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 .
The information disclosure statement filed 4/10/2024 has been entered. Claims 1-20 are presented for examination.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 4-5, 7, 10, 14 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (2) as being anticipated by Geoquest Systems B.V. – WO 2022/146702 A1 (Geoquest Systems B.V. – WO 2022/146702 A to Meenakshi et al.; herein after referred to as “Meenakshi”).
Regarding claim 1 and 10, Meenakshi discloses a method comprising:
obtaining a seismic dataset comprising a plurality of shot gathers (Meenakshi; Fig. 1-12, par. 0106--0120, 0159 – 0161; obtaining seismic data from a plurality shot gathers);
dividing headers from the plurality of shot gathers among a plurality of computer nodes (Meenakshi; Fig. 1-12, par. 0106--0120, 0159 – 0161; obtaining seismic data from a plurality shot gathers; par. 0118 - dividing the seismic data into groups formats including SEG-Y, ZGY, BOLT, etc.; binary file headers are sorted according to sorting code: 1-9);
sorting the headers separately on each of the plurality of computer nodes (Meenakshi; Fig. 1-12, par. 0106--0120, 0159 – 0161; obtaining seismic data from a plurality shot gathers; par. 0118 - dividing the seismic data into groups formats including SEG-Y, ZGY, BOLT, etc.; binary file headers are sorted according to sorting code: 1-9); saving the sorted headers from the plurality of computer nodes to a temporary file;
sorting the sorted headers saved to the temporary file into a cross spread gather ordering (Meenakshi; Fig. 1-12, par. 0106--0120, 0159 – 0161; obtaining seismic data from a plurality shot gathers; par. 0118 - dividing the seismic data into groups formats including SEG-Y, ZGY, BOLT, etc.; binary file headers are sorted according to sorting code: 1-9);
sorting seismic traces according to the cross spread gather ordering to create cross spread gathers (Meenakshi; Fig. 1-12, par. 0106--0120, 0159 – 0161; obtaining seismic data from a plurality shot gathers; par. 0118 - dividing the seismic data into groups formats including SEG-Y, ZGY, BOLT, etc.; binary file headers are sorted according to sorting code: 1-9; ) ; and
applying a seismic imaging algorithm to the cross spread gathers to create a seismic image (Meenakshi; Fig. 1-12, par. 0106--0120, 0159 – 0161; obtaining seismic data from a plurality shot gathers; par. 0118 - dividing the seismic data into groups formats including SEG-Y, ZGY, BOLT, etc.; binary file headers are sorted according to sorting code: 1-9; par. 0073, 0084, 0103, 0106 – seismic data traces can build an image data).
Regarding claim 4 and 14, the method of claim 1, further comprising storing the headers and the seismic traces on the plurality of computer nodes using buffer pools (Meenakshi; Fig. 1-12, par. 0106--0120, 0159 – 0161; obtaining seismic data from a plurality shot gathers; par. 0118 - dividing the seismic data into groups formats including SEG-Y, ZGY, BOLT, etc.; binary file headers are sorted according to sorting code: 1-9; par. 0073, 0084, 0103, 0106 – seismic data traces can build an image data; 0176 – buffering).
Regarding claim 5, Meenakshi discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the seismic shot gathers are acquired with an orthogonal geometry (Meenakshi; Fig. 1-12, par. 0106--0120, 0159 – 0161; obtaining seismic data from a plurality shot gathers; par. 0118 - dividing the seismic data into groups formats including SEG-Y, ZGY, BOLT, etc.; binary file headers are sorted according to sorting code: 1-9; par. 0073, 0084, 0103, 0106 – seismic data traces can build an image data; 0176 – buffering; par. 0112 – “Fig. 7 shows an example of a bin grid representation 700 that can be utilized for organizing, storing, loading, processing, etc., of seismic data. In the SEG-Y format, the Bin Grid Definition stanza defines a bin grid including its relationship to a projected CRS (e.g., map grid). The projected CRS can be defined in a Location Data stanza. The content of the Bin Grid Definition stanza follows the provisions of the UKOOA P6/98 v3.0 format. The bin grid is the relative coordinate framework which defines a matrix of evenly spaced points referred to as the bin nodes. The term bin node is used instead of the term bin center and refers to the locations where the bin grid lines intersect. The bin grid is defined by a pair of orthogonal axes designated the I and the J axes, with the I axis rotated 90 degrees clockwise from the J axis”).
Regarding claim 7 and 16, Meenakshi discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the seismic imaging algorithm comprises Kirchhoff migration (Meenakshi; Fig. 1-12, par. 0106--0120, 0159 – 0161; obtaining seismic data from a plurality shot gathers; par. 0118 - dividing the seismic data into groups formats including SEG-Y, ZGY, BOLT, etc.; binary file headers are sorted according to sorting code: 1-9; par. 0073, 0084, 0103, 0106 – seismic data traces can build an image data; 0176 – buffering; par. 0112 – “Fig. 7 shows an example of a bin grid representation 700 that can be utilized for organizing, storing, loading, processing, etc., of seismic data. In the SEG-Y format, the Bin Grid Definition stanza defines a bin grid including its relationship to a projected CRS (e.g., map grid). The projected CRS can be defined in a Location Data stanza. The content of the Bin Grid Definition stanza follows the provisions of the UKOOA P6/98 v3.0 format. The bin grid is the relative coordinate framework which defines a matrix of evenly spaced points referred to as the bin nodes. The term bin node is used instead of the term bin center and refers to the locations where the bin grid lines intersect. The bin grid is defined by a pair of orthogonal axes designated the I and the J axes, with the I axis rotated 90 degrees clockwise from the J axis”; par. 0162 – “As shown in Fig. 12, the computational framework 1200 includes features for RTM, FDMOD, adaptive beam migration (ABM), Gaussian packet migration (GPM), depth processing (e.g., Kirchhoff prestack depth migration (KPSDM), tomography (Tomo)), time processing (e.g., Kirchhoff prestack time migration (KPSTM), general surface multiple prediction (GSMP), extended interbed multiple prediction (XIMP)), framework foundation features, desktop features (e.g., GUIs, etc.), and development tools”) .
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 17-20 are allowed.
Claims 2-3, 6, 8-9, 11-13, 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
i. The prior art fails to disclose the use of bucket sort algorithm to sort the headers as recited in claim 2. Claim 11 recites similar limitations to claim 2.
ii. The prior art fails to disclose the sorting the headers on the temporary file comprises using a merge sort algorithm as recited in claim 3. Claims 12-13 recite similar limitations to claim 3.
iii. The prior art fails to disclose the cross spread gathers are averaged according to a segmentation of the seismic dataset as recited in claim 6. Claim 15 recites similar limitations to claim 6.
iv. The prior art fails to disclose the method of claim 1 and further comprising: identifying a target zone using the seismic image; and planning a borehole path from a surface location to the target zone using the seismic image as recited in claim 8 (claim 9 depends on claim 8).
v. The prior art fails to disclose the computer system as recited in claim 17 comprising a
a borehole path planning system configured to plan a borehole path from a surface location to a target zone based on the seismic image; and a drilling rig configured to drill a borehole from the surface location to the target zone along the borehole path. Claims 17-20 depend on claim 17.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THIEN MINH LE whose telephone number is (571)272-2396. The examiner can normally be reached 6:30-5:00 PM M-Th..
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/THIEN M LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
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