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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 13-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 13 recites, “
an optical head comprising a camera and an illumination source, the camera being arranged to generate a sequence of images of the plot at acquisition times separated two by two by a predetermined acquisition period, the illumination source being arranged to emit a light beam in the direction of the plot with a variable light intensity,
a spray control unit configured to process a sub-set of the sequence of images and individually control the spray sections as a function of the processing of the sub-set of images, the images of the sub-set being considered at processing times separated two by two by a predetermined processing period, the processing period being equal to P times the acquisition period, where P is an integer greater than or equal to two, and
an illumination control unit arranged to determine the light intensity of the light beam to be emitted by the illumination source at each processing time, said light intensity for a given processing time being determined as a function of at least one image of the sequence of images taken at an acquisition time comprised between the considered processing time and the previous processing time.”
It is not clear what all is meant and encompassed by the phrase, “…..acquisition times separated two by two by a predetermined acquisition period,…” what is separated two by two. Why not two by four or 1 by three of six by one, etc. That is the claim already recites, “generating a sequence of images”, then again the claim recites, “…acquisition times”. Is it not clear what is been acquired or who is acquiring what.
Again the phrase, “processing times separated two by two by a predetermined processing period,” is similarly not clear as the first rejected phrase.
Applicant is advised to amend the claims to clarify what is being claimed. Applicant is also advised to follow the example provided to make corrections if any in the rest of the claims.
The rest of the claims are rejected for depending on a rejected claim or for having similar deficiencies as the rejected claim.
Conclusion
The prior art, Gall (US Pub 2017/0223947) made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Communication
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RONNIE MANCHO whose telephone number is (571)272-6984. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs.
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/RONNIE M MANCHO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3657