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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
With respect to Claim 8, the scope of the claim is unclear. The clause “defining a location sub-set of positions where sensors are not restricted from being placed” means those are the positions where the sensors can be placed. To then exclude the sub-set of positions from possible sensor locations would leave no possible sensor locations. If a set is excluded from possible sensor locations, that’s necessarily a restriction on where the sensors can be placed.
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 1-7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yuan Zi et al., Distributionally robust optimal sensor placement method for site=scale methane emissions monitoring, 2022, IEEE Sensors journal, pages 1-10 (Year: 2022), hereinafter Zi.
With respect to Claim 1, Zi discloses a method to monitor emissions from a site, comprising:
designating a perimeter for the site to be monitored [fig 2, page 5, section III-A defines a 100 meter cube];
predefining locations for a number of sensors and locations for the sensors along the perimeter of the site [fig 2];
defining a wind realization model for the site [page 6 and figure 3 detail wind modeling around a methane leak];
defining a set of candidate leak points for the site;
using a binary optimization method to select a first sub-set of sensor locations for evaluation of monitoring of the emissions to achieve a result; further using the binary optimization method to select at least a second sub-set of sensor locations for evaluating the emissions to achieve a second result; comparing the first result with the second result; and choosing either the first sub-set of sensor locations or the second sub-set of sensor locations based upon a factor defined by an evaluator [page 3, right column describes a binary optimization. Page 9 and 10 under “results” and figure 11 describe determining the best subset of potential sensor locations. Page 3 section B describes the sensor subsets Le].
With respect to Claim 2, Zi discloses the emissions are methane based [see title].
With respect to Claim 3, Zi discloses that the wind realization model incorporates environmental factors [see fig 1, page 4 for using historical wind speed and direction in the wind realization model].
With respect to Claim 4, Zi discloses that the the wind realization model incorporates historical weather patterns [see fig 1, page 4 for using historical wind speed and direction in the wind realization model].
With respect to Claim 5, Zi discloses that the candidate leak points for the site are based upon field locations for gaseous emissions [page 5, section III-A “These points represent equipment and devise that have the potential to emit methane”].
With respect to Claim 6, Zi discloses that a spacing between sensors is defined by a minimum separation distance [page 7 first para indicate locations are defined using a regular grid].
With respect to Claim 7, Zi discloses that the factor chosen by the evaluator is based on an emission monitoring value [page 1, right column second para “the cost associated with the damage”].
With respect to Claim 9, Zi discloses that the binary optimization method uses advanced meta-heuristics. Page 5, section C-4) shows an advanced meta-heuristic.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Patent No. 2022/0357232 shows a grid of sensors that uses wind and solar insolation to determine the source of a methane leak.
U.S. Patent No. 6,687,640 shows determining the best placement of sensors in a building.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
While Zi compares sensor placement subsets, Zi does not disclose “identifying within each of the number of sub-spaces a location for a potential leak source within an interior of each of the sub-spaces; locating at least one sensor to be located for monitoring each of the sub-spaces for each potential leak source, wherein the locating is done exterior to each bounded perimeter to achieve a first sub-set of sensor locations” as per claim 10 or the corresponding limitation in claim 20. Zi could result in a sub-space without a potential leak source interior to the sub-space, and doesn’t teach that the locating is done exterior to each bounded perimeter.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEX T DEVITO whose telephone number is (571)270-7551. The examiner can normally be reached 12pm- 8 pm EST M-S.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, John Breene can be reached at 571-272-4107. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ALEX T DEVITO/Examiner, Art Unit 2855
/JOHN E BREENE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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