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 . This action is made non-final.
Claims 42-62 are pending in the case. Claims 42, 54, and 60 are independent claims. Claims 1-41 have been canceled.
Priority
Acknowledgement is made of Applicant’s claim for domestic benefit of provisional application 63/247134, filed 09/22/2021. The instant application is a 371 of PCT/US2022/076844, filed 09/22/2022.
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.
Claim 56 is 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 56 recites “[t]he computer-implemented method as recited in claims 35” but “claims 35” is erroneous. Claim 35 has been canceled. It is thus unclear to which claim this claim refers. Applicant may amend claim 56 to recite dependency on the proper parent claim or cancel the claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 42-55 and 57-62 are allowed.
Reasons for Allowance
The following is an Examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance
Upon interpretation of the claims in light of the Specification, the Examiner finds that the claimed invention is patentably distinct from the prior art. The prior art does not expressly teach nor render obvious the invention as recited in independent claims 42, 54, and 60. The dependent claims are likewise allowable.
Turning to claim 42, Chen (US 9886771 B1) teaches displaying on the display a graphical user interface having a plurality of user-selectable input variables for application of a coating to a vehicle, (Col. 37, line 30 to Col. 38, line 14: display of GUI with user-selectable input variables; Col. 30, lines 5-33: repainting a vehicle);
receiving process variables, wherein the process variables correspond to physical parameters (Col. 37, line 30 to Col. 38, line 14);
displaying, via the graphical user interface, output variables via the graphical user interface, wherein the output variables allow the user to indicate user-observed characteristics of the coating as applied to the set of vehicles over a time interval;
receiving from the user an identification of at least one defect on any of the vehicles (Col. 37, line 30 to Col. 38, line 14); and
displaying, via the graphical user interface, a heat map over a modeled vehicle representing the set of vehicles observed by the user over the time interval, wherein the heat map displays the at least one defect in the associated color (Col. 37, line 30 to Col. 38, line 14; FIGS. 3, 14, and 15 and Col. 28, line 52 to Col. 30, line 33).
While Arthur (US 2022/0382262 A1) teaches a vehicle identifier ([0065-0066]) and a GUI to identify detects after a coating process ([0017-0021], FIG. 3 and [0040-0047], FIG. 8 and [0086-0090]) and Dhanani (US 2022/0358756 A1) teaches a GUI having user-selectable input variables enabling user entry of data (FIGS. 6C-D and [0112-0117]), the prior art does not render obvious at least a graphical user interface having a plurality of user-selectable input variables for application of a coating to a vehicle, wherein the input variables enable user entry of data corresponding to (i) a vehicle identifier that identifies a set of one or more vehicles being coated, and (ii) a type of coating to be applied, receiving process variables, wherein the process variables correspond to physical parameters of applying the coating on the set of vehicles being coated, and receiving from the user an identification of at least one defect on any of the vehicles during a coating process, wherein each at least one defect is associated with a color in combination with other limitations of the claim.
Adjacent to the invention of claim 42, turning to claim 54, Chen teaches displaying a GUI of a model of a vehicle, receiving initial user inputs and additional user inputs, and a model with different colors for different types of defects (Col. 37, line 30 to Col. 38, line 14; Col. 30, lines 5-33). Arthur teaches receiving user inputs identifying detects after a coating process via a GUI ([0017-0021], FIG. 3 and [0040-0047], FIG. 8 and [0086-0090]). Dhanani teaches a GUI having user-selectable input variables enabling user entry of data (FIGS. 6C-D and [0112-0117]). However, the prior art does not render obvious at least the displayed vehicle being a model undergoing a coating process over a time interval, a plurality of image modifiers that allow the user to adjust one or more of an intensity, color, and radius of each identified defect to reflect at least a frequency of the observed defect in the set during the time interval in combination with other limitations of the claim.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KENNY NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-4980. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 7AM to 5PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, KIEU D VU can be reached on (571)272-4057. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KENNY NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2171