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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed 4/14/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-5, 7-26 are pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see ‘Claim Rejections – 35 USC Section 102’, filed 4/14/2026, with respect to claims 1, 13, and 17 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection of claims 1, 13, and 17 have been withdrawn. However, there is a new form of rejection with regards to Mao (CN 110562150 A).
Applicant's arguments filed 4/14/2026 have been fully considered. The Examiner respectfully disagrees. Mao discloses a mechanical connection, Page 3 Paragraph 9, "In the description of the invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and defined, the term "mounted", "connected", "connection" should be understood broadly, for example, may be a fixed connection, also can be detachably connected or integrally connected, can be mechanically connected." Mao discloses a switchable magnetic attachment, Page 3 Paragraph 11 to Page 4 Paragraph 1, "Further, the ground penetrating radar fast adaptive mounting device at least comprises structure plate, the matched surface of the structural plate namely the fast adaptive mounting device of ground penetrating radar, which is a metal structure, which is used for magnetic connection with the motor vehicle through the magnet, preferably, said structural plate is a flat rectangular structure, while in other embodiments, also can be set as circular, oval or other shape" and for the magnetic mounting device its purpose and operation is to attach/detach. As Mao states Page 3 Paragraph 9, "In the description of the invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and defined, the term "mounted", "connected", "connection" should be understood broadly, for example, may be a fixed connection, also can be detachably connected or integrally connected, can be mechanically connected" the magnetic attachment/mounting can happen through a "mechanically connected" means, so Mao does disclose a mechanical operation of the switchable magnetic attachment. Additionally, a mechanical means of a magnetic attachment would involve a mechanical component converting some form of energy into physical motion, as such it would be obvious to have an actuator for the mechanical means.
Applicant’s arguments, see ‘Claim Rejections – 35 USC Section 112’, filed 4/14/2026, with respect to claims 7, 12, and 14 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 112 rejections of claims 7, 12, and 14 have been withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 8, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Padmanabhan (US 10895637 B1) in view of Mao (CN 110562150 A).
Regarding claim 1 Padmanabhan discloses
An underground utility detection system, the underground utility detection system comprising: a ground penetrating radar for generating images of an underground area (Column 6 lines 44-46, "Ground penetrating radar (“GPR”) is a geophysical method that uses radar pulses to image the subsurface. The GPR may include a control unit."; Column 5 lines 38-42, "Further, the UAV may be equipped with a controller 200, which may identify objects in subterranean environments based on the given input data, including GNSS signal data (e.g., location data), GPR [Ground Penetrating Radar] signal data (e.g., tomographic data), and SAR signal data (e.g., topological data)"); a Global Positioning System receiver for establishing a position of the ground penetrating radar (Column 5 lines 33-35, "The GNSS (or Global Positioning System “GPS”) sensor 106 may be configured to receive a GNSS (or GPS or Satellite-based augmentation system) signal"; Column 7 lines 56-58, "As the SAR device on board the aircraft or spacecraft moves, the antenna location relative to the target changes with time" where the GNSS system and GPR system and SAR system are in proximity of each other); a processor for collecting the images generated by the ground penetrating radar and the position of the ground penetrating radar (Column 8 lines 18-20, "The controller 200 may include a processor 202, a memory 204, a wireless network interface 206, and a storage device 208"; Column 5 lines 38-42, "Further, the UAV may be equipped with a controller 200, which may identify objects in subterranean environments based on the given input data, including GNSS signal data (e.g., location data), GPR [Ground Penetrating Radar] signal data (e.g., tomographic data), and SAR signal data (e.g., topological data)), the processor executing a machine learning algorithm, the machine learning algorithm determining at least one output based on inputs, the at least one output comprising a presence indicator indicating the presence or absence of an underground object, the inputs comprising the images collected (Column 5 lines 38-42, "Further, the UAV may be equipped with a controller 200, which may identify objects in subterranean environments based on the given input data, including GNSS signal data (e.g., location data), GPR [Ground Penetrating Radar] signal data (e.g., tomographic data), and SAR signal data (e.g., topological data); Column 8 lines 18-23, "The controller 200 may include a processor 202, a memory 204, a wireless network interface 206, and a storage device 208. The memory 204 includes instructions, that when executed by the processor 202, cause the system disclosed in the present disclosure to identify an object in a subterranean environment"; Column 2 lines 24-29, "In yet a further aspect of the present disclosure, the instructions, when executed, may further cause the system to determine, by a machine learning algorithm, the identification of unknown objects buried underground in various subterranean environments by analyzing the first input data set."); and a wireless communication module, the wireless communication module wirelessly communicating the underground images to the processor (Column 8 lines 18-20, "The controller 200 may include a processor 202, a memory 204, a wireless network interface 206, and a storage device 208"; Column 5 lines 42-45, "Further, the UAV system 100 may include a ground-based post-processing computer 106 which may communicate with the UAV 102 as well as store material calibration data"). Padmanabhan does not disclose a switchable magnetic attachment for removably securing the ground penetrating radar to a heavy equipment, wherein the switchable magnetic attachment is mechanically operated.
Mao discloses
A switchable magnetic attachment for removably securing the ground penetrating radar to a heavy equipment (Page 3 Paragraph 11 to Page 4 Paragraph 1, "Further, the ground penetrating radar fast adaptive mounting device at least comprises structure plate, the matched surface of the structural plate namely the fast adaptive mounting device of ground penetrating radar, which is a metal structure, which is used for magnetic connection with the motor vehicle through the magnet, preferably, said structural plate is a flat rectangular structure, while in other embodiments, also can be set as circular, oval or other shape"), wherein the switchable magnetic attachment is mechanically operated (Page 3 Paragraph 9, "In the description of the invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and defined, the term "mounted", "connected", "connection" should be understood broadly, for example, may be a fixed connection, also can be detachably connected or integrally connected, can be mechanically connected").
Padmanabhan discloses a ground penetrating radar but not that it has a switchable magnetic attachment. A magnetic attachment is advantageous in that it allows for quick swapping of the radar between vehicles. So, if one vehicle is damaged/malfunctioning but the radar is fine the radar can simply be switched instead of being dependent on the status of the vehicle. Additionally, given a problem, a mechanical operation of the attachment offers a potentially easier fix and the opportunity to fix on location. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with Mao to allow for quick swapping between damaged vehicles.
Regarding claim 8 Padmanabhan discloses
A ground penetrating radar (Column 6 lines 44-46, "Ground penetrating radar (“GPR”) is a geophysical method that uses radar pulses to image the subsurface. The GPR may include a control unit."). Padmanabhan does not disclose a switchable magnetic attachment for affixing a ground penetrating radar to a ferromagnetic structure of a heavy equipment, the switchable magnetic attachment comprising: a receptacle for receiving the ground penetrating radar; and a switchable magnet adapted to attach to the ferromagnetic structure of the heavy equipment when actuated and to detach from the ferromagnetic structure of the heavy equipment when deactivated, the switchable magnet being mechanically actuated and deactivated.
Mao discloses
A switchable magnetic attachment for affixing a radar to a ferromagnetic structure of a heavy equipment, the switchable magnetic attachment comprising: a receptacle for receiving the ground penetrating radar (Page 3 Paragraph 11 to Page 4 Paragraph 1, "Further, the ground penetrating radar fast adaptive mounting device at least comprises structure plate, the matched surface of the structural plate namely the fast adaptive mounting device of ground penetrating radar, which is a metal structure, which is used for magnetic connection with the motor vehicle through the magnet, preferably, said structural plate is a flat rectangular structure, while in other embodiments, also can be set as circular, oval or other shape"); and a switchable magnet adapted to attach to the ferromagnetic structure of the heavy equipment when actuated and to detach from the ferromagnetic structure of the heavy equipment when deactivated, the switchable magnet being mechanically actuated and deactivated (Page 3 Paragraph 11 to Page 4 Paragraph 1, "Further, the ground penetrating radar fast adaptive mounting device at least comprises structure plate, the matched surface of the structural plate namely the fast adaptive mounting device of ground penetrating radar, which is a metal structure, which is used for magnetic connection with the motor vehicle through the magnet, preferably, said structural plate is a flat rectangular structure, while in other embodiments, also can be set as circular, oval or other shape"; Page 3 Paragraph 9, "In the description of the invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and defined, the term "mounted", "connected", "connection" should be understood broadly, for example, may be a fixed connection, also can be detachably connected or integrally connected, can be mechanically connected" where the mechanical means of the attachment would have a mechanical component use energy of some type for physical movement which is an actuator).
Padmanabhan discloses a ground penetrating radar but not that it has a switchable magnetic attachment that can be mechanically operated. A magnetic attachment is advantageous in that it allows for quick swapping of the radar between vehicles. A mechanical operation is advantageous in that the connection is automated and reduces necessary manpower for the device to work. It would be obvious that if Mao can have a magnetic attachment for a radar that Padmanabhan could use that attachment for its ground penetrating radar. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with Mao to add in quick swapping and automation.
Regarding claim 11 the combination of Padmanabhan and Mao discloses
The switchable magnetic attachment of claim 8. Padmanabhan further discloses further comprising at least one of: a battery for powering the ground penetrating radar; a Global Positioning System receiver for establishing position of the ground penetrating radar (Column 5 lines 33-35, "The GNSS (or Global Positioning System “GPS”) sensor 106 may be configured to receive a GNSS (or GPS or Satellite-based augmentation system) signal"; Column 7 lines 56-58, "As the SAR device on board the aircraft or spacecraft moves, the antenna location relative to the target changes with time" where the GNSS system and GPR system and SAR system are in proximity of each other and establishing the GPS position likewise establishes the radar position); a processor for receiving images generated by the ground penetrating radar and generating measurement signals to be wirelessly communicated, the processor further determining a battery level of the battery; a wireless communication module in communication with the processor, the wireless communication module wirelessly communicating at least one of the following: the measurement signals generated by the processor (Column 5 lines 38-45, "Further, the UAV may be equipped with a controller 200, which may identify objects in subterranean environments based on the given input data, including GNSS signal data (e.g., location data), GPR signal data (e.g., tomographic data), and SAR signal data (e.g., topological data). Further, the UAV system 100 may include a ground-based post-processing computer 106 which may communicate with the UAV 102 as well as store material calibration data"), the position established by the Global Positioning System, the battery level of the battery.
Regarding claim 13 Padmanabhan discloses
A heavy equipment comprising: a ground penetrating radar for generating images of an underground area under the ground penetrating radar (Column 6 lines 44-46, "Ground penetrating radar (“GPR”) is a geophysical method that uses radar pulses to image the subsurface. The GPR may include a control unit.."; Column 5 lines 38-42, "Further, the UAV may be equipped with a controller 200, which may identify objects in subterranean environments based on the given input data, including GNSS signal data (e.g., location data), GPR [Ground Penetrating Radar] signal data (e.g., tomographic data), and SAR signal data (e.g., topological data)"); a Global Positioning System receiver for establishing position of the ground penetrating radar (Column 5 lines 33-35, "The GNSS (or Global Positioning System “GPS”) sensor 106 may be configured to receive a GNSS (or GPS or Satellite-based augmentation system) signal"; Column 7 lines 56-58, "As the SAR device on board the aircraft or spacecraft moves, the antenna location relative to the target changes with time" where the GNSS system and GPR system and SAR system are in proximity of each other); a processor for collecting the images generated by the ground penetrating radar and the position of the ground penetrating radar (Column 8 lines 18-20, "The controller 200 may include a processor 202, a memory 204, a wireless network interface 206, and a storage device 208"; Column 5 lines 38-42, "Further, the UAV may be equipped with a controller 200, which may identify objects in subterranean environments based on the given input data, including GNSS signal data (e.g., location data), GPR [Ground Penetrating Radar] signal data (e.g., tomographic data), and SAR signal data (e.g., topological data)), the processor executing a machine learning algorithm, the machine learning algorithm determining at least one output based on inputs, the at least one output comprising a presence indicator indicating the presence or absence of an underground object, the inputs comprising the images collected (Column 5 lines 38-42, "Further, the UAV may be equipped with a controller 200, which may identify objects in subterranean environments based on the given input data, including GNSS signal data (e.g., location data), GPR [Ground Penetrating Radar] signal data (e.g., tomographic data), and SAR signal data (e.g., topological data); Column 8 lines 18-23, "The controller 200 may include a processor 202, a memory 204, a wireless network interface 206, and a storage device 208. The memory 204 includes instructions, that when executed by the processor 202, cause the system disclosed in the present disclosure to identify an object in a subterranean environment"; Column 2 lines 24-29, "In yet a further aspect of the present disclosure, the instructions, when executed, may further cause the system to determine, by a machine learning algorithm, the identification of unknown objects buried underground in various subterranean environments by analyzing the first input data set."); and a wireless communication module for communicating at least one of the following: the measurement signals, the position of the ground penetrating radar (Column 8 lines 18-20, "The controller 200 may include a processor 202, a memory 204, a wireless network interface 206, and a storage device 208"; Column 5 lines 42-45, "Further, the UAV system 100 may include a ground-based post-processing computer 106 which may communicate with the UAV 102 as well as store material calibration data"). Padmanabhan does not disclose a switchable magnetic attachment for removably securing the ground penetrating radar to a heavy equipment, wherein the switchable magnetic attachment is mechanically operated.
Mao discloses
A switchable magnetic attachment for removably securing the ground penetrating radar to a heavy equipment (Page 3 Paragraph 11 to Page 4 Paragraph 1, "Further, the ground penetrating radar fast adaptive mounting device at least comprises structure plate, the matched surface of the structural plate namely the fast adaptive mounting device of ground penetrating radar, which is a metal structure, which is used for magnetic connection with the motor vehicle through the magnet, preferably, said structural plate is a flat rectangular structure, while in other embodiments, also can be set as circular, oval or other shape"), wherein the switchable magnetic attachment is mechanically operated (Page 3 Paragraph 9, "In the description of the invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and defined, the term "mounted", "connected", "connection" should be understood broadly, for example, may be a fixed connection, also can be detachably connected or integrally connected, can be mechanically connected").
Padmanabhan discloses a ground penetrating radar but not that it has a switchable magnetic attachment. A magnetic attachment is advantageous in that it allows for quick swapping of the radar between vehicles. So, if one vehicle is damaged/malfunctioning but the radar is fine the radar can simply be switched instead of being dependent on the status of the vehicle. Additionally, given a problem, a mechanical operation of the attachment offers a potentially easier fix and the opportunity to fix on location. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with Mao to allow for quick swapping between damaged vehicles.
Regarding claim 14 Padmanabhan discloses
The heavy equipment of claim 13 including the ground penetrating radar. Padmanabhan does not disclose wherein the ground penetrating radar is affixed to the heavy equipment by a switchable magnetic attachment, the switchable magnetic attachment is adapted to attach to the ferromagnetic structure of the heavy equipment when actuated and to detach from the ferromagnetic structure of the heavy equipment when deactivated.
Mao discloses
Wherein the ground penetrating radar is affixed to the heavy equipment by a switchable magnetic attachment, the switchable magnetic attachment is adapted to attach to the ferromagnetic structure of the heavy equipment when actuated and to detach from the ferromagnetic structure of the heavy equipment when deactivated (Page 3 Paragraph 11 to Page 4 Paragraph 1, "Further, the ground penetrating radar fast adaptive mounting device at least comprises structure plate, the matched surface of the structural plate namely the fast adaptive mounting device of ground penetrating radar, which is a metal structure, which is used for magnetic connection with the motor vehicle through the magnet, preferably, said structural plate is a flat rectangular structure, while in other embodiments, also can be set as circular, oval or other shape"; Page 3 Paragraph 9, "In the description of the invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and defined, the term "mounted", "connected", "connection" should be understood broadly, for example, may be a fixed connection, also can be detachably connected or integrally connected, can be mechanically connected").
Padmanabhan discloses a ground penetrating radar but not that it has a switchable magnetic attachment. A magnetic attachment is advantageous in that it allows for quick swapping of the radar between vehicles. So, if one vehicle is damaged/malfunctioning but the radar is fine the radar can simply be switched instead of being dependent on the status of the vehicle. It would be obvious that if Mao can have a magnetic attachment for a radar that Padmanabhan could use that attachment for its ground penetrating radar. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with Mao to allow for quick swapping between damaged vehicles.
Regarding claim 17 Padmanabhan discloses
A method using a machine learning algorithm for performing underground utility detection (Column 2 lines 24-29, "In yet a further aspect of the present disclosure, the instructions, when executed, may further cause the system to determine, by a machine learning algorithm, the identification of unknown objects buried underground in various subterranean environments by analyzing the first input data set”), the method comprising: collecting, by a processor, images generated by a ground penetrating radar (Column 5 lines 38-42, "Further, the UAV may be equipped with a controller 200, which may identify objects in subterranean environments based on the given input data, including GNSS signal data (e.g., location data), GPR [Ground Penetrating Radar] signal data (e.g., tomographic data), and SAR signal data (e.g., topological data); Column 8 lines 18-23, "The controller 200 may include a processor 202, a memory 204, a wireless network interface 206, and a storage device 208. The memory 204 includes instructions, that when executed by the processor 202, cause the system disclosed in the present disclosure to identify an object in a subterranean environment"); and executing by the processor a machine learning algorithm, the machine learning algorithm determining at least one output based on inputs, the at least one output comprising a presence indicator indicating the presence or not of an underground object, the inputs comprising the images generated by the ground penetrating radar (Column 5 lines 38-42, "Further, the UAV may be equipped with a controller 200, which may identify objects in subterranean environments based on the given input data, including GNSS signal data (e.g., location data), GPR [Ground Penetrating Radar] signal data (e.g., tomographic data), and SAR signal data (e.g., topological data); Column 8 lines 18-23, "The controller 200 may include a processor 202, a memory 204, a wireless network interface 206, and a storage device 208. The memory 204 includes instructions, that when executed by the processor 202, cause the system disclosed in the present disclosure to identify an object in a subterranean environment"; Column 2 lines 24-29, "In yet a further aspect of the present disclosure, the instructions, when executed, may further cause the system to determine, by a machine learning algorithm, the identification of unknown objects buried underground in various subterranean environments by analyzing the first input data set"). Padmanabhan does not disclose wherein the ground penetrating radar is removably secured to a heavy equipment by a switchable magnetic attachment, and wherein the switchable magnetic attachment is mechanically operated.
Mao discloses
Wherein the ground penetrating radar is removably secured to a heavy equipment by a switchable magnetic attachment, (Page 3 Paragraph 11 to Page 4 Paragraph 1, "Further, the ground penetrating radar fast adaptive mounting device at least comprises structure plate, the matched surface of the structural plate namely the fast adaptive mounting device of ground penetrating radar, which is a metal structure, which is used for magnetic connection with the motor vehicle through the magnet, preferably, said structural plate is a flat rectangular structure, while in other embodiments, also can be set as circular, oval or other shape"), and wherein the switchable magnetic attachment is mechanically operated (Page 3 Paragraph 9, "In the description of the invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and defined, the term "mounted", "connected", "connection" should be understood broadly, for example, may be a fixed connection, also can be detachably connected or integrally connected, can be mechanically connected").
Padmanabhan discloses a ground penetrating radar but not that it has a switchable magnetic attachment. A magnetic attachment is advantageous in that it allows for quick swapping of the radar between vehicles. So, if one vehicle is damaged/malfunctioning but the radar is fine the radar can simply be switched instead of being dependent on the status of the vehicle. Additionally, given a problem, a mechanical operation of the attachment offers a potentially easier fix and the opportunity to fix on location. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with Mao to allow for quick swapping between damaged vehicles.
Regarding claim 18 the combination of Padmanabhan and Mao discloses
The method of claim 17. Padmanabhan further discloses wherein the underground object is a pipe (Column 5 lines 11-20, "The system disclosed in the present disclosure may integrate GPR signals, SAR signals, and survey grade GNSS signals. Further, an aspect of the present disclosure may include using specially developed conformal mapping software techniques that may identify various buried manmade objects and structures over a wide area of terrain under different soil conditions. For example, various buried manmade objects may include but are not limited to, objects such as land mines, utility pipes, oil tanks, sewer laterals, electrical systems, gas conduits, and so forth").
Regarding claim 19 the combination of Padmanabhan and Mao discloses
The method of claim 17. Padmanabhan further discloses wherein the at least one output further comprises an identification of the underground object (Column 5 lines 11-20, "The system disclosed in the present disclosure may integrate GPR signals, SAR signals, and survey grade GNSS signals. Further, an aspect of the present disclosure may include using specially developed conformal mapping software techniques that may identify various buried manmade objects and structures over a wide area of terrain under different soil conditions. For example, various buried manmade objects may include but are not limited to, objects such as land mines, utility pipes, oil tanks, sewer laterals, electrical systems, gas conduits, and so forth").
Regarding claim 20 the combination of Padmanabhan and Mao discloses
The method of claim 17. Padmanabhan further discloses wherein the at least one output further comprises a position of the underground object (Column 5 lines 38-42, "Further, the UAV may be equipped with a controller 200, which may identify objects in subterranean environments based on the given input data, including GNSS signal data (e.g., location data), GPR [Ground Penetrating Radar] signal data (e.g., tomographic data), and SAR signal data (e.g., topological data)")).
Regarding claim 21 the combination of Padmanabhan and Mao discloses
The method of claim 17. Padmanabhan further discloses wherein the at least one output further comprises a size of the underground object (Column 12 lines 7-13, "Referring to FIG. 9, an illustration of a 3D display 900 of a site map is shown, in accordance with the present disclosure. For example, any identified subterranean objects (e.g., pipes 902) may be displayed in the 3D display 900 of a user's site map (e.g., a bird's eye view). The view may include a survey path 908, depth slices, field interpretations 904, flags, and/or collected lines" where the 3d display of an object will show the size of the object).
Regarding claim 22 the combination of Padmanabhan and Mao discloses
The method of claim 17. Padmanabhan further discloses wherein the images are consecutive images produced by the ground penetrating radar (Column 6 lines 53-58, "Individual lines of GPR data represent a sectional (profile) view of the subsurface. Multiple lines of data systematically collected over an area may be used to construct three-dimensional or tomographic images. Data may be presented as three-dimensional blocks, or as horizontal or vertical slices").
Regarding claim 26 the combination of Padmanabhan and Mao discloses
The method of claim 19. Padmanabhan further discloses wherein the at least one output comprises a 3-dimension image to be displayed to a user (Column 6 lines 53-58, "Individual lines of GPR data represent a sectional (profile) view of the subsurface. Multiple lines of data systematically collected over an area may be used to construct three-dimensional or tomographic images. Data may be presented as three-dimensional blocks, or as horizontal or vertical slices").
Claim(s) 2, 9, 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Padmanabhan (US 10895637 B1) in view of Mao (CN 110562150 A) further in view of Conway (US 20210033723 A1).
Regarding claim 2 the combination of Padmanabhan and Mao discloses
The underground utility detection system of claim 1 including a ground penetrating radar. The combination of Padmanabhan and Mao does not disclose further comprising a levelling mechanism for levelling the ground penetrating radar.
Conway discloses
A levelling mechanism for levelling the ground penetrating radar (Paragraph 0056, "The interior cavity 511 contains a controller (scanning control module) 590, a battery 560, a battery charger 565, and a self-levelling module 570 for assisting in maintaining a level orientation of the radar implement 500").
Padmanabhan discloses a ground penetrating radar but does not disclose leveling it before measurement. It would be advantageous to level the ground penetrating radar in order to ensure quality measurements such as maximizing the energy transmission into the ground and to prevent stitching errors in the data. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with Conway in order to ensure quality measurements from the ground penetrating radar.
Regarding claim 9 the combination of Padmanabhan and Mao discloses
The switchable magnetic attachment of claim 8. Padmanabhan does not disclose further comprising a leveling mechanism for leveling the ground penetrating radar when the switchable magnetic attachment is actuated.
Conway discloses
A leveling mechanism for leveling the ground penetrating radar when the switchable magnetic attachment is actuated (Paragraph 0056, "The interior cavity 511 contains a controller (scanning control module) 590, a battery 560, a battery charger 565, and a self-levelling module 570 for assisting in maintaining a level orientation of the radar implement 500"; Paragraph 0053, “the radar implement 500 of the present disclosure, an example of which is shown in FIG. 3, can be attached and detached from the implement arm” where the radar would level after being attached).
Padmanabhan discloses a ground penetrating radar but does not disclose leveling it after it is attached. It would be advantageous to level the ground penetrating radar in order to ensure quality measurements such as maximizing the energy transmission into the ground and to prevent stitching errors in the data. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with Conway in order to ensure quality measurements from the ground penetrating radar.
Regarding claim 15 the combination of Padmanabhan and Mao discloses
The heavy equipment attachment of claim 14, including the switchable magnetic attachment. Padmanabhan does not disclose a leveling mechanism for leveling the ground penetrating radar when the switchable magnetic attachment is actuated.
Conway discloses
A leveling mechanism for leveling the ground penetrating radar when the attachment is actuated (Paragraph 0056, "The interior cavity 511 contains a controller (scanning control module) 590, a battery 560, a battery charger 565, and a self-levelling module 570 for assisting in maintaining a level orientation of the radar implement 500"; Paragraph 0053, “the radar implement 500 of the present disclosure, an example of which is shown in FIG. 3, can be attached and detached from the implement arm” where the radar would level after being attached).
Padmanabhan discloses a ground penetrating radar but does not disclose leveling it after it is attached. It would be advantageous to level the ground penetrating radar in order to ensure quality measurements such as maximizing the energy transmission into the ground and to prevent stitching errors in the data. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with Conway in order to ensure quality measurements from the ground penetrating radar.
Claim(s) 3, 10, 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Padmanabhan (US 10895637 B1) in view of Mao (CN 110562150 A) further in view of Li (CN 212412188 U) [Li 188].
Regarding claim 3 the combination of Padmanabhan and discloses
The underground utility detection system of claim 1 including the ground penetrating radar. Padmanabhan does not disclose wherein the switchable magnetic attachment further comprising a magnetic shield for protecting the ground penetrating radar from a magnetic field generated by the switchable magnetic attachment when actuated.
Mao discloses
A switchable magnetic attachment (Page 3 Paragraph 11 to Page 4 Paragraph 1, "Further, the ground penetrating radar fast adaptive mounting device at least comprises structure plate, the matched surface of the structural plate namely the fast adaptive mounting device of ground penetrating radar, which is a metal structure, which is used for magnetic connection with the motor vehicle through the magnet, preferably, said structural plate is a flat rectangular structure, while in other embodiments, also can be set as circular, oval or other shape"; Page 3 Paragraph 9, "In the description of the invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and defined, the term "mounted", "connected", "connection" should be understood broadly, for example, may be a fixed connection, also can be detachably connected or integrally connected, can be mechanically connected").
Padmanabhan discloses a ground penetrating radar but not that it has a switchable magnetic attachment. A magnetic attachment is advantageous in that it allows for quick swapping of the radar between vehicles. So, if one vehicle is damaged/malfunctioning but the radar is fine the radar can simply be switched instead of being dependent on the status of the vehicle. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with Mao to allow for quick swapping between damaged vehicles.
Li 188 discloses
A magnetic shield for protecting the ground penetrating radar from a magnetic field generated by a magnetic field generating source when actuated (Page 3 Paragraph 7, "By using the technical solution, the shielding layer is used for shielding the magnetic field generated by the operation of the motor, and preventing the interference caused by the electromagnetic wave reflected from the underground, and affecting the analysis and judgment of the worker").
Padmanabhan discloses a ground penetrating radar but not that it has a shield for a changing magnetic field. In regards to the Mao disclosure a switchable magnetic attachment will generate a changing magnetic field. A changing magnetic field may induce unwanted or potentially damaging current in the on board components, therefore it would be advantageous to have a shield for when the attachment is going on/off. For Li 188 the magnetic field is being induced by the motor but that can be replaced with the magnetic inducing device of Mao. There is a reasonable expectation of success as a UAV (or land vehicle) capable of carrying a ground penetrating radar can also use a mount and a magnetic shield can be adapted for another ground penetrating radar. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with Li 188 to protect the electronics from a changing magnetic field.
Regarding claim 10 the combination of Padmanabhan and Mao discloses
The switchable magnetic attachment of claim 8, including the ground penetrating radar and a switchable magnet. The combination of Padmanabhan and Mao does not disclose further comprising a magnetic shield for protecting the ground penetrating radar from a magnetic field generated by the switchable magnet when actuated.
Li 188 discloses
A magnetic shield for protecting the ground penetrating radar from a magnetic field generated by a magnetic field generating source when actuated (Page 3 Paragraph 7, "By using the technical solution, the shielding layer is used for shielding the magnetic field generated by the operation of the motor, and preventing the interference caused by the electromagnetic wave reflected from the underground, and affecting the analysis and judgment of the worker").
Padmanabhan discloses a ground penetrating radar but not that it has a shield for a changing magnetic field. In regards to the Mao disclosure a switchable magnetic attachment will generate a changing magnetic field. A changing magnetic field may induce unwanted or potentially damaging current in the on board components, therefore it would be advantageous to have a shield for when the attachment is going on/off. For Li 188 the magnetic field is being induced by the motor but that can be replaced with the magnetic inducing device of Mao. There is a reasonable expectation of success as a UAV (or land vehicle) capable of carrying a ground penetrating radar can also use a mount and a magnetic shield can be adapted for another ground penetrating radar. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with Li 188 to protect the electronics from a changing magnetic field.
Regarding claim 16 the combination of Padmanabhan and Mao discloses
The heavy equipment attachment of claim 14, including the switchable magnetic attachment. The combination of Padmanabhan and Mao does not disclose further comprises a magnetic shield for protecting the ground penetrating radar from a magnetic field generated by the switchable magnetic attachment when actuated.
Li 188 discloses
A magnetic shield for protecting the ground penetrating radar from a magnetic field generated by a magnetic field generating source when actuated (Page 3 Paragraph 7, "By using the technical solution, the shielding layer is used for shielding the magnetic field generated by the operation of the motor, and preventing the interference caused by the electromagnetic wave reflected from the underground, and affecting the analysis and judgment of the worker").
Padmanabhan discloses a ground penetrating radar but not that it has a shield for a changing magnetic field. In regards to the Mao disclosure a switchable magnetic attachment will generate a changing magnetic field. A changing magnetic field may induce unwanted or potentially damaging current in the on board components, therefore it would be advantageous to have a shield for when the attachment is going on/off. For Li 188 the magnetic field is being induced by the motor but that can be replaced with the magnetic inducing device of Mao. There is a reasonable expectation of success as a UAV (or land vehicle) capable of carrying a ground penetrating radar can also use a mount and a magnetic shield can be adapted for another ground penetrating radar. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with Li 188 to protect the electronics from a changing magnetic field.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Padmanabhan (US 10895637 B1) in view of Mao (CN 110562150 A) further in view of Li (CN 107238833 A) [Li 833].
Regarding claim 4 the combination of Padmanabhan and Mao discloses
The underground utility detection system of claim 1 including a ground penetrating radar. Padmanabhan does not disclose wherein the ground penetrating radar is actuated upon actuation of the switchable magnetic attachment.
Mao discloses
An actuation of the switchable magnetic attachment (Page 3 Paragraph 11 to Page 4 Paragraph 1, "Further, the ground penetrating radar fast adaptive mounting device at least comprises structure plate, the matched surface of the structural plate namely the fast adaptive mounting device of ground penetrating radar, which is a metal structure, which is used for magnetic connection with the motor vehicle through the magnet, preferably, said structural plate is a flat rectangular structure, while in other embodiments, also can be set as circular, oval or other shape"; Page 3 Paragraph 9, "In the description of the invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and defined, the term "mounted", "connected", "connection" should be understood broadly, for example, may be a fixed connection, also can be detachably connected or integrally connected, can be mechanically connected" where the mechanical means of the connection would have an actuator).
Padmanabhan discloses a ground penetrating radar but not that it has a switchable magnetic attachment that can be mechanically attached. A magnetic attachment is advantageous in that it allows for quick swapping of the radar between vehicles. A mechanical connection is advantageous in that the connection is automated and reduces necessary manpower for the device to work. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with Mao to add in quick swapping and automation.
Li 833 discloses
The radar is actuated upon attachment (Paragraph 0057, "selects appropriate radars and their number based on the environment of the oilfield monitoring area and the budget, and formulates a radar installation plan; after the plan is formulated, the radar is installed, the radar operating parameters are set, and the monitoring area is scanned; the radar enters normal working mode").
Padmanabhan discloses a ground penetrating radar but not its startup procedures. It would be advantageous if the radar started up upon attachment as that introduces automation that reduce the necessary manpower and speed up the beginning scanning process. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with LI 833 to automate the radar beginning its scanning procedures for a quicker start and less necessary manpower.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Padmanabhan (US 10895637 B1) in view of Mao (CN 110562150 A) further in view of Li (CN 107238833 A) [Li 833] further in view of Zhang (CN 114942407 A).
Regarding claim 5 the combination of Padmanabhan, Mao, and Li 833 discloses
The underground utility detection system of claim 4 including a ground penetrating radar. Padmanabhan does not disclose wherein the ground penetrating radar is actuated when the switchable magnetic attachment is actuated, and the levelling mechanism has levelled the ground penetrating radar.
Mao discloses
An actuation of the switchable magnetic attachment (Page 3 Paragraph 11 to Page 4 Paragraph 1, "Further, the ground penetrating radar fast adaptive mounting device at least comprises structure plate, the matched surface of the structural plate namely the fast adaptive mounting device of ground penetrating radar, which is a metal structure, which is used for magnetic connection with the motor vehicle through the magnet, preferably, said structural plate is a flat rectangular structure, while in other embodiments, also can be set as circular, oval or other shape"; Page 3 Paragraph 9, "In the description of the invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and defined, the term "mounted", "connected", "connection" should be understood broadly, for example, may be a fixed connection, also can be detachably connected or integrally connected, can be mechanically connected").
Padmanabhan discloses a ground penetrating radar but not that it has a switchable magnetic attachment that can be mechanically attached. A magnetic attachment is advantageous in that it allows for quick swapping of the radar between vehicles. A mechanical connection is advantageous in that the connection is automated and reduces necessary manpower for the device to work. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with Mao to add in quick swapping and automation.
Li 833 discloses
The radar is actuated upon attachment (Paragraph 0057, "selects appropriate radars and their number based on the environment of the oilfield monitoring area and the budget, and formulates a radar installation plan; after the plan is formulated, the radar is installed, the radar operating parameters are set, and the monitoring area is scanned; the radar enters normal working mode").
Padmanabhan discloses a ground penetrating radar but not its startup procedures. It would be advantageous if the radar started up upon attachment as that introduces automation that reduce the necessary manpower and speed up the beginning scanning process. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with LI 833 to automate the radar beginning its scanning procedures for a quicker start and less necessary manpower.
Zhang discloses
The radar is actuated when the levelling mechanism has levelled the radar (Page 2 Paragraph 8, "using the turning assembly to make the probe of the radar turn to the direction close to the ground, until the probe of the radar is in the vertical state, so that the probe is aligned to the ground to be detected, starting the radar, using the probe to transmit the electromagnetic wave, so as to realize the detection of the ground").
Padmanabhan discloses a ground penetrating radar but not that it starts after it is levelled. As the tilt of a ground penetrating radar affects its measurements, it would be advantageous to wait until it is level before it begins in order to ensure quality measurements such as maximizing the energy transmission into the ground and to prevent stitching errors in the data. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with Zhang to wait until the radar is level before starting in order to ensure quality measurements.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Padmanabhan (US 10895637 B1) in view of AlRayaan (US 20240026786 A1).
Regarding claim 7 the combination of Padmanabhan and Mao discloses
The underground utility detection system of claim 1. The combination of Padmanabhan and Mao does not disclose wherein the wireless communication module communicates using at least one wireless network protocol based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards.
AlRayaan discloses
Wherein the wireless communication module communicates using at least one wireless network protocol based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards (Paragraph 0062, "The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of wireline or wireless digital data communication (or a combination of data communication), for example, a communication network. Examples of communication networks include a local area network (LAN), a radio access network (RAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WIMAX), a wireless local area network (WLAN) using, for example, 802.11 a/b/g/n ").
Padmanabhan discloses a communication module but does not disclose the protocols it can use. The 802.11 family of protocols would be advantageous in that it would assist in the implementation of the invention, but also the 802.11 family of protocols allow for high speed and secure data transformation. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with AlRayaan to help implement the communication aspects of the invention and so that the communication can be timely and secure.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Padmanabhan (US 10895637 B1) in view of Mao (CN 110562150 A) further in view of AlRayaan (US 20240026786 A1).
Regarding claim 12 the combination of Padmanabhan, Mao, and Li 188 discloses
The switchable magnetic attachment of claim 11. Padmanabhan does not disclose wherein the wireless communication module wirelessly communicates using at least one wireless network protocol based on IEEE 802.11 family of standards.
AlRayaan discloses
Wherein the wireless communication module communicates using any of the wireless network protocols based on IEEE 802.11 family of standards (Paragraph 0062, "The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of wireline or wireless digital data communication (or a combination of data communication), for example, a communication network. Examples of communication networks include a local area network (LAN), a radio access network (RAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WIMAX), a wireless local area network (WLAN) using, for example, 802.11 a/b/g/n ").
Padmanabhan discloses a communication module but does not disclose the protocols it can use. The 802.11 family of protocols would be advantageous in that it would assist in the implementation of the invention, but also the 802.11 family of protocols allow for high speed and secure data transformation. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with AlRayaan to help implement the communication aspects of the invention and so that the communication can be timely and secure.
Claim(s) 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Padmanabhan (US 10895637 B1) in view of Mao (CN 110562150 A) further in view of Al-Khalefah (US8723723B2).
Regarding claim 23 the combination of Padmanabhan and Mao discloses
The method of claim 17. The combination of Padmanabhan and Mao does not disclose wherein the images are a sample of the consecutive images produced by the ground penetrating radar.
Al-Khalefah discloses
Wherein the images are a sample of the consecutive images produced by the ground penetrating radar (Column 5 lines 42-50, " In an embodiment, conventional GPR receivers have a sampling (strobe) receiver, which provides only one time sample for each transmit pulse. So, to build up a trace of say, 256 points, 256 transmit pulses have to be used. In implementation, though, the real time Analog to Digital conversion can sample all 256 points on the single transmit pulse. Accordingly, as compared with the known systems, the remaining 255 transmit pulses can now be used to average (stack) the track 255 times which reduces the noise to 24 dB").
Padmanabhan discloses a ground penetrating radar that takes multiple images but it does not disclose sampling the images. It would be advantageous for Padmanabhan to include sampling to, as stated in Al-Khalefah, average the images in order to reduce noise. As Padmanabhan already uses machine learning there is a reasonable expectation of success in including this addition. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with Al-Khalefah by adding in image sampling to reduce noise in the data.
Claim(s) 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Padmanabhan (US 10895637 B1) in view of Mao (CN 110562150 A) further in view of Newman (US 20230141585 A1).
Regarding claim 24 the combination of Padmanabhan and Mao discloses
The method of claim 19. The combination of Padmanabhan and Mao does not disclose wherein the machine learning algorithm is trained to further generate a recommendation output, the recommendation output providing guidance to an operator of a heavy machinery using the ground penetrating radar.
Newman discloses
Wherein the machine learning algorithm is trained to further generate a recommendation output, the recommendation output providing guidance to an operator of a heavy machinery using the ground penetrating radar (Paragraph 0052, "Thus, the machine-learning system can even suggest annotations (e.g., dispensing paths) to the operator to be edited or to be accepted responsive to a user input").
Padmanabhan discloses machine learning but not the machine learning making suggestions. It would be advantageous for the machine learning models to make suggestions on what an ambiguous object may be, and to suggest new paths of travel in order to fully discover an underground object. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with Newman to add into machine learning suggestions to help identify objects as a means of classification and the extent of an object.
Claim(s) 25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Padmanabhan (US 10895637 B1) in view of Vora (US 20220383640 A1).
Regarding claim 25 the combination of Padmanabhan and Mao discloses
The method of claim 19. The combination of Padmanabhan and Mao does not disclose wherein the machine learning algorithm is trained to further generate an instruction output, the instruction output overriding control of the heavy machinery to stop movement of the heavy machinery to prevent an accident.
Vora discloses
Wherein the machine learning algorithm is trained to further generate an instruction output, the instruction output overriding control of the heavy machinery to stop movement of the heavy machinery to prevent an accident (Paragraph 0060, " In some embodiments, safety controller 202g is configured to generate control signals that take precedence over (e.g., overrides) control signals generated and/or transmitted by autonomous vehicle compute 202f"; Paragraph 0082, "In some embodiments, perception system 402, planning system 404, localization system 406, and/or control system 408 implement at least one machine learning model").
Padmanabhan discloses the use of machine learning but not the machine learning overriding decisions. Vora discloses a controller overriding a vehicle and a controller that implements a machine learning model. As a UAV with ground penetrating radar flies at low altitude, it would want to use the safety controller to avoid obstacles as it is following the terrain, for example to avoid an unexpected change in terrain. Additionally, Padmanabhan discloses the use of the radar and machine learning system on other vehicles, Column 10 lines 10-15, "Although described with respect to a UAV system, the aspects and features of controller 200 and the machine learning algorithms configured for use therewith are equally applicable for use with other suitable vehicle systems (e.g., an autonomous ground vehicle system and/or an autonomous watercraft system)." The safety override feature would also be useful for land vehicles, such as an excavator, to avoid obstacles and prevent costly accidents like rupturing a gas line. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Padmanabhan with Vora to include safety override features to cause the vehicle to avoid an accident.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/PETER DAVON DOZE/Examiner, Art Unit 3648
/OLUMIDE AJIBADE AKONAI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3648
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