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
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, 9, and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gonring (7561886).
Referring to claims 1, 9, and 10, Gonring shows an information processing device comprising:
an acquisition unit configured to acquire measurement data (see figure 3 Ref 26), which is a set of data representing a plurality of measured points measured by a measurement device provided in a ship (see figure 2, 4, and 7 note the measurement points 16 and 18);
a straight line calculation unit configured to calculate, based on the measurement data, a straight line along a berthing place where the ship is berthed (see the line X shown in figures 4 and 7 also see column 7 lines 20-25); and
a distance calculation unit configured to calculate, based on the distance between the straight line and each of the measured points, a distance between the ship and the berthing place (see the docking procedure that determines the distance and angle of the ship to the dock in column 7 line 20-column 8 line 10).
Referring to claims 9 and 10 Gonring shows a corresponding method and non-transitory computer readable medium.
Referring to claim 2, Gonring shows a nearest neighbor point search unit configured to search the measured points for a nearest neighbor point with respect to the ship, based on the straight line,
wherein the distance calculation unit is configured to calculate the distance based on the nearest neighbor point (see the closest distance calculation shown in column 8 lines 26-40).
Referring to claim 3, Gonring shows wherein the measurement device includes a first measurement device (see figure 8 Ref 70) and a second measurement device (see figure 8 Ref 70),
wherein the straight line calculation unit is configured to calculate a second straight line connecting
a first nearest neighbor point, with respect to the ship, for which measured points of first measurement data measured by the first measurement device are searched based on the straight line (see figure 8 Ref 76 note the distance from the bow of the ship to the dock) and
a second nearest neighbor point, with respect to the ship, for which measured points of second measurement data measured by the second measurement device are searched based on the straight line (see figure 8 Ref 76 note the distance from the mid ship to the straight line of the dock), and
wherein the distance calculation unit is configured to calculate the distance based on the second straight line (see figure 7 in relation to figure 8 and column 8 lines 41-61).
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, 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) 6 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gonring (7561886) in view of Sonobe (20230221138).
Referring to claim 6, Gonring fails to show but Sonobe shows wherein, if an indicator representing a dispersion in the measured points with respect to the straight line is equal to or larger than a threshold value,
the straight line calculation unit is configured to calculate the straight line based on the nearest neighbor point for which the measured points are searched based on a straight line calculated by the straight line calculation unit before a current processing time (see the eliminations of measurement points as shown in paragraph 86-89 to update the quay line also note the threshold that excludes the measurement point and proceeds to the next measurement point).
It would have been obvious to include the straight line calculation as shown by Sonobe because this allows spurious measurements that might be from an object that is too far away from the device to removed as taught by Sonobe (see paragraph 86-87).
Referring to claim 7, Gonring fails to show but Sonobe shows wherein, if an indicator representing a dispersion in the measured points with respect to the straight line is equal to or larger than a threshold value and there is no straight line calculated by the straight line calculation unit within a predetermined time before a current processing time,
the straight line calculation unit is configured to calculate the straight line based on a nearest neighbor point for which the measured points are searched based on a straight line parallel to a direction of the ship (see the multiple quay lines that are determined as shown by Sonobe in figure 9A-9C as well as 16A-16C that allow the system to determine the actual quay line for docking the vessel). It would have been obvious to include the straight line calculation as shown by Sonobe because this allows for correction of false measurements as shown by Sonobe.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gonring (7561886) in view of Hara (20220028278).
Referring to claim 8, Gonring fails to show but Hara shows a shortest pier distance calculation unit configured to
extract a contour point, which has a shortest length of a perpendicular line from the contour point to the straight line, among contour points of the ship and
calculate a shortest distance from a hull of the ship to the berthing place; and
a proximate portion identification unit configured to identify a part of the ship closest to the berthing place (see paragraph 3 as well as 55-56 also see the contour map as shown in figure 2). It would have been obvious to include the closest point extraction because this allows the system to determine the time to docking the vessel based on the closest location of the berthing.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 5 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Dake (12481297) and Kato (20240151849).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LUKE D RATCLIFFE whose telephone number is (571)272-3110. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00AM-5:00PM EST.
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/LUKE D RATCLIFFE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3645
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