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 . Pursuant to communications filed on 13 September 2024, this is a First Action Non-Final Rejection on the Merits. Claims 1-20 are currently pending in the instant application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 24 June 2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement has been considered by the Examiner.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 6-9, 11-13 and 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over McGrew et al (US 2005/0115338 A1, hereinafter McGrew) in view of Kamiyama et al (WO 2020/059475 A1, hereinafter Kamiyama).
Regarding claim 1, McGrew teaches a method of locating a branch conduit (Figures 1 & 2, lateral opening 20) opening into a main pipe (Figures 1 & 2, main pipe 10) following lining the main pipe with a liner (Figures 1 & 2, liner 30), the method comprising:
moving a robot (Figures 1 & 2, apparatus 35) down the lined main pipe (Figures 1 & 2; at least as in paragraphs 0019 and 0025, wherein “The operator remotely controls the propulsion system to move the apparatus 35 along the main pipe 10.”);
transmitting visual images of the liner in the main pipe from a camera (Figures 1 & 2, camera assembly 60) associated with the robot to a monitor outside of the main pipe for viewing by a human operator (Figures 1 & 2; at least as in paragraphs 0022, 0024 and 0028, specifically wherein “The base station includes one or more monitors for viewing the images and other information transmitted by the visual camera 85 and thermal sensor 90.”);
displaying, on the monitor, an interior view of the lined main pipe from the transmitted visual images (Figures 1 & 2; at least as in paragraphs 0024-0025, 0028 and 0034, wherein “The operator may use either the visual camera 85 or thermal sensor 90 while navigating along the main pipe 10.” and further wherein “The apparatus 35 may be used to view the presence and consistency of the grout or liner material by monitoring the material’s thermal signature.”);
(Figures 1 & 2; at least as in paragraphs 0023-0024 & 0028, wherein “The base station includes one or more monitors for viewing the images and other information transmitted by the visual camera 85 and thermal sensor 90” and additionally wherein “The marker 115 may have both thermal and visual characteristics such that the operator can confirm with the thermal sensor 90 (e.g., by detecting a change in temperature at the desired spot) that the marker 115 is pointed at the lateral opening 20, and then switch to the visual camera 85 and still see the location marked by the marker 115”). Examiner notes wherein McGrew at least heavily suggests wherein the infrared image data from the thermal sensor and the image data from the visual camera are fused together for viewing on a monitor by an operator to enhance the view of a particular location of a liner inside of a pipe, and that fused image data would correlate to the claimed “superimposing” aspect. That said, Kamiyama, in the same field of endeavor of pipe inspecting devices, teaches a mobile device that includes an infrared camera and a digital camera and are utilized to navigate said mobile device and inspect a lining of a pipe in which the mobile device is controlled. Kamiyama goes on to teach wherein images may be transmitted to a display remotely for an operator to view said images, and further wherein the images may be displayed in a superimposed manner (at least as in paragraphs 0005-0006 (under the Description of Embodiments Text/Translated Section), wherein “The drilling device 20 is equipped with an infrared camera 120. The infrared camera 120 is provided with water, cooling water, and dry water which are introduced into the branch pipe 11 from the ground and deposited on the pipe lining material 12, as indicated by arrows. The pipe lining material 12 of the branch pipe opening 11a cooled or heated by the heat medium 140 such as ice or hot water is photographed by using infrared thermography.” and further wherein, “The perforation apparatus 20 is further equipped with a visible light camera 130 for photographing the periphery of the perforation blade 21. The imaging optical axes of the infrared camera 120 and the visible light camera 130 are directed to the vicinity of the upper part of the perforation blade 21, and the thermal image of the branch pipe opening 11 a acquired by the infrared camera and the perforation acquired by the visible light camera 130. The image of the blade 21 is live-distributed in real time via the controller 132, a LAN cable, and the like, as described later, and is displayed on the display in the work truck 14 as a moving image” and additionally as in paragraph 0023, wherein “On the display, a thermal image captured by the infrared lens 124 and a visible image captured by the digital camera lens 125 can be displayed in a superimposed manner.”) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to modify the teachings of McGrew, to include Kamiyama’s teaching of superimposing the infrared/thermal image data and the digital camera image data, to more accurately inspect and identify particular locations (i.e. branch conduits, leaks, etc.) of lining inside of a pipe, thereby providing a more enhanced and robust robotic inspection system for lined pipes.
Regarding claim 3, in view of the above combination of McGrew and Kamiyama, McGrew teaches the method further comprising executing an override command responsive to intervening by the human operator to affect operation of the robot (Figure 1; at least as in paragraphs 0024-0025, wherein “The operator is positioned above ground with a base station…” and further wherein “The operator remotely controls the propulsion systems to move the apparatus 35 along the main pipe 10. The operator may use either the visual camera 85 or thermal sensor 90 while navigating along the main pipe 10”, and further as in at least claim 28, wherein “a remote control station above ground outside of the sewer system and enabling the remote control of the propulsion system, pan and tilt motor, and cutting device, and including a display for information from the visual camera and thermal sensor; wherein the apparatus is remotely operable from the control station to detect with the camera assembly the covered lateral openings and to reinstate the lateral openings with the cutting device”).
Regarding claim 6, in view of the above combination of McGrew and Kamiyama, McGrew teaches the method further comprising providing infrared image data of the liner in the main pipe (Figures 3-5; at least as in paragraphs 0022, 0024 and 0033).
Regarding claim 7, in view of the above combination of McGrew and Kamiyama, McGrew teaches the method further comprising adjusting ranges of infrared image data that is used to locate a feature in the main pipe (at least as in paragraphs 0024-0028).
Regarding claim 8, in view of the above combination of McGrew and Kamiyama, McGrew teaches the method further comprising adjusting the transparency of the superimposed image (at least as in paragraphs 0024-0028).
Regarding claim 9, McGrew teaches a system for re-establishing fluid communication between a branch conduit (Figures 1 & 2, lateral opening 20) and a main pipe (Figures 1 & 2, main pipe 10) following lining of the main pipe with a liner (Figures 1 & 2, liner 30), the system comprising:
a robot (Figures 1 & 2, apparatus 35) configured for moving inside the lined main pipe (Figures 1 & 2; at least as in paragraphs 0019 and 0025, wherein “The operator remotely controls the propulsion system to move the apparatus 35 along the main pipe 10.”);
a cutting tool (Figures 1 & 2, cutting device 37) supported by the robot for cutting the liner to re-establish fluid communication between the branch conduit and the main pipe (Figures 1 & 2; at least as in paragraphs 0019-0021, specifically wherein “the cutting device 37 has a cutting head 50 that includes a cutting element (e.g., a rotating or reciprocating bit or blade) 55 and a means for moving the cutting head 50 to engage the liner 30 with the cutting element 55” and further wherein “The cutting head 50 is used to cut through the liner 30 and reinstate the lateral opening 20 so that the main and lateral pipes 10, 15 are placed in communication with each other”);
a sensor (Figures 1 & 2, camera assembly 60) supported by the robot for acquiring image data of the lined main pipe as the robot moves inside the main pipe, the sensor being configured to transmit the image data (Figures 1 & 2; at least as in paragraphs 0022, 0024 and 0028, specifically wherein “The base station includes one or more monitors for viewing the images and other information transmitted by the visual camera 85 and thermal sensor 90.”);
a controller (Figure 1, truck/base station 100) operatively connected to the sensor for receiving the image data (Figure 1; at least as in paragraphs 0024-0025, wherein “The operator is positioned above ground with a base station…” and further wherein “The operator remotely controls the propulsion systems to move the apparatus 35 along the main pipe 10. The operator may use either the visual camera 85 or thermal sensor 90 while navigating along the main pipe 10”, and further as in at least claim 28, wherein “a remote control station above ground outside of the sewer system and enabling the remote control of the propulsion system, pan and tilt motor, and cutting device, and including a display for information from the visual camera and thermal sensor; wherein the apparatus is remotely operable from the control station to detect with the camera assembly the covered lateral openings and to reinstate the lateral openings with the cutting device”); Examiner notes wherein although a “controller” isn’t specified in McGrew’s disclosure, it is clear wherein the base station (i.e. remote control station) would implicitly have some kind of controller (i.e. computer, processor-based device, etc.) to implement control of the apparatus taught by McGrew.
a display operatively connected to the controller for receiving and displaying an interior view of the main pipe based on the image data from the sensor (Figures 1 & 2; at least as in paragraphs 0024-0025, 0028 and 0034, wherein “The operator may use either the visual camera 85 or thermal sensor 90 while navigating along the main pipe 10.” and further wherein “The apparatus 35 may be used to view the presence and consistency of the grout or liner material by monitoring the material’s thermal signature.”);
wherein the controller is configured to superimpose onto the interior view based on the image data from the sensor, an image of an opening of the branch conduit into the main pipe at a location on the liner determined by the controller to be a location of the branch conduit opening (Figures 1 & 2; at least as in paragraphs 0023-0024 & 0028, wherein “The base station includes one or more monitors for viewing the images and other information transmitted by the visual camera 85 and thermal sensor 90” and additionally wherein “The marker 115 may have both thermal and visual characteristics such that the operator can confirm with the thermal sensor 90 (e.g., by detecting a change in temperature at the desired spot) that the marker 115 is pointed at the lateral opening 20, and then switch to the visual camera 85 and still see the location marked by the marker 115”). Examiner notes wherein McGrew at least heavily suggests wherein the infrared image data from the thermal sensor and the image data from the visual camera are fused together for viewing on a monitor by an operator to enhance the view of a particular location of a liner inside of a pipe, and that fused image data would correlate to the claimed “superimposing” aspect. That said, Kamiyama, in the same field of endeavor of pipe inspecting devices, teaches a mobile device that includes an infrared camera and a digital camera and are utilized to navigate said mobile device and inspect a lining of a pipe in which the mobile device is controlled. Kamiyama goes on to teach wherein images may be transmitted to a display remotely for an operator to view said images, and further wherein the images may be displayed in a superimposed manner (at least as in paragraphs 0005-0006 (under the Description of Embodiments Text/Translated Section), wherein “The drilling device 20 is equipped with an infrared camera 120. The infrared camera 120 is provided with water, cooling water, and dry water which are introduced into the branch pipe 11 from the ground and deposited on the pipe lining material 12, as indicated by arrows. The pipe lining material 12 of the branch pipe opening 11a cooled or heated by the heat medium 140 such as ice or hot water is photographed by using infrared thermography.” and further wherein, “The perforation apparatus 20 is further equipped with a visible light camera 130 for photographing the periphery of the perforation blade 21. The imaging optical axes of the infrared camera 120 and the visible light camera 130 are directed to the vicinity of the upper part of the perforation blade 21, and the thermal image of the branch pipe opening 11 a acquired by the infrared camera and the perforation acquired by the visible light camera 130. The image of the blade 21 is live-distributed in real time via the controller 132, a LAN cable, and the like, as described later, and is displayed on the display in the work truck 14 as a moving image” and additionally as in paragraph 0023, wherein “On the display, a thermal image captured by the infrared lens 124 and a visible image captured by the digital camera lens 125 can be displayed in a superimposed manner.”) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to modify the teachings of McGrew, to include Kamiyama’s teaching of superimposing the infrared/thermal image data and the digital camera image data, to more accurately inspect and identify particular locations (i.e. branch conduits, leaks, etc.) of lining inside of a pipe, thereby providing a more enhanced and robust robotic inspection system for lined pipes.
Regarding claim 11, in view of the above combination of McGrew and Kamiyama, McGrew further teaches wherein the controller is operatively connected to the robot for controlling the robot (Figures 1 & 2; at least as in paragraphs 0023-0025, 0028 and 0032-0034).
Regarding claim 12, in view of the above combination of McGrew and Kamiyama, McGrew further teaches wherein the controller is configured to receive inputs from the human operator for direct control of the robot by the human operator (Figures 1 & 2; at least as in paragraphs 0023-0025, 0028 and 0032-0034).
Regarding claim 13, in view of the above combination of McGrew and Kamiyama, McGrew further teaches wherein the controller is configured to analyze the image data and to determine the presence of an anomalous condition in the lined main pipe, and to provide a warning via the display of the presence of the anomalous condition (Figures 1 & 2; at least as in paragraphs 0023-0025, 0028 and 0032-0034).
Regarding claim 17, in view of the above combination of McGrew and Kamiyama, McGrew further teaches wherein one of the sensors is an infrared sensor configured to provide infrared image data to the controller (Figures 3-5; at least as in paragraphs 0022, 0024 and 0033).
Regarding claim 18, in view of the above combination of McGrew and Kamiyama, McGrew further teaches wherein the controller is responsive to user input to adjust the ranges of the infrared image data used to locate a feature in the main pipe (at least as in paragraphs 0024-0028).
Regarding claim 19, in view of the above combination of McGrew and Kamiyama, McGrew teaches the system further comprising a transparency selector for selecting the transparency of the image of the opening of the branch conduit (at least as in paragraphs 0024-0028).
Regarding claim 20, in view of the above combination of McGrew and Kamiyama, McGrew further teaches wherein the transparency selector is disposed for actuating by the operator (at least as in paragraphs 0024-0028).
Claim(s) 4, 5 and 14-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over McGrew et al (US 2005/0115338 A1, hereinafter McGrew) as modified by Kamiyama et al (WO 2020/059475 A1, hereinafter Kamiyama) above, and further in view of Close et al (US 2006/0074525 A1, hereinafter Close).
The teachings of McGrew and Kamiyama have been discussed above.
Regarding claim 4, McGrew and Kamiyama are silent regarding the method further comprising monitoring with sensors located in the lined main pipe the position of the robot in the lined main pipe and adjusting the superimposition of the image in response to the detected location. Close teaches remote control of a pipeline robot for inspecting and rehabilitating pipes. Close teaches wherein said robot provides positional feedback to the user to accurately determine its position within the pipe, and further wherein said robot includes one or more cameras for providing real-time images to a user, as well as a cutting tool attached to a tool head interface which may be utilized to cut a lining within said pipe. Close goes on to teach wherein a user may control said robot via a computer with a graphical user interface (GUI) and further wherein said GUI may provide multiple windows, lists/menus, icons and the like for controlling said robot as well as viewing images received from said robot (Figures 6-10; at least as in paragraph 0037, 0051-0056, 0070-0075 and 0084-0087). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the instant invention, to modify the teachings of McGrew, as modified by Kamiyama above, to include Close’s teachings of providing the robot with positional feedback capabilities and a GUI with enhanced control options and superimposed images, since Close teaches wherein the positional feedback provides more accurate positioning of the robot within the pipe, and further wherein the GUI controls provide enhanced control of the robot/tool while being operated within the pipe, thereby providing more dynamic and robust control of said robot.
Regarding claim 5, McGrew and Kamiyama are silent regarding wherein the operator selects from a menu a cutting path of a cutting tool supported by the robot for cutting the liner. Close teaches remote control of a pipeline robot for inspecting and rehabilitating pipes. Close teaches wherein said robot provides positional feedback to the user to accurately determine its position within the pipe, and further wherein said robot includes one or more cameras for providing real-time images to a user, as well as a cutting tool attached to a tool head interface which may be utilized to cut a lining within said pipe. Close goes on to teach wherein a user may control said robot via a computer with a graphical user interface (GUI) and further wherein said GUI may provide multiple windows, lists/menus, icons and the like for controlling said robot as well as viewing images received from said robot (Figures 6-10; at least as in paragraph 0037, 0051-0056, 0070-0075 and 0084-0087, specifically as in at least paragraph 0086, wherein “the control panel 240, the "process navigator" 245 lists the major functions that may be performed by the robot, in this case a lateral cutter. Here, the choices include: "winch" (moving the robot longitudinally within the pipe); "trace cut;" "scan cut;" "path cut;" and "manual cut." These latter options are all different ways to select the cut to be made by the lateral cutter”). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the instant invention, to modify the teachings of McGrew, as modified by Kamiyama above, to include Close’s teachings of providing the robot with positional feedback capabilities and a GUI with enhanced control options and superimposed images, since Close teaches wherein the positional feedback provides more accurate positioning of the robot within the pipe, and further wherein the GUI controls provide enhanced control of the robot/tool while being operated within the pipe, thereby providing more dynamic and robust control of said robot.
Regarding claim 14, McGrew and Kamiyama are silent regarding the system further comprising sensors associated with the robot for scanning the lined main pipe as the robot moves inside, the sensors being connected to the controller for providing sensor data used by the controller to determine a location of the robot in the lined main pipe. Close teaches remote control of a pipeline robot for inspecting and rehabilitating pipes. Close teaches wherein said robot provides positional feedback to the user to accurately determine its position within the pipe, and further wherein said robot includes one or more cameras for providing real-time images to a user, as well as a cutting tool attached to a tool head interface which may be utilized to cut a lining within said pipe. Close goes on to teach wherein a user may control said robot via a computer with a graphical user interface (GUI) and further wherein said GUI may provide multiple windows, lists/menus, icons and the like for controlling said robot as well as viewing images received from said robot (Figures 6-10; at least as in paragraph 0037, 0051-0056, 0070-0075 and 0084-0087). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the instant invention, to modify the teachings of McGrew, as modified by Kamiyama above, to include Close’s teachings of providing the robot with positional feedback capabilities and a GUI with enhanced control options and superimposed images, since Close teaches wherein the positional feedback provides more accurate positioning of the robot within the pipe, and further wherein the GUI controls provide enhanced control of the robot/tool while being operated within the pipe, thereby providing more dynamic and robust control of said robot.
Regarding claim 15, in view of the above combination of McGrew, Kamiyama and Close, Close further teaches wherein the controller is configured to adjust the image superimposed on the display according to the location of the robot (Figures 6-10; at least as in paragraph 0037, 0051-0056, 0070-0075 and 0084-0087).
Regarding claim 16, McGrew and Kamiyama are silent regarding wherein the controller is configured to cause a menu of cutting paths for the cutting tool to be shown on the display for selection by the operator to control movement of the cutting tool to cut the liner. Close teaches remote control of a pipeline robot for inspecting and rehabilitating pipes. Close teaches wherein said robot provides positional feedback to the user to accurately determine its position within the pipe, and further wherein said robot includes one or more cameras for providing real-time images to a user, as well as a cutting tool attached to a tool head interface which may be utilized to cut a lining within said pipe. Close goes on to teach wherein a user may control said robot via a computer with a graphical user interface (GUI) and further wherein said GUI may provide multiple windows, lists/menus, icons and the like for controlling said robot as well as viewing images received from said robot (Figures 6-10; at least as in paragraph 0037, 0051-0056, 0070-0075 and 0084-0087, specifically as in at least paragraph 0086, wherein “the control panel 240, the "process navigator" 245 lists the major functions that may be performed by the robot, in this case a lateral cutter. Here, the choices include: "winch" (moving the robot longitudinally within the pipe); "trace cut;" "scan cut;" "path cut;" and "manual cut." These latter options are all different ways to select the cut to be made by the lateral cutter”). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the instant invention, to modify the teachings of McGrew, as modified by Kamiyama above, to include Close’s teachings of providing the robot with positional feedback capabilities and a GUI with enhanced control options and superimposed images, since Close teaches wherein the positional feedback provides more accurate positioning of the robot within the pipe, and further wherein the GUI controls provide enhanced control of the robot/tool while being operated within the pipe, thereby providing more dynamic and robust control of said robot.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 & 10 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See attached PTO-892 – Notice of References Cited form. Examiner additionally notes the following prior art references, in the same field of endeavor as the instant invention, and also reads on some of the currently provided claim limitations above;
US 2021/0310597 A1, issued to Takashima et al, which is directed towards an in-pipe robot that is carried into an existing pipe and travels in the existing pipe for in-pipe work, such as inspection and/or rehabilitation of said pipe.
US 2020/0173599 A1, issued to Baxter et al, which is directed towards a pipe rehabilitation system and/or robot can be used inside a pipe to measure characteristics of branch conduits, install plugs into branch conduits before the pipe is lined with a liner, remove portions of plugs and liners after lining to restore fluid communication between the pipe and branch conduits, and/or install fittings into the branch conduits to connect the liner to the branch conduits.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JONATHAN L SAMPLE whose telephone number is (571)270-5925. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:00am-4:00pm.
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/JONATHAN L SAMPLE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3657