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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 08/21/2023,
08/23/2023, and 05/07/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, each IDS is being considered by the examiner.
Foreign Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Response to Amendments
This Office Action is in response to applicant's preliminary amendments filed on 08/06/2024. Examiner has acknowledged and reviewed applicant's amendment of claims 4, 6 – 13, 15 - 17, 20, 24, and the cancellation claims 18, 19, 21 - 23. Examiner has reviewed amended claims 4, 6 – 13, 15 - 17, 20, 24, and those claims do not constitute new matter issues.
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.
Claim 25 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b), as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 25, regarding the claim limitation “(e) removing the sensors for use elsewhere once sufficient data has been collected”, examiner is unclear with whether the sensors are removed from a specific location aboard a marine installation and disposed at a different location about the same marine installation; or are sensors removed are from a marine installation and disposed on a different marine installation. Examiner advises applicant to amend claim 25 to at least clarify the quoted limitation.
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.
Claims 1 - 3, 6, 8 - 10, 13, 15, 16, 24 are rejected under 35 U. S. C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bradley (US 10079010 B1).
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Regarding claim 1, Bradley discloses a deployable sensor system for incorporation on a marine installation (on a boat as shown in Figure 1) (abstract lines 1 – 4) (column 2, lines 37 – 39), the sensor system comprising:
a sensor mount (Z-foil pole, Figure 1, element 100) securable (via an adjustable foil mount, Figure 1, element 200) to the marine installation; and
a sensor (sonar head, Figure 1, element SH) mounted on the sensor mount; wherein:
the sensor mount has a raised configuration and a deployed configuration (via use of spaced-apart center (pin) holes and anchor pin, Figure 6B, elements 182 and 256, respectively) (column 5, lines 37 - 40) (column 6, lines 13 - 15); and [[wherein]]
the sensor is arranged to be held rigidly in place below a hull of the marine installation when the sensor mount is in the deployed configuration (as shown in Figure 1) and the sensor mount is arranged to rigidly hold the sensor in a higher position in the raised configuration than in the deployed configuration (via use of spaced-apart center (pin) holes and anchor pin, Figure 6B, elements 182 and 256, respectively) (column 5, lines 37 - 40) (column 6, lines 13 - 15).
Regarding claim 2, Bradley discloses a marine installation having the sensor system according to claim 1 incorporated thereon (as shown in Figure 1) (abstract lines 1 – 4) (column 2, lines 37 – 39).
Regarding claim 3, Bradley discloses the marine installation, wherein the marine installation includes an external recess, a feedthrough and/or a moonpool in the hull for receiving the sensor mount (adjustable foil mount, Figure 1, element 200) and/or accessing the sensor when the sensor mount is in the raised configuration.
Regarding claim 6, Bradley discloses the marine installation, wherein at least one sensor mount is removeable from the marine installation (column 4, lines 18 - 26).
Regarding claim 8, Bradley discloses the sensor system or marine installation, wherein the transition between the raised and deployed configurations of at least one sensor mount includes the at least one sensor mount sliding in a vertical direction relative to the marine installation (column 4, lines 14 – 16).
Regarding claim 9, Bradley discloses the sensor system or marine installation, wherein at least one sensor mount is selectively lockable at one or more configurations intermediate between the raised and deployed configurations (via use of spaced-apart center (pin) holes and anchor pin, Figure 6B, elements 182 and 256, respectively) (column 5, lines 37 - 40) (column 6, lines 13 - 15).
Regarding claim 10, Bradley discloses the sensor system or marine installation, wherein at least one sensor includes:
a camera;
a sonar system (sonar head, sensor mount, and sensor base unit, Figure , sonar head, Z- pole foil, adjustable foil mount, sonar base unit, Figure 1, elements SH, 100, 200, 3000, respectively) (column 4, lines 14 – 26); or
a wildlife detector.
Regarding claim 13, Bradley discloses the sensor system or marine installation, wherein at least one sensor is rotatable (via onboard butt plate and cylindrical cross tube, Figure 6B, elements 302 and 304, respectively) (column 6, lines 26 – 33) relative to the marine installation.
Regarding claim 15, Bradley discloses the sensor system or marine installation, wherein at least one sensor mount (Z-foil pole, Figure 1, element 100) is an elongate, rigid beam.
Regarding claim 16, Bradley discloses the sensor system or marine installation, wherein at least one sensor mount includes one or more lumens for allowing control signals, sensor data, electrical power and/or motive power to be transmitted between the marine installation and the sensor(s) (column 4, lines 21 – 28).
Regarding claim 24, Bradley discloses a method of installation of a marine installation (on a boat as shown in Figure 1), the method comprising the steps of:
(a) positioning (via use of spaced-apart center (pin) holes and anchor pin, Figure 6B, elements 182 and 256, respectively) (column 5, lines 37 - 40) (column 6, lines 13 - 15) the or each sensor mount in its/their raised configuration;
(b) towing the marine installation to an installation site (on a body of water as shown in Figure 1); and
(c) installing the marine installation at the installation site (as shown in Figure 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 5, 7, 11,12, 14, 17, 20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 4, and claim 5 which depends therefrom, the prior art made of record neither shows nor suggests the marine installation including a plurality of sensor mounts secured to the marine installation, each sensor mount having a raised configuration and deployed configuration and each sensor mount having at least one sensor mounted thereon.
Regarding claim 7, the prior art made of record neither shows nor suggests the sensor system or marine installation wherein at least one sensor mount is slidably secured to the marine installation.
Regarding claim 11, the prior art made of record neither shows nor suggests the sensor system or marine installation, wherein at least one sensor is located adjacent the hull of the marine installation when its respective sensor mount is in the raised configuration.
Regarding claim 12, the prior art made of record neither shows nor suggests the sensor system or marine installation, wherein at least one sensor is located within the hull of the marine installation when its respective sensor mount is in the raised configuration.
Regarding claim 14, the prior art made of record neither shows nor suggests the sensor system or marine installation, wherein each rotatable sensor is selectively lockable at two or more orientations.
Regarding claim 17, the prior art made of record neither shows nor suggests the sensor system or marine installation, wherein an outer surface of at least one sensor mount includes a hydrodynamic fairing.
Regarding claim 20, the prior art made of record neither shows nor suggests the sensor system or marine installation, wherein the sensor(s) is/are arranged to monitor sensitive and/or fragile parts of the marine installation.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WARREN K FENWICK whose telephone number is (571)270-3040. The examiner can normally be reached 10:30 AM to 7:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Walter L. Lindsay, Jr. can be reached at 571-272-1674. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WALTER L LINDSAY JR/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2852
WKF