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 .
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.
Status of Claims
This action is in reply to the application filed on 10/04/2023.
Claim 1-6, 9, and 12-13 are currently pending and have been examined.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/04/2023, 03/03/2025, and 04/07/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 1-6, 9, and 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Woodell (US 7973698 B1), hereinafter Woodell.
Regarding claim 1, Woodell discloses
a transmission antenna configured to transmit a transmission wave (See at least Fig. 3A, Col. 4 Lines 13-16 “Transceiver 304 includes a receive circuit configured to receive data from the antenna 301 and to provide the data to processor 306. Transceiver 304 also transmits signals via the antenna 301.”);
a reception antenna configured to receive a reflected wave that is the transmission wave having been reflected (See at least Fig. 3A, Col. 4 Lines 13-16 “Transceiver 304 includes a receive circuit configured to receive data from the antenna 301 and to provide the data to processor 306. Transceiver 304 also transmits signals via the antenna 301.”); and
a controller configured to detect an object that reflects the transmission wave, based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave (See at least Fig. 3B, Item 326, Cols. 4-5 Lines 66-3 “Controller 326 can generate and output data related to radar returns to flight displays 20. For example, controller 326 can output terrain images and/or weather images to flight displays 20 based on returns received from the radar system 320.”), wherein
a parameter to be used in determination as to whether the object is detected is determined based on a height of the electronic device (See at least Col. 8 Lines 62-67 “the ground clutter/weather separation threshold is an expected difference in power between two or more radar beams for distinguishing ground clutter from weather. The ground clutter/weather threshold may be calculated based on aircraft altitude, terrain height,”).
Regarding claim 2, Woodell, as shown above, discloses all of the limitations of claim 1. Woodell additionally discloses
the parameter to be used in determination as to whether the object is detected is determined based on a height of the electronic device from a ground surface. (See at least Col. 8 Lines 62-67 “the ground clutter/weather separation threshold is an expected difference in power between two or more radar beams for distinguishing ground clutter from weather. The ground clutter/weather threshold may be calculated based on aircraft altitude, terrain height,”)
Regarding claim 3, Woodell, as shown above, discloses all of the limitations of claim 1. Woodell additionally discloses
the parameter to be used in determination as to whether the object is detected is determined based on a position of the electronic device in a vertical direction (See at least Col. 8 Lines 62-67 “the ground clutter/weather separation threshold is an expected difference in power between two or more radar beams for distinguishing ground clutter from weather. The ground clutter/weather threshold may be calculated based on aircraft altitude, terrain height,”)
Regarding claim 4, Woodell, as shown above, discloses all of the limitations of claim 1. Woodell additionally discloses
sensing information based on at least one of the transmission signal or the reception signal at the height of the electronic device is acquired, and a parameter corresponding to the sensing information is determined as the parameter to be used in determination as to whether the object is detected (See at least Col. 8 Lines 62-67 “the ground clutter/weather separation threshold is an expected difference in power between two or more radar beams for distinguishing ground clutter from weather. The ground clutter/weather threshold may be calculated based on aircraft altitude, terrain height,”)
Regarding claim 5, Woodell, as shown above, discloses all of the limitations of claims 1 and 4. Woodell additionally discloses
a parameter corresponding to an average of the sensing information in a predetermined height section of the electronic device is determined as the parameter to be used in determination as to whether the object is detected (See at least Col. 11 Lines 7-13 “If the radar returns are primarily from ground, then the power difference between the upper and lower beams is calculated (step 552). Subsequently, a ground clutter/weather threshold is computed based on assumed conditions (step 554). In step 556, the actual change in power from step 552 is compared to the expected change in power from step 554.”)
Regarding claim 6, Woodell, as shown above, discloses all of the limitations of claims 1, 4, and 5. Woodell additionally discloses
the average of the sensing information in the predetermined height section of the electronic device is updated by acquisition of the sensing information. (See at least Col. 10 Lines 13-18 “Step 558 computes a corrected change in expected power based on the comparison from step 556. The corrected change in expected power from step 558 is then used as the new ground clutter/weather threshold and applied to ground and weather returns (step 560)”)
Regarding claim 9, Woodell, as shown above, discloses all of the limitations of claims 1 and 4. Woodell additionally discloses
the sensing information includes information related to a noise level during object detection at the height of the electronic device (See at least Col. 8 Lines 62-67 “the ground clutter/weather separation threshold is an expected difference in power between two or more radar beams for distinguishing ground clutter from weather. The ground clutter/weather threshold may be calculated based on aircraft altitude, terrain height,” The Examiner notes that noise is equivalent to ground clutter)
Regarding claim 12, applicant recites limitations of the same or substantially the same scope as claim 1. Accordingly, claim 12 is rejected in the same or substantially the same manner as claim 1, shown above.
Regarding claim 13, applicant recites limitations of the same or substantially the same scope as claim 1. Accordingly, claim 13 is rejected in the same or substantially the same manner as claim 1, shown above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Lustig (US 20230358888 A1) - Systems and methods for detecting floor from noisy depth measurements for robots are disclosed herein. According to at least one non-limiting exemplary embodiment, a height map may be produced based on one or more depth measurements from a sensor of a robot. The height map may be utilized to determine surface normal vectors which may be further utilized by the robot to determine if regions of the height map are floor.
Wolford (US 11092669 B1) - A method using a radar system includes providing a radar pulse using an antenna, receiving radar returns using the antenna, and detecting target data using the radar returns. The target data is processed using ground data associated with transportation routes. Correlation of a transportation route of the transportation routes and a location of a first target associated with the target data is an indication of ground clutter.
Henderson (US 20190170871 A1) - An airborne wind profiling portable radar (AWiPPR) system comprising a mobile airborne platform including one or more navigation units configured to produce navigation data including at least the position and orientation of the mobile airborne platform. A radar unit is mounted and positioned to the mobile airborne platform, the radar unit is configured to transmit a wide-band frequency modulated continuous wave radar signal in a downward direction from the mobile airborne platform towards the ground and configured to continuously receive a reflected signal from a plurality of clear air scatters (CAS) targets or volumetric targets and output radar data. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) in communication with the one or more navigation units and the radar unit is configured to receive the navigation data and determine the position and orientation of the radar at a specific point in time and output IMU data. A data acquisition unit in communication with the radar unit and the is configured to receive and time align radar data and the IMU data for each reflected signal from each of the plurality of CAS targets or volumetric targets to provide an antenna pointing direction for each received reflected signal. The data acquisition unit is configured to process the time aligned radar data and IMU data to determine a distance and a Doppler velocity of each of the plurality of CAS targets or volumetric targets, provide a range, a velocity, and an antenna pointing direction for each of the plurality of CAS targets or volumetric targets, and calculate a vector wind velocity using the range, the velocity, and the antenna pointing direction for each of the plurality of CAS targets or volumetric scatters targets, The data acquisition unit may be configured to further correct the range, the velocity, and/or the antenna pointing direction of each of the plurality of CAS targets or volumetric targets to accommodate for a motion shift in data produced by one or more on a relative motion and orientation of the mobile airborne platform, a Doppler spread in the range, the velocity and/or the antenna pointing direction, and a ground echo.
Kirkpatrick (US 3781878 A) - Method and means for detecting both long and short range weather targets in the presence of ground clutter in which a receive antenna beam is steered from a first generally elevated beam position to a second generally horizontal beam position in accordance with a beam steering program.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KENNETH W GOOD whose telephone number is (571)272-4186. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Thu 7:30 am - 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, William J. Kelleher can be reached on (571) 272-7753. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KENNETH W GOOD/
Examiner, Art Unit 3648
/William Kelleher/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3648