DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to the application filed 12/20/2024.
Claims 1-10 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Oh, et al., U.S. PGPUB No. 2019/0163847 (“Oh”).
With regard to Claim 1, Oh teaches a method for structuring disaster information by a disaster information management device including at least one processor, the method comprising:
receiving disaster damage history information by the disaster information management device ([0061] describes that in generating a disaster-connection scenario, a history of disasters may be referenced in a particular region to be modeled); and
generating a disaster damage scenario by visualizing a situation and flow of damage caused by a disaster in the form of a scenario using a symbolization model from the received disaster damage history information by the disaster information management device (0062] describes that disaster connection scenarios are generated, where Figs. 5A and 5B show that graphic symbols are used in generating the connection scenarios), wherein
the symbolization model represents a chain damage flow of the disaster with a unique symbol according to a disaster damage progression pattern, and includes components classified into hazard which indicates a natural phenomenon or human-induced physical event or physical influence that causes the damage (Figs. 5A and 5B show a chain of disasters and damage caused thereby. [0058] describes that information is classified into types of disasters, where [0062]-[0063] describe that the system models occurrences of different types of disasters based on the characteristics of the region; in the example, determining that heavy rains can cause a natural landslide disaster because of regional classification as a landslide hazard region, as well as social disasters such as loss of rail or communication networks when such elements are present in the region)
exposure which indicates that an entity such as a human, living organism, ecosystem, building, or facility is into contact with the hazard ([0063] describes an example where subsidence of a road network is identified on the basis of the landslide hazard associated with the region being modeled), and
impact which indicates physical, social, system, and functional effects or actions caused by the exposure ([0063] describes that the road, rail, and communication networks are identified as impacted and potentially lost in the disaster-connection scenario).
With regard to Claim 2, Oh teaches that in the symbolization model, the hazard, the exposure, and the impact are set in advance as unique symbols according to a type of a detailed component, and items that can occur are linked and configured according to a time-series order or causal relationship of each component, and the unique symbol is set so that the unique symbol is visually identified through at least one of a shape or color of a figure or a combination thereof.
[0052] describes that the system determines a connection scenario associated with received disaster-related information. [0055] describes that the modeling of the spread of disasters is performed as well, and [0058] describes that disaster impacts and effects are calculated based on the characteristics of the specified region. As shown in Figs. 5A-5B, the determined hazard and things exposed and impacted are displayed as determined to be connected to the original disaster, where the figures show that the elements determined as successive in the connection are displayed uniquely, both with an identifying number and a color that gets progressively darker as the graphics move through the generated connection scenario.
With regard to Claim 3, Oh teaches that in the symbolization model, the hazard has, as a detailed component, a cause of damage set according to at least one of the conditions of a type, scale, and region of the disaster, and in the generating of the disaster damage scenario, when a plurality of causes causing the damage have a sequential structure, the order of the causes is visually displayed differently. [0058]-[0060] describe that the regional characteristics for a selected region and a specific index of connection between disasters is used to generate the connection scenario. As shown in Figs. 5A and 5B, when different hazards and connections are determined, a given event causes different disasters and hazards, which in turn cause damage to different types of things.
With regard to Claim 4, Oh teaches that in the symbolization model, the exposure has, as a detailed component, a damaged region indicating geographical information where damage occurs and a damage object indicating an object where damage occurs in a region in into contact with a hazard, and in the generating of the disaster damage scenario, a geographical type or administrative district of the damaged region is set, and according to the setting of the damaged region, a physical natural object or artificial object within the region is set as the damage object. [0063] describes an example where a region that is hit with a disaster has various infrastructure elements therein. Upon determination that a disaster will cause damage to those elements, those elements are included in the scenario as being damaged by the hazard created by the disaster.
With regard to Claim 5, Oh teaches that in the symbolization model, the impact has, as a detailed component, a damage result indicating a change in a state of a damage object due to the cause of the damage, and human losses and property damage occurring in the damage object according to the damage result, and in the generating of the disaster damage scenario, a state in which a target’s intended function is completely lost or a physical form or properties of the target are changed is set as the damage result, and the type of damage that occurs according to the setting of the damage result is set according to the classification criteria. [0063] describes that a communication network or railroad can be determined to be damaged or lost as a result of a particular disaster resulting from an event.
With regard to Claim 6, Oh teaches pre-storing additional information organized based on cases from the disaster damage history information for each component for the symbolization model in a database, wherein the additional information is stored in a manner that links possible occurrence items according to a time-series order or causal relationship of each of the detailed components of the hazard, the exposure, and the impact that constitutes the symbolization model. [0058] describes that information on characteristics of a region, and the disaster history and stored connections between disasters are used in predicting the disaster outcomes for the given scenario. [0060] describes that regional characteristics and an index of connection between disasters is then used in generating the disaster connection scenario.
With regard to Claim 7, Oh teaches that in the pre-storing of the additional information in the database, additional information on the cause of damage including at least one of emergency situation classification, disaster classification, a disaster damage scale, a case, crisis warning criteria, and a responsible department is stored in the database, and in the generating the disaster damage scenario, the detailed components of the hazard are displayed through a user interface (UI) by referring to the additional information on the cause of damage called from the database. [0058] describes that in generating the connection scenario, the received disaster information includes type and intensity of the disaster, as well as the characteristics of the region. The connection of the disaster is then calculated using weightings and this information, to generate the scenarios such as are displayed in Figs. 5A and 5B.
With regard to Claim 8, Oh teaches that in the pre-storing of the additional information in the database, additional information on the damaged region including at least one of a region name, a region type, and a topographical feature, and additional information on a damage object including at least one of a distinction indicating a classification type indicating a target where damage has occurred or may occur and a functional classification indicating a social and environmental function provided by the target are stored in the database, and in the generating of the disaster damage scenario, the detailed components of the exposure are displayed through a user interface by referring to the additional information on the damaged region and the additional information on the damage object called from the database. [0058] describes a region name is used to retrieve information about the region being modeled. Figs. 5A and 5B show both the disasters caused by the scenario being modeled, as well as the infrastructure and other things affected. [0063] describes that damage to a particular element such as a road network or other infrastructure is displayed as a consequence of the disaster.
With regard to Claim 9, Oh teaches that in the pre-storing of the additional information in the database, additional information on impact including the type of change in the state of the target and additional information on human losses and property damage including the type of damage are stored in the database, and in the generating of the disaster damage scenario, the detailed component of the impact is displayed through a user interface by referring to the additional information on impact and the additional information on the human losses and property damage called from the database. [0062]-[0063] describes that the connection scenario generated for display includes a description of types of damage which occur, such as an explosion of a chemical plant, water pollution due to inflow of wastewater, or loss of a railroad and a communication network in an area.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Oh, in view of Vercellone, et al., U.S. PGPUB No. 2002/0116242 (“Vercellone”).
With regard to Claim 10, Oh, in view of Vercellone teaches generating a response strategy for the generated disaster damage scenario, wherein in the response strategy, a disaster damage situation is derived according to the disaster damage scenario, a response agency for each detailed item is set in response to each derived disaster damage situation, and a response task is assigned according to passage of time to the set response agency.
Oh teaches generating damage scenarios for various things, as described at [0062]-[0063]. Vercellone teaches at [0040] that a disaster planning tool enables creation of an operations matrix, which depicts response tasks for a given disaster, and which county and state actors and agencies are responsible for which tasks in response to the disaster. The matrix also accounts for the distance, with near, adjacent, and far components relating to where responders are located being used to determine responses.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time this application was filed to Vercellone with Oh. One of skill in the art would have sought the combination, to improve user experience by adding response planning, thereby increasing utility and enabling use of the connection scenario data produced by the system.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEITH D BLOOMQUIST whose telephone number is (571)270-7718. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 8:30-5 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kieu Vu can be reached at 571-272-4057. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/KEITH D BLOOMQUIST/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2171
9/8/2026
Prosecution Insights