1Notice 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 § 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) 1-15 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by McKenna US 2012/0229283.
Regarding claim 1, McKenna teaches an infrared imaging sensor for fire detection comprising: a thermopile (fig. 4 26-29 IR pyroelectric and 30-33 IR thermopile sensor [0030]-[0031]) and an antireflective layer ([0030]-[0031])on a lens of the thermopile and configured to pass infrared radiance in a first range( 4300 nm) corresponding to a fire and block infrared radiance in a second range (4500-7000nm and 0-4200 nm).
Regarding claim 2, McKenna teaches the infrared imaging sensor for fire detection of claim 1, comprising a focal plane array (FPA) infrared sensor (26-29 IR pyroelectric and 30-33 IR thermopile sensor are each FPA sensors).
Regarding claim 3, McKenna teaches the infrared imaging sensor for fire detection of claim 1, wherein the antireflective layer is configured as a coating on the lens of the thermopile for achieving selective transmission of IR suited for small fires detection at far distances [0030-0031].
Regarding claim 4, McKenna teaches the infrared imaging sensor for fire detection of claim 1, wherein the infrared radiance in the first range corresponds to a wildfire (flame and ember signature [0030]).
Regarding claim 5, McKenna teaches the infrared imaging sensor for fire detection of claim 1, wherein the first range is from 2 μm to 5.5 μm (4300 nm falls in this range see [0030]).
Regarding claim 6, McKenna teaches the infrared imaging sensor for fire detection of claim 5, wherein the first range is from 4.2 μm to 4.7 μm (4300nm falls in this range see [0030]).
Regarding claim 7, McKenna teaches the infrared sensor for fire detection of claim 1, wherein the second range is from 6 μm to 15 μm (4500nm – 7000nm overlaps this range [0030]).
Regarding claim 8, McKenna teaches a fire detection device comprising: a housing (fig. 1 shell 11); and at least one infrared imaging sensor (26-29 IR pyroelectric and 30-33 IR thermopile sensor are each FPA sensors) supported by the housing and comprising a thermopile focal plane array (FPA) (26-29 IR pyroelectric and 30-33 IR thermopile sensor are each FPA sensors) with antireflective layers [0031-0031]) on the thermopile lens (Fresnel [0030]-[0031]) configured to pass infrared radiance in a first range corresponding to a fire and block infrared radiance in a second range (see [0030]-[0031]).
Regarding claim 9, McKenna teaches the fire detection device of claim 8, wherein the at least one infrared imaging sensor comprises a focal plane array (FPA) infrared sensor (26-29 IR pyroelectric and 30-33 IR thermopile sensor are each FPA sensors).
Regarding claim 10, McKenna teaches the fire detection device of claim 8, wherein the antireflective layer is configured as a coating on a lens arranged on the thermopile [0031].
Regarding claim 11, McKenna teaches the fire detection device of claim 8, wherein the infrared radiance in the first range corresponds to a wildfire ([0030] ember and flame is considered a wildfire).
Regarding claim 12, McKenna teaches the infrared imaging sensor for fire detection of claim 8, wherein the first range is from 2 μm to 5.5 μm (4300 nm falls in this range see [0030]).
Regarding claim 13, McKenna teaches the infrared sensor for fire detection of claim 12, wherein the first range is from 4.2 μm to 4.7 μm (4300 nm falls in this range see [0030]).
Regarding claim 14, McKenna teaches the fire detection device of claim 8, wherein the second range is from 6 μm to 15 μm (4500-7000 nm is overlapping with this range [0030]).
Regarding claim 15, McKenna teaches the fire detection device of claim 8, wherein the at least one infrared sensor comprises a plurality of infrared imaging sensors (26-29 IR pyroelectric viewing sensors and 30-33 IR thermopile sensors) arranged around a periphery of the housing so as to be configured to detect a fire at any of a plurality of sides of the fire detection device.
Regarding claim 18, McKenna teaches the fire detection device of claim 8, further comprising an anemometer to determine local wind speed and a wind direction ([0036].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claim(s) 16 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over McKenna 2012/0229283 in view of Hou US 2009/0315722.
Regarding claim 16, McKenna teaches the fire detection device of claim 8, but does not explicitly teach comprising at least one visible camera configured to obtain an image of an area around the fire detection device in response to an output from the at least one infrared imaging sensor. Hou teaches combining a visible camera with IR detection methods to improve accuracy and reduce false alarms [0012]-[0016]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art to modify McKenna in view of Hou to improve accuracy and reduce false alarms.
Regarding claim 16, Mckenna teaches the fire detection device of claim 16, wherein the at least one infrared imaging sensor comprises a plurality of infrared sensors ( 26-29 IR pyroelectric viewing sensors and 30-33 IR thermopile sensors) arranged around a periphery of the housing so as to be configured to detect a fire at any of a plurality of sides of the fire detection device but does not teach wherein the at least one visible camera comprises a plurality of cameras arranged around the periphery of the housing so as to be configured to obtain an image at any of the plurality of sides of the fire detection device, and wherein each of the plurality of infrared imaging sensors and the plurality of cameras is arranged as a fixed array. However Hou does teach combining a visible camera with IR detection methods to improve accuracy and reduce false alarms [0012]-[0016]. Implementing plurality of cameras arranged around the periphery of the housing so as to be configured to obtain an image at any of the plurality of sides of the fire detection device, and wherein each of the plurality of infrared imaging sensors and the plurality of cameras is arranged as a fixed array would be obvious as McKenna already implements a fixed array of infrared detection thus complementing this with visible cameras for each direction would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Conclusion
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/PHU VU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871