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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on December 23, 2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 13-14 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1, contains two separate limitations, requiring the same case (“in a case where the overlapping image processing fails”). For ease of understanding the claims, all limitations applying to that one case should be within one “in a case where the overlapping image processing fails:”
Similar issue in claims 13-14
Claim 13, line 12, “performing…. Acquire” should read “performing…. Acquiring”
Similar issue in claim 14, line 13
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1 and 13-14 (and further claims 2-12) are 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.
General Indefiniteness:
Claim 1 recites “in a case where a part of a second imaging target region overlaps with a part of the first imaging target region while a moving object on which the imaging apparatus is mounted is moving, perform overlapping imaging processing of causing the imaging apparatus to image the second imaging target region (emphasis added).” This is read that the second imaging target occurs as a part of the overlapping processing. When that fails, the claim states, “in a case where the overlapping image processing fails…. the positional information related to the position of the second imaging target region is stored in a memory in association with image information of at least one of the first image information or the second image information.” It is unclear how the second image information could be stored with the positional information of the second imaging target region, if the second imaging target region was never imaged (i.e. if it failed).
Similar issue with claim 13 and 14.
Claims 2-12 are rejected for inheriting and failing to cure the deficiency of claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-14 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the closest prior arts of record teach methods of processing images of multiple overlapping regions while a camera is mounted on a moving entity.
However, none of them alone or in any combination teaches when overlapping image processing to obtain a second imaging target region using an imaging apparatus mounted to a moving entity fails, imaging a third imaging target when the moving distance reaches a predetermined moving distance, and acquiring position data related to the position of the second imaging target region, and additional imaging information related to further images obtained of a first target region and a third target region.
The closest prior art being U.S. Patent No. 10,273,000 to Wagner et al. (hereinafter Wagner) discloses, “Method for aerial image capturing by means of an unmanned and controllable aircraft comprising a camera, more particularly a drone, during a flight maneuver of said aircraft, comprising continual determining of a camera position and alignment of an optical camera axis and acquiring of a series of aerial images (abstract).” Further, Wagner discloses the generation of overlapping images and trigger based on the overlapping details at column 7, line 13, “According to the invention, an image triggering region 33 is defined for the capture of the aerial images 21 a-b. This image triggering region 33 is defined by a predefined maximum overlap of the images 21 a-b, for example, 90% to 80% of the respective image area, and by a minimum overlap of the images 21 a-b, for example, 65% to 55% of the respective image area. The maximum overlap range 31 and the minimum overlap range 32 of the images 21 a-b therefore define a permissible relative offset of the images 21 a-b or of the aircraft, using which these images 21 a-b are captured.”
However, Wagner fails to disclose when overlapping image processing to obtain a second imaging target region using an imaging apparatus mounted to a moving entity fails, imaging a third imaging target when the moving distance reaches a predetermined moving distance, and acquiring position data related to the position of the second imaging target region, and additional imaging information related to further images obtained of a first target region and a third target region.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
U.S. Publication No. 2020/0145568 to Vollmerhausen discloses, “An imaging device attached to an aerial vehicle for generating a plurality of images (abstract)”
U.S. Patent No. 9,185,287 to Sento discloses, “a control unit configured to control an imaging device to begin generating a plurality of images to be used to generate a panoramic image based on the intermediate or end panorama reference position information input by the user after the reference position receiving unit receives the intermediate or end panorama reference position information (abstract).”
Contact
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Courtney J. Windsor whose telephone number is (571)272-3956. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00 - 4:00.
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/COURTNEY JOAN NELSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2661
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