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 .
Status of Claims
This Office Action is in response to the amendments filed on 5/12/2026. Claims 11, 12, 14, 16, and 19 are amended. Claims 11-14 and 16-19 are presently pending and examined.
Drawings
The updated drawings, Fig. 1 to Fig. 6, are accepted.
Response to Arguments
101 Rejection
Applicant’s amendments and accompanying arguments, see remarks, filed 5/12/2026, with respect to 101 rejections have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 101 rejection of Claims 11-14 and 16-19 have been withdrawn.
Prior Art Rejection
Applicant’s amendments and accompanying arguments, see remarks, filed 5/12/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 11-14 and 16-19 under 103 have been fully considered.
Claim 11
Applicant has argued that the cited prior art does not disclose the limitation of Claim 11. Applicant states that Shear and Riegelman do not disclose or teach claimed live traffic toggling, a “reset all” behavior, color semantics and blocked road visualization
Shear discloses,
toggling live traffic on and off,
[0083] Real-time data feeds module 285 may connect to external sources to ingest or aggregate real-time data from real life incidents, weather reports, evacuation statuses, occupancy/populations of zones, traffic, road closures and [0139] The time-based zone impaction 1215 pane may allow the user to toggle or otherwise turn off the displaying or modeling of each time step. The user may also remove individual zones from the timesteps, add zones to the time steps and create additional timesteps.
a "reset all" command is selected, the filters are returned to their default mode,
[0088] The interface may also allow for the user to reset all the multipliers entered, or selectively remove a multiplier from individual business structures.
Displaying blocked roads,
[0051] The user interface allows a user to understand the likely flow of traffic and plan accordingly. For example, a police agency may identify where to set up traffic control points or where to possibly block off streets to achieve an effective flow of traffic
Shear and Riegelman fail to disclose or teach claimed color semantics and blocked road visualization (yellow color). Riegelman teaches, different highlighting, shading or colors may be used to indicate types of roads (0018). A broad reasonable interpretation of this is a blocked off street or road. Applicant has not demonstrated the criticality of the specific limitation of “yellow line” which under MPEP 2144.04 is an “aesthetic design change”. The court found that matters relating to ornamentation only which have no mechanical function cannot be relied upon to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art (MPEP 2144.04).
Further, given the amendments and upon further consideration, new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Bruce, Baig and Jing Xu et. al. US 20190325742 (“Xu”).
Claim 12
Applicant has argued that the cited prior art does not disclose the limitation of Claim 12.
Shear discloses,
assessing, weighing and factoring in a calculated number of vehicles that have arrived at the end of the generated route (see at least [0051] route intersection travel counts may be determined based on the number of structures or address points and/or the number of vehicles residing at each structure or address point, and [0065] They may also be required to ensure that ingress and egress of vehicles is managed through traffic control points)
the module further offering an option to modify the route in reaching its total evacuation time determination (see at least [0005] The user interface may also be configured for modifying one or more attributes associated with a particular zone, and in some examples the method may include such modifying, [0054] The system (in some examples, based at least in part on user input) also may select the route (or multiple routes) with, or based at least in part, the shortest distance and travel time for each building structure to the exit points, and [0078] The user may modify the evacuation pre-plan by adding/selecting/updating special conditions, critical evacuation facilities, traffic control points, resources for traffic control points, potential routes, prioritized routes based on threat direction, potential arrival points by map or by address, related links or other properties or parameters of the evacuation preplan)Applicant has argued that none of the references disclose, teach or suggest integrating a “color coded evacuation area representation”. Applicant has not demonstrated the criticality of the specific claim limitation of using “purple circles” which under MPEP 2144.04 is an “aesthetic design change”. The court have found that matters relating to ornamentation only which have no mechanical function cannot be relied upon to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art (MPEP 2144.04).
Further, given the amendments and upon further consideration, new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Takayuki Yoshizumi US 20130238242 (“Yoshizumi”).
Claim 13
Applicant has argued that the cited prior art does not disclose the limitation of Claim 13. Examiner respectfully disagrees with the applicant.
Shear discloses,
A simulation module and Baig discloses a X-Y graphing approach to display the output of the simulation module. Baig suggests that the traffic overlay can depict current traffic conditions, which includes congestion either from live traffic overlay or the overlay of output from a simulator module.
Claim 14
Applicant has argued that the cited prior art does not disclose the limitation of Claim 14. Examiner respectfully disagrees with the applicant.
Shear discloses, an evacuation management platform with map display for simulation and real-time incident and evacuation management and Bruce teaches the use of an evacuation route planning tool with mapping and GIS capability.
Claim 16
Applicant has argued that the cited prior art does not disclose blocked road visualization nor the global reset behavior. Examiner respectfully disagrees with the applicant.
Shear discloses,
Blocked road visualization (see at least [0051] The user interface allows a user to understand the likely flow of traffic and plan accordingly. For example, a police agency may identify where to set up traffic control points or where to possibly block off streets to achieve an effective flow of traffic) and
a "reset all" command (see at least [0088] The interface may also allow for the user to reset all the multipliers entered, or selectively remove a multiplier from individual business structures).
Shear, Bruce and Riegelman fail to disclose or teach claimed color semantics and blocked road visualization (yellow color). Riegelman teaches, different highlighting, shading or colors may be used to indicate types of roads (0018). A broad reasonable interpretation of this is a blocked off street or road. Applicant has not demonstrated the criticality of the specific limitation of “yellow line” which under MPEP 2144.04 is an “aesthetic design change”. The court found that matters relating to ornamentation only which have no mechanical function cannot be relied upon to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art (MPEP 2144.04).
Claim 17
Applicant has argued that the cited prior art does not disclose default values comprising two cars per address, a one-mile evac radius, a 0.2 heavy-vehicle percentage, and a thirty-minute departure timeframe. Applicant has argued that the numerical defaults represent a specific, concrete configuration chosen by the inventors. The Specification fails to show the criticality of this exact specific numerical configuration that is being claimed. Examiner respectfully disagrees with the applicant.
Shear discloses an interface that provides the user with a slide bar to modify a vehicle multiplier, ability to select or enter a radius of impact of the incident, and/or a movement/spread speed and direction of the incident, and add details of start time, and end time. A skilled town planner, depending on their population demographics, would do street planning using two cars per address in a single-family home and also account for heavy vehicles on a road. A typical household evacuation time ranges from about 10-15 min for a planned family and about 30 -60 min for an unplanned family. A person skilled would therefore start with a thirty-minute departure time.
Claim 18 and Claim 19
Applicant has argued that the cited reference does not disclose the specific "geographical visual representation of trip time for a requested route in minutes based on departure time in minutes”. Examiner respectfully disagrees with the applicant.
Shear discloses, determining intersection travel counts, route timings, and egress routes.
However, if the applicant disagrees with the examiner, examiner would like to bring Bruce and Baig.
Bruce teaches a route planning tool where evacuation and safe areas are determined, and evacuation routes plotted, based on emergency-specific information as well as road flow and estimated time of travel for each section of road between the evacuation area and safe area. Bruce teaches, routes, evacuation areas, and safe areas are dynamically calculated and recalculated based on additional data, either real-time, historical, or other data added to the system, to compute optimal initial routes and redirect evacuees if changes in the emergency situation occur. For one skilled in the art, evacuation area and safe area are the input origin and destination in a simulation module.
Baig also teaches, geographical visual representation of trip time for a requested route in minutes based on departure time in minutes (see at least Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, [Col. 3, line 57-59] FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary user interface 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, [Col. 4 line 54-57] FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary calendar overview 202 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Calendar overview can include a graph generally 204 that has units of time on an axis 206, [Col. 4 line 61-64] A plurality of trip identifiers can be provided in calendar overview 202, including, for example, trip identifiers 208, 210, and 212. Each trip identifier can represent an available trip between the origin and the destination, and [Col 5, line 1 – 8] The plurality of trip identifiers provided in calendar overview 202 can be ordered according to departure time, such that the trip identifier representing the trip having the earliest departure time is provided at the highest position, as shown in FIG. 2. Alternatively, the plurality of trip identifiers can be ordered based on other parameters or can be maintained and presented in an ordering that was provided by the mapping service or other trip identification functionality).
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.
Claim 11 and 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.
Claim 11 and 12 recites the limitation “optimal route” in the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Robert Shear et. al. US 20220090927 (“Shear”) in view of Edward Riegelman et. al. US 20050034075 (“Riegelman”), Alan Bruce et. al. US 20080046134 (“Bruce”), Jing Xu et. al. US 20190325742 (“Xu”) and Haroon Baig et. al. US 8831881 (“Baig”).
As per Claim 11,
Shear discloses,
An evacuation simulation which calculates and filters relevant simulation data for operator user consumption [Abstract] The scenarios may use simulation models to determine the affected zones and the rate of spread of the incident.
toggling live traffic on and off (see at least [0083] Real-time data feeds module 285 may connect to external sources to ingest or aggregate real-time data from real life incidents, weather reports, evacuation statuses, occupancy/populations of zones, traffic, road closures and [0139] The time-based zone impaction 1215 pane may allow the user to toggle or otherwise turn off the displaying or modeling of each time step)
highlighting an impact area, placing red shading and a hard red outline over the area (see at least [0043] the selected zone may be highlighted or shown in a different color shade than other zones, [0121] The incident impact area 907 may visually indicate the affected areas of the map. The incident impact area 907 may visually differentiate the time-based progression or spread of the impacted area. To visually differentiate the spread of the incident, different colors or shading may be used for the regions affected at corresponding times, and [0122] The user may also select multiple zones by clicking/touching and dragging the selection over the zones that they wish to select, much like a highlighter, or drawing a polygon around the zones that they wish to select)
allowing user to select a waypoint (see at least [0054] the user and/or the system (based at least in part, in some examples, on user input) may select one or more exit points for the one or more zones., and [0076] Egress module 221 may determine which potential egress routes and arrival points are the safest, shortest/closest or fastest from individual structures)
displaying evacuation sequence information (see at least Fig. 7 to Fig. 12N, and [0078] Information from the zones module 215 and routes module 220 may be used by the pre-plans module 225 in the generation and publication of evacuation pre-plans. The user may modify the evacuation pre-plan by adding/selecting/updating special conditions, critical evacuation facilities, traffic control points, resources for traffic control points, potential routes, prioritized routes based on threat direction, potential arrival points by map or by address, related links or other properties or parameters of the evacuation preplan).
displaying blocked roads, by placing a yellow line across the route, (see at least [0004] The map may be displayed by the user interface showing a road network, and [0051] The user interface allows a user to understand the likely flow of traffic and plan accordingly. For example, a police agency may identify where to set up traffic control points or where to possibly block off streets to achieve an effective flow of traffic)
said simulation offering the option to reset the filters and offering the option to run simulation, and wherein once a "reset all" command is selected, the filters are returned to their default mode (see at least [0123] The filter selection 1005 pane may alternatively only display the selected entries as is shown in FIG. 10C. The user may deselect the selected entries by clicking a delete, trash bin, or ‘X’ icon or link associated with the selected entry as is shown in FIG. 10C. With regards to FIG. 10B, the user may uncheck the box associated with the entry selection.
once a "run simulation" command is selected, a detailed map is displayed with a starting and ending point for the simulated route representing the optimal total evacuation time (see at least [0134] FIGS. 12D-12N shows an embodiment of the EPS 102 user interface 1200 in which a user may create a new incident. As shown in FIG. 12D, the user may select “REPOPULATE” or other appropriate statuses from the zone status 1202 to begin the creation of a new incident, [0136] Incident model selection 1210 may provide different incident modeling options to the user. The user may choose between creating a new simulation, using existing simulations, or using a radius model in the simulation, [0075] prepare and plan for potential traffic control points, evacuation arrival points and evacuation routes, [0076] generate potential evacuation routes and identify traffic control points, [0076] Egress module 221 may determine which potential egress routes and arrival points are the safest, shortest/closest or fastest from individual structures, and [0117] The zone status and information 702 pane may also include population, structures, parcels, area, fire and police departments with jurisdiction within the zone, critical evacuation facilities (CEF), population and vehicle potential, arrival points, evacuation resources, community resources, traffic control points, routes and links).
wherein the simulation module further comprises a scenario configuration interface configured to: (a) define the impact area as a geographical impact zone using at least one of a polygon, a circle, or a named neighborhood (see at least [0044] the zones or each respective zone may be associated with a neighborhood, township, municipality, city, or parts or sections thereof. In some examples, such predefined zones may include geographical features, some of which features may be man-made, such as a road network and/or building structures, cordon areas, etc., or natural features such as rivers, mountains, etc. The system and/or platform may take into account such features and may according show one or more of features on a map. In some examples, such predefined zones may have been previously determined to be of importance to particular users or subsets of users, for example, based on one or more geographic locations associated with the particular users (e.g., where such users live or work or travel to or happen to be at during a particular time), [0046] the creating may include one or more of placing an incident point on the map, selecting an incident type, running a perimeter simulation or radius model, building a zone selection set from the perimeter simulation or radius model, and [0051] The route intersection travel counts may be determined based on the number of structures or address points and/or the number of vehicles residing at each structure or address point within the one or more zones and the intersection points which each vehicle travels through during an evacuation).
(b) apply pre-chosen default parameter values for the evacuation scenario, the default parameter values comprising at least: two cars per address, a one-mile evacuation radius, a 0.2 heavy-vehicle percentage, and a thirty-minute departure timeframe:
default values comprise at least:
two cars per address (see at least [0052] the number of vehicles residing at each structure are user adjustable. The user may select a zone or one or more structures within a zone that they wish to modify. The user may then provide the user interface with a multiplier for the selected zone or structures. The multiplier may be used to adjust the number of vehicles residing at the selected zone or structures, [0087] The interface may provide the user with a slide bar to modify a vehicle multiplier. The vehicle multiplier may be used to adjust the estimated number of vehicles within a zone. The multiplier may be applied to individual structures, a category of structures, structures in selected areas or combination thereof. For example, a user may wish to add a multiplier to residential structures over a certain size to take into consideration larger family sizes and the likelihood that a family of five is more likely to have more than one car than a single person living in a studio apartment, and [0092] At step 404, intersect counts module 22 may determine the number of vehicles within the one or more zones based on the estimated population. The determination may also be based partly on the number of addresses a zone may have, which loosely correlates to the number of residential vehicles within a zone. Also, a vehicle multiplier may be used to adjust the estimated number of vehicles within a zone. The determination may take into account a vehicle multiplier applied to individual structures, a category of structures, structures in selected areas or combination thereof).
a one-mile evac radius, (see at least [0104] The user may also select or enter a radius of impact of the incident, and/or a movement/spread speed and direction of the incident, and [0106] the system may run a perimeter simulation or radius model to determine the areas of impact as the incident unfolds)
a 0.2 heavy vehicle percentage defining the density of traffic (see at least [0087] The interface may provide the user with a slide bar to modify a vehicle multiplier, and [0101] the intersect counts module 222 may determine the intersection travel counts based on the number of vehicles that travel through each intersection point,
and a thirty-minute departure timeframe (see at least [0046] the added details may include start time, end time, start data, end date)
(c) load road network data and address data for the impact area and apply network constraints including drivable roads, lane count, contraflow, and road blocks (see at least [0078] The user may modify the evacuation pre-plan by adding/selecting/updating special conditions, critical evacuation facilities, traffic control points, resources for traffic control points, potential routes, prioritized routes based on threat direction, potential arrival points by map or by address, related links or other properties or parameters of the evacuation preplan , [0079] Scenario Module 230 may comprise, modified zones module 235 and modified routes module 240. The modified zones module 235 and modified routes module 240 may be the same as zones module 215 and routes module 220, separate instances of zones module 215 and routes module 220, or unique modules compared to those of zones module 215 and routes module 220. The modified zones module 235 and modified routes module 240 may allow the user to adjust, modify or update parameters or data associated with specific zones. New scenarios may be generated based on existing scenarios by making changes to parameters and data associated with the existing scenario).
(e) visually display, on the detailed map shown after the run simulation command is selected, colored polylines representing road segments and colored points representing addresses, wherein road segments are colored to encode projected congestion levels such that green represents free-flow speed and red represents heavy congestion, and wherein the yellow line across the route represents the simulated optimal evacuation route from the starting point to the ending point (see at least [0088] as the intersect travel counts increase, the size of the indicator may become larger, change color from a first color, representing a smaller number of vehicles, to a second color, representing a larger number of vehicles or a combination thereof. The color scale for the graphical indication may be discrete or continuous. When a discrete color scale is used, ranges of vehicle number values may be assigned to discrete colors. For example 1-50 may be assigned a blue color, 51-100 may be assigned a yellow color, 101-150 may be assigned an orange color and 151+ may be assigned a red color. The number ranges may be manually entered or automatically be generated based on the estimated number of vehicles in the selected zones).
Shear does not specifically disclose,
displaying blocked roads, by placing a yellow line across the route
Bruce further teaches,
displays blocked roads (see at least Fig. 3C, [0087] FIG. 3A illustrates screen 400 that is displayed on display device 102. Screen 400 shows start point 402 and end point 404, and a second screen 406 showing individual details of route 408, and [0089] FIG. 3C illustrates that when a barrier 412, such as a road blockage, is reported or otherwise discovered to be along route 410, that barrier 412 is reported to the dynamic routing tool 116, which then recalculates route 408. The road impedances that are affected by barrier 412 are reported such that any other calculated routes may also be properly determined)
Thus, Shear discloses system and methods for zone-based incident training, simulation, planning and real-time incident and evacuation management and Bruce teaches an evacuation route planning tool.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Shear with determination and plotting of evacuation routes, based on emergency-specific information as well as road flow and estimated time of travel for each section of road between the evacuation area and safe area.as taught by Bruce, with a reasonable expectation of success, to compute optimal initial routes and redirect evacuees if changes in the emergency situation occur (0017).
Shear does not disclose,
displaying blocked roads, by placing a yellow line across the route
Riegelman teaches,
displaying blocked roads, by placing a [yellow] line across the route (see at least [0018] Different highlighting, shading or colors may be used to indicate types of roads). A broad reasonable interpretation of this is a blocked off street or road. Applicant has not demonstrated the criticality of the specific limitation of “yellow line” which under MPEP 2144.04 is an “aesthetic design change”. The court found that matters relating to ornamentation only which have no mechanical function cannot be relied upon to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art (MPEP 2144.04).
Thus, Shear discloses system and methods for zone-based incident training, simulation, planning and real-time incident and evacuation management and Riegelman teaches a GIS-based system and method for simulating, viewing, analyzing and managing emergency and other types of events.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Shear with different highlighting, shading or colors to indicate types of roads as taught by Riegelman, with a reasonable expectation of success, so that decision makers can easily and rapidly navigate to and view essential, up-to-date information using a map-based interface (0028).
Shear does not disclose,
calculate vehicle routes individually and in aggregate, and update congestion statistics for each road segment at sequentially progressing points in time, the congestion statistics including at least worst case single vehicle trip time, median single vehicle trip time, and total clearance time for the impact area:
Xu teaches,
calculate vehicle routes individually and in aggregate, and update congestion statistics for each road segment at sequentially progressing points in time, the congestion statistics including at least worst case single vehicle trip time, median single vehicle trip time, and total clearance time for the impact area (see at least [Claim 1] identifying congestion events for each road of a plurality of roads in a road network, wherein each congestion event indicates a drop in average vehicle speed below a predetermined speed threshold for a particular road in the road network, and wherein the congestion events span a predetermined time period; determining local clusters of the congestion events based on one or more road condition parameters, wherein each local cluster defines a local congestion pattern for a particular road of the plurality of roads in the road network; and grouping the local clusters into one or more global clusters based on the one or more road condition parameters, wherein the global clusters define global congestion patterns in the road network).
Thus, Shear discloses system and methods for zone-based incident training, simulation, planning and real-time incident and evacuation management and Xu teaches method for identifying road congestion for each road for plurality of roads in a network, and determining local clusters for the congestion event.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Shear with determining road congestion as taught by Xu, with a reasonable expectation of success, determines traffic congestion patterns at a local road level (individual roads) as well as a global road network level (general road network) (0018).
Shear does not disclose,
generate and display at least one two-dimensional data visualization including an X-Y axis graph wherein a first colored line along an X-axis represents trip time and a second colored line along a Y-axis represents departure time, the X-Y axis graph illustrating that vehicles departing later in the evacuation take longer to reach their destination
Baig teaches,
generate and display at least one two-dimensional data visualization including an X-Y axis graph wherein a first colored line along an X-axis represents trip time and a second colored line along a Y-axis represents departure time, the X-Y axis graph illustrating that vehicles departing later in the evacuation take longer to reach their destination (see at least Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, [Col. 3, line 57-59] FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary user interface 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, [Col. 4 line 54-57] FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary calendar overview 202 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Calendar overview can include a graph generally 204 that has units of time on an axis 206, [Col. 4 line 61-64] A plurality of trip identifiers can be provided in calendar overview 202, including, for example, trip identifiers 208, 210, and 212. Each trip identifier can represent an available trip between the origin and the destination, and [Col 5, line 1 – 8] The plurality of trip identifiers provided in calendar overview 202 can be ordered according to departure time, such that the trip identifier representing the trip having the earliest departure time is provided at the highest position, as shown in FIG. 2. Alternatively, the plurality of trip identifiers can be ordered based on other parameters or can be maintained and presented in an ordering that was provided by the mapping service or other trip identification functionality).
Thus, Shear discloses system and methods for zone-based incident training, simulation, planning and real-time incident and evacuation management and Baig teaches representing the plurality of trips with a plurality of trip identifiers at different positions on a first axis of a graph.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Shear with interactive display describing a plurality of trips between an origin with a plurality of trip identifiers at different positions on a first axis of a graph and units of time on a second axis as taught by Baig, with a reasonable expectation of success, such that best available trips over an extended period of time can be illustrated and explored by a user operating the interactive user interface (Col. 2, line 64-67).
Claims 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shear in view of Edward Riegelman and Takayuki Yoshizumi US 20130238242 (“Yoshizumi”)
As per Claim 12,
Shear discloses,
A simulation module that processes, updates and displays calculated evacuation simulation data to determine best routes and total evacuation time for operator user consumption, comprising options to analyze the relevant simulation by (see at least [0046] such simulating the occurrence may include creating an incident (which may be a real incident or a not an actual, currently ongoing event) and [0046] the creating may include one or more of placing an incident point on the map, selecting an incident type, running a perimeter simulation or radius model, building a zone selection set from the perimeter simulation or radius model, adding details and/or retrieved predefined information to the incident)
assessing, weighing and factoring in a calculated number of addresses within a chosen evacuation area which is represented in purple circles (see at least [0051] route intersection travel counts may be determined based on the number of structures or address points and/or the number of vehicles residing at each structure or address point within the one or more zones and the intersection points which each vehicle travels through during an evacuation)
assessing, weighing and factoring in a calculated number of passenger cars within the evacuation area (see at least [0051] The route intersection travel counts of intersection points may increase as more vehicles are added to the route between intersection points)
assessing, weighing and factoring in a calculated number of heavy vehicles within the evacuation area (see at least [0051] The route intersection travel counts of intersection points may increase as more vehicles are added to the route between intersection points)
assessing, weighing and factoring in a calculated total clearance time for the evacuation area for these vehicles to reach a waypoint (see at least [0046] such simulating the occurrence may also include adding or removing zones from the selection set based on evacuation time and by clicking on the zones to be added or removed)
assessing, weighing and factoring in a calculated trip time for the requested route from vehicles start location to the waypoint (see at least [0054] The system (in some examples, based at least in part on user input) also may select the route (or multiple routes) with, or based at least in part, the shortest distance and travel time for each building structure to the exit points)
assessing, weighing and factoring in trip time in minutes for a requested route based on departure time in minutes (see at least [0046] the added details may include start time, end time, start data, end date, name, description and or an assigned status of the incident, etc.)
assessing, weighing and factoring in a calculated number of vehicles that have departed along the generated route (see at least [0051] The route intersection travel counts of intersection points may increase as more vehicles are added to the route between intersection points)
assessing, weighing and factoring in a calculated number of vehicles that have arrived at the end of the generated route (see at least [0051] route intersection travel counts may be determined based on the number of structures or address points and/or the number of vehicles residing at each structure or address point, and [0065] They may also be required to ensure that ingress and egress of vehicles is managed through traffic control points)
the module further offering an option to modify the route in reaching its total evacuation time determination (see at least [0005] The user interface may also be configured for modifying one or more attributes associated with a particular zone, and in some examples the method may include such modifying, [0054] The system (in some examples, based at least in part on user input) also may select the route (or multiple routes) with, or based at least in part, the shortest distance and travel time for each building structure to the exit points, and [0078] The user may modify the evacuation pre-plan by adding/ selecting / updating special conditions, critical evacuation facilities, traffic control points, resources for traffic control points, potential routes, prioritized routes based on threat direction, potential arrival points by map or by address, related links or other properties or parameters of the evacuation preplan)
Shear does not disclose,
within a chosen evacuation area which is represented in purple circles,
Riegelman teaches,
within a chosen evacuation area which is represented in purple circles (see at least [0019] The cordon area may be circular, based on an input radius, such as the cordon area 230 highlighted in FIG. 4, or may be some other calculated, selected or drawn shape, depending upon the nature and extent of the event, and [0019] The status of buildings within the cordon area 230 may be indicated (step 610) by changing their shading, coloring or highlighting to show whether occupants of a building have been notified and, if so, whether they have fully evacuated).
Riegelman fails to teach,
“represented in purple circles”. Applicant has not demonstrated the criticality of the specific claim limitation of using “purple circles” which under MPEP 2144.04 is an “aesthetic design change”. The court have found that matters relating to ornamentation only which have no mechanical function cannot be relied upon to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art (MPEP 2144.04).
Thus, Shear discloses system and methods for zone-based incident training, simulation, planning and real-time incident and evacuation management and Riegelman teaches a GIS-based system and method for simulating, viewing, analyzing and managing emergency and other types of events.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Shear with different highlighting, shading or colors to indicate types of roads as taught by Riegelman, with a reasonable expectation of success, so that decision makers can easily and rapidly navigate to and view essential, up-to-date information using a map-based interface (0028).
Shear does not specifically disclose,
wherein the simulation determines routes and total evacuation time by simulating evacuees one at a time, creating for each evacuee a data object storing at least a departure time, a destination choice, and a route, using a routing algorithm on a weighted directional graph of the road network to select an optimal route, and after simulating each evacuee recalculating edge weights of the graph to update road-segment travel times before simulating a next evacuee
Yoshizumi teaches,
wherein the simulation determines routes and total evacuation time by simulating evacuees one at a time, creating for each evacuee a data object storing at least a departure time, a destination choice, and a route, using a routing algorithm on a weighted directional graph of the road network to select an optimal route, and after simulating each evacuee recalculating edge weights of the graph to update road-segment travel times before simulating a next evacuee (see at least [0015] the occurrence of congestion due to an increase in traffic volume is modeled by describing traffic routes as a graph, and approximating the required time of each edge using a monotonically increased piecewise linear function, and [0041] The traffic graph data 504 is weighted graph data in which routes are described in graph form with roads expressed as edges and intersections as nodes, and in which the weight of each road is approximated by a monotonically increased piecewise linear function to model the occurrence of congestion due to an increase in traffic volume, and [0047] The route searching module 510 performs a weighted graph route search using any well-known algorithm such as Dijkstra's Algorithm or an A* search technique).
Thus, Shear discloses system and methods for zone-based incident training, simulation, planning and real-time incident and evacuation management and Yoshizumi teaches route selection system using weighted graph.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Shear with weighted graph route search as taught by Yoshizumi, with a reasonable expectation of success, to search for the lowest cost route, or shortest route, from a departure point to a destination point (0050).
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shear, Riegelman and Yoshizumi as applied to Claim 12 above, and further in view of Baig.
As per Claim 13,
Shear discloses,
simulation module of Claim 12 further featuring an X-Y axis graph wherein,
a first colored line represents trip time on the X-axis and wherein a second colored line on the Y-axis represents departure time, the axis therein showing the trend of vehicles departing later in the evacuation taking longer to reach their destination (see at least [0087] intersect travel counts at each intersection correlates to the number of vehicles that pass through the intersection, and [0087] As the path continues to the egress/arrival point, the intersection travel counts will increase).
Shear does not disclose,
a first colored line represents trip time on the X-axis and wherein a second colored line on the Y-axis represents departure time, the axis therein showing the trend of vehicles departing later in the evacuation taking longer to reach their destination.
Baig teaches,
a first colored line represents trip time on the X-axis and wherein a second colored line on the Y-axis represents departure time, the axis therein showing the trend of vehicles departing later in the evacuation taking longer to reach their destination (See at least Fig. 1, Fig. 2, [Col. 3, line 57-59] FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary user interface 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, [Col. 4 line 54-57] FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary calendar overview 202 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Calendar overview can include a graph generally 204 that has units of time on an axis 206, [Col. 4 line 61-64] A plurality of trip identifiers can be provided in calendar overview 202, including, for example, trip identifiers 208, 210, and 212. Each trip identifier can represent an available trip between the origin and the destination, [Col 5, line 1 – 8] The plurality of trip identifiers provided in calendar overview 202 can be ordered according to departure time, such that the trip identifier representing the trip having the earliest departure time is provided at the highest position, as shown in FIG. 2. Alternatively, the plurality of trip identifiers can be ordered based on other parameters or can be maintained and presented in an ordering that was provided by the mapping service or other trip identification functionality, [Col. 6, line 8-13] Desired departure time indicator 236 can indicate the departure time that was entered by the user when the plurality of trips were requested. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, desired departure time indicator 236 can be a bar that is perpendicular to axis 206, and [Col 8, line 46-48] one or more overlays can be provided on one or more of calendar overview 302, trip summary 309, or map portion 306. For example, a traffic overlay can be provided. The traffic overlay can depict current traffic conditions using various colors or patterns.)
Thus, Shear discloses system and methods for zone-based incident training, simulation, planning and real-time incident and evacuation management and Baig teaches representing the plurality of trips with a plurality of trip identifiers at different positions on a first axis of a graph.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Shear with interactive display describing a plurality of trips between an origin with a plurality of trip identifiers at different positions on a first axis of a graph and units of time on a second axis as taught by Baig, with a reasonable expectation of success, such that best available trips over an extended period of time can be illustrated and explored by a user operating the interactive user interface (Col. 2, line 64-67).
Claims 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shear in view Bruce.
As per Claim 14,
Shear discloses,
the simulation module further offering the option to prompt a "Run Simulation" command once an origin starting point and a destination ending point are chosen (see at least [0134] FIGS. 12D-12N shows an embodiment of the EPS 102 user interface 1200 in which a user may create a new incident. As shown in FIG. 12D, the user may select “REPOPULATE” or other appropriate statuses from the zone status 1202 to begin the creation of a new incident)
Shear does not disclose,
A simulation module that processes, updates and displays calculated evacuation simulation data to determine best routes and total evacuation time, the module visually displaying routes within a chosen origin starting point and a chosen destination ending point,
the module displaying a publicly-available map displaying the common geographic landmarks of established roads, rivers, bodies of water and landmarks,
Bruce teaches,
A simulation module that processes, updates and displays calculated evacuation simulation data to determine best routes and total evacuation time, the module visually displaying routes within a chosen origin starting point and a chosen destination ending point (see at least Fig. 6B)
the module displaying a publicly-available map displaying the common geographic landmarks of established roads, rivers, bodies of water and landmarks (see at least [0052] The ground control 129 correlates collected images with digital street maps to process the imagery data 125, and can focus on roadways of interest if desired, and [0073] GIS generated maps may have several layers, one with the land coordinates, another with roads, another with street lights, and yet another layer with buildings. The present invention uses these layers in different formats to assist in the routing of vehicles, e.g., a basic county map is typically drawn with the land, water, and islands as separate layers within the AGTM system 114)
wherein the simulation generates granular geospatial output data comprising, for each simulated vehicle, a vehicle route and a vehicle trip time and, for each road segment, congestion counts over time, and aggregates the granular geospatial output data into map-based animations and two-dimensional data visualizations comprising at least histograms or Cartesian charts for presentation to an operator.
(see at least Fig. 3A – 3D, Fig. 4A – 4D, [0103] A typical evacuation flow planning using the present invention is further illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6C, [0104] FIG. 6A illustrates network 200 that has an emergency situation where evacuation area 300 and safe area 302 have been defined by the AGTM system 114. The evacuation route planning tool 118 of the present invention now must determine the optimal evacuation routes for each of the nodes 304, 306, 308, and 310).
Thus, Shear discloses system and methods for zone-based incident training, simulation, planning and real-time incident and evacuation management and Bruce teaches an evacuation route planning tool.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Shear with determination and plotting of evacuation routes, based on emergency-specific information as well as road flow and estimated time of travel for each section of road between the evacuation area and safe area.as taught by Bruce, with a reasonable expectation of success, to compute optimal initial routes and redirect evacuees if changes in the emergency situation occur (0017).
Claims 16 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shear in view Riegelman, Bruce and Yu Qian et. al US 20230314148 (“Qian”)
As per Claim 16,
Shear discloses,
A simulation module that processes, updates and displays calculated evacuation simulation data to determine best routes and total evacuation time, wherein,
the simulation module toggles on and off live traffic (see at least [0079] The modified impedance module 243 may determine route timings based on traffic flow, congestion, construction or other factors that slow the speed of vehicles or restrict a vehicle's access to a selected arrival point, [0083] Real-time data feeds module 285 may connect to external sources to ingest or aggregate real-time data from real life incidents, weather reports, evacuation statuses, occupancy/populations of zones, traffic, road closures and [0139] The time based zone impaction 1215 pane may allow the user to toggle or otherwise turn off the displaying or modeling of each time step)
highlights impact area, places red shading and a hard red outline over the impact area (see at least [0104] At step 602, the user may choose to create an incident by placing an incident point on the map. The user may also select an incident area or may enter an address for the location of the incident. The user may also select or enter a radius of impact of the incident, and/or a movement/spread speed and direction of the incident, and [0117] The map key 705 provides an explanation of the symbols and colors used in the map).
identifies an evacuation waypoint (see at least [0111] At step 609, the system sends alerts, notifications, evacuation recommendations, egress points, evacuation arrival points, and/or locations of critical evacuation facilities through the one or more communication channels)
displays evacuation sequence information (see at least [0121] Recommendations for zones to be evacuated and the times at which each zone should be evacuated may be displayed in the scenario evacuation recommendations 905 section. The times at which each zone is evacuated may be based on the rate of spread of the simulated incident, such as a simulated fire spread, flood simulations or hazardous plumes simulations)
the simulation further providing the option to reset these filters, further providing the option to run the simulation in a sequence wherein, once a command "reset all" is selected, the filters are returned to their default mode, (see at least [0017] Mode selection icons 701 may be used to select the mode of operation. The user may select zones, scenarios, training, admin, live or additional modes of operation. Zone status and information 702 may display the current status of the one or more selected zones. An option for the user to clear the selections may be provided to the user, [0123] The filter selection 1005 pane may alternatively only display the selected entries as is shown in FIG. 10C. The user may deselect the selected entries by clicking a delete, trash bin, or ‘X’ icon or link associated with the selected entry as is shown in FIG. 10C. With regards to FIG. 10B, the user may uncheck the box associated with the entry selection, and [0132] For example, the user may select the zone status 1202, and given a list of statuses that may be chosen from. The list may include normal, advisory, clear to repopulate, and other statuses related to incidents occurring within the zone. The list may be dynamically generated with statuses that are relevant to the type of incident and the zones that are selected. The list may also be prepopulated with default statuses. A user may also be allowed to create, edit, or import statuses that are to be used in the zone status 1202 list.)
such that once a command "run simulation" is selected, a detailed map is displayed with a starting and an ending point for the simulated route (see at least [0134] FIGS. 12D-12N shows an embodiment of the EPS 102 user interface 1200 in which a user may create a new incident. As shown in FIG. 12D, the user may select “REPOPULATE” or other appropriate statuses from the zone status 1202 to begin the creation of a new incident).
provides feedback indicating an amount by which the outputs are believed to be incorrect in hours and minutes (see at least [0080] Train Module 250 may comprise simulated incidents module 255 and simulated notification module 260. The train module 250 may allow the user to create and/or modify incidents. The user may simulate an existing incident or scenario, an incident or modified scenario or a newly created incident or scenario).
Shear does not disclose,
displays blocked roads by placing a yellow line across the route,
Bruce teaches,
displays blocked roads by placing a yellow line across the route (see at least Fig. 3C, [0087] FIG. 3A illustrates screen 400 that is displayed on display device 102. Screen 400 shows start point 402 and end point 404, and a second screen 406 showing individual details of route 408, and [0089] FIG. 3C illustrates that when a barrier 412, such as a road blockage, is reported or otherwise discovered to be along route 410, that barrier 412 is reported to the dynamic routing tool 116, which then recalculates route 408. The road impedances that are affected by barrier 412 are reported such that any other calculated routes may also be properly determined)
Thus, Shear discloses system and methods for zone-based incident training, simulation, planning and real-time incident and evacuation management and Bruce teaches an evacuation route planning tool.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Shear with determination and plotting of evacuation routes, based on emergency-specific information as well as road flow and estimated time of travel for each section of road between the evacuation area and safe area.as taught by Bruce, with a reasonable expectation of success, to compute optimal initial routes and redirect evacuees if changes in the emergency situation occur (0017).
Shear does not disclose,
displaying blocked roads, by placing a yellow line across the route
Riegelman teaches,
displaying blocked roads, by placing a yellow line across the route (see at least [0018] Different highlighting, shading or colors may be used to indicate types of roads). A broad reasonable interpretation of this is a blocked off street or road. Applicant has not demonstrated the criticality of the specific limitation of “yellow line” which under MPEP 2144.04 is an “aesthetic design change”. The court found that matters relating to ornamentation only which have no mechanical function cannot be relied upon to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art (MPEP 2144.04).
Thus, Shear discloses system and methods for zone-based incident training, simulation, planning and real-time incident and evacuation management and Riegelman teaches a GIS-based system and method for simulating, viewing, analyzing and managing emergency and other types of events.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Shear with different highlighting, shading or colors to indicate types of roads as taught by Riegelman, with a reasonable expectation of success, so that decision makers can easily and rapidly navigate to and view essential, up-to-date information using a map-based interface (0028).
Shear does not disclose,
wherein the simulation uses an artificial-intelligence model trained on feedback from multiple scenarios to update model parameters for a travel-time congestion calculation to minimize total error with respect to the feedback.
Qian teaches,
wherein the simulation uses an artificial-intelligence model trained on feedback from multiple scenarios to update model parameters for a travel-time congestion calculation to minimize total error with respect to the feedback (see at least [0103] an artificial intelligence (AI) model to detect the number of vehicles waiting in front of the blocked crossing. The system automatically starts whenever a train is detected within the area of interest by a surveillance camera. The correlations between the number of the waiting vehicles and the delay time are established based on the AI model. The model training and validation are performed using the surveillance videos recorded at the crossing of interest)
Thus, Shear discloses system and methods for zone-based incident training, simulation, planning and real-time incident and evacuation management and Qian teaches using artificial intelligence and learning in a route optimization system.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Shear with use of Artificial Intelligence models for training models as taught by Qian, with a reasonable expectation of success, to build a shortest path planning optimization model to minimize the total response time (0100).
As per Claim 17,
Shear discloses,
simulation module of Claim 16 wherein the default values comprise at least:
two cars per address (see at least [0087] The interface may provide the user with a slide bar to modify a vehicle multiplier. The vehicle multiplier may be used to adjust the estimated number of vehicles within a zone. The multiplier may be applied to individual structures, a category of structures, structures in selected areas or combination thereof. For example, a user may wish to add a multiplier to residential structures over a certain size to take into consideration larger family sizes and the likelihood that a family of five is more likely to have more than one car than a single person living in a studio apartment)
a one-mile evac radius (see at least [0104] The user may also select or enter a radius of impact of the incident, and/or a movement/spread speed and direction of the incident, and [0106] the system may run a perimeter simulation or radius model to determine the areas of impact as the incident unfolds).
a 0.2 heavy vehicle percentage defining the density of traffic, (see at least [0087] The interface may provide the user with a slide bar to modify a vehicle multiplier, and [0101] the intersect counts module 222 may determine the intersection travel counts based on the number of vehicles that travel through each intersection point).
and a thirty-minute departure timeframe (see at least [0046] the added details may include start time, end time, start data, end date).
Claims 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shear in view of Bruce.
As per Claim 18,
Shear discloses,
A simulation module that,
processes, updates and displays calculated evacuation simulation data to determine best routes and total evacuation time, wherein the simulation is (see at least [0051] As part of training, simulation and monitoring a real-time incident, the system may provide functionality for route suggestion and traffic control points)
assessing, weighing and factoring in a calculated number of addresses within a named evacuation area (see at least [0051] route intersection travel counts may be determined based on the number of structures or address points)
assessing, weighing and factoring in a calculated number of passenger cars within a named evacuation area (see at least [0051] the number of vehicles residing at each structure or address point within the one or more zones, and [0051] The number of vehicles within the one or more zones may be determined based on a time of day and an estimated population of the one or more zones at that particular time of day)
assessing, weighing and factoring in a calculated number of heavy trucks within a named evacuation area (see at least [0051] the number of vehicles residing at each structure or address point within the one or more zones)
assessing, weighing and factoring in a calculated total clearance time for a named evacuation area (see at least [0046] In some examples, such simulating the occurrence may also include adding or removing zones from the selection set based on evacuation time and by clicking on the zones to be added or removed)
assessing, weighing and factoring in a calculated response time for a named evacuation area, assessing (see at least [0087] intersect counts module 222 may determine route intersection travel counts for the one or more zones. The determination may be based partly on the number of addresses a zone may have, which loosely correlates to the number of residential vehicles within a zone)
weighing and factoring in a calculated trip time for requested route (see at least [0097] the routes module 220 and/or the egress module 221 may determine one or more routes from the building structures within the one or more zones to the one or more exit points)
assessing, weighing and factoring in a geographical visual representation of trip time for a requested route in minutes based on departure time in minutes (see at least [0076] Egress module 221 may determine which potential egress routes and arrival points are the safest, shortest/closest or fastest from individual structures, and [0079] The modified impedance module 243 may determine route timings based on traffic flow, congestion, construction or other factors that slow the speed of vehicles or restrict a vehicle's access to a selected arrival point)
wherein the module is additionally assessing, weighing and factoring in a calculated number of vehicles that have departed along the generated route (see at least [0087] The intersect travel counts at each intersection correlates to the number of vehicles that pass through the intersection. When multiple vehicles take a route to an egress or arrival points from their respective residences or building structures, the vehicles from structures between intersections along the route are added to the intersection travel counts. As the path continues to the egress/arrival point, the intersection travel counts will increase. The interface may provide the user with a slide bar to modify a vehicle multiplier. The vehicle multiplier may be used to adjust the estimated number of vehicles within a zone.)
further assessing, weighing and factoring in a calculated number of vehicles that have arrived at the end of the generated route (see at least Fig. 5, and [0054] the system may also use one or more of these selected routes, and/or the estimated number of vehicles, to determine the number of vehicles that travel through each intersection point)
further offering the option to modify the route (see at least [0005] The user interface may also be configured for modifying one or more attributes associated with a particular zone, and in some examples the method may include such modifying, and [0078] The user may modify the evacuation pre-plan by adding/selecting/updating special conditions, critical evacuation facilities, traffic control points, resources for traffic control points, potential routes, prioritized routes based on threat direction, potential arrival points by map or by address, related links or other properties or parameters of the evacuation preplan)
Claims 19 ais rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shear in view Bruce and Alec Baker et. al. US 20220082636 (“Baker”)
As per Claim 19,
Shear discloses,
A simulation module that processes, updates and displays calculated evacuation simulation data to determine best routes and total evacuation time, wherein
the simulation further comprising the option to follow a "Run Simulation" prompt once an origin starting point and a destination ending point are demarcated (see at least [0134] FIGS. 12D-12N shows an embodiment of the EPS 102 user interface 1200 in which a user may create a new incident. As shown in FIG. 12D, the user may select “REPOPULATE” or other appropriate statuses from the zone status 1202 to begin the creation of a new incident)
Shear does not disclose,
the simulation comprises a map comprising routes within a named origin" starting point and a named destination ending point, and wherein
the map displays common geographic landmarks comprising at least established roads, rivers, bodies of water, and landmarks,
Bruce teaches,
the simulation comprises a map comprising routes within a named origin" starting point and a named destination ending point, and wherein (see at least [0104] FIG. 6A illustrates network 200 that has an emergency situation where evacuation area 300 and safe area 302 have been defined by the AGTM system 114. The evacuation route planning tool 118 of the present invention now must determine the optimal evacuation routes for each of the nodes 304, 306, 308, and 310)
the map displays common geographic landmarks comprising at least established roads, rivers, bodies of water, and landmarks (see at least [0052] The ground control 129 correlates collected images with digital street maps to process the imagery data 125, and can focus on roadways of interest if desired, and [0073] GIS generated maps may have several layers, one with the land coordinates, another with roads, another with street lights, and yet another layer with buildings. The present invention uses these layers in different formats to assist in the routing of vehicles, e.g., a basic county map is typically drawn with the land, water, and islands as separate layers within the AGTM system 114).
Thus, Shear discloses system and methods for zone-based incident training, simulation, planning and real-time incident and evacuation management and Bruce teaches an evacuation route planning tool.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Shear with determination and plotting of evacuation routes, based on emergency-specific information as well as road flow and estimated time of travel for each section of road between the evacuation area and safe area.as taught by Bruce, with a reasonable expectation of success, to compute optimal initial routes and redirect evacuees if changes in the emergency situation occur (0017).
Shear does not disclose,
wherein the simulation generates time-series road congestion metrics for road segments of a road network, the time-series road congestion metrics comprising congestion values for each road segment at numerous points in time and being usable to determine choke points, areas of worst congestion, and road network congestion over time
Baker teaches,
wherein the simulation generates time-series road congestion metrics for road segments of a road network, the time-series road congestion metrics comprising congestion values for each road segment at numerous points in time and being usable to determine choke points, areas of worst congestion, and road network congestion over time (see at least [0013] the predictions are generated using probabilistic techniques that incorporate various types of input data in order to repeatedly produce future time series predictions for each of numerous road segments, such as in a real-time manner based on changing current conditions for a network of roads in a given geographic area, and [0026] FIGS. 2A-2F illustrate various graphical representations of example predictive models for representing knowledge about traffic conditions in a given geographic area. In some embodiments, such predictive models are automatically generated, maintained, and utilized to make predictions and/or forecasts regarding future traffic conditions at multiple future times, such as to predict future time series data for each road segment of interest. Such predictive models may include, but are not limited to, Bayesian or belief networks, decision trees, hidden Markov models, autoregressive trees, and neural networks, [0028] traffic congestion level data for road segments is represented using colors (e.g., green, yellow, red, black) corresponding to enumerated increasing levels of traffic congestion, with green thus corresponding to the lowest level of traffic congestion and black corresponding to the highest level of traffic congestion, [0029] These nodes are labeled SegmentXColor-Y in this example, where X refers to a particular road segment and Y refers to a time in the past (e.g., in minutes, or other unit of time measurement) at which a particular level of traffic congestion on that road segment has been identified (with the traffic congestion level represented here with its corresponding color), [0030] Each output node 204 a-204 g in this example is labeled SegmentXColorY, where X refers to a particular road segment and Y refers to a time in the future for which a particular color corresponding to a level of traffic congestion on that road segment is predicted, and [0031] a value of 10 means that black traffic conditions have been continuously reported for approximately the last 10 minutes, and a value of 0 means that black traffic conditions have been continuously reported for zero minutes).
Thus, Shear discloses system and methods for zone-based incident training, simulation, planning and real-time incident and evacuation management and Baker teaches dynamic time series prediction of future road conditions.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Shear with generating the future traffic condition predictions for each geographic area of interest as taught by Baker, with a reasonable expectation of success, to generate the predicted traffic congestion level conditions on a single road segment at a single future time given current condition information for input variables (0037).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/A.P./Examiner, Art Unit 3668
/Thomas Ingram/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3668
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