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 .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis 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.
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, 3, 5, 7, 8, and 10 are rejected under § 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Pub. No. 2013/0299396 to Li et al. (Li). For claim 1, Li discloses a sorting apparatus (100), comprising:
a camera (114) configured to capture an article image (see ¶ [0022] for providing an OCR Camera to capture an image of an Undeliverable-As-Addressed (UAA) mail piece); and
a control unit (118) configured to provide an instruction, according to an extraction process of extracting a non-sorting-target feature from the article image captured by the camera and a recognition process of recognizing sorting information on the article image (see ¶ [0022] for performing, via a waste verification system, optical character recognition on an image data set derived from an image of the UAA mail piece to determine alphanumeric characters, machine readable codes, graphical information, and any other type of information relevant to sorting mail pieces, the image data set including image data along with image meta-data, such as the image attributes, reference numbers, and other meta-data to help the system identify and process the image and match the results with the appropriate mail piece), for sorting an article from which the non-sorting-target feature is extracted through the extraction process to a specific sorting location (see ¶ [0026] for routing mail pieces determined to be verified waste mail to a first sorting bin), and sorting an article from which the non-sorting-target feature is not extracted to a sorting location based on the sorting information (see ¶ [0027] for routing mail pieces not determined to be verified waste mail to a second sorting bin such as a location indicated by information printed on the mail piece).
In regards to claim 3, Li further discloses that the control unit is configured to:
execute, as the extraction process, a process of detecting a label attached to an article of a non-sorting-target type in the article image captured by the camera (see ¶¶ [0021-0022] for performing OCR on the image data set looking for specific fields and data related to waste verification from the label on a mail piece); and
provide an instruction, if the label attached to the article of the non-sorting-target type is detected, for sorting the article to the specific sorting location (see ¶ [0026] for routing verified waste mail pieces to a first sorting bin).
In regards to claim 5, Li further discloses that the control unit is configured to:
recognize, as the extraction process, a code image extracted from the article image captured by the camera (see ¶ [0022] for performing, via a waste verification system, an optical character recognition on an image data set derived from a captured mail piece image to determine alphanumeric characters, machine readable codes, graphical information, and any other type of information relevant to sorting mail pieces); and
provide an instruction, if code information indicated by the code image includes information indicating a non-sorting-target type, for sorting the article to the specific sorting location (see ¶ [0026] for routing verified waste mail pieces to a first sorting bin).
In regards to claim 7, Li further discloses that the control unit is configured to:
recognize, as the extraction process, a code image extracted from the article image captured by the camera (see ¶ [0022] for performing, via a waste verification system, an optical character recognition on an image data set derived from a captured mail piece image to determine alphanumeric characters, machine readable codes, graphical information, and any other type of information relevant to sorting mail pieces); and
provide an instruction, if code information indicated by the code image includes information indicating a non-sorting-target type, for sorting the article to the specific sorting location (see ¶ [0026] for routing verified waste mail pieces to a first sorting bin).
In regards to claim 8, Li further discloses that the apparatus further comprises:
a video coding system (120) for receiving an input of sorting information for the article image from which the control unit has not successfully recognized the sorting information or information indicating a non-sorting target (see ¶ [0023] for receiving, via an image management system, an image data set from the OCR camera, the image data set including image data along with image meta-data, such as the image attributes, reference numbers, and other meta-data to help the system identify and process the image and match the results with the appropriate mail piece for potential redirection and relabeling),
wherein the control unit is configured to provide an instruction for sorting an article for which the information indicating the non-sorting target is input through the video coding system to the specific sorting location (see ¶ [0026] for routing UAA mail determined to be verified waste mail to a first sorting bin), and sorting an article for which the information indicating the non-sorting target is not input but the sorting information is input through the video coding system to the sorting location based on the input sorting information (see ¶¶ [0027-0029] for routing unverified UAA mail piece to a second sorting bin or redirecting the unverified UAA mail piece to a location indicated by information printed on the mail piece).
In regards to claim 10, Li further discloses that the apparatus further comprises:
a video coding system (120) for receiving an input of sorting information for the article image from which the control unit has not successfully recognized the sorting information or information indicating a non-sorting target (see ¶ [0026] for routing UAA mail determined to be verified waste mail to a first sorting bin), and sorting an article for which the information indicating the non-sorting target is not input but the sorting information is input through the video coding system to the sorting location based on the input sorting information (see ¶¶ [0027-0029] for routing unverified UAA mail piece to a second sorting bin or redirecting the unverified UAA mail piece to a location indicated by information printed on the mail piece),
wherein the control unit is configured to provide an instruction for sorting an article for which the information indicating the non-sorting target is input through the video coding system to the specific sorting location, and sorting an article for which the information indicating the non-sorting target is not input but the sorting information is input through the video coding system to the sorting location based on the input sorting information (see ¶ [0026] for routing UAA mail determined to be verified waste mail to a first sorting bin), and sorting an article for which the information indicating the non-sorting target is not input but the sorting information is input through the video coding system to the sorting location based on the input sorting information (see ¶¶ [0027-0029] for routing unverified UAA mail piece to a second sorting bin or redirecting the unverified UAA mail piece to a location indicated by information printed on the mail piece).
Claim 12 is rejected under § 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Li, supra. For claim 12, Li discloses a sorting method comprising:
capturing an article image by a camera (see ¶ [0022] for providing an OCR Camera to capture an image of an Undeliverable As Addressed (UAA) mail piece);
executing an extraction process of extracting a non-sorting-target feature from the article image captured by the camera, and recognizing sorting information on the article image from which the non-sorting-target feature is not extracted through the extraction process (see ¶ [0022] for performing, via a waste verification system, an optical character recognition on an image data set to determine alphanumeric characters, machine readable codes, graphical information, and any other type of information relevant to sorting mail pieces, the image data set including image data along with image meta-data, such as the image attributes, reference numbers, and other meta-data to help the system identify and process the image and match the results with the appropriate mail piece); and
sorting an article from which the non-sorting-target feature is extracted through the extraction process to a specific sorting location, and sorting an article from which the non-sorting-target feature is not extracted through the extraction process to a sorting location based on the sorting information (see ¶ [0026] for routing UAA mail determined to be verified waste mail to a first sorting bin; see also ¶ [0027] for routing unverified UAA mail piece to a second sorting bin or redirecting the unverified UAA mail piece to a sorting bin indicated by information printed on the mail piece).
Claim 13 is rejected under § 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Li, supra. For claim 13, Li discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer connected to a sorter configured to sort an article to:
execute an extraction process of extracting a non-sorting-target feature from an article image captured by a camera (see ¶ [0022] for providing an OCR Camera to capture an image of an Undeliverable As Addressed (UAA) mail piece);
recognize sorting information on the article image from which the non-sorting-target feature is not extracted through the extraction process (see ¶ [0022] for performing, via a waste verification system, an optical character recognition on an image data set to determine alphanumeric characters, machine readable codes, graphical information, and any other type of information relevant to sorting mail pieces, the image data set including image data along with image meta-data, such as the image attributes, reference numbers, and other meta-data to help the system identify and process the image and match the results with the appropriate mail piece); and
instruct the sorter to sort an article from which the non-sorting-target feature is extracted through the extraction process to a specific sorting location, and to sort an article from which the non-sorting-target feature is not extracted through the extraction process to a sorting location based on the sorting information (see ¶ [0026] for routing UAA mail determined to be verified waste mail to a first sorting bin), and sorting an article from which the non-sorting-target feature is not extracted to a sorting location based on the sorting information; see also ¶ [0027] for routing unverified UAA mail piece to a second sorting bin or redirecting the unverified UAA mail piece to a location indicated by information printed on the mail piece).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 4, 6, 9, and 11 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.
Relevant Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US Pub. No. 2008/0257798 to Fethke et al. discloses a method and device for sorting postal items according to formats, wherein postal items having at least two formats are fed by first conveyor to a sorting location; postal items of a first format are removed from the first conveyor in the area of the sorting location at a number of sorting stations arranged one behind the other in a direction of conveyance of the first conveyor, and are fed to a second conveyor, which, in the area of the sorting location, extends laterally next to the first conveyor, and; the postal items with other formats remain on the first conveyor.
US Pub. No. 2019/0076884 to Nijland discloses a method for switching between different products such as vegetables and fruit on a sorting system, a computer-readable medium and sorting system suitable therefor. The method comprises receiving a switching signal during sorting of products of the first product type that products of the second product type have to be sorted; the controller selecting sorting channels which are free of products of the first product type; assigning at least some selected sorting channels to the second product type; assigning sorting classes of the second product type to one or more of the assigned sorting channels; and sorting products of the second product type in sorting channels assigned thereto during the emptying of sorting channels of the first product type.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KYLE LOGAN whose telephone number is (571) 270-7769. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 9-5 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, JACOB SCOTT can be reached at (571) 270-3415. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KYLE O LOGAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
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