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 § 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.
Claims 19-23, 32, 34-37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by D1.1
With regard to claim 19, D1 teach obtaining, via an image sensor, images of a calibration board, the calibration board being positioned at a plurality of distances relative to a projector outputting a plurality of projection spots, the projection spots including a first projection spot (see abstract, fig. 1, col 6 lines 10-30: calibration object, projectors for projecting spots; see col. 11 lines 20-25: imaging at a plurality of distances); identifying respective three-dimensional positions associated with each depiction of the first projection spot in the obtained images ((see abstract, col 11 lines 60-65: location information of the projection spots); determining geometric information associated with a cone of light projected by the projector which forms the first projection spot in each of the plurality of images (see col 10 lines 45-60: geometric relations of the spots); and generating a projection spot map which indicates, at least, information usable to determine a real-world location of the first projection spot as depicted in an image obtained by the image sensor (see abstract, col 11, lines 60-65, col 5 lines 40-50, col 8 lines 40-50: projection spot reference map, 3D map of the object determined from the projection spot reference map and the projection pattern on the test object).
With regard to claim 20, D1 teach method of claim 19, wherein the projection spot map indicates information usable to determine real-world locations of the plurality of projection spots as depicted in images obtained by the image sensor (see abstract, col 11, lines 60-65, col 5 lines 40-50, col 8 lines 40-50: projection spot reference map, 3D map of the object determined from the projection spot reference map and the projection pattern on the test object).
With regard to claim 21, D1 teach method of claim 19, wherein identifying a three-dimensional position associated with a depiction of the first projection spot comprises: identifying a two-dimensional position associated with the first projection spot; and based on camera parameters associated with the image sensor, identifying the three- dimensional position (see col 6 lines 53-col 7 lines 6, col 10 lines 35-60: projection spot determined in the image and calculates 3D or depth position of the spots projected on an object, col 10 lines 35-60: depth information implicitly based on camera parameters).
With regard to claim 22, D1 teach method of claim 19, wherein geometric information for the cone of light includes a vector centered at an origin of the projector, the vector defining propagation of the cone of light (see fig. 1, 3: vectors originating from the projector onto the object).
With regard to claim 23, D1 teach method of claim 19, wherein determining geometric information comprises: fitting a line through a center of the three-dimensional positions associated with each depiction of the first projection spot, the line defining an axis of the cone of light (see fig. 1, 3, col 13 lines 10-30).
With regard to claim 32, see discussion of claim 19.
With regard to claim 34, see discussion of claim 20.
With regard to claim 35, see discussion of claim 21.
With regard to claim 36, see discussion of claim 22.
With regard to claim 37, see discussion of claim 23.
Claims 24-31, 33 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.
Conclusion
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/AVINASH YENTRAPATI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2672
1 US Patent No. 8,786,682.
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