DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 1, lines 3 and 6, recite “at least one sensor configured to measure a parameter indicative of a surface mapping…and/or based on the surface mapping.”. It is unclear if a surface mapping is being claimed or not. Line 3 appears to only claim a sensor configured to measure a parameter that can be used for a surface mapping.
Claim 1 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Lines 6/7 recite “determine a state of the at least one transmission belt based on the parameter and/or based on the surface mapping.” A person of ordinary skill in the art would not understand how both a parameter and a surface mapping is used to determine a state of the transmission belt. The Specification appears to describe how a parameter is used create a surface mapping. It is unclear how state of the transmission belt state would be determined just based on the parameter without the surface mapping.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 2 recites “the at least one sensor is a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) sensor and/ or a camera.” One of ordinary skill in the art would not understand how the sensor is a LIDAR and a camera. The claim read in light of the Specification does not appear to describe how a LIDAR and camera are both used. Rather, paragraphs [0014 and 0016] appear to disclose a LIDAR or a camera may be the sensor. Claims 3-7 are rejected due to their dependency on claim 1.
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.
Claims 1, 2 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by DE102016011711.
As per claim 1, DE102016011711 discloses a transmission belt arrangement (fig. 1) comprising:
at least one transmission belt (7),
at least one sensor (figs. [0013, 0014, 0019] configured to measure a parameter (paras [0013, 0014]) indicative of a surface mapping of the at least one transmission belt,
processing circuitry operatively connected to the at least one sensor configured to determine a state of the at least one transmission belt (7) based on the parameter (para [0027]) and/or based on the surface mapping.
As per claim 2, DE102016011711 as set forth above, discloses the at least one sensor (para [0019]) is a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) sensor and/or a camera (para [0019]).
As per claim 5, DE102016011711 as set forth above, discloses the state is a degree of elongation (para [0009]) of the at least one transmission belt (7).
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 3, 4, 6 and 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DE102016011711 in view of Zhang et al., U.S. Patent Publication 2013/0182904.
As per claims 3, 4 and 6, DE102016011711 as set forth above, does not disclose processing circuitry is configured to determine two-dimensional or three dimensional surface mapping from the parameter.
as DE ‘711 is silent on how the camera determines belt stretch. However, Zhang et al. in their System and Method for Video Content Analysis Using Depth Sensing invention teach a camera system in determining the scale and sizes of objects in the field of view, capturing two-dimensional image data and depth data (para [0011]). A resulting mapping of the space can be generated. The mapping may represent a top down, two-dimensional view of the space and objects location within a two-dimensional view (para [0072]). Examiner notes a surface map is a 2D perspective representation of a 3-dimensional surface.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of DE ‘711 with creating surface maps captured from a camera, as taught by Zhang, for the purpose of determining scale and sizes of objects to assist in calculating belt stretching and/or transmission belt tears or damage.
As per claim 8, DE102016011711 discloses a method for determining a state (para [0007]) of at least one transmission belt (7) of a transmission belt arrangement (fig. 1) comprising:
sensing a parameter (paras [0013, 0014, 0019]) indicative of a surface mapping of the at least one transmission belt (7) and outputting a signal indicative of the parameter (para [0007]),
processing the signal using processing circuitry (para [0027]) of the at least one transmission belt (7).
DE ‘711 does not disclose processing the signal to determine a surface mapping and determining a state of the at least one transmission belt on the basis of the surface mapping.
However, Zhang et al. in their System and Method for Video Content Analysis Using Depth Sensing invention teach a camera system in determining the scale and sizes of objects in the field of view, capturing two-dimensional image data and depth data (para [0011]). A resulting mapping of the space can be generated. The mapping may represent a top down, two-dimensional view of the space and objects location within a two-dimensional view (para [0072]). Examiner notes a surface map is a 2D perspective representation of a 3-dimensional surface.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of DE ‘711 with creating surface maps captured from a camera, as taught by Zhang, for the purpose of determining scale and sizes of objects to assist in calculating belt stretching and/or transmission belt tears or damage.
As per claim 9, DE102016011711 as set forth above, DE ‘711 as modified, discloses processing the signal includes comparing the surface mapping with data indicative of a normative surface mapping (para [0017]).
As per claim 10, DE102016011711 as set forth above, DE ‘711 as modified, discloses issuing a notification if the comparing indicates a deviation from the normative surface mapping (paras [0016, 0017]).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DE102016011711.
As per claim 7, DE102016011711 as set forth above, discloses the claimed invention except for the at least one transmission belt comprises a plurality of transmission belts, and wherein one of the at least one sensor is configured to measure a parameter indicative of a surface mapping of each of the plurality of transmission belts. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to locate a camera to include a field of view to include multiple transmission belts, since it has been held that mere duplication of essential working parts of a device involve only routine skill in the art. In re Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
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/M.K.B/Examiner, Art Unit 3654
/ROBERT W HODGE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3654