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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-5 and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Pub. 2023/0341268 (“Kuter”) in view of U.S. Patent Pub. 2008/0231719 (“Benson”).
Claim 1
Kuter discloses a thermal imaging camera, comprising: a housing (housing 102); a front bracket (fastener 120, 122); an infrared assembly configured to detect infrared radiation (paragraph [0043], infrared camera 114); a visual assembly configured to receive visual radiation (paragraph [0043], visual assembly 116), wherein the infrared assembly and the visual assembly are disposed substantially within the housing (Fig. 2); and a positioning device configured to position the visual assembly in relation to the infrared assembly (positioning device 104).
Kuter does not appear to explicitly disclose at least one cooling element configured to cool at least the infrared assembly.
Benson discloses a similar camera system including a cooling module 150 (paragraph [0039]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have incorporated at least one cooling element configured to cool at least the infrared assembly, as disclosed by Benson, into the device of Kuter, for the purpose of reducing signal noise (Benson, paragraph [0010]).
Claim 2
Kuter in view of Benson discloses the thermal imaging camera according to claim 1.
Kuter does not appear to explicitly disclose wherein the positioning device is disposed between the front bracket and the cooling element.
Benson discloses positioning a cooling element between the front bracket lens and positioning device (paragraph [0010]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have incorporated wherein the positioning device is disposed between the front bracket and the cooling element, as disclosed by Benson, into the device of Kuter, for the purpose of reducing signal noise (Benson, paragraph [0010]).
Claim 3
Kuter in view of Benson discloses the thermal imaging camera according to claim 1, wherein the infrared assembly and the visual assembly are arranged overlapping with one another by way of the positioning device (Kuter, Fig. 2, 114 and 116 overlap vertically).
Claim 4
Kuter in view of Benson discloses the thermal imaging camera according to claim 1, wherein the positioning device comprises at least one receptacle for the infrared assembly that at least partially surrounds the infrared assembly (Kuter, Fig. 2, 114 and 116 are outlined by oval receptacle).
Claim 5
Kuter in view of Benson discloses the thermal imaging camera according to claim 1, wherein the positioning device comprises a receptacle for the visual assembly that at least partially surrounds the visual assembly (Kuter, Fig. 2, 114 and 116 are outlined by oval receptacle).
Claim 9
Kuter in view of Benson discloses the thermal imaging camera according to claim 1, wherein the positioning device comprises at least one positioning element configured to position the front bracket relative to the infrared assembly and/or the visual assembly (Kuter, Figs. 6a and 6b).
Claim 10
Kuter in view of Benson discloses the thermal imaging camera according to claim 1, wherein the cooling element comprises at least one alignment element and the positioning device comprises at least one receptacle for the alignment element, and wherein the alignment element is configured to align the positioning device by way of the receptacle for the alignment element relative to the cooling element (Kuter, Fig. 2).
Claims 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Pub. 2023/0341268 (“Kuter”) in view of U.S. Patent Pub. 2008/0231719 (“Benson”), further in view of U.S. Patent Pub. 2007/0120060 (“Lane”).
Claim 6
Kuter in view of Benson disclose the thermal imaging camera according to claim 1.
Kuter does not appear to explicitly disclose wherein the positioning device comprises at least one shielding element configured to shield thermal radiation from the visual assembly toward the infrared assembly
Lane discloses a thermal sensor with thermal barrier including a shielding element (paragraph [0069]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have incorporated wherein the positioning device comprises at least one shielding element configured to shield thermal radiation from the visual assembly toward the infrared assembly, as disclosed by Lane, into the device of Kuter in view of Benson, for the purpose of reducing an impact of extraneous heat (Lane, paragraph [0069]).
Claim 7
Kuter in view of Benson discloses the thermal imaging camera according to claim 1.
Kuter does not appear to explicitly disclose wherein the front bracket comprises at least one insulating element configured to insulate the infrared assembly.
Lane discloses a thermal sensor with thermal barrier including a shielding element (paragraph [0069]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have incorporated wherein the front bracket comprises at least one insulating element configured to insulate the infrared assembly, as disclosed by Lane, into the device of Kuter in view of Benson, for the purpose of reducing an impact of extraneous heat (Lane, paragraph [0069]).
Claim 8
Kuter in view of Benson, further in view of Lane discloses the thermal imaging camera according to claim 6, wherein the shielding element abuts the insulating element (Lane, paragraph [0069]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERICA S Y LIN whose telephone number is (571)270-7911. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-4, TW M,W.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Douglas X Rodriguez can be reached at (571) 431-0716. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ERICA S LIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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