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 § 101
Claims 21-40 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
Claims 21-40 recite:
21 . An environment management system based on a geofence, the environment management system comprising:
a control server configured to set a range of a region comprising one or more management areas as a geofence and configured to analyze environmental conditions of one or more management areas in the geofence region based on environmental information in the geofence region; and
a device configured to receive information according to the analyzing of the control server.
22 . The environment management system of claim 21, wherein the control server is configured to analyze an environmental condition of at least one of an air quality environment, a water quality environment, a pest control environment, a hygiene environment, and a disease environment in the management areas.
23 . The environment management system of claim 21, wherein
the geofence is set to include a plurality of management areas, and
the control server is configured to analyze the environmental conditions of each of the management areas by analyzing an influence of environments of the plurality of management areas in the geofence region on each other.
24 . The environment management system of claim 23, wherein the control server is configured to determine an environmental grade for the environmental conditions of each of the plurality of management areas,
wherein the environmental grade is selected from among a plurality of reference environmental grades defined individually according to a characteristic of each of the management areas.
25 . The environment management system of claim 24, wherein the characteristic of the management areas comprises at least one of pieces of information on locations of the management areas, regional information, use, an area, a congestion level, a number of residents, and a number of people entering.
26 . The environment management system of claim 24, wherein the control server is configured to:
evaluate the environmental conditions of the management areas with a quantified environmental index; and
select a reference environmental grade matching the evaluated environmental index as an environmental grade of the management areas.
27 . The environment management system of claim 26, wherein the control server is configured to:
generate a basic index by evaluating the environmental conditions of the management areas;
generate a correction index by quantifying an influence of an environment in the geofence region on the environmental conditions of the management areas; and
evaluate an environmental index of the management areas by correcting the basic index through
28 . The environment management system of claim 27, wherein the correction index is generated by reflecting an influence of an environmental event occurring in the geofence region on an environment of the management areas.
29 . The environment management system of claim 24, wherein the control server is configured to:
generate at least one reference environmental index for the environmental conditions of the management areas;
generate an expected environmental index of the management areas by considering an influence of an environmental event occurring in the geofence region on the management areas; and
select a response action required for the management areas by comparing the reference environmental index with the expected environmental index.
30 . The environment management system of claim 29, wherein the control server is configured to generate an expected environmental index over time by considering at least one of a type, a scale, and an occurrence time point of the environmental event, an occurrence time point of the event, and a distance between management areas.
31 . The environment management system of claim 30, wherein the control server is configured to:
divide the expected environmental index for each unit for the management areas time; and
assign an environmental grade for each unit time for the management areas by determining an environmental grade corresponding to the divided expected environmental index according to a unit time.
32 . The environment management system of claim 31, wherein the control server is configured to:
calculate a slope according to the expected environmental index for each unit time; and
determine a level of urgency for each unit time according to magnitude of the slope.
33 . The environment management system of claim 32, wherein the level of urgency is evaluated by a plurality of emergency grades, and the control server is configured to assign an emergency grade for each unit time matching the magnitude of the slope for each unit time.
34 . The environment management system of claim 33, wherein the control server is configured to:
comprise a database in which a response action according to a combination of the environmental grade and an emergency grade of the management areas is stored in a matrix form; and
select, from the matrix, a response action matching a combination of the environmental grade for each unit time and an emergency grade for each unit time of the management areas.
35 . The environment management system of claim 34, wherein, when the response action for the management areas is applied, the control server is configured to regenerate the expected environmental index of the management areas after a time point to which the response action is applied, by reflecting feedback according to the application of the response action.
36 . The environment management system of claim 21, wherein the control server is configured to generate each of management orders according to the environmental conditions of each of the management areas in the geofence region with respect to the management areas and configured to transmit, to the device, at least some of a generated pieces of management information according to a location of the device.
37 . The environment management system of claim 36, wherein the control server is configured to form a dynamic area for the device and configured to transmit, to the device, management information on an environmental condition of a management area disposed in a geofence region overlapping the dynamic area.
38 . An environment management method based on a geofence, the environment management method comprising:
setting a geofence comprising a plurality of management areas;
analyzing an environmental condition of each of the plurality of management areas based on environmental information in the geofence region; and
based on a location of a device, transmitting management information on the environmental condition of the management areas to the device.
39 . The environment management method of claim 38, wherein the setting of the geofence comprises:
setting management geofences centered on each management area;
setting the geofence region by integrating the set management geofences; and
readjusting the set geofence region according to a set condition,
wherein the readjusting of the geofence region comprises, when a risk level due to an influence of an environment of a predetermined location outside of the geofence region on an environment of at least one management area exceeds a set reference, adjusting the geofence region to include the predetermined location.
40 . The environment management method of claim 38, wherein the analyzing of the environmental condition of each of the plurality of management areas comprises:
evaluating the environmental condition of each of the management areas with a quantified environmental index; and
selecting an environmental grade matching the evaluated environmental index from among reference environmental grades set for each of the management areas,
wherein the evaluating with the quantified environmental index comprises:
generating a basic index by evaluating the environmental condition of the management areas;
generating a correction index by quantifying an influence of an environment in the geofence region on the environmental condition of the management areas; and
evaluating an environmental index of the management areas by correcting the basic index through the correction index.
All claims recite subject matter falling within one of the four categories of invention (Step 1). But for the recitation of the underlined additional elements claims 21-40 recite concepts whereby environmental data are collected, analyzed and results are presented. A person would be capable of analyzing information and generating an opinion if a claimed region is hazardous. Thus claims 21-40 recite a mental process. Additionally collecting information and presenting results to people in the region could also be considered a method of organizing human activity (managing personal behavior or relationships or interactions between people). Thus claims 21-40 recite an abstract idea (Step 2A_1). The additional elements (server, devices, system) are recited at a high degree of generality such that they amount to mere instructions to implement an abstract idea, which per MPEP 2106.05(f) means they do not provide a practical application or significantly more (Step 2A_2, Step 2B). Thus claims 21-40 are ineligible.
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.
Claim(s) 21-22, 36-38 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shin et al. (KR101778508)
Regarding claim 21, Shin discloses:
21 . An environment management system based on a geofence, the environment management system comprising:
a control server configured to set a range of a region comprising one or more management areas as a geofence and configured to analyze environmental conditions of one or more management areas in the geofence region based on environmental information in the geofence region (paragraph 229 collect various data pertaining to a predetermined area, paragraph 13 server collects and analyzes received data); and
a device configured to receive information according to the analyzing of the control server (paragraph 218, 221, 256 analysis results transmitted to terminal)
Regarding claim 22, Shin discloses:
22 . The environment management system of claim 21, wherein the control server is configured to analyze an environmental condition of at least one of an air quality environment, a water quality environment, a pest control environment, a hygiene environment, and a disease environment in the management areas (paragraph 254).
Regarding claim 36, Shin discloses:
36 . The environment management system of claim 21, wherein the control server is configured to generate each of management orders according to the environmental conditions of each of the management areas in the geofence region with respect to the management areas and configured to transmit, to the device, at least some of a generated pieces of management information according to a location of the device (paragraph 81 user terminal located in the area is notified based on pollution being detected in the region).
Regarding claim 37, Shin discloses:
37 . The environment management system of claim 36, wherein the control server is configured to form a dynamic area for the device and configured to transmit, to the device, management information on an environmental condition of a management area disposed in a geofence region overlapping the dynamic area (paragraph 8 local region including the region).
Regarding claim 38, Shin discloses:
38 . An environment management method based on a geofence, the environment management method comprising:
setting a geofence comprising a plurality of management areas (paragraph 18, paragraph 229 plurality of predetermined target areas);
analyzing an environmental condition of each of the plurality of management areas based on environmental information in the geofence region (paragraphs 229-230); and
based on a location of a device, transmitting management information on the environmental condition of the management areas to the device (paragraph 81)..
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 23-26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shin et al. (KR101778508) in view of Singh (US 20230060380 A1).
Regarding claim 23, Shin fails to clearly disclose and Singh discloses:
23. (New) The environment management system of claim 21, wherein the geofence is set to include a plurality of management areas (paragraph 75), and the control server is configured to analyze the environmental conditions of each of the management areas by analyzing an influence of environments of the plurality of management areas in the geofence region on each other (paragraph 98 neighbor analysis, paragraph 106, paragraph 64 hazard density). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine this teaching with Shin by presenting environment reports based on neighboring regions. The motivation for the combination is to understand environmental hazards (paragraph 2).
Regarding claims 24-25, Shin fails to clearly disclose and Singh discloses:
24. (New) The environment management system of claim 23, wherein the control server is configured to determine an environmental grade for the environmental conditions of each of the plurality of management areas (paragraph 81 score for individual categories), wherein the environmental grade is selected from among a plurality of reference environmental grades defined individually according to a characteristic of each of the management areas (paragraph 81 weighted score). 25. (New) The environment management system of claim 24, wherein the characteristic of the management areas comprises at least one of pieces of information on locations of the management areas, regional information, use, an area, a congestion level, a number of residents, and a number of people entering (paragraph 81 regional information relating to environmental problems in region).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine this teaching with Shin by presenting environment reports based on collected information. The motivation for the combination is to understand environmental hazards (paragraph 2).
Regarding claims 26, Shin fails to clearly disclose and Singh discloses:
26. (New) The environment management system of claim 24, wherein the control server is configured to: evaluate the environmental conditions of the management areas with a quantified environmental index (paragraph 81 individual score); and select a reference environmental grade matching the evaluated environmental index as an environmental grade of the management areas (paragraph 81 weighted score).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine this teaching with Shin by presenting environment reports based on collected information. The motivation for the combination is to understand environmental hazards (paragraph 2).
Claim Status
Claims 27-35, 39, 40 are considered to distinguish over the cited art. Regarding claim 27-28, the prior art of record fails to disclose in combination with claim 26, wherein the control server is configured to: generate a basic index by evaluating the environmental conditions of the management areas; generate a correction index by quantifying an influence of an environment in the geofence region on the environmental conditions of the management areas; and evaluate an environmental index of the management areas by correcting the basic index through the correction index. Regarding claims 29-35, the prior art of record fails to disclose in combination with claim 24, wherein the control server is configured to: generate at least one reference environmental index for the environmental conditions of the management areas; generate an expected environmental index of the management areas by considering an influence of an environmental event occurring in the geofence region on the management areas; and select a response action required for the management areas by comparing the reference environmental index with the expected environmental index. Regarding claim 39, the prior art of record fails to disclose in combination with claim 38,
wherein the setting of the geofence comprises:setting management geofences centered on each management area;setting the geofence region by integrating the set management geofences; and readjusting the set geofence region according to a set condition, wherein the readjusting of the geofence region comprises, when a risk level due to an influence of an environment of a predetermined location outside of the
geofence region on an environment of at least one management area exceeds a
set reference, adjusting the geofence region to include the predetermined location. Regarding claim 40, the prior art of record fails to disclose in combination with claim 38, wherein the analyzing of the environmental condition of each of the plurality of management areas comprises: evaluating the environmental condition of each of the management areas with a quantified environmental index; and selecting an environmental grade matching the evaluated environmental index from among reference environmental grades set for each of the management areas, wherein the evaluating with the quantified environmental index comprises: generating a basic index by evaluating the environmental condition of the management areas; generating a correction index by quantifying an influence of an environment in the geofence region on the environmental condition of the management areas; and evaluating an environmental index of the management areas by correcting the basic index through the correction index.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Zuniga Canon (US 20220408232 A1) discloses assessing environmental data collected for a region.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHAN A MITCHELL whose telephone number is (571)270-3117. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ryan Zeender can be reached at 571-272-6790. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NATHAN A MITCHELL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3627
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