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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 12/04/2025, 07/30/2025, 02/20/2025, 12/24/2024 and 08/29/2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the IDSs have been considered by the Examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim(s) 2-3 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 2 recites a phrase “the 6DOF position and orientation” in line 4. Examiner suggests amending the phrase to recite “six-degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) position and orientation” to restore antecedent clarity.
Claim 3 recites a phrase “the 6DOF position and orientation” in line 2. Examiner suggests amending the phrase to recite “six-degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) position and orientation” to restore antecedent clarity.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-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.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 13, 15 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by RORDEN et al. (US 4710708; hereinafter RORDEN).
Regarding claim 1, RORDEN discloses in figure(s) 1-18 a magnetic localization system comprising:
a magnetic field generator, comprising a transmitter (transmitter 11 fig. 5; abstract; col. 22. lines 39-41) configured to generate at least one alternating magnetic field;
a receiver (receiver 12 fig. 6; abstract, col. 22. lines 42-44) comprising a DC magnetometer (col. 13 lines 10-15) configured to make repeated measurements indicative of a local magnetic field (abstract; col. 23 lines 58-64), including the generated at least one alternating magnetic field (col. 1 line 20 - alternating low frequency magnetic field); and
at least one processor (27 fig. 6; col. 24 lines 9-18) configured to obtain a momentary phase (col. 9 lines 30-38; col. 26. lines 37-42 - amplitude and phase of each component of the magnetic field; fig.16) of the at least one alternating magnetic field and calculate a position and orientation (col. 26 lines 32-36 - automatic calculation of receiver position and orientation) of the receiver relative to the generator, based on the measured local magnetic field, including the generated at least one alternating magnetic field, and the obtained momentary phase (abstract; col. 9 lines 14-38; col. 24 lines 5-8; col. 22 line 66 - col 23 line 1).
Regarding claim 3, RORDEN discloses in figure(s) 1-18 the system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to calculate the position and orientation by:
extracting from the sensed magnetic field the local magnetic fields that are due to magnetic field components in at least two directions (col. 13 lines 45-50 :- transmitter is located at Z=.+-.D/2. Quadrant resolution must be determined by observation of the relative polarity of the three field components with respect to the antenna phase.) of the generated magnetic field as generated by the generator; and
finding the 6DOF position and/or orientation (col. 26 line 34 - six unknowns of location) of the receiver by finding a unique solution for these extracted magnetic fields.
Regarding claim 13, RORDEN discloses in figure(s) 1-18 the system of claim 1, wherein the receiver detects low-frequency position and orientation data by a magnetometer (abs. - low frequency electromagnetic fields … receiving sensor may be a precise three-axis magnetic field detector of either a magnetometer) and high-frequency position and orientation data by a gyroscope (col. 2 lines 46-50 :- gyroscopes or measurements of the earth's magnetic and gravity field at any given moment) and/or accelerometer of the receiver and/or transmitter.
Regarding claim 15, RORDEN discloses in figure(s) 1-18 the system of claim 1,
comprising a wireless communication device configured to provide a wireless communication interface (wireless data transmission 26; fig. 6) between the processor and at least one of the generator and the receiver, over which at least one of clock data, momentary phase measurements and local magnetic field measurements (multiplexed output of the magnetic field sensor 22) is communicated.
Regarding claim 20, RORDEN discloses in figure(s) 1-18 a method of performing magnetic localization, comprising:
obtaining by a processor (27 fig. 6; col. 24 lines 9-18) a momentary phase (col. 9 lines 30-38; col. 26. lines 37-42 - amplitude and phase of each component of the magnetic field; fig. 16) of an at least one alternating magnetic field generated by a magnetic field generator (transmitter 11 fig. 5; abstract; col. 22. lines 39-41); and
calculating a position and orientation (col. 26 lines 32-36 - automatic calculation of receiver position and orientation) of a receiver (receiver 12 fig. 6; abstract; col. 22. lines 42-44) relative to the generator, based on a local magnetic field (abstract; col. 23 lines 58-64) indicated by measurements made by the receiver, including the generated at least one alternating magnetic field, and the obtained momentary phase, wherein the receiver comprises a DC magnetometer (abs. - precise three-axis magnetic field detector of either a magnetometer).
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 of this title, 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) 2, 7, 14, 16 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over RORDEN in view of Poulos et al. (US 20170351094).
Regarding claim 2, RORDEN teaches in figure(s) 1-18 the system of claim 1,
RORDEN does not teach explicitly comprising a sensor bundle having a gyroscope and an accelerometer, and configured to provide readings indicative of an orientation of at least one of the receiver and the generator, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to calculate the 6DOF position and orientation further based on the readings.
However, Poulos teaches in figure(s) 1-16 comprising a sensor bundle having a gyroscope and an accelerometer (para. 23 - position sensor system 28 which may include one or more sensors such as optical sensor(s) like depth camera(s) and RGB camera(s), accelerometer(s), gyroscope(s), magnetometer(s), global position system(s) (GPSs), multilateration tracker(s), and/or other sensors that output position sensor information usable to extract a position; figs 12-14), and configured to provide readings indicative of an orientation of at least one of the receiver and the generator, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to calculate the 6DOF position and orientation further based on the readings (para. 30 - six degree of freedom control to indicate varying orientations).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of RORDEN by having comprising a sensor bundle having a gyroscope and an accelerometer, and configured to provide readings indicative of an orientation of at least one of the receiver and the generator, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to calculate the 6DOF position and orientation further based on the readings as taught by Poulos in order to provide use of known technique to improve similar devices (methods, or products) in the same way as evidenced by "head-mounted display (HMD) devices may include various sensors that allow the HMD device to display a blend of reality and virtual objects on the HMD device as augmented reality in order to heighten the interactive experience and provide the user with more control" (para. 1 of Poulos).
Regarding claim 7, RORDEN teaches in figure(s) 1-18 the system of claim 2, wherein the system uses the readings indicative of the orientation to calculate at least one of a gravity vector, a linear acceleration and an orientation (abs. - determining the relative position and/or orientation of a transmitting magnetic dipole antenna by using a vector field receiver).
Regarding claim 14, RORDEN teaches in figure(s) 1-18 the system of claim 1,
RORDEN does not teach explicitly wherein the at least one processor uses an extended Kalman filter, in which a magnetic localization provides readings for position and orientation, and an accelerometer and/or a gyroscope provide readings for gravity orientation, linear acceleration and/or angular velocities.
However, Poulos teaches in figure(s) 1-16 wherein the at least one processor uses an extended Kalman filter (para. 47 - data filter 90 may be, for example, a Kalman filter or other algorithm(s) capable of estimating confidence and weighting multiple data streams), in which a magnetic localization provides readings for position and orientation (para. 23 - location sensor 30 in space. may include position and orientation for a total of six values per location), and an accelerometer and/or a gyroscope (accelerometer 32 and gyroscope 34) provide readings for gravity orientation, linear acceleration and/or angular velocities.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of RORDEN by having wherein the at least one processor uses an extended Kalman filter, in which a magnetic localization provides readings for position and orientation, and an accelerometer and/or a gyroscope provide readings for gravity orientation, linear acceleration and/or angular velocities as taught by Poulos in order to provide "a position sensor system 28 which may include one or more sensors such as optical sensor(s) like depth camera(s) and RGB camera(s), accelerometer(s), gyroscope(s), magnetometer(s), global position system(s) (GPSs), multilateration tracker(s), and/or other sensors that output position sensor information usable to extract a position, e.g., (X, Y, Z), orientation, e.g., (pitch, roll, yaw), and/or movement of the relevant sensor" (para. 23).
Regarding claim 16, RORDEN in view of Poulos teaches the system of claim 2,
Poulos additionally teaches in figure(s) 1-16 wherein the sensor bundle is included within a mobile computing device as part of an inertial measurement unit (para. 50 - inertial data from the IMU 96), and also includes the magnetometer (96).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of RORDEN by having wherein the sensor bundle is included within a mobile computing device as part of an inertial measurement unit, and also includes the magnetometer as taught by Poulos in order to provide "HMD device may determine a location of the EMF sensor relative to the base station based on the sensed strength and determine location of the EMF sensor in space based on the relative location, the predetermined offset, and the location of the location sensor in space" (para. 3).
Regarding claim 19, RORDEN teaches in figure(s) 1-18 the system of claim 1,
RORDEN does not teach explicitly wherein the momentary phase measurements and the local magnetic fields measurements are communicated to the processor with one or more of different relative latencies and changing relative latencies.
However, Poulos teaches in figure(s) 1-16 wherein the momentary phase measurements and the local magnetic fields measurements are communicated to the processor with one or more of different relative latencies and changing relative latencies (para. 27 - base station 36 may also be configured to communicate over a wired connection, which may decrease latency in the mixed reality system 100).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of RORDEN by having wherein the momentary phase measurements and the local magnetic fields measurements are communicated to the processor with one or more of different relative latencies and changing relative latencies as taught by Poulos in order to provide "mixed reality system 100 may experience increased accuracy and decreased latency compared to other HMD devices that use, for example, external cameras to locate objects" (para. 35).
Claim(s) 4 and 8-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over RORDEN in view of GILBOA et al. (US 5646525).
Regarding claim 4, RORDEN teaches in figure(s) 1-18 the system of claim 1,
RORDEN does not teach explicitly wherein the magnetic field generator comprises: an actuator configured to apply a rotational motion; at least one magnet rotating about a first axis by the actuator; a magnetometer configured to sense a momentary rotation phase of the at least one magnet; and a controller configured to control rotation of the at least one magnet to produce the at least one alternating magnetic field.
However, GILBOA teaches in figure(s) 1-13 wherein the magnetic field generator comprises: an actuator (66 fig. 9A; col. 10 lines 1-26) configured to apply a rotational motion; at least one magnet rotating about a first axis by the actuator (col. 10 lines 54-59); a magnetometer configured to sense a momentary rotation phase of the at least one magnet (col. 3 lines 1-5 - calculation circuitry is adapted for determining the phase and strength of the rotating field); and a controller (52 fig. 13) configured to control rotation of the at least one magnet to produce the at least one alternating magnetic field (col. 5 line 9 - col. 7 line 10; fig. 4).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of RORDEN by having wherein the magnetic field generator comprises: an actuator configured to apply a rotational motion; at least one magnet rotating about a first axis by the actuator; a magnetometer configured to sense a momentary rotation phase of the at least one magnet; and a controller configured to control rotation of the at least one magnet to produce the at least one alternating magnetic field as taught by GILBOA in order to provide "a simplified system for determining the angular and linear displacements of an object relative to a fixed reference frame, by utilizing a rotating magnetic or electric field, preferably, a dipole filed." (col. 2 lines 1-5).
Regarding claim 8, RORDEN in view of GILBOA teaches the system of claim 4,
GILBOA additionally teaches in figure(s) 1-13 wherein the generator includes a processing unit (52; fig. 8) configured to track the momentary phase of the at least one rotating magnet (col. 3 lines 1-3, col. 4 line 66 - col. 5 line 8; 16 figs. 3,5,8).
Regarding claim 9, RORDEN in view of GILBOA teaches the system of claim 4, wherein the generator is configured to: measure the at least one alternating magnetic field as it is generated by cyclic motion of the at least one rotating magnet (16; fig. 8 of GILBOA) , using the generator’s magnetometer; calculate parameters of the at least one alternating magnetic field, based on the measurements from the generator’s magnetometer (col. 25 lines 58-68 of RORDEN:- the orientation of the transmitting antenna's major axis (loop axis) and the antenna location can be determined from the field measurements… rotation may be determined when necessary by adding a two or three-axis tiltmeter to measure orientation with respect to vertical and transmitting this information to the receiver 12); and determine a momentary phase of the at least one alternating magnetic field based on the calculated parameters (col. 3 lines 45-50 :- unambiguous determination of transmitter position and orientation, plus enough additional information such as transmitter moment, inclination, azimuth and/or distance in the hole, col. 9 lines 35-40 :- to complete the solution; given these estimates of the amplitude and phase of each component of the magnetic field, estimate the position, orientation, and source strength of the transmitting antenna).
Regarding claim 10, RORDEN in view of GILBOA teaches the system of claim 4,
GILBOA additionally teaches in figure(s) 1-13 wherein the actuator comprises: at least two electromagnets configured to cause a rotational motion of the at least one magnet by their applied torque (col. 5 lines 24-25 :- w is the radian angular velocity of the rotating dipole field and k is a constant representing the magnetic dipole moment), wherein the applied torque is exerted through interaction of magnetic fields generated by the at least two electromagnets with magnetic fields of the at least one magnet (col. 10 lines 19-21 :- a rotating dipole magnetic field…coil 60 preferably wound on a magnetic core 62 is energized by D.C. current; figs. 9); and a microcontroller (52; fig. 8) to control the electromagnetic fields produced by the at least two electromagnets for regulated rotation.
Regarding claim 11, RORDEN in view of GILBOA teaches the system of claim 4,
GILBOA additionally teaches in figure(s) 1-13 wherein the actuator comprises at least one of a list consisting of a DC motor (66; figs. 9), a fluid driven rotation mechanism, air turbine, hydraulic motor, a combustion engine, a stepper motor, and a steam engine.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 12, 17-18 and 21-22 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 12, the prior arts of record do not fairly teach or suggest “wherein the at least one magnet is further rotated about a second axis and the generator senses by the magnetometer the corresponding generated magnetic fields and accordingly calculates momentary phases of the at least one magnet, in the rotational motions about the first axis and about the second axis” including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 17, the prior arts of record do not fairly teach or suggest “wherein the at least one processor is configured to predict a value of the momentary phase corresponding to a relatively later local magnetic field measurement by the receiver, based on one or more relatively earlier momentary phase measurements by the generator, and a clock data” including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 21, the prior arts of record do not fairly teach or suggest “receiving by the processor: data of a first type comprising momentary phase values measured for an at least one alternating magnetic field produced by an alternating magnetic field generator; data of a second type comprising magnetic measurement values of the at least one alternating magnetic field measured at a receiver; and clock data indicative of times of the measurements, and respectively associated with measurement values of each of the first and second types; and calculating, using the processor, positions and orientations of the receiver relative to the generator, based on the data of the first and second types, and their respectively associated clock data” including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim(s) 18, 22 are objected for dependent upon the objected base claim(s).
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
See the List of References cited in the US PT0-892.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AKM ZAKARIA whose telephone number is (571)270-0664. The examiner can normally be reached on 8-5 PM (PST).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Judy Nguyen can be reached on (571) 272-2258. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AKM ZAKARIA/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858