as a warning to the user to control their manner of operation. Alternatively, module 6 may send a signal to mobile device 5 indicative of the actual or potential (as a function of a pattern of parameters) violation of the parameters so that remote device 5 can send a command to control a particular jet ski 1a by way of example,” an applicant is warned if a condition for exceeding the speed limit is met).
Regarding claim 8 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 1. Additionally, Otulic discloses wherein the at least one processor is configured or programmed to cause the server to acquire the designated boundary range, the designated distance, and the designated attribute for each administrator who is authorized to set the attribute target area for a specific area on the map (see at least [0066]; When controlling the use of jet ski 1 by novices, children, or by renters at a commercial environment, it is desirable to control the area in which the jet ski 1 may be operated, the parameters of the operation of jet ski 1 within distinct regions within the overall geophysical location of the geofence and hours of operation. By way of example, one may not want their children to be able to travel more than a mile from the shore or along the shore so that it is easier to monitor jet ski 1, both visually and electronically. Additionally, in many environments, there may be different parameters within a single geofenced area as a function of location within the geofence or multiple geofence areas with different parameters linked together as a controlled pathway, tour or trail. By way of example, one may want to create a controlled operational pathway though a body of water or channel with hazardous, protected or environmentally restricted areas,” the system is able to receive target areas from various administrators such as parents or owners, in the situation discussed only one administrator (owner/leaser of the vessel) is authorized to set the geozone, the limitation of “each administrator” does not require there to be more than one administrator setting areas at the same time).
Regarding claim 13 Otulic discloses an information processing method executed by a computer (see at least [0041]; “The system is applicable to monitoring a single watercraft 1 or a plurality of watercraft 1a-1e by a single user utilizing a single server 4 for or mobile device 5”) and a server (see at least [0043]; “system 19 also includes a server 4 for assisting control of jet skis 1a-1c…server 4 includes a transmitter/receiver 3 (transceiver) for communicating with the various elements of system 10”), the information processing method comprising:
transmitting, from the server to the computer, a map (see at least [0069]; “remote device 5 downloads a map onto a screen of mobile device 5. The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft 1a-1e including the mooring location,” and [0074]; “mobile device 5 is able to access the data stored at server 4 and to make use of the data stored at server 4”) including information on a boundary between a land area and a water area (see at least [0069]; “remote device 5 downloads a map onto a screen of mobile device 5. The map would include a desired geolocation of each watercraft 1a-1e including the mooring location,” the mooring location as shown in Fig. 4 designates a boundary between the land area and the water);
in the computer;
receiving, from an administrator, a designation of two points on the boundary in the map, a designation of a distance, and a designation of an attribute (see at least [0069]; “In one further embodiment, a user may utilize mobile device 5 to create and assign parameters for each geozone 315, 316. In one preferred embodiment, remote device 5 downloads a map onto a screen of mobile device 5. The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft la-le including the mooring location. With graphical user interface (GUI) as known in the art, the user then inputs a desired geophysical location as a geofence 300 by using for example, a stylist or a finger on the touchscreen. The user may divide the image into two or more regions. Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e,” as shown by fig. 4 a first zone 300/315 is created between a boundary range of where the mooring location and the land meet and a distance from the shore);
designating a boundary range in response to the designation of the two points on the boundary, the boundary range being a boundary line between the designated two points (see at least [0066]; “When controlling the use of jet ski 1 by novices, children, or by renters at a commercial environment, it is desirable to control the area in which the jet ski 1 may be operated, the parameters of the operation of jet ski 1 within distinct regions within the overall geophysical location of the geofence and hours of operation. By way of example, one may not want their children to be able to travel more than a mile from the shore or along the shore so that it is easier to monitor jet ski 1,” the limit of one mile along the shore in either direction corresponds to two points along the boundary, the boundary being the shore)(Additionally, It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to set the zone in the manner described by applicant, since applicant has not disclosed that, setting the zone in this manner solves any stated problem or is for any particular purpose and it appears that the invention would perform equally as well with the method of zone setting of Otulic); and
transmitting to the designated boundary range, the designated distance, and the designated attribute to the server (see at least [0069]; “In one further embodiment, a user may utilize mobile device 5 to create and assign parameters for each geozone 315, 316. In one preferred embodiment, remote device 5 downloads a map onto a screen of mobile device 5. The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft la-le including the mooring location. With graphical user interface (GUI) as known in the art, the user then inputs a desired geophysical location as a geofence 300 by using for example, a stylist or a finger on the touchscreen. The user may divide the image into two or more regions. Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e. The regions may be linked together in a manner to create a controlled tour or trail,” the geofence area as shown by fig. 4 includes both a boundary range and boundary distance, furthermore a parameter is assigned to the geofence area which corresponds to Applicant’s designated attribute, and finally this information may all be stored from the mobile device 5 to the server 4); and
in the server;
acquiring the designated boundary range, the designated distance, and the designated attribute (see at least [0069]; “In one further embodiment, a user may utilize mobile device 5 to create and assign parameters for each geozone 315, 316. In one preferred embodiment, remote device 5 downloads a map onto a screen of mobile device 5. The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft la-le including the mooring location. With graphical user interface (GUI) as known in the art, the user then inputs a desired geophysical location as a geofence 300 by using for example, a stylist or a finger on the touchscreen. The user may divide the image into two or more regions. Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e,” as shown by fig. 4 a first zone 300/315 is created between a boundary range of where the mooring location and the land meet and a distance from the shore);
setting an attribute target area based on the designated boundary range and the designated distance, and associating the designated attribute with the attribute target area (see at least [0069]; “The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft 1a-1e including the mooring location. With graphical user interface (GUI) as known in the art, the user then inputs a desired geophysical location as a geofence 300 by using for example, a stylist or a finger on the touchscreen. The user may divide the image into two or more regions. Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e,” the speed-limit or mooring zone 315 can be created by user and designated and set as such); and
updating the map by including the attribute target area associated with the attribute in the map (see at least [0069]; “Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e,” once a zone is created it is added to the map and saved/stored this constitutes updating since previously the map did not constitute a zone and the newly saved map would contain said zone).
Regarding claim 14 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 13. Additionally, Otulic discloses further comprising, in the server: setting, as an area boundary, a position spaced apart from the designated boundary range by the designated distance on a side opposite to the land area with respect to the designated boundary range; and setting the attribute target area with reference to the area boundary (see at least [0069]; “The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft 1a-1e including the mooring location. With graphical user interface (GUI) as known in the art, the user then inputs a desired geophysical location as a geofence 300 by using for example, a stylist or a finger on the touchscreen. The user may divide the image into two or more regions. Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e,” the speed-limit or mooring zone 315 can be created by user and designated and set as such, the user can specify the distance from the shore which would correspond to the area boundary and therefore the mooring zone which corresponds to Applicant’s attribute target area).
Regarding claim 15 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 14. Additionally, Otulic discloses further comprising, in the server: acquiring inside/outside designation information indicating an inside or an outside of the area boundary (see at least [0069]; “the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones,” and [0070]; “geozone 315 is a low speed narrow area geozone to ensure safety of other vehicles and nature, and, in some environments, swimmers or waders, who may be in the area or bear the area” the parameter that the user assigns to the area corresponds to the inside/outside designation, [0067]; “the parameters for geozone 315 stored in modules 6a-6e of a respective jet ski 1a-1e will have a maximum speed in accordance with local custom and/or law”); and
in a case where the inside/outside designation information indicates the inside of the area boundary, setting an area between the designated boundary range and the area boundary as the attribute target area; and in a case where the inside/outside designation information indicates the outside of the area boundary, setting an area opposite to the designated boundary range with respect to the area boundary as the attribute target area (see at least [0069]; “The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft 1a-1e including the mooring location. With graphical user interface (GUI) as known in the art, the user then inputs a desired geophysical location as a geofence 300 by using for example, a stylist or a finger on the touchscreen. The user may divide the image into two or more regions. Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e,” the speed-limit or mooring zone 315 can be created by user and the inside of the created zone can be designated and set as such).
Regarding claim 16 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 13. Additionally, Otulic discloses wherein the attribute includes at least one of an area where a navigation speed of a marine vessel is limited, an area where a volume of audio is limited, or an area where entry of the marine vessel is prohibited (see at least [0067]; “As is known under most maritime laws and customs, geozone 315 containing mooring 317 is normally a no wake, low speed zone. Furthermore, it is usually a relatively narrow zone to avoid other moors, other boats, swimmers or the like. Therefore, the parameters for geozone 315 stored in modules 6a-6e of a respective jet ski la-le will have a maximum speed in accordance with local custom and/or law, which will be significantly lower than the maximum speed in geozone 316 which is far away from the crowded mooring geolocation 315.”).
Regarding claim 17 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 16. Additionally, Otulic discloses further comprising: warning the marine vessel that a condition indicated by the attribute has not been satisfied (see at least [0068]; “Generally, if module 6 of any respective jet ski 1a-1e senses that a particular jet ski is operating outside of the parameters, such as speeding in zone 315 or operating outside of geofence 300, it may send a signal to engine control unit 105 to lower the speed to within the permitted speed limit, turn off the engine as a warning, or to prevent further escape from the geofence area, or may send a signal to buzzer 11 as a warning to the user to control their manner of operation. Alternatively, module 6 may send a signal to mobile device 5 indicative of the actual or potential (as a function of a pattern of parameters) violation of the parameters so that remote device 5 can send a command to control a particular jet ski 1a by way of example.”).
Regarding claim 18 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 13. Additionally, Otulic discloses further comprising: notifying a marine vessel satisfying a condition indicated by the attribute that the condition has been satisfied (see at least [0068]; “Generally, if module 6 of any respective jet ski 1a-1e senses that a particular jet ski is operating outside of the parameters, such as speeding in zone 315 or operating outside of geofence 300, it may send a signal to engine control unit 105 to lower the speed to within the permitted speed limit, turn off the engine as a warning, or to prevent further escape from the geofence area, or may send a signal to buzzer 11 as a warning to the user to control their manner of operation. Alternatively, module 6 may send a signal to mobile device 5 indicative of the actual or potential (as a function of a pattern of parameters) violation of the parameters so that remote device 5 can send a command to control a particular jet ski 1a by way of example.”).
Regarding claim 20 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 13. Additionally, Otulic discloses further comprising, in the server: acquiring the designated boundary range, the designated distance, and the designated attribute for each administrator who is authorized to set the attribute target area for a specific area on the map (see at least [0066]; When controlling the use of jet ski 1 by novices, children, or by renters at a commercial environment, it is desirable to control the area in which the jet ski 1 may be operated, the parameters of the operation of jet ski 1 within distinct regions within the overall geophysical location of the geofence and hours of operation. By way of example, one may not want their children to be able to travel more than a mile from the shore or along the shore so that it is easier to monitor jet ski 1, both visually and electronically. Additionally, in many environments, there may be different parameters within a single geofenced area as a function of location within the geofence or multiple geofence areas with different parameters linked together as a controlled pathway, tour or trail. By way of example, one may want to create a controlled operational pathway though a body of water or channel with hazardous, protected or environmentally restricted areas,” the system is able to receive target areas from various administrators such as parents or owners, in the situation discussed only one administrator (owner/leaser of the vessel) is authorized to set the geozone, the limitation of “each administrator” does not require there to be more than one administrator setting areas at the same time).
Regarding claim 23 Otulic discloses a non-transitory storage medium storing a computer- executable program for executing an information processing method (see at least Fig.3; it would be obvious for the system to include a non-transitory storage medium for storing a computer executable program), the information processing method comprising:
transmitting, from a server to a computer, a map (see at least [0069]; “remote device 5 downloads a map onto a screen of mobile device 5. The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft 1a-1e including the mooring location,” and [0074]; “mobile device 5 is able to access the data stored at server 4 and to make use of the data stored at server 4”) including information on a boundary between a land area and a water area (see at least [0069]; “remote device 5 downloads a map onto a screen of mobile device 5. The map would include a desired geolocation of each watercraft 1a-1e including the mooring location,” the mooring location as shown in Fig. 4 designates a boundary between the land area and the water);
in the computer:
receiving, from an administrator, a designation of two points on the boundary in the map, a designation of a distance, and a designation of an attribute (see at least [0069]; “In one further embodiment, a user may utilize mobile device 5 to create and assign parameters for each geozone 315, 316. In one preferred embodiment, remote device 5 downloads a map onto a screen of mobile device 5. The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft la-le including the mooring location. With graphical user interface (GUI) as known in the art, the user then inputs a desired geophysical location as a geofence 300 by using for example, a stylist or a finger on the touchscreen. The user may divide the image into two or more regions. Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e,” as shown by fig. 4 a first zone 300/315 is created between a boundary range of where the mooring location and the land meet and a distance from the shore);
designating a boundary range in response to the designation of the two points on the boundary, the boundary range being a boundary line between the designated two points (see at least [0066]; “When controlling the use of jet ski 1 by novices, children, or by renters at a commercial environment, it is desirable to control the area in which the jet ski 1 may be operated, the parameters of the operation of jet ski 1 within distinct regions within the overall geophysical location of the geofence and hours of operation. By way of example, one may not want their children to be able to travel more than a mile from the shore or along the shore so that it is easier to monitor jet ski 1,” the limit of one mile along the shore in either direction corresponds to two points along the boundary, the boundary being the shore)(Additionally, It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to set the zone in the manner described by applicant, since applicant has not disclosed that, setting the zone in this manner solves any stated problem or is for any particular purpose and it appears that the invention would perform equally as well with the method of zone setting of Otulic); and
transmitting the designated boundary range, the designated distance, and the designated attribute to the server (see at least [0069]; “In one further embodiment, a user may utilize mobile device 5 to create and assign parameters for each geozone 315, 316. In one preferred embodiment, remote device 5 downloads a map onto a screen of mobile device 5. The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft la-le including the mooring location. With graphical user interface (GUI) as known in the art, the user then inputs a desired geophysical location as a geofence 300 by using for example, a stylist or a finger on the touchscreen. The user may divide the image into two or more regions. Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e. The regions may be linked together in a manner to create a controlled tour or trail,” the geofence area as shown by fig. 4 includes both a boundary range and boundary distance, furthermore a parameter is assigned to the geofence area which corresponds to Applicant’s designated attribute, and finally this information may all be stored from the mobile device 5 to the server 4); and
in the server:
acquiring the designated boundary range, the designated distance, and the designated attribute (see at least [0069]; “In one further embodiment, a user may utilize mobile device 5 to create and assign parameters for each geozone 315, 316. In one preferred embodiment, remote device 5 downloads a map onto a screen of mobile device 5. The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft la-le including the mooring location. With graphical user interface (GUI) as known in the art, the user then inputs a desired geophysical location as a geofence 300 by using for example, a stylist or a finger on the touchscreen. The user may divide the image into two or more regions. Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e,” as shown by fig. 4 a first zone 300/315 is created between a boundary range of where the mooring location and the land meet and a distance from the shore);
setting an attribute target area based on the designated boundary range and the designated distance, and associating the designated attribute with the attribute target area (see at least [0069]; “The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft 1a-1e including the mooring location. With graphical user interface (GUI) as known in the art, the user then inputs a desired geophysical location as a geofence 300 by using for example, a stylist or a finger on the touchscreen. The user may divide the image into two or more regions. Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e,” the speed-limit or mooring zone 315 can be created by user and designated and set as such); and
updating the map by including the attribute target area associated with the attribute in the map (see at least [0069]; “Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e,” once a zone is created it is added to the map and saved/stored this constitutes updating since previously the map did not constitute a zone and the newly saved map would contain said zone).
Regarding claim 24 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 1. Additionally, Otulic discloses wherein the at least one processor is configured or programmed to cause the server to:
set an area boundary obtained by translating the designated boundary range by the designated distance to a side opposite to the land area (see at least Fig. 4 and [0066]; “When controlling the use of jet ski 1 by novices, children, or by renters at a commercial environment, it is desirable to control the area in which the jet ski 1 may be operated, the parameters of the operation of jet ski 1 within distinct regions within the overall geophysical location of the geofence and hours of operation. By way of example, one may not want their children to be able to travel more than a mile from the shore or along the shore so that it is easier to monitor jet ski 1, both visually and electronically,” the distance from the shore extends outwards into the water which is opposite to the land); and
set the attribute target area based on the area boundary (see at least [0069]; “In one further embodiment, a user may utilize mobile device 5 to create and assign parameters for each geozone 315, 316. In one preferred embodiment, remote device 5 downloads a map onto a screen of mobile device 5. The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft la-le including the mooring location. With graphical user interface (GUI) as known in the art, the user then inputs a desired geophysical location as a geofence 300 by using for example, a stylist or a finger on the touchscreen. The user may divide the image into two or more regions. Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e,” as shown by fig. 4 a first zone 300/315 is created between a boundary range of where the mooring location and the land meet and a distance from the shore,) the attribute target area such as a low speed area is set based on the desired distance an administrator wants to allow a water-skier to travel or the maritime laws of the area).
Regarding claim 25 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 13. Additionally, Otulic discloses wherein the at least one processor is configured or programmed to cause the server to:
setting an area boundary obtained by translating the designated boundary range by the designated distance to a side opposite to the land area (see at least Fig. 4 and [0066]; “When controlling the use of jet ski 1 by novices, children, or by renters at a commercial environment, it is desirable to control the area in which the jet ski 1 may be operated, the parameters of the operation of jet ski 1 within distinct regions within the overall geophysical location of the geofence and hours of operation. By way of example, one may not want their children to be able to travel more than a mile from the shore or along the shore so that it is easier to monitor jet ski 1, both visually and electronically,” the distance from the shore extends outwards into the water which is opposite to the land); and
setting the attribute target area based on the area boundary (see at least [0069]; “In one further embodiment, a user may utilize mobile device 5 to create and assign parameters for each geozone 315, 316. In one preferred embodiment, remote device 5 downloads a map onto a screen of mobile device 5. The map would include the basic desired geolocation of each watercraft la-le including the mooring location. With graphical user interface (GUI) as known in the art, the user then inputs a desired geophysical location as a geofence 300 by using for example, a stylist or a finger on the touchscreen. The user may divide the image into two or more regions. Once the map has been drawn, the user assigns parameters to each of the newly drawn zones integrating them into system 10 and storing them on mobile device 5, server 4, and within modules 6a-6e,” as shown by fig. 4 a first zone 300/315 is created between a boundary range of where the mooring location and the land meet and a distance from the shore,) the attribute target area such as a low speed area is set based on the desired distance an administrator wants to allow a water-skier to travel or the maritime laws of the area).
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.
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) 7 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Otulic. As applied top claims 1 and 13 above, in view of US-20180281907 (hereinafter, “Hashizume”).
Regarding claim 7 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 1. Otulic does not disclose wherein the at least one processor is configured or programmed to cause the information processing apparatus to associate the designated attribute with a tile corresponding to the attribute target area among a plurality of tiles defined by dividing a region on the map into a mesh shape.
Hashizume, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein the at least one processor is configured or programmed to cause the information processing apparatus to associate the designated attribute with a tile corresponding to the attribute target area among a plurality of tiles defined by dividing a region on the map into a mesh shape (see at least [0057]; “The server 500 receives and collects the trim-up position data transmitted from every boat 1. Based on data accumulated in this manner, the server 500 determines danger level in every coordinate domain of a predetermined mesh-like divided water area and updates and saves the obtained danger level data,” and Fig 8 shows associated a designated attribute, in this case a danger level, with each tile among the plurality of tiles).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to have modified the marine vessel navigation system of Otulic with the map mesh of Hashizume. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of accurately determining the attributes for each small tile and allow for easier navigation (see at least Hashizume; [0080]).
Regarding claim 19 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 13. Otulic does not disclose further comprising: associating the designated attribute with a tile corresponding to the attribute target area among a plurality of tiles defined by dividing a region on the map into a mesh shape.
Hashizume, in the same field of endeavor, teaches further comprising: associating the designated attribute with a tile corresponding to the attribute target area among a plurality of tiles defined by dividing a region on the map into a mesh shape (see at least [0057]; “The server 500 receives and collects the trim-up position data transmitted from every boat 1. Based on data accumulated in this manner, the server 500 determines danger level in every coordinate domain of a predetermined mesh-like divided water area and updates and saves the obtained danger level data,” and Fig 8 shows associated a designated attribute, in this case a danger level, with each tile among the plurality of tiles).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to have modified the marine vessel navigation system of Otulic with the map mesh of Hashizume. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of accurately determining the attributes for each small tile and allow for easier navigation (see at least Hashizume; [0080]).
Claim(s) 9 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Otulic. As applied top claims 8 and 20 above, in view of US-20220187823 (hereinafter, “Ramasamy”).
Regarding claim 9 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 8. Otulic does not disclose wherein the at least one processor is configured or programmed to cause the information processing apparatus to, when there is a change in information on a boundary between a land area and a water area on the map, notify an administrator corresponding to a specific area in which the change has been made.
Ramasamy, in the same field of endeavor, teaches further comprising: when there is a change in information on a boundary…notifying an administrator corresponding to a specific area in which the change has been made (see at least [0048]; “Process 500 can notify all the operators at a worksite when a geofence is disabled or when the dimensions of a geofence are adjusted for a machine,” any operator within the worksite can be notified if a change to a geofence has been made).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to have modified the marine vessel navigation system of Otulic with the notification of Ramasamy. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of operators in the area always being aware of site boundaries (see at least Ramasamy; [0001]).
Regarding claim 21 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 20. Otulic does not disclose further comprising: when there is a change in information on a boundary between a land area and a water area on the map, notifying an administrator corresponding to a specific area in which the change has been.
Ramasamy, in the same field of endeavor, teaches further comprising: when there is a change in information on a boundary…notifying an administrator corresponding to a specific area in which the change has been made (see at least [0048]; “Process 500 can notify all the operators at a worksite when a geofence is disabled or when the dimensions of a geofence are adjusted for a machine,” any operator within the worksite can be notified if a change to a geofence has been made).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to have modified the marine vessel navigation system of Otulic with the notification of Ramasamy. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of operators in the area always being aware of site boundaries (see at least Ramasamy; [0001]).
Claim(s) 10 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Otulic. As applied top claims 2 and 14 above, in view of US-20230012090 (hereinafter, “Tsubone”).
Regarding claim 10 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 2. Otulic does not disclose wherein the at least one processor is configured or programmed to cause the information processing apparatus to correct the designated boundary range or correct the area boundary based on tidal information when setting the attribute target area.
Tsubone, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein the at least one processor is configured or programmed to cause the information processing apparatus to correct the designated boundary range or correct the area boundary based on tidal information when setting the attribute target area (see at least [0095]; “The warning condition may be changed in accordance with whether the peripheral object is an on-water obstacle or an in-water obstacle. Regarding the in-water obstacle, the warning condition may be changed in accordance with the date and time or the rise and fall of the tide. To be specific, the warning condition regarding the in-water obstacle may be changed between the low tide and the high tide. For example, the warning region L2 may be set large at the time of the low tide and may be set small at the time of the high tide.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to have modified the marine vessel navigation system of Otulic with the tidal information of Tsubone. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of accurately identifying avoidance regions during both high and low tide (see at least Tsubone; [0095]).
Regarding claim 22 Otulic discloses all of the limitations of claim 14. Otulic does not disclose further comprising: correcting the designated boundary range or correcting the area boundary based on tidal information when setting the attribute target area.
Tsubone in the same field of endeavor, teaches further comprising: correcting the designated boundary range or correcting the area boundary based on tidal information when setting the attribute target area (see at least [0095]; “The warning condition may be changed in accordance with whether the peripheral object is an on-water obstacle or an in-water obstacle. Regarding the in-water obstacle, the warning condition may be changed in accordance with the date and time or the rise and fall of the tide. To be specific, the warning condition regarding the in-water obstacle may be changed between the low tide and the high tide. For example, the warning region L2 may be set large at the time of the low tide and may be set small at the time of the high tide.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to have modified the marine vessel navigation system of Otulic with the tidal information of Tsubone. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of accurately identifying avoidance regions during both high and low tide (see at least Tsubone; [0095]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US-20150258961 teaches a method of creating a geofence in which the geofence is created by the user by selecting a number of points on a map to create a polygon.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ASHLEIGH NICOLE TURNBAUGH whose telephone number is (703)756-1982. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Hitesh Patel can be reached at (571) 270-5442. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ASHLEIGH NICOLE TURNBAUGH/Examiner, Art Unit 3667
/Hitesh Patel/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3667
5/14/26
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