DETAILED ACTION
Applicant presents Claims 1-10 for examination. The Office rejects Claims 1-10 as detailed below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
+_+_+ Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by IDS entry Akagi - U.S. Pub. 20030234347 +_+_+
As for Claim 1, Akagi teaches a laser range finder that emits a laser beam and measures a distance to an object that is present in an emission direction of the laser beam, based on a time until the emitted beam is reflected by the object and returns to the laser range finder (¶107|1: ““In the next place, in the third preferred embodiment of a monitor under the present invention, the detecting means includes a coaxial optical system including light projecting means for radiating laser beam light in pulse shape, light receiving means for receiving reflected light of the radiated laser beam light reflecting on an object and coming back….”); a scanning mechanism unit that changes a measurement direction for the laser range finder; a distance information acquisition unit that defines a detection area by periodically performing the measurement by the laser range finder, with the measurement direction being changed by the scanning mechanism unit, and that acquires distance information in the detection area, the distance information in the detection area being acquired in each measurement direction on a time-series basis (¶107|7: “and scanning means for scanning the radiated laser beam light so as to be irradiated in plane shape, and measuring means for measuring the distance to a reflected object per unit scanning angle by optical radar method on the basis of the difference between light projection time and light receiving time of the laser beam light, and thereby the detecting means outputs distance information per scanning angle measured by the measuring means as the detection information.”); an information storage unit that stores reference distance information in each measurement direction as detection area information (¶123|1: “Thereafter, a series of distance data stored as the latest data is compared with initial data previously acquired, and difference extraction processing is carried out (step 709).”), and that stores at least one caution area and a corresponding determination area, the at least one caution area being set as a zone to be actually monitored in the detection area, and the determination area being set correspondingly to each of the at least one caution area (¶39|1: “According to such a structure mentioned above, for example, in applications to monitor intrusion of a human body to a dangerous area [i.e., caution area] and to monitor approach of a human body to a dangerous object, information corresponding to the distance between a dangerous area or a dangerous object and a human body or the like as an intruding object is generated and output, it is possible to forecast possibility prior to actual intrusion or approach [i.e., determination area] and to give a warning or the like.”); an object detection processing unit that extracts one or more portions potentially corresponding to a detection target object, from the distance information acquired by the distance information acquisition unit, and that determines whether each of the one or more extracted portions is the detection target object, based on a time-series travel status of the respective extracted portion; an object detection area determination unit that determines, based on a determination result by the object detection processing unit, whether the detection target object is present in both the caution area and the determination area or whether the detection target object is present in the determination area (¶39|1: “According to such a structure mentioned above, for example, in applications to monitor intrusion of a human body [target object] to a dangerous area [caution area] and to monitor approach of a human body to a dangerous object, information corresponding to the distance between a dangerous area or a dangerous object and a human body or the like as an intruding object is generated and output, it is possible to forecast possibility prior to actual intrusion or approach [determination area] and to give a warning or the like.”); an alarm activation control unit that controls, based on the determination result by the object detection processing unit and a determination result by the object detection area determination unit, whether to activate an alarm when the detection target object is present in the caution area (¶39|1: “According to such a structure mentioned above, for example, in applications to monitor intrusion of a human body [target object] to a dangerous area [caution area] and to monitor approach of a human body to a dangerous object, information corresponding to the distance between a dangerous area or a dangerous object and a human body or the like as an intruding object is generated and output, it is possible to forecast possibility prior to actual intrusion or approach [determination area] and to give a warning or the like.”); and an alarm activation output control unit that outputs an alarm activation signal in response to the control by the alarm activation control unit (¶100|16: “Thereby, when such an output object is a facility, control is made to give a warning at the moment of intrusion detection of a dangerous object, and to suspend operation and the like.”).
As for Claim 2, which depends on Claim 1, Akagi teaches wherein, in a situation where the detection target object is present in the determination area, the alarm activation control unit provides control to activate an alarm when the detection target object is also present in the caution area (¶193|1: “Herein, if it is judged that the intruding object is approaching a dangerous object (step 1906 YES), a process to increase a warning level is carried out (step 1908).”); and, in a situation where the detection target object is not present in the determination area, the alarm activation control unit provides control to deactivate an alarm when the detection target object is present in the caution area (¶194|1: “On the contrary, if it is judged that the intruding object is not approaching a dangerous object (step 1906 NO), and it is judged that the moving speed thereof is faster than a reference value (step 1907 YES), then a process for decreasing the warning level is carried out (step 1910).”)
As for Claim 3, which depends on Claim 1, Akagi teaches wherein, in a situation where the detection target object is present in the determination area, the alarm activation control unit provides control to deactivate an alarm when the detection target object is also present in the caution area (¶194|1: “On the contrary, if it is judged that the intruding object is not approaching a dangerous object (step 1906 NO), and it is judged that the moving speed thereof is faster than a reference value (step 1907 YES), then a process for decreasing the warning level is carried out (step 1910).”); and, in a situation where the detection target object is not present in the determination area, the alarm activation control unit provides control to activate an alarm when the detection target object is present in the caution area (¶193|1: “Herein, if it is judged that the intruding object is approaching a dangerous object (step 1906 YES), a process to increase a warning level is carried out (step 1908).”)
As for Claim 4, which depends on Claim 1, Akagi teaches wherein the information storage unit can store a control mode for the alarm activation control unit, the control mode being selected from a first control mode and a second control mode, wherein, provided that the control mode stored in the information storage unit is the first control mode, in a situation where the detection target object is present in the determination area, the alarm activation control unit provides control to activate an alarm when the detection target object is also present in the caution area (¶193|1: “Herein, if it is judged that the intruding object is approaching a dangerous object (step 1906 YES), a process to increase a warning level is carried out (step 1908).”); and, in a situation where the detection target object is not present in the determination area, the alarm activation control unit provides control to deactivate an alarm when the detection target object is present in the caution area, and wherein, provided that the control mode stored in the information storage unit is the second control mode, in a situation where the detection target object is present in the determination area, the alarm activation control unit provides control to deactivate an alarm when the detection target object is also present in the caution area; and, in a situation where the detection target object is not present in the determination area, the alarm activation control unit provides control to activate an alarm when the detection target object is present in the caution area (¶194|1: “On the contrary, if it is judged that the intruding object is not approaching a dangerous object (step 1906 NO), and it is judged that the moving speed thereof is faster than a reference value (step 1907 YES), then a process for decreasing the warning level is carried out (step 1910).”)
As for Claim 5, which depends on Claim 1, Akagi teaches wherein the alarm activation control unit keeps a status that indicates the presence of the detection target object, for a first predetermined time that is set in advance, after the detection target object that was present in the determination area has disappeared (¶194|1: “On the contrary, if it is judged that the intruding object is not approaching a dangerous object (step 1906 NO), and it is judged that the moving speed thereof is faster than a reference value (step 1907 YES), then a process for decreasing the warning level is carried out (step 1910).”)
As for Claim 6, which depends on Claim 1, Akagi teaches wherein the alarm activation control unit withholds activation of an alarm, for a second predetermined time that is set in advance, after the detection target object was detected in the caution area (¶39|1: “According to such a structure mentioned above, for example, in applications to monitor intrusion of a human body [target object] to a dangerous area [caution area] and to monitor approach of a human body to a dangerous object, information corresponding to the distance between a dangerous area or a dangerous object and a human body or the like as an intruding object is generated and output, it is possible to forecast possibility prior to actual intrusion or approach [determination area] and to give a warning or the like.”)
As for Claim 7, which depends on Claim 2, Akagi teaches further comprising a display device, wherein, when the alarm activation control unit provides control to deactivate an alarm, the alarm activation output control unit provides an indication by the display device (¶206|1: “On the contrary, if any intruding object is found (step 2303 YES), and it is judged that the intrusion thereof is into other than the invalid area (step 2304 YES), it is judged that there is an intruding object (step 2306), and specified output and display are driven (step 2307), and control output or display output are given to the outside.”)
As for Claim 8, which depends on Claim 1, Akagi teaches wherein the alarm activation output control unit externally reports confirmed alarm activation information in the caution area (¶206|1: “On the contrary, if any intruding object is found (step 2303 YES), and it is judged that the intrusion thereof is into other than the invalid area (step 2304 YES), it is judged that there is an intruding object (step 2306), and specified output and display are driven (step 2307), and control output or display output are given to the outside.”)
As for Claim 9, which depends on Claim 1, Akagi teaches further comprising an operating unit that can select a determination condition from either an external input and an-or image processing result, wherein the alarm activation control unit controls whether to activate an alarm, based on the presence or absence of the detection target object in the determination area that has been associated with the determination condition, in accordance with the determination condition selected by the operating unit from either the external input or the image processing result (¶206|1: “On the contrary, if any intruding object is found (step 2303 YES), and it is judged that the intrusion thereof is into other than the invalid area (step 2304 YES), it is judged that there is an intruding object (step 2306), and specified output and display are driven (step 2307), and control output or display output are given to the outside.”)
As for Claim 10, which depends on Claim 1, Akagi teaches further comprising an image capturing device, wherein the detection target object is detected based on an image processing result of an image acquired by the image capturing device, and wherein the alarm activation control unit obtains the distance information corresponding to a position of the detection target object in the acquired image, and controls whether to activate an alarm when the detection target object is present in the caution area (¶22|1: “According to such a structure mentioned above, an optical system just consists of a camera or an image pickup element, in addition, mechanically moving parts such as scanning mechanism and the similar are not required, as a result, it is possible to manufacture a monitor at low cost, and a longer service life is expected.”)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CLINT THATCHER whose telephone number is (571)270-3588. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9am-5:30pm ET and generally keeps a daily 2:30pm timeslot open for interviews.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Yuqing Xiao, can be reached at (571) 270-3603.
Though not relied on, the Office considers the additional prior art listed in the Notice of Reference Cited form (PTO-892) pertinent to Applicant's disclosure.
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/Clint Thatcher/
Examiner, Art Unit 3645
/YUQING XIAO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3645
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