024Notice 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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/11/2025, 06/12/2025 and 06/25/2024 were considered by the examiner.
The PCT international search report (PCT/KR2022/016842 Translation) filed 06/25/2024 along with Supplementary European Search Report (application EP 22911586) filed 06/12/2025 were both considered, by the examiner.
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) 1 - 3 and 6 – 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by DeWitt et al. (US Pub. No. 2017/0260008 A1).
With regards to claim 1, DeWitt discloses an apparatus for identifying an object (O1/O2) (Figures 7, 8, 9B, 10A and 10B) (Abstract) comprising:
a light emitter 504 disposed on a first side of a conveyor belt configured to move an identification target object (O1/O2) and configured to emit light toward a second side of the conveyor belt [0126] – [0128], notice how DeWitt teaches that the object (O1/O2) support surface is a moving surface of a conveyor belt [0117], [0120], [0122], [0124], [0136] - [0145].
a reflection part 516 (i.e., mirror) configured to reflect the light emitted by the light emitter to the first side of the conveyor belt (i.e., moving surface, or for example, as the frame of a conventional belt or roller conveyor) [0132] – [0133], [0136], [0138];
a pattern part provided in the identification target object (O1/O2) and configured to form a pattern on the identification target object, through which the light emitted by the reflection part is configured to pass, along a first direction parallel to a moving direction of the identification target object moved by the conveyor belt [0137] – [0140], although DeWitt may not expressly expressly label a separate “pattern part”, the object//packaging regions function as the claimed pattern part because they create a repeatable detection pattern during motion; and
a light receiver 506/508 (i.e., photodetectors 506 or the array 5089) disposed on the first side of the conveyor belt and configured to receive the light having passed through (i.e., under BRI by optical energy reaching the receiver after being blocked/transmitted by object regions) the pattern part [0137] – [0139] (i.e., how the light changes over time while the object (O1/O2) moves, as in when the object (O1/O2) moves, based on other parts, the receiver 506/508 sees a signature, as the pattern is laid out in the same direction the object (O1/O2) is traveling, so as the object (O1/O2) moves forward, it “feeds” the receiver 506/508 the pattern in order),
wherein the identification target object (O1/O2) includes a first object (O1/O2) and a second object (O1/O2) which are identified differently, and
patterns of the pattern parts provided on the first object (O1/O2) and the second object (O1/O2) respectively are different from each other [0139]. Notice how Dewitt differentiates object types by there distinct detect optical signatures and/or characteristics detected/determined [0076], (i.e., Vehicle Control Based on Item Characteristic(s) [0168]).
With regards to claim 2, DeWitt discloses the pattern part comprises:
a first pattern blocking (i.e., opaque portions) between the light emitter and the transparent/reflection part [0139] – [0139]; and
a second pattern forming a path for light movement between the reflection part and the light receiver on the identification target object (O1/O2) [0139] – [0139],
wherein the first pattern and the second pattern are alternately arranged (Blocking/non-blocking along the conveying direction) along the first direction [0139] – [0139].
With regards to claim 3, DeWitt discloses the reflection part is configured to reflect light in a direction parallel to a direction in which the light emitted from the light emitter 504 moves, and the second pattern is formed through the identification target object (O1/O2) along the direction in which the light emitted from the light emitter 504 moves [0132] – [01331].
With regards to claim 6, DeWitt discloses a controller configured to recognize a type of the identification target object based on a pattern of light received by the light receiver (Abstract), [0137] – [0140], [0155], [0159], [0161].
With regards to claim 7, DeWitt discloses a sensor 512 (i.e., an integrated emitter/detector assembly 512), configured to emit light with the light emitter 504 and receive light with the light receiver 506/508 [0125], [0140], [0178] – [0187].,
wherein the sensor 512 comprises:
a plurality of sensors 506/508 spaced a preset distance apart from each other along a longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt [0125], [0140], [0178] – [0187]., and
the controller is configured to determine the location of each type of the identification target object (O1/O2) based on a pattern of light received by each of the plurality of sensors 506/508 (Figures 9A, 10B, 13 and 14) [0125], [0140], [0178] – [0187].
With regards to claim 8, DeWitt discloses the conveyor belt is branched into a plurality of paths, and a movement path of an identification target object (O1/O2) is determined by determining positions of sensors 506/508 having received a specific pattern of light among the plurality of sensors 506/508 disposed in the plurality of branched paths respectively (Figures 13 - 14), [0178] – [0187]. Notice how DeWitt uses path network/transport routing rather than branched belt.
With regards to claim 9, DeWitt discloses disposing a light emitter 504 configured to emit light toward a second side of a conveyor belt and a light receiver 506/508 configured to receive the light on a first side of a conveyor belt [0126] – [0128], [0137] – [0139];
disposing a reflection part 516 configured to reflect the light, emitted by the light emitter 504 toward the first side of the conveyor belt, on the second side of the conveyor belt [0132] – [0133];
moving an identification target object (O1/O2) provided with a pattern through which the light emitted by the light emitter 504 and reflected by the reflection part 516 passes on the conveyor belt, the pattern is provided along a first direction parallel to a moving direction of the identification target object (O1/O2) moved by the conveyor belt [0139] – [0140]; and
determining the location of the identification target object (O1/O2) based on a signal generated when the light receiver 506/508 receives the light reflected by the reflection part 516 [0137] – [0139].
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.
Claim(s) 4 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DeWitt et al. (US Pub. No. 2017/0260008 A1) in view of Mori (US Pub. No. 2008/0158555 A1).
With regards to claim 4, DeWitt discloses the apparatus for identifying the object of claim 1, but fails to expressly disclose an infrared sensor configured to emit an infrared ray with the light emitter and receive the infrared ray with the light receiver.
Mori relates to a reflection photoelectric sensor having detection of infrared light and a light receiving element receiving that IR light [0050].
In view of the utility, to improve light robustness and use of standard industrial IR components as needed, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify DeWitt to include the IR capabilities such as that taught by Mori.
With regards to claim 5, DeWitt discloses the apparatus for identifying the object of claim 4, but fails to expressly disclose the reflection part comprises;
a reflector disposed on the second side of the conveyor belt and configured to reflect the infrared ray emitted by the infrared sensor toward the infrared sensor again.
Mori discloses a retro-reflective member returning the detection light towards the sensor [0051] (Figure 6A – 6C) along with teaches that the detection light is IR and as such, employs a reflector/retroreflector to return the IR ray toward the sensor [0049] - [0051] (Abstract).
In view of the utility, to improve light robustness and use of standard industrial IR components as needed, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify DeWitt to include the IR capabilities such as that taught by Mori. (Abstract).
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DeWitt et al. (US Pub. No. 2017/0260008 A1) in view of Onayama (US Patent 8,776,982 B2).
With regards to claim 10, DeWitt discloses the method of identifying the object of claim 9, and also disclose determining the location of the identification target object [0113], [0114], but fails to expressly disclose data-logging the signal of the light receiver based on time.
Onayama teaches capturing/using light -receiver signals with timing information and processing that timing data in a computer.
Figure 9 shows timing when the article and the detected plates are detected. Notice that a temporal change of a receiving light amount at the time of detecting the article 16x at the predetermined position P1 and a light receiving amount at the time of detecting the detected plate 60 after the articles 16y, 16x are firstly placed on the slat 18. A positional relationship between the article 16x and the slat 18 and the interval between the articles described above are determined by sending the timing of blocking the light to the computer as described later. This is used for determining whether or not the article 16x can be branched (Col 11, Line 65 to Col. 13, Line 16).
FIG. 17 is a view in which a conventional pulse is counted up and the article is branched. Onayama further teaches positional relationships and intervals are determined by sending the timing of clocking the light to the computer and such data are sent to the computer and process creating/displaying table based on the data, see Figure 13(a) and 13(b), (Col. 13, Line 36 to Col. 18, Line 38).
In view of the utility, to add a robust tracking and spacing determination process especially given the conveyed items that are the items of interest, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify DeWitt to include the teachings such as that taught by Onayama.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DJURA MALEVIC whose telephone number is (571)272-5975. The examiner can normally be reached M-F (9-5).
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/DJURA MALEVIC/Examiner, Art Unit 2884
/UZMA ALAM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2884