Ex Parte BIEMAN - Page 5




                  Appeal No. 2004-0659                                                                                           
                  Application No. 09/111,978                                                                                     

                                  15.    Referring once again to Fig. 2, U.S. Patent 5,464,733 states                            
                  (emphasis added):                                                                                              
                          Using the tri-linear array camera 24 for scanning produces three images of the                         
                          scanned surface 18 with each image being offset by a certain number of rows.                           
                          This offset is a function of the spacing between arrays and the rate at which the                      
                          image of the surface 18 is moved past the sensing elements 25. (Col. 4, lines 33-                      
                          38)                                                                                                    

                                  PROSECUTION HISTORY OF THE ORIGINAL APPLICATION                                                
                                  16.    As noted earlier, the patent sought to be reissued was based on                         
                  application 08/593,095, filed January 29, 1996 ("original application").                                       
                                  17.    As filed, the original application contained claims 1 through 27.                       
                  Claims 1 and 14 were independent claims (reproduced below).  Claims 2 through 13 and                           
                  15 through 27 depended therefrom, respectively.                                                                
                                  18.    Claim 1 as originally filed read as follows:                                            
                                  Claim 1 (as filed).  A method for high speed, scanning phase measuring of                      
                  an object at a vision station to develop physical information associated with the object,                      
                  the method comprising the steps of:                                                                            
                          projecting a pattern of imagable electromagnetic radiation with at least one                           
                  projector;                                                                                                     
                          moving the object relative to the at least one projector at the vision station to scan                 
                  the projected pattern of electromagnetic radiation across a surface of the object to                           
                  generate an imagable  electromagnetic radiation signal;                                                        
                          receiving the imagable electromagnetic radiation signal from the surface of the                        
                  object with a detector having a plurality of separate detector elements;                                       
                          maintaining the at least one projector and the detector in fixed relation to each                      
                  other;                                                                                                         
                          measuring an amount of radiant energy in the received electromagnetic radiation                        
                  signal with the detector wherein the detector elements produce images having different                         
                  phases of the same scanned surface based on the measurement; and                                               
                                                              - 5 -                                                              





Page:  Previous  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  Next 

Last modified: November 3, 2007