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 .
Priority
This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17/333,131 filed May 28, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and claim benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63/033,922 filed on June 3, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 9/19/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Double Patenting
A rejection based on double patenting of the “same invention” type finds its support in the language of 35 U.S.C. 101 which states that “whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process... may obtain a patent therefor...” (Emphasis added). Thus, the term “same invention,” in this context, means an invention drawn to identical subject matter. See Miller v. Eagle Mfg. Co., 151 U.S. 186 (1894); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Ockert, 245 F.2d 467, 114 USPQ 330 (CCPA 1957).
A statutory type (35 U.S.C. 101) double patenting rejection can be overcome by canceling or amending the claims that are directed to the same invention so they are no longer coextensive in scope. The filing of a terminal disclaimer cannot overcome a double patenting rejection based upon 35 U.S.C. 101.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 as claiming the same invention as that of claims 21-26, 29-37, and 39 of prior U.S. Patent No. 12125246 B2. This is a statutory double patenting rejection.
18/890,349
17/333,131
1. A calibration management system configured for calibrating a user sensor, comprising: a non-transitory, processor readable memory; and a processor coupled to the non-transitory, processor readable memory, the processor being configured to cause the calibration management system to:
provide calibration node information to a user system communicably coupled to the calibration management system and associated with at least the user sensor, the calibration node information identifying a calibration node of a plurality of calibration nodes communicably coupled to the calibration management system and disposed at a plurality of geographical locations;
receive, from the user system, a request to access information generated via the calibration node; cause the calibration node to perform at least one calibration action based on the request, wherein the calibration action comprises at least one of:
performing an environmental measurement to measure at least one aspect of an environment at the geographical location of the calibration node, or providing a calibration reference signal to the user sensor;
receive calibration results information containing results of the calibration action;
and provide information associated with the calibration results information to the user system.
21. A calibration management system configured for calibrating a user sensor, comprising: a non-transitory, processor readable memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to cause the calibration management system to:
provide calibration node information to a user system communicably coupled to the calibration management system and associated with at least the user sensor, the calibration node information identifying a calibration node of a plurality of calibration nodes communicably coupled to the calibration management system and disposed at a plurality of geographical locations;
receive, from the user system, a request to access information generated via the calibration node; cause the calibration node to perform at least one calibration action based on the request, wherein the calibration action comprises at least one of:
performing an environmental measurement to measure at least one aspect of an environment at the geographical location of the calibration node, or providing a calibration reference signal to the user sensor;
receive calibration results information containing results of the calibration action;
and provide information associated with the calibration results information to the user system.
2. The calibration management system of claim 1, wherein: the calibration action performed via the calibration node comprises the environmental measurement, the calibration results information comprises results of the environmental measurement,
the calibration node comprises a detector configured to receive radiation propagating from a source in the environment, and the results of the environmental measurement comprise one or more of:
solar irradiance or radiance at the geographical location of the calibration node; and a reflectance of a ground surface at the geographical location of the calibration node.
22. The calibration management system of claim 21, wherein: the calibration action performed via the calibration node comprises the environmental measurement, the calibration results information comprises results of the environmental measurement,
the calibration node comprises a detector configured to receive radiation propagating from a source in the environment, and the results of the environmental measurement comprise one or more of:
solar irradiance or radiance at the geographical location of the calibration node; and a reflectance of a ground surface at the geographical location of the calibration node.
3. The calibration management system of claim 2, wherein: the calibration node further comprises a reflector configured to reflect the calibration reference signal towards the user sensor, the detector comprises an adjustable field of view, and the calibration results information comprises: a reflector reference signal reflected from the reflector to the detector; and the reflectance of a ground surface.
23. The calibration management system of claim 22, wherein: the calibration node further comprises a reflector configured to reflect the calibration reference signal towards the user sensor, the detector comprises an adjustable field of view, and the calibration results information comprises: a reflector reference signal reflected from the reflector to the detector; and the reflectance of a ground surface.
4. The calibration management system of claim 1, wherein: the processor is further configured to cause the calibration management system to generate coefficients, based on the calibration results information, that may be used to adjust an image captured by the user sensor, and the information associated with the calibration results information comprises the coefficients.
24. The calibration management system of claim 21, wherein: the processor is further configured to cause the calibration management system to generate coefficients, based on the calibration results information, that may be used to adjust an image captured by the user sensor, and the information associated with the calibration results information comprises the coefficients.
5. The calibration management system of claim 1, wherein: the calibration action comprises providing the calibration reference signal to the user sensor, the calibration results information comprises a calibration image captured via the user sensor in response to the calibration reference signal, and the information associated with the calibration results information comprises information regarding signal instrumentation of the calibration node configured to provide the calibration reference signal to the user sensor.
25. The calibration management system of claim 21, wherein: the calibration action comprises providing the calibration reference signal to the user sensor, the calibration results information comprises a calibration image captured via the user sensor in response to the calibration reference signal, and the information associated with the calibration results information comprises information regarding signal instrumentation of the calibration node configured to provide the calibration reference signal to the user sensor.
6. The calibration management system of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the calibration management system to: determine a first property of the environment based on the calibration image, and estimate a second property of the environment based on the first property and information stored in a database containing information measured by the plurality of calibration nodes.
26. The calibration management system of claim 25, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the calibration management system to: determine a first property of the environment based on the calibration image, and estimate a second property of the environment based on the first property and information stored in a database containing information measured by the plurality of calibration nodes.
7. The calibration management system of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the calibration management system to: receive other calibration images captured at a particular time via other user sensors in response to other calibration reference signals from the plurality of calibration nodes, and combine the calibration image and the other calibration images to:
estimate a property of the environment, or correct at least one calibration image among the calibration image and the other calibration images.
29. The calibration management system of claim 25, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the calibration management system to: receive other calibration images captured at a particular time via other user sensors in response to other calibration reference signals from the plurality of calibration nodes, and combine the calibration image and the other calibration images to:
estimate a property of the environment, or correct at least one calibration image among the calibration image and the other calibration images.
8. The calibration management system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of calibration nodes comprises a reflector array node comprising signal instrumentation comprising one or more reflectors having adjustable orientations to selectively reflect light from an illumination source to the user sensor.
30. The calibration management system of claim 21, wherein each of the plurality of calibration nodes comprises a reflector array node comprising signal instrumentation comprising one or more reflectors having adjustable orientations to selectively reflect light from an illumination source to the user sensor.
9. The calibration management system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the calibration management system to cause a reflector of the one or more reflectors to periodically reflect the light from the illumination source into and out of a field of view of one of the user sensor.
31. The calibration management system of claim 30, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the calibration management system to cause a reflector of the one or more reflectors to periodically reflect the light from the illumination source into and out of a field of view of one of the user sensor.
10. The calibration management system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of calibration nodes comprise a characteristic reflector node comprising one or more of a diffuser target, a patterned surface, and a polarity-inducing reflector.
32. The calibration management system of claim 21, wherein one or more of the plurality of calibration nodes comprise a characteristic reflector node comprising one or more of a diffuser target, a patterned surface, and a polarity-inducing reflector.
11. The calibration management system of claim 10, wherein: the user sensor comprises a ground vehicle-based sensor, and the characteristic reflector node is disposed on a road sign to facilitate calibrating ground vehicle-based sensor.
33. The calibration management system of claim 32, wherein: the user sensor comprises a ground vehicle-based sensor, and the characteristic reflector node is disposed on a road sign to facilitate calibrating ground vehicle-based sensor.
12. The calibration management system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of calibration nodes comprise a light source calibration node comprising a tunable light source configured to direct tuned light to the user sensor.
34. The calibration management system of claim 21, wherein one or more of the plurality of calibration nodes comprise a light source calibration node comprising a tunable light source configured to direct tuned light to the user sensor.
13. A calibration management system configured for calibrating a user sensor, comprising: a non-transitory, processor readable memory; and a processor coupled to the non-transitory, processor readable memory, the processor being configured to cause the calibration management system to:
receive, from a measurement node communicably coupled to the calibration management system, a characteristic of an environment at a geographical location associated with the measurement node;
receive a calibration image generated by the user sensor based on light directed from an illumination source by a reflector of a signal node communicably coupled to the calibration management system;
perform one or more radiometric corrections on the calibration image based on the characteristic of the environment;
and store the calibration image and parameters associated with the one or more radiometric corrections in a database.
35. A calibration management system configured for calibrating a user sensor, comprising: a non-transitory, processor readable memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to cause the calibration management system to:
receive, from a measurement node communicably coupled to the calibration management system, a characteristic of an environment at a geographical location associated with the measurement node;
receive a calibration image generated by the user sensor based on light directed from an illumination source by a reflector of a signal node communicably coupled to the calibration management system;
perform one or more radiometric corrections on the calibration image based on the characteristic of the environment;
and store the calibration image and parameters associated with the one or more radiometric corrections in a database.
14. The calibration management system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the calibration management system to: receive a calibration request for the user sensor from a user system associated with the user sensor, the calibration request including a calibration time and information regarding a trajectory of the user sensor; and at the calibration time, provide control signals to the signal node to orient the reflector to direct light from the illumination source to the user sensor to cause the user sensor to generate the calibration image.
36. The calibration management system of claim 35, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the calibration management system to: receive a calibration request for the user sensor from a user system associated with the user sensor, the calibration request including a calibration time and information regarding a trajectory of the user sensor; and at the calibration time, provide control signals to the signal node to orient the reflector to direct light from the illumination source to the user sensor to cause the user sensor to generate the calibration image.
15. The calibration management system of claim 14, wherein the signal node and the measurement node are disposed at a same geographical location.
37. The calibration management system of claim 35, wherein the signal node and the measurement node are disposed at a same geographical location.
16. A method of calibrating a user sensor by a calibration management system, the method comprising: providing calibration node information to a user system communicably coupled to the calibration management system and associated with at least the user sensor, the calibration node information identifying a calibration node of a plurality of calibration nodes that are communicably coupled to the calibration management system and disposed at a plurality of geographical locations;
based on providing the calibration node information, receiving, from the user system, a request to access information generated via the calibration node; causing the calibration node to perform at least one calibration action based on the request, wherein the calibration action comprises at least one of:
performing an environmental measurement to measure at least one aspect of an environment at the geographical location of the respective calibration node, or providing a calibration reference signal to the user sensor; receiving calibration results information containing results of the calibration action;
and providing information associated with the calibration results information to the user system.
39. A method of calibrating a user sensor by a calibration management system, the method comprising: providing calibration node information to a user system communicably coupled to the calibration management system and associated with at least the user sensor, the calibration node information identifying a calibration node of a plurality of calibration nodes that are communicably coupled to the calibration management system and disposed at a plurality of geographical locations; based on providing the calibration node information, receiving, from the user system, a request to access information generated via the calibration node; causing the calibration node to perform at least one calibration action based on the request, wherein the calibration action comprises at least one of:
performing an environmental measurement to measure at least one aspect of an environment at the geographical location of the respective calibration node, or providing a calibration reference signal to the user sensor; receiving calibration results information containing results of the calibration action;
and providing information associated with the calibration results information to the user system.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein: the calibration action performed via the calibration node further comprises performing an environmental measurement to measure at least one aspect of an environment at the geographical location of the calibration node, the calibration results information further comprises results of the environmental measurement, the calibration node comprises a detector configured to receive radiation propagating from a source in the environment,
and the results of the environmental measurement comprise one or more of: solar irradiance or radiance at the geographical location of the calibration node;
and a reflectance of a ground surface at the geographical location of the calibration node.
22. The calibration management system of claim 21, wherein: the calibration action performed via the calibration node comprises the environmental measurement, the calibration results information comprises results of the environmental measurement, the calibration node comprises a detector configured to receive radiation propagating from a source in the environment,
and the results of the environmental measurement comprise one or more of: solar irradiance or radiance at the geographical location of the calibration node;
and a reflectance of a ground surface at the geographical location of the calibration node.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein: the calibration node further comprises a reflector configured to reflect the calibration reference signal towards the user sensor, the detector comprises an adjustable field of view, and the calibration results information further comprises: a reflector reference signal reflected from the reflector to the detector; and the reflectance of a ground surface.
23. The calibration management system of claim 22, wherein: the calibration node further comprises a reflector configured to reflect the calibration reference signal towards the user sensor, the detector comprises an adjustable field of view, and the calibration results information comprises:
a reflector reference signal reflected from the reflector to the detector; and the reflectance of a ground surface.
19. The method of claim 17, further comprising: generating coefficients, based on the calibration results information, that may be used to adjust an image captured by the user sensor, wherein the information associated with the calibration results information further comprises the coefficients.
24. (New) The calibration management system of claim 21, wherein: the processor is further configured to cause the calibration management system to generate coefficients, based on the calibration results information, that may be used to adjust an image captured by the user sensor, and the information associated with the calibration results information comprises the coefficients.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein: the calibration results information comprises a calibration image captured via the user sensor in response to the calibration reference signal; and the method further comprises: receiving other calibration images captured at a particular time via other user sensors in response to other calibration reference signals from the plurality of calibration nodes, and combining the calibration image and the other calibration images to: estimate a property of an environment at a geographical location of the calibration node, or correct at least one calibration image among the calibration image and the other calibration images.
29. The calibration management system of claim 25, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the calibration management system to: receive other calibration images captured at a particular time via other user sensors in response to other calibration reference signals from the plurality of calibration nodes, and combine the calibration image and the other calibration images to: estimate a property of the environment, or correct at least one calibration image among the calibration image and the other calibration images.
Conclusion
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/PARDIS SOHRABY/Examiner, Art Unit 2664
/JENNIFER MEHMOOD/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2664
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