Published Technical Disclosure Archive

Surveillance Marker System for Environmental and Infrastructure Monitoring

Publication ID: 24-11857266_0007_PTD
Published: November 07, 2025
Category:New Applications & Use Cases

Legal Citation

pr1or.art Inc., “Surveillance Marker System for Environmental and Infrastructure Monitoring,” Published Technical Disclosure No. 24-11857266_0007_PTD, Published November 07, 2025, available at https://archive.pr1or.art/24-11857266_0007_PTD
This technical disclosure describes improvements that would be readily apparent to a Person Having Ordinary Skill In The Art (PHOSITA) when considered in combination with the foundational architecture disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 11,857,266.

Summary of the Inventive Concept

A novel surveillance marker system leveraging robotic-assisted surgery technology for monitoring environmental pollution, detecting wildfires and landslides, and ensuring structural integrity and crop health.

Background and Problem Solved

The original patent's surveillance marker system was designed for robot-assisted surgical techniques, but its core technology can be adapted to address pressing environmental and infrastructure challenges. The new inventive concept tackles the limitations of existing monitoring systems by providing a more accurate, efficient, and cost-effective solution.

Detailed Description of the Inventive Concept

The surveillance marker system comprises a network of markers dispersed throughout a designated area, a tracking camera system, and a processor configured to detect changes in environmental pollution, wildfires, landslides, structural integrity, or crop health based on images captured by the tracking camera system. The system can be deployed in various settings, including environmental monitoring stations, wildfire-prone areas, landslide zones, infrastructure sites, and agricultural fields.

Novelty and Inventive Step

The new claims introduce a paradigm shift in applying the surveillance marker technology to entirely different industries, including environmental monitoring, wildfire detection, landslide prevention, structural integrity assessment, and crop health management. The inventive step lies in the innovative adaptation of the core technology to address diverse, high-impact problems.

Alternative Embodiments and Variations

Alternative embodiments may include using different types of surveillance markers, such as passive or active markers, or integrating the system with other sensing technologies, like IoT devices or drones. Variations may involve deploying the system in various environmental conditions, such as underwater or in extreme temperatures.

Potential Commercial Applications and Market

The surveillance marker system has vast commercial potential in industries like environmental consulting, wildfire management, infrastructure inspection, and precision agriculture. The system can be marketed as a cost-effective, efficient, and accurate solution for monitoring and detecting environmental and infrastructure-related hazards, with potential clients including government agencies, private companies, and research institutions.

CPC Classifications

SectionClassGroup
A A61 A61B34/20
A A61 A61B34/30
A A61 A61B2034/2057
A A61 A61B2034/2072
A A61 A61B2090/3916
A A61 A61B2090/3937
A A61 A61B2090/3991

Field of Art

Robotic-assisted medical and tracking systems, with expertise in marker-based positioning, tracking technologies, and sensor integration across medical and environmental monitoring domains

Person of Ordinary Skill (PHOSITA) Profile

A skilled professional with advanced engineering or technical background, capable of understanding robotic tracking systems, sensor technologies, and cross-domain technology adaptation, possessing knowledge of computer vision, marker design, and signal processing techniques

Obviousness Rationale

A PHOSITA would recognize the fundamental tracking marker technology from the surgical robot patent can be readily adapted to environmental monitoring applications by substituting the tracking context while maintaining core technological principles of marker placement, camera tracking, and positional analysis. The core technical mechanism of using markers for precise spatial tracking is directly transferable across domains with predictable results. The variations represent straightforward technological translation leveraging existing tracking system architectures.

Obvious Combinations & Variations

Source Patent Element
Surgical robot tracking markers disposed for movement tracking
PTD Variation
Environmental surveillance markers deployed in wildfire-prone areas or agricultural fields
Obviousness Reasoning
Known technique of marker-based tracking can be predictably applied to different spatial monitoring contexts using identical technological principles
Source Patent Element
Dynamic reference base post with surveillance marker
PTD Variation
Structural integrity monitoring marker attached to infrastructure elements
Obviousness Reasoning
Marker positioning and tracking methodology is a finite, transferable solution applicable across different physical tracking requirements
Source Patent Element
Processor configured to detect marker tracking and registration
PTD Variation
Processor analyzing marker images to detect environmental changes or crop health
Obviousness Reasoning
Image processing and tracking algorithms represent a known, adaptable technique for extracting spatial and contextual information
Source Patent Element
Tracking camera system for surgical instrument localization
PTD Variation
Tracking camera system for monitoring landslide potential or pollution levels
Obviousness Reasoning
Camera-based tracking represents a standard, predictable technological approach for spatial monitoring across multiple domains
Source Patent Element
Surveillance marker with configurable positioning
PTD Variation
Markers deployable in diverse environmental conditions like underwater or extreme temperatures
Obviousness Reasoning
Material and design adaptations represent standard engineering design choices for extending technological applicability
35 U.S.C. § 103 Summary: Based on US Patent 11857266's comprehensive disclosure of marker-based tracking systems, the present publication demonstrates that a Person Having Ordinary Skill In The Art would find the environmental and infrastructure monitoring variations obvious and predictable extensions of existing surgical tracking technologies, thereby rendering potential claims in these domains anticipated and non-patentable under standard obviousness analysis.

Original Patent Information

Patent NumberUS 11,857,266
TitleSystem for a surveillance marker in robotic-assisted surgery
Assignee(s)Globus Medical, Inc.