Appeal 2007-0862
Application 10/680,675
BACKGROUND
“Reproduction of selected plant varieties by tissue culture has been a
commercial success for many years” (Specification 1). The predominant
approach to conifer tissue culture is somatic embryogenesis, a process in
which
an explant, usually a seed or seed embryo, is placed on an
initiation medium where it multiplies into a multitude of
genetically identical immature embryos. . . . [T]he immature
embryos are placed on a development or maturation medium
where they grow into somatic analogs of mature seed embryos.
These embryos are then individually selected and placed on a
germination medium for further development.
(Id.) “[T]he selection from the maturation medium of individual embryos
suitable for germination . . . is a skilled yet tedious job that is time
consuming and expensive” (id. at 2).
The Specification discloses a method for automated sorting of
embryos. The method is “based on classification of plant embryos by the
application of classification algorithms to digitized images and absorption,
transmittance, or reflectance spectra of the embryos” (id. at 3).
The method first develops a classification model by acquiring
raw digital image data of reference samples of plant embryos of
known embryo quality. . . . Data analysis is performed . . .
using one or more classification algorithms to develop a
classification model for classifying plant embryos by embryo
quality. . . . Raw digital image data of plant embryos of
unknown embryo quality is then acquired using the same
methods . . . [and] analyzed using classification algorithms used
to develop the classification model in order to classify the
quality of the plant embryo of unknown quality.
(Id. at 3-4.)
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