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 .
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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawabata et al. (Pub NO. US 2020/0237243 A1; hereinafter Kawabata) in view of Aoki et al. (Pub NO. US 2005/0216231 A1; hereinafter Aoki).
Regarding Claim 1, Kawabata teaches a magnetic field measurement device (measurement device in Fig. 4 and Fig. below; See [0062]-[0070]) comprising:
a first sensor unit (first sensor unit 11 in Fig. 4 and Fig. below; See [0066]) having one or more magnetic sensors (11 having plurality of magnetic sensors 1 in Fig. 4 and Fig. below; See [0065]);
a second sensor unit (second sensor unit 14 and S in Fig. 4 and Fig. below; See [0066]) having one or more magnetic sensors (14 having plurality of magnetic sensors 1 in Fig. 4 and Fig. below; See [0065]); and
a moving mechanism configured to change a relative positional relationship between the first and second sensor units (14 has moving mechanism to move towards 11 in Fig. 4 and Fig. below; See [0067]).
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Kawabata teaches second sensor unit (4 in Fig. 4; See [0065]),
However Kawabata is silent about second sensor unit having one or more magnetic field generating coils.
Aoki teaches second sensor unit having one or more magnetic field generating coils (second sensor unit 4 having plurality of magnetic field generating coils 51 in Fig. 7; See [0125]).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was made to the second sensor unit of Kawabata by using second sensor unit having one or more magnetic field generating coils, as taught by Aoki in order to detect position and posture of device (Aoki; [0003]).
Regarding Claim 2, Kawabata in view of Aoki teaches the magnetic field measurement device as claimed in claim 1. Kawabata further teaches wherein the first sensor unit includes a plurality of the magnetic sensors with fixed relative positional relationship (11 has plurality of fixed sensors 1 in Fig. 4), and wherein the second sensor unit includes a plurality of the magnetic sensors with fixed relative positional relationship (14 has plurality of fixed sensors 1 in Fig. 4).
Regarding Claim 3, Kawabata in view of Aoki teaches the magnetic field measurement device as claimed in claim 2. Aoki further teaches wherein the second sensor unit includes a plurality of the magnetic field generating coils with fixed relative positional relationship (second sensor unit 4 includes plurality of magnetic field generating coils 51 with fixed relationship in Fig. 7; See [0125]), and wherein the plurality of magnetic sensors included in the second sensor unit (plurality of magnetic sensors 52 included in the second sensor unit 4 in Fig. 7; See [0125]) and the plurality of magnetic field generating coils included in the second sensor unit have fixed relative positional relationship (all 51’s and 52’s are n fixed positional relationship in Fig. 7; See [0125]).
Regarding Claim 4, Kawabata in view of Aoki teaches the magnetic field measurement device as claimed in claim 3. Kawabata further teaches wherein the moving mechanism is configured to change a distance and an angle between the first and second sensor units (14 has moving mechanism to change direction and angle between 14 and 11 in Fig. 4; See [0067]).
Regarding Claim 5, Kawabata teaches the magnetic field measurement device as claimed in claim 1. Kawabata further teaches wherein the magnetic field generating coil is disposed at a position not protruding from a sensor head included in the second sensor unit in a direction toward the first sensor unit (See the position of S relative to 11 and 14 in Fig. 4).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
OKATAKE et al. (Pub NO. US 2021/0345898 A1) discloses Magnetic Field Measurement device with sensor array with respect to one or more position.
Alford et al. (Pub NO. US 2020/0241094 A1) discloses Magnetic Field Measurement of weak signal.
Martinez et al. (Pub NO. US 2020/0057115 A1) discloses Magnetic Field Shaping component.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZANNATUL FERDOUS whose telephone number is (571)270-0399. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm (PST).
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/ZANNATUL FERDOUS/Examiner, Art Unit 2858
/JERMELE M HOLLINGTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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