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 § 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-15 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Beauchemin (2022/0392042)
Regarding claim 1, Beauchemin discloses taking a digital image of the object using the camera the image comprising digital image data (Beauchemin: paragraph 0108), causing the computing system to derive digital measured data from the digital image data, the measured data representing a measured shape of the object (Beauchemin: figure 3), obtain digital reference data representing a nominal shape of the object (Beauchemin: figure 3), compare the measured data and the reference data and generate, based on the comparison of the measured data and the reference data, an output indicating one or more instance of compliance or non-compliance of the measured shape of the object to the nominal shape of the object (Beauchemin: figure 9; paragraphs 0140 and 0146), wherein obtaining digital reference data involves extracting the reference data from a computer file containing model data defining a model of the object, said computer file preferably being a computer-aided design (CAD) file (Beauchemin: figure 9; paragraph 0157), wherein the method typically includes storing the extracted reference data in a reference data file, and wherein the model data comprises data defining a plurality of entities that define the object, each entity being defined by respective entity data that is associated with at least one characteristic (Beauchemin: figures 3 and 9), wherein extracting the data from the computer file involves filtering the model data based on one or more of said at least one characteristic, and wherein the filtering may involve extracting at least one instance of entity data based on one or more of said at least one characteristic, and/or excluding from extraction at least one instance of entity data based on one or more of said at least one characteristic, and/or excluding at least one instance of entity data that is determined to be not related to the nominal shape of the object (Beauchemin: figures 3 and 9; paragraphs 0119, 0128-wherein the exclusion is not including data other than the roots or crests).
Regarding claim 2, Beauchemin discloses wherein said at least one characteristic may comprise any one or more of data type; entity type; line type; line thickness; colour; and layer of the model data with which the entity or data is associated (Beauchemin: paragraph 0119 wherein the line types are crest and root).
Regarding claim 3, Beauchemin discloses wherein the filtering involves extracting at least one instance of entity data that is determined to define at least part of the nominal shape of the object and/or a dimension of at least part of the nominal shape of the object and/or a tolerance of a dimension of at least part of the nominal shape, and/or wherein the filtering involves excluding from extraction at least one instance of entity data that is determined not to define at least part of the nominal shape of the object or a dimension of at least part of the nominal shape of the object or a tolerance of a dimension of at least part of the nominal shape (Beauchemin: paragraphs 0119 and 0128).
Regarding claim 4, Beauchemin discloses wherein the filtering involves extracting at least one instance of entity data that is determined to define a line, or a curve or an arc or a circle or an ellipse (Beauchemin: paragraphs 0119 and 0128).
Regarding claim 5, Beauchemin discloses wherein said one or more of said at least one characteristic is selected in response to user input received via a user interface provided by the computing system, the method preferably further including causing the computer system to display via a display device at least one image generated from said computer file, the image comprising at least one representation of the object, and to enable user interaction with the displayed at least one image via the user interface, said one or more of said at least one characteristic being selected in response to said user interaction, and wherein, preferably, said user interaction involves selection by the user of said one or more of said at least one characteristic (Beauchemin: figures 2-3 and 9).
Regarding claim 6, Beauchemin discloses wherein said user interaction involves selecting one or more part of the at least one representation of the object included in the at least one displayed image, and wherein the method may include causing the computing system to determine said one or more of said at least one characteristic depending on which characteristic(s) are associated with the selected one or more part of the at least one representation of the object included in the at least one displayed image (Beauchemin: figure 9).
Regarding claim 7, Beauchemin discloses wherein determining that at least one instance of entity data is not related to the nominal shape of the object comprises any one or more of determining that said at least one instance of entity data is not connected to the nominal shape of the object; determining that said at least one instance of entity data does not define an enclosed perimeter; determining that said at least one instance of entity data forms an enclosed perimeter that is not located within an enclosed perimeter associated with the nominal shape of the object (Beauchemin: figure 3; paragraphs 0119 and 0128)
Regarding claim 8, Beauchemin discloses wherein the model data comprises data defining a plurality of entities that define the object, and wherein the method further includes assigning each measurement contained in said measured data to an entity contained in said model data that defines at least part of the nominal shape of the object (Beauchemin: figure 3; paragraph 0119).
Regarding claim 9, Beauchemin discloses wherein assigning each measurement to an entity involves assigning the measurement to the entity that is determined to be closest to the respective measurement, and wherein, preferably, determining which entity is closest to the measurement involves calculating a distance between each measurement point and each entity along a notional line from the measurement that is normal to a profile of the entity (Beauchemin: paragraph 0113).
Regarding claim 10, Beauchemin discloses further including aligning the measured data assigned to a respective entity with the respective entity by rotating and/or translating the measured data to align with the data defining the respective entity, and/or minimizing the distance, or error, between the measured data and the entity data (Beauchemin: paragraph 0113).
Regarding claim 11, Beauchemin discloses further including fitting the measured data assigned to a respective entity with an entity type, preferably a shape entity type, associated with the respective entity, and wherein, preferably, comparing the measured data and the reference data involves comparing the fitted measured data of the respective entity with nominal shape data of the respective entity (Beauchemin: figures 3-4 and 9; paragraphs 0113, 0119, and 0128).
Regarding claim 12, Beauchemin discloses wherein the model data comprises data defining at least one shape entity and data defining at least one dimension entity, and wherein each instance of shape entity data comprises a shape entity type, at least one shape entity reference point and optionally a shape entity size, and each instance of dimension entity data comprises a dimension type and at least one reference point, and wherein the method includes associating each instance of dimension entity data with one or more respective instance of shape entity data by comparing the respective dimension entity type with the respective shape entity type and determining that the respective dimension entity type matches the respective shape entity type, and/or by comparing the respective at least one shape entity reference point with the respective at least one dimension entity reference point and determining that the respective at least one shape entity reference point and the respective at least one dimension entity reference point are less than a threshold distance apart, and/or by comparing the respective shape entity size with a distance between at least two dimension entity reference points and determining that the respective shape entity size matches said distance (Beauchemin: figures 3-4 and 9; paragraphs 0113, 0119, and 0128).
Regarding claim 13, Beauchemin discloses assigning each instance of dimension entity to a respective instance of shape entity if only one instance of shape entity is associated with the respective instance of dimension entity, and/or if there more than one instance of shape entity is associated with a respective instance of dimension entity, causing the computer system to display via a display device a list of said more than one instance of shape entity, and to enable user select one of the instances of shape entity on the displayed list via the user interface, and assigning the respective instance of dimension entity to the instance of shape entity selected by the user (Beauchemin: figures 3-4 and 9; paragraphs 0113, 0119, and 0128).
Regarding claim 14, Beauchemin discloses providing said object on a work surface in a field of view of the camera; providing at least one mark on said work surface in the field of view of the camera, said at least one mark being shaped and dimensioned to be detectable in images taken by said camera; taking a reference image with said camera and determining a reference location for said at least one mark from said reference image; taking at least one subsequent image with said camera and determining a respective subsequent location for said at least one mark from each subsequent image; comparing the respective subsequent location with the respective reference location; and adjusting the image data and/or the measured data depending on the difference between the respective subsequent location and the respective reference location, and/or generating an output indicating that the difference between the respective subsequent location and the respective reference location is excessive (Beauchemin: figures 3-4 and 9; paragraphs 0113, 0119, 0128, and 0132).
Regarding claim 15, Beauchemin discloses calculating from the respective subsequent location and the respective reference location, an amount by which the relative position of the work surface and the camera has changed, and adjusting the image data and/or the measured data depending on said amount to compensate for the change in the relative position of the work surface and the camera, preferably only if said amount is less than a threshold value (Beauchemin: figures 3-4 and 9; paragraphs 0113, 0119, and 0128).
Regarding claim 20, note the examiners rejection for claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 16-19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 20220364851 11/2022 Engman
US20220020136 01/2022 Hyatt
US20170256466 09/2017 Bishop
US20110255770 10/2011 Touya
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVE CZEKAJ whose telephone number is (571)272-7327. The examiner can normally be reached 8-6:00 Monday-Thursday and every other Friday.
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 please contact Jamie Atala at 571-272-7384. 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.
/Dave Czekaj/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2487
Prosecution Insights