DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-9 and 11-13 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 1 recites the limitation “other kind”. The limitation renders the claim indefinite because it is not clear what “other kind” refers to, and the disclosure does not provide standards for determining the scope of the “other” kinds.
For the purpose of further examination, the claim has been interpreted as using a first image sensor to generate a first type of palm print and palm vein images and using a second imaging sensor to generate a second type of palm print and pam vein images, wherein the second type is different from the first type, the first type is generated from transmitted beams (originating from the beam splitter, different from the illuminating beam), and the second type is generated from the reflected beams.
Claims 2-9 and 11-13 depend from claim 1 and therefore inherit all of the deficiencies of claim 1 discussed above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9 and 11-13 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 1, the closest prior art (CN 106570492 A, Nie, CN 101251889B Zhang incorporated by reference) teaches that it was known at the time the application was filed to use a biometric recognition device for palm prints and palm veins (Nie pg. 3: “a photo-acoustic imaging of subcutaneous vascular network identity identification device”), comprising:
a light source being used to emit illuminating beams (Nie Abstract: “comprising an excitation light source, a detection light source);
a polarizing unit being used to convert the illuminating beams to polarized beams, wherein the polarized beams are emitted to a palm (Nie Fig. 1 & pg. 2: “two-dimensional scanning polarizer 5”);
an imaging unit receiving retroreflected beams from the palm and being used to converge the retroreflected beams to a focal plane (Nie Fig. 1 & pg. 3: see 4-6, 11);
a polarizing beam splitter forming transmitted beams and reflected beams based on different polarization directions of beams from the imaging unit, wherein the transmitted beams propagate after pass through the polarizing beam splitter, and the reflected beams propagate after reflected by the polarizing beam splitter (Nie Fig. 1 & pg. 3 discussed above);
an image sensor receiving the transmitted beams from the polarizing beam splitter to form one kind of palm print images and palm vein images (Nie Fig. 1 & pg. 2-3 discussed above, further see Nie pg. 2: “obtaining palm print information and vein blood vessel structure information of the palm”; Nie pg. 3: “for imaging the space geometric structure … high-precision two-dimensional or three-dimensional structure image of the vascular network”); and
the image sensor receiving the reflected beams from the polarizing beam splitter (Nie pg. 2: “dual image helps to improve the recognition rate … coherent light original way returning and reflected on the photoelectric detector 11 by beam splitter 4, photodetector 11 converts the coherent light signal received into an electric signal”; Nie pg. 3: “two-dimensional or three-dimensional structure image of the vascular network”).
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Nie Fig. 1
Nie further teaches that it was known to use NIR band and forming different types of images in CN 101251889 B (Zhang), incorporated by reference (Nie pg. 2: “Document 1 (CN 101251889B) claims a method based on palm vein and palm print of near infrared imaging device and identity recognizing method, obtaining palm print information and vein blood vessel structure information of the palm as integrated matching judgement by the near infrared imaging”; Zhang Abstract: “The invention claims a method based on palm vein and palm print of the near infrared imaging device and identity recognizing method”; Zhang ¶¶0035: “Near infrared imaging device of the invention is composed of a digital camera 1, an infrared light source 2”; Zhang Figs. 5-7).
The prior art (US 20190392189 A1, Kumar) further teaches that it was known at the time the application was filed to use two imaging sensors (Kumar ¶¶0025: “the scanner may utilize one or more cameras operating at 30 frames per second, with images alternating between a first modality image and a second modality image”; Kumar Fig. 3).
Another prior art reference (US 20150356339 A1, Demos) teaches that it was known to use multiple different sensors to form multiple different images (Demos Fig. 3). However, all of the images generated in Demos are from reflected beams (all beams are split and reflected, there is no image formed from a transmitted beam, i.e., split from the beam splitter from the illuminating beam but not reflected, see the white arrows), or the images are split mathematically.
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Demos Fig. 3
In summary, the prior art, alone or in combination, does not appear to teach or suggest using a first image sensor for receiving transmitted beams from the polarizing beam splitter and a second image sensor for receiving reflected beams from the polarizing beam splitter (not in an alternative manner as described in the prior art, demonstrated in Applicant’s Fig. 5 – imaging unit 300 comprises two imaging sensors 500 and 600), wherein the images obtained from the first and second sensor are different types. Note that the transmitted beam passing through the beam splitter is straight/not reflected, and is detected by 500.
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Applicant Fig. 5
Note that the statement applies to the claims only as interpreted by the examiner due to the 35 U.S.C. 112(b) issues. The statement may no longer apply if future amendments change the scope of the claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SOO J SHIN whose telephone number is (571)272-9753. The examiner can normally be reached M-F; 10-6.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Bella can be reached at (571)272-7778. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Soo Shin/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2667 571-272-9753
soo.shin@uspto.gov
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