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 .
Application, submitted on 01/10/2024, has been received, entered, and made of record. Currently, claims 1-9 remain pending in the application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted, were filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. However, Applicant has not provided an explanation of relevance of cited document(s).
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 1-2, 5-7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cai et al. US 2013/0103309 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Cai) in view of Alipour et al. WO 2020/187668 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Alipour).
The Court quoting In re Kahn, 441 F.3d 977, 988, 78 USPQ2d 1329, 1336 (Fed. Cir. 2006), stated that "‘[R]ejections on obviousness cannot be sustained by mere conclusory statements; instead, there must be some articulated reasoning with some rational underpinning to support the legal conclusion of obviousness.’" KSR, 550 U.S. at 418, 82 USPQ2d at 1396. Exemplary rationales that may support a conclusion of obviousness include:
(A) Combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results;
(B) Simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results;
(C) Use of known technique to improve similar devices (methods, or products) in the same way;
(D) Applying a known technique to a known device (method, or product) ready for improvement to yield predictable results;
(E) "Obvious to try"– choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success;
(F) Known work in one field of endeavor may prompt variations of it for use in either the same field or a different one based on design incentives or other market forces if the variations are predictable to one of ordinary skill in the art;
(G) Some teaching, suggestion, or motivation in the prior art that would have led one of ordinary skill to modify the prior art reference or to combine prior art reference teachings to arrive at the claimed invention.
Referring to claim 1, Cai discloses a remote evacuation guidance system (fig.1, emergency guiding system) comprising:
a plurality of types of sensors (fig.1, sensors 300) that are provided at a plurality of positions (fig.2 and [0015]) (Note: sensors (S) provided at a plurality of positions);
an evacuation guidance device (fig.1, portable device 20); and
a land evacuation guidance system (fig.1, emergency guiding server 10) that is provided on land, wherein the land evacuation guidance system includes
a sensor information acquisition unit that acquires sensor information detected by the sensors ([0014]) (Note: the emergency guiding server 10 is alerted to the emergency in the emergency area E by an alarm signal S received from a hazard processing apparatus 200 which is coupled to a plurality of sensors 300),
an onboard situation reproduction unit (fig.1, scheme determination unit 11) that reproduces a situation on the basis of the sensor information such that the situation is capable of being experienced in a simulated manner ([0014]) (Note: scheme determination unit 11 reproduces a scheme on the basis of the sensor information such that the situation is capable of being experienced in a simulated manner),
an evacuation route setting unit (fig.1, route providing unit 13) that sets an evacuation route on the basis of the reproduced situation ([0013]) (Note: The route providing unit 13 produces a recommended route R (see FIG. 2) to reach a particular target such as an exit, a place, or a fire apparatus in response to the production of the guiding scheme G),
a guidance information generation unit that generates evacuation guidance instruction information for guiding evacuation of a passenger along the evacuation route ([0013] and figs.3A-7) (Note: the emergency guiding server 10 generates evacuation guidance instruction information for guiding evacuation of a passenger along the evacuation route), and
a transmission unit that transmits the evacuation guidance instruction information to the evacuation guidance device ([0013]) (Note: The emergency guiding server 10 transmits a guiding signal S including the recommended route R to the portable device 20).
Cai fails to disclose an evacuation guidance system related to a ship.
However, in the same field of endeavor evacuation guidance system art, Alipour discloses an evacuation guidance system related to a ship (fig.1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention by the applicant to modify the remote evacuation guidance system of Cai to include a ship as taught by Alipour. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to provide a suitable evacuation guidance system for helping a safe evacuation of a passenger ship.
Referring to claim 2, Cai in view of Alipour discloses the remote evacuation guidance system according to claim 1.
Cai discloses wherein the land evacuation guidance system further includes a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of the passenger in the ship, and a passenger map information generation unit that generates passenger map information indicating a position of the passenger in the ship on the basis of the position information, and the evacuation route setting unit sets the evacuation route on the basis of the passenger map information and the situation in the ship ([0018]-[0019]) (Note: an application software automatically enables the location identification unit 21 and the direction identification unit 23 in response to a triggering signal S received from the emergency guiding server 10, and then directs the portable device 20 to transmit the location signal S to the emergency guiding server 10, wherein the emergency guiding server 10 produces the triggering signal S.sub.t in response to the emergency).
Referring to claim 5, Cai in view of Alipour discloses the remote evacuation guidance system according to claim 1.
Cai discloses a mobile terminal (fig.1, portable device 20) that is possessed by the passenger in the ship, wherein the transmission unit transmits the evacuation guidance instruction information to the mobile terminal ([0017]-[0019] and figs.3A-7) (Note: the emergency guiding server 10 can transmit the guiding signal S.sub.g including a portion of the recommended route R adjacent to the portable device 20 according to the location signal S.sub.I, wherein the display unit 22 displays a route chart C (see FIG. 3A) including a portion of the recommended route R adjacent to the portable device 20 and a portable device icon P representing the location and the direction of the portable device 20, wherein the route chart C is produced according to the recommended route R in the guiding signal S.sub.g).
Referring to claim 6, Cai in view of Alipour discloses the remote evacuation guidance system according to claim 5.
Cai discloses wherein the land evacuation guidance system and the mobile terminal are capable of transmitting and receiving at least one of an image and a voice therebetween to perform two-way communication ([0016]-[0018]) (Note: exchange information via a phone call) .
Referring to claim 7, the same ground of rejection provided for claim 1 is applicable herein.
Referring to claim 9, the same ground of rejection provided for claim 1 is applicable herein.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cai in view of Alipour as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Alabastro et al. US 2019/0026949 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Alabastro).
Referring to claim 3, Cai in view of Alipour discloses the remote evacuation guidance system according to claim 1, except wherein the onboard situation reproduction unit generates at least one of virtual reality space information and experiential information.
However, in the same field of endeavor evacuation guidance system art, Alabastro discloses a concept wherein the situation reproduction unit (fig.1, apparatus 100) generates at least one of virtual reality space information and experiential information ([0028]) (Note: the mixed reality simulation controller 102 may generate, for the mixed reality simulation, a spatial map of a floor space that includes the holographic object, and an evacuation scenario for the personnel to be simulated in the spatial map of the floor space).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention by the applicant to modify the remote evacuation guidance system of Cai in view of Alipour with a situation reproduction unit that generates at least one of virtual reality space information and experiential information as taught by Alabastro. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to efficiently assist in an evacuation of a passenger ship to prevent loss of life.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cai in view of Alipour as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Yeom et al. US 2021/0129344 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Yeom).
Referring to claim 4, Cai in view of Alipour discloses the remote evacuation guidance system according to claim 1. Cai discloses wherein the evacuation guidance device is at least one of a display device, a speaker, a direction indicator ([0013], [0016]-[0019]) (Note: portable device with display device, a speaker, a direction indicator), and an odor sensor, a temperature sensor ([0013], [0019]) (Note: fire and smoke).
Cai in view of Alipour fails to disclose wherein the evacuation guidance device is a robot and the sensors include two or more of a camera, a microphone, a vibration sensor, a tilt sensor, an acceleration sensor, a temperature sensor, and a humidity sensor.
However, in the same field of endeavor evacuation guidance system art, Yeom discloses wherein the evacuation guidance device is a robot (fig.1B, moving robot 100) and the sensors include two or more of a camera, a microphone, a vibration sensor, a tilt sensor, an acceleration sensor, a temperature sensor, and a humidity sensor ([0056]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention by the applicant to modify the remote evacuation guidance system of Cai in view of Alipour with a concept wherein the evacuation guidance device is a robot and the sensors include two or more of a camera, a microphone, a vibration sensor, a tilt sensor, an acceleration sensor, a temperature sensor, and a humidity sensor as taught by Yeom. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to efficiently assist in an evacuation of a passenger ship to prevent loss of life.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cai in view of Alipour, and further in view of Yeom et al. US 2021/0129344 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Yeom).
Referring to claim 8, Cai discloses an onboard evacuation guidance system (fig.1, emergency guiding system) comprising:
a plurality of types of sensors (fig.1, sensors 300) that are provided at a plurality of positions (fig.2 and [0015]) (Note: sensors (S) provided at a plurality of positions);
an evacuation guidance device that is provided (fig.1, portable device 20);
a sensor information acquisition unit that acquires sensor information detected by the sensors ([0014]) (Note: the emergency guiding server 10 is alerted to the emergency in the emergency area E by an alarm signal S received from a hazard processing apparatus 200 which is coupled to a plurality of sensors 300);
a control unit that (fig.1, emergency guiding server 10) controls the evacuation guidance device ([0013]) (Note: The emergency guiding server 10 transmits a guiding signal S.sub.g (not shown) including the recommended route R to the portable device 20); and
a communication unit that receives a control signal for controlling the evacuation guidance device from the land evacuation guidance system ([0016]-[0018]).
Cai fails to disclose an evacuation guidance system related to a ship and a communication unit that transmits the sensor information acquired by the sensor information acquisition unit to a land evacuation guidance system and receives a control signal for controlling the evacuation guidance device from the land evacuation guidance system.
However, in the same field of endeavor evacuation guidance system art, Alipour discloses an evacuation guidance system related to a ship (fig.1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention by the applicant to modify the remote evacuation guidance system of Cai to include a ship as taught by Alipour. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to provide a suitable evacuation guidance system for helping a safe evacuation of a passenger ship.
Cai in view of Alipour fails to disclose a communication unit that transmits the sensor information acquired by the sensor information acquisition unit to a land evacuation guidance system and receives a control signal for controlling the evacuation guidance device from the land evacuation guidance system.
However, in the same field of endeavor evacuation guidance system art, Yeom discloses a communication unit that transmits the sensor information acquired by the sensor information acquisition unit to a land evacuation guidance system and receives a control signal for controlling the evacuation guidance device from the land evacuation guidance system (figs.9A-B, [0184]-[0189]) (Note: communication between server and moving robot that has sensing unit).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention by the applicant to modify the remote evacuation guidance system of Cai in view of Alipour with the concept of Yeom to obtain invention. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to have reduce the size of the evacuation guidance device by incorporating the sensors as disclosed by Yeom.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOUSTAPHA DIABY whose telephone number is (571)270-1669. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 9AM-6PM.
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, ABDERRAHIM MEROUAN can be reached at (571) 270-5254. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/MOUSTAPHA DIABY/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2683