DETAILED ACTION
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claim(s) have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1, 5, 6, 9, 13, 14 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20100282000 A1 to Gorjanc et al. (hereinafter, Gorjanc) in view of KR 102302719 B1 (hereinafter, ‘719).
Gorjanc discloses (Claims 1, 9 and 17) a control method and an apparatus of a gait training system ([0002] “The present disclosure relates to a walking training system, a control method thereof, and a control program.”), comprising inter alia:
acquiring sensor outputs from a load distribution sensor that is provided to detect a distribution of a load applied from a user and has a plurality of sensors arranged in a two-dimensional array, the load distribution sensor being configured to detect the load according to an amount of deformation of the viscoelastic sheet ([0032] “The load distribution sensor 222 is composed of a plurality of sensors, and these sensors are arranged in a matrix under the belt 1311 that supports the sole of the trainee 900. By using these sensors, the load distribution sensor 222 can detect the magnitude and distribution of the surface pressure (load) received from the sole of the trainee 900. For example, the load distribution sensor 222 is a resistance change detection type load detection sheet in which a plurality of electrodes is arranged in a matrix. From the detected result of the load distribution sensor 222, it is possible to distinguish the walking state of the trainee 900 (whether each leg is in a standing leg state or a swinging leg state, and the like).”);
based on the acquired sensor outputs, detecting a load applied through a belt of a treadmill on which the user lands ([0032] “The load distribution sensor 222 is composed of a plurality of sensors, and these sensors are arranged in a matrix under the belt 1311 that supports the sole of the trainee 900. By using these sensors, the load distribution sensor 222 can detect the magnitude and distribution of the surface pressure (load) received from the sole of the trainee 900. For example, the load distribution sensor 222 is a resistance change detection type load detection sheet in which a plurality of electrodes is arranged in a matrix. From the detected result of the load distribution sensor 222, it is possible to distinguish the walking state of the trainee 900 (whether each leg is in a standing leg state or a swinging leg state, and the like).”);
estimating a value of the load received from the user with an inference device using two- dimensional data based on the sensor outputs as an input ([0071] “The walking state distinguishing unit 210c distinguishes the walking state of the trainee 900 based on the load distribution of each leg detected by the load distribution sensor 222. For example, when the load that is received from one leg of the trainee 900 and that is detected by the load distribution sensor 222 changes from being less than a first threshold value to being equal to or more than the first threshold value, the walking state distinguishing unit 210c determines that the one leg has transitioned from the swinging leg state to the standing leg state, and when the load changes from being equal to or more than a second threshold value (first threshold value>second threshold value) to less than the second threshold value, the walking state distinguishing unit 210c determines that the one leg has shifted from the standing leg state to the swinging leg state. The walking state distinguishing unit 210c distinguishes not only the walking state of the healthy leg but also the walking state of the affected leg equipped with the walking assist device 120. In that case, the walking state distinguishing unit 210c distinguishes the walking state in consideration of the load of the walking assist device 120.”), and
driving a robot leg worn on a leg of the user based on the value of the load estimated by the inference device ([0047] “The walking assist device 120 is attached to the affected leg of the trainee 900 and assists the trainee 900 in walking by reducing the load of extension and bending at the knee joint of the affected leg. The walking assist device 120 transmits data on the leg movement acquired by walking training to the overall control unit 210, or drives the joint portion in accordance with the instruction from the overall control unit 210. The walking assist device 120 can also be connected to a hip joint (a connecting member having a rotating portion) attached to the brace 110 that is a part of the transfer prevention harness device via a wire or the like.”);
(Claims 5 and 13) where the sensor outputs from all the sensors included in the load distribution sensor are trimmed to generate the two-dimensional data ([0034] Frame “The set of sensor cells defined by the m row.times.n column matrix of the sensor in a single point in time which creates a pressure image.”); and
(Claims 6 and 14) a pressure conversion unit that converts the sensor outputs into pressure values, wherein the inference device uses the two-dimensional data composed of the pressure values as an input ([0003], [0043], [0045]).
Nagasue discloses the claimed invention as set forth and cited above except for expressly disclosing the load distribution sensor including a viscoelastic sheet and estimating a value of the load received from the user with an inference device including a CNN configured to perform a convolutional calculation process using two- dimensional data based on the sensor outputs as an input.
However, Gorjanc teaches a pressure mapping system comprising a plurality of pressure sensors on a planar sheet ([0011]), the planar sheet being a viscoelastic material ([0053]). One having an ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed would have found it obvious to modify the pressure sensors of Nagasue to be applied in the pressure sensor array with viscoelastic material of Gorjanc, because Gorjanc teaches at [0008] that a solid sheet, such as that described in Nagasue, would have possibly having unpredictable and buckling properties, and the viscoelastic sheet in addition to the pressure sensors of Gorjanc as Gorjanc teaches at [0009] that the viscoelastic sheet would have mitigated those disadvantages.
Furthermore, ‘719 teaches an insole with a bult in pressure sensor array (“he insole 1 used in this embodiment is a smart insole called FootLogger manufactured by 3L-Labs. FootLogger has a built-in pressure sensor array consisting of 8 pressure sensors”), where the CNN receives information from the sensors (“The DCNN receives information in the form of a normalized two-dimensional array from the preprocessor 20 as an input, and performs a convolution operation with various filters in a convolution layer.”) (“The deep learning model of the feature extraction unit 42 of this embodiment includes three convolutional layers corresponding to three types of sensors.”), where the information from the sensors estimates a load value (especially as broadly claimed, classification of performance from each sensor is a “load value”) (“First, in order to check the classification performance for each type of sensor, the results of classifying the gait type using the independently learned mono-modal DCNN for each of the pressure sensor array…”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 7, 12, 15 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
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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/SEAN P DOUGHERTY/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3791
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