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 § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-3,5-6,14-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Hakkinen (US 6616244).
Hakkinen discloses a method for controlling a mining rig (3, Figs. 1,4) in a mining
environment, the method comprises:
obtaining sensor data from a plurality of sensors, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises one or more first sensors (12, col. 3 lines 10-55, col. 4 lines 28-67) for sensing the mining environment and one or more second sensors (11, col. 3 lines 10-55, col. 4 lines 28-67) for sensing the mining rig in the mining environment,
based on the obtained sensor data, generating a virtual mining model, wherein the virtual mining model comprises a combined three-dimensional real-time representation of the mining rig and the mining environment, wherein the combined three-dimensional real-time representation of the mining rig and the mining environment comprises a coordinate system for establishing a positioning relationship of the mining rig relative to the mining environment in real time, and triggering one or more operations to be performed by the mining rig in the mining environment based on the generated virtual mining model, wherein triggering one or more operations comprises triggering one or more real-time operations (see col. 3 lines 10-55, col. 4 lines 28 thru col. 5 line 10).
Re claim 2, wherein generating the virtual mining model comprises:
producing a visual representation of the virtual mining model, wherein the visual representation comprises a viewing position and a viewing orientation in the coordinate system, wherein the viewing position and viewing orientation in the coordinate system corresponds to a location and orientation in the mining environment, and wherein producing the visual representation of the virtual mining model fulfils a real-time condition (see col. 2 lines 1-15, col. 4 line 25+).
Re claim 3, wherein the method further comprises: in response to an operator ( see col. 4 line 50+) observing the visual representation of the virtual mining model, obtaining one or more control inputs from the operator, and wherein triggering the one or more operations to be performed by the mining rig is further based on the one or more control inputs obtained from the operator.
Re claim 5, wherein the method further comprises based on the one or more control inputs, triggering an update of the visual representation of the virtual mining model such that the updated visual representation comprises any one or both of an updated viewing position and an updated viewing orientation in the coordinate system (col. 4 lines 28 thru col. 5 line 10).
Re claim 6, wherein the one or more obtained control inputs from the operator is associated with the operator performing one or more virtual operations in the virtual mining model, and wherein the one or more virtual operations correspond to the one or more operations to be performed by the mining rig the mining environment
(col. 4 lines 28 thru col. 5 line 10).
Re claim 14, wherein generating the virtual mining model further comprises deriving
information of any one or both of the mining rig and the mining environment
based on a combination of sensor data obtained from at least two differing sensors in the plurality of sensors 12, scanners, cols. 3,4).
Re claim 15, wherein the mining rig comprises one or more booms (see Fig. 5), and when triggering the one or more operations to be performed by the mining rig comprises operating the one or more booms in the mining environment in real time.
Re claim 16, Hakkinen discloses control node (1a) configured to control a mining rig (3, Figs. 1,4) in a mining environment, the control node is further configured to:
obtain sensor data from a plurality of sensors (12, cols. 3 lines 10-55; col. 4 lines 28-67), wherein the plurality of sensors comprises one or more first sensors for sensing the mining environment and one or more second sensors (11) for sensing the mining rig in the mining environment, based on the obtained sensor data, generate a virtual mining model (col. 3 lines 10-55), wherein the virtual mining model comprises a combined three- dimensional real-time representation of the mining rig and the mining environment wherein the combined three-dimensional real-time representation of the mining rig and the mining environment comprises a coordinate system for establishing a positioning relationship of the mining rig relative to the mining environment in real time, and trigger one or more operations to be performed by the mining rig in the mining environment based on the generated virtual mining model (col. 4 lines 28 thru col. 5 line 10), wherein to trigger one or more operations comprises to trigger one or more real-time operations.
Re claim 17, control node (1a, col. 3) is further configured to perform the operations of:
obtaining sensor data from a plurality of sensors (12), wherein the plurality of sensors
comprises one or more first sensors for sensing the mining environment and one or more second sensors (11) for sensing the mining rig in the mining environment,
based on the obtained sensor data, generating a virtual mining model, wherein the
virtual mining model comprises a combined three-dimensional real-time representation of the mining rig and the mining environment, wherein the combined three-dimensional
real-time representation of the mining rig and the mining environment comprises a
coordinate system for establishing a positioning relationship of the mining rig relative to
the mining environment in real time, and triggering one or more operations to be performed by the mining rig in the mining environment based on the generated virtual mining model, wherein triggering one or more operations comprises triggering one or more real-time operations. (col. 3 lines 10-55, col. 4 lines 28 thru col. 5 line 10).
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.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hakkinen ‘244 in view of Jokonya (US 20130033090).
Hakkinen ‘244 discloses the invention substantially as claimed. However, Hakkinen is silent about wherein the one or more control inputs is obtained from the operator by means of any one out of: the operator inputs the one or more control inputs by using a
remote operator station comprising a joystick and a plurality of buttons. Jokonya teaches the operator inputs the one or more control inputs by using a remote operator station comprising a joystick and a plurality of buttons (261, para 0073, 0095, 0106).
It would have been considered obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hakkinen to have the operator input the one or more control inputs by using a remote operator station comprising a joystick and a plurality of buttons as taught by Jokonya since such a modification enables more precise control compared to keyboards/touchpads.
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hakkinen ‘244 in view of Makela (US 20060265166).
Hakkinen ‘244 discloses the invention substantially as claimed. However, Hakkinen is silent about including a computer program comprising instructions, which
when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform method steps in controlling a mining rig (according to claim 1). Makela teaches it is known to have a computer program comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform method steps in controlling a mining rig (see para 0029). It would have been considered obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hakkinen to include the computer program as taught by Makela since such a modification allows for the unmanned mining vehicle to be automatically driven.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-13 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SUNIL SINGH whose telephone number is (571)272-7051. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 8-3, F 9-8 and 2nd Sat 11-7.
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/SUNIL SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3678
SS 6/27/2026
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