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 Objections
Claim 20 is objected to because of the following informalities: Appropriate correction is required. Claim 20 recites “he read indictor” should be replaced with the indicator.
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) 13-15, 18, 19, 21, 22 and 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tatsuta et al (US Patent 6408106).
Regarding claims 13 and 24, Tatsuta et al teach (Figs. 1-34) a marking for position determination (using determination section 9) and method, comprising: an indictor surface (see at least figure 4 where elements 100s and 101s are positioned) which is arranged at least partially in a first plane and on which a large number of different indicators (with respect to 1s, a large number of 2s and 3s are present) is arranged; and a viewing area (general area where CCD is situated) which is arranged in a second plane (shutter of the camera) located in front of the first plane in an intended viewing direction and which is configured in such a way that the viewing area defines a viewing point through which the indicator (100s or 101s)surface in the first plane is to be viewed in order to read an indicator from the large number of different indicators.
Regarding claim 14, Tatsuta et al teach a lens (camera lens) is arranged in the viewing area.
Regarding claim 15, Tatsuta et al teach the viewing area is: an opening located in the second plane (via camera shutter).
Regarding claim 18, Tatsuta et al teach the marking includes a lighting arrangement (camera flash) which is arranged to illuminate the indicator surface.
Regarding claim 19, Tatsuta et al teach a camera system which is configured to record a marking, the marking including: an indicator surface (see at least figure 4 where elements 100s and 101s are positioned) which is arranged at least partially in a first plane and on which a large number of different indicators (with respect to 1s, a large number of 2s and 3s are present) is arranged; and a viewing area (general area where CCD of the camera is situated) which is arranged in a second plane located in front of the first plane in an intended viewing direction and which is configured in such a way that the viewing area defines a viewing point (ccd surface) through which the indicator surface in the first plane is to be viewed in order to read an indicator from the large number of different indicators, the camera system comprising: a position determination unit (9 see at least section of the specification relating to figure 23) which is configured to: read an indicator (100s and 101s), located at the viewing point, from the indicator surface through the viewing area (shutter of the camera) of the marking; and ascertain a relative position (position detection) of the camera system with respect to the marking from the read indicator.
Regarding claim 21, Tatsuta et al teach (see abstract – last couple of sentences) the camera system is configured to record a plurality of markings, and the position determination unit is configured to ascertain the relative position of the camera system with respect to the markings based on the read indicators of the markings.
Regarding claim 22, Tatsuta et al teach a positioning system, comprising: a marking, the marking including: an indicator surface (see at least figure 4 where elements 100s and 101s are positioned) which is arranged at least partially in a first plane and on which a large number of different indicators (with respect to 1s, a large number of 2s and 3s are present) is arranged; and a viewing area (general area where CCD of the camera is situated) which is arranged in a second plane located in front of the first plane in an intended viewing direction and which is configured in such a way that the viewing area defines a viewing point (ccd surface) through which the indicator surface in the first plane is to be viewed in order to read an indicator from the large number of different indicators, the camera system comprising: a position determination unit (9 see at least section of the specification relating to figure 23) which is configured to: read an indicator (100s and 101s), located at the viewing point, from the indicator surface through the viewing area (shutter of the camera) of the marking; and ascertain a relative position (position detection) of the camera system with respect to the marking from the read indicator.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 16, 17, 20 and 23 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:
Regarding claim 16, prior art of record does not teach the cover includes a Fresnel lens on which the viewing area is marked.
Regarding claim 17, prior art of record does not teach the indicator surface has a curvature so that an outer region of the indicator surface is arranged closer to the second plane than an inner region of the indicator surface is.
Regarding claim 20, prior art of record does not teach the position determination unit is configured to ascertain the relative position of the camera system with respect to the marking in a specified plane based on he read indicator, wherein different indicators of the indicator surface are assigned to different points on the specified plane.
Conclusion
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/TONY KO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2878
TK