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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 6-7 and 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu (US 20230083293) in view of Holt et al. (US 20140016113).
Regarding claim 1, Xu teaches a method for detecting glass wall with reflective surface for an autonomous system (para 58), the method comprising:
deploying at least one IR imaging device 114 and at least one IR emitter on the autonomous system, wherein the IR imaging device comprises a field-of-view (FOV) (para 69);
determining a distance and angle of the autonomous system from the reflective surface based on the reflected IR thermal signature within the FOV, whereby the reflective surface will be identify as the glass wall 302 (para 94).
However Xu fails to teach emitting, by an IR thermal emitter, an IR thermal signature from the autonomous system, wherein the IR thermal signature is located outside of the FOV; detecting presence of the IR thermal signature that reflects on the reflective surface.
Holt teaches emitting, by an IR thermal emitter, an IR thermal signature from the autonomous system, wherein the IR thermal signature is located outside of the FOV; detecting presence of the IR thermal signature that reflects on the reflective surface (para 26).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to adapt the emitting of Xu with the emitting as taught by Holt, since it would better glass surface reflectivity.
Regarding claim 2, Holt teaches resistors arranged to emits the thermal signature (para 26).
Regarding claim 3, Holt teaches a resistor array arranged to form the thermal signature (para 26).
Regarding claim 4, Holt teaches the autonomous system determines the distance and angle based on triangulation method (para 28).
Regarding claim 6, Xu teaches a sensor assembly of an autonomous system adapted for detecting glass wall, the sensor assembly comprising:
at least one infrared (IR) thermal sensor having a Field-of-View (FOV) (para 69);
the sensor assembly determines a distance and angle of the IR sensor from the reflective surface and the reflective surface is identified as a glass wall (para 94).
However Xu fails to teach at least one IR emitter that operationally emits a thermal signature; whereby operationally, when IR thermal signature is reflected on a reflected surface and the reflected IR thermal signature is captured within the FOV.
Holt teaches at least one IR emitter that operationally emits a thermal signature; whereby operationally, when IR thermal signature is reflected on a reflected surface and the reflected IR thermal signature is captured within the FOV (para 26).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to adapt the emitting of Xu with the emitting as taught by Holt, since it would better glass surface reflectivity.
Regarding claim 7, Holt teaches each of the IR emitter comprises a resistor array, each resistor unit of the resistor array form a pixel of the thermal signature (para 26).
Regarding claim 9, Xu teaches the distance and angle are determined through triangulation (para 28).
Regarding claim 10, Xu teaches an autonomous system having a sensor assembly in accordance with Claim 6 (para 3).
Claim(s) 5 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu as modified by Holt further in view of Man (US 20210270677).
Regarding claims 5 and 8, Xu fails to teach the IR thermal emitter emits the thermal signature within a long-wavelength IR band.
Man teaches an IR thermal emitter emits the thermal signature within a long-wavelength IR band (para 46).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to adapt the IR emitter of Xu with the IR emitter as taught by Man, since it would better depth measurement.
Conclusion
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/HOON K SONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884