DETAILED ACTION
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 . Claims 1-4 and 9-24 are pending and examined below. This action is in response to the claims filed 8/5/25.
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s arguments, see Applicant Remarks 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) filed on 8/5/25, regarding 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) interpretations are persuasive. 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) interpretations are withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see Applicant Remarks 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) filed on 8/5/25, regarding 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) rejections are persuasive in view of amendments filed 8/5/25. 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) rejections are withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see Applicant Remarks 35 U.S.C. § 102 filed on 8/5/25, regarding 35 U.S.C. § 102 rejections are persuasive in view of amendments filed 8/5/25. However, upon further consideration, new grounds of rejection is made in view of further citations to the art of record below.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(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 1-4 and 9-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Wilhelm Rekow et al. (US 2002/0165649), herein “Wilhelm”.
Regarding claims 1, 9, and 10, Wilhelm discloses a multiple vehicle navigation control system including a robot control system/method/non-transient computer readable medium storing a program, comprising (Abstract and ¶58):
a plurality of mobile robots (¶46 and Fig. 5A – master vehicle and one or more slave vehicles corresponding to the recited plurality of mobile robots);
a control apparatus that is communicably connected to the plurality of mobile robots and manages and controls the plurality of mobile robots (¶57 – control and navigation system specifically with control modules of master and slave vehicles corresponding to the recited control apparatus connected to the robots to initiate controls); and
a sensor apparatus that is communicably connected to the control apparatus and senses an image of the plurality of mobile robots in a predetermined area, wherein the control apparatus executes (¶3 and ¶29-30 – positioning system corresponding to the recited sensor apparatus to sense the vehicles in bounded areas corresponding to the recited predetermined area where vehicle control system further utilizes video cameras arranged on the vehicles to allow the controller of the master vehicle to view both the forward and the rear views from the slave vehicles):
generating control information including information related to a location and an intermediate destination of each of the plurality of mobile robots, the control information being generated based on information obtained from the sensor apparatus, the obtained information being calculated based on the image of the plurality of mobile robots (¶3 and ¶30-34 – determination of a destination point with an optimal course to acquire the desired destination point from a current position where each optimal course is determined relative to the master path corresponding to the recited control information for each of the plurality of mobile robots at the same timing based on the positioning system corresponding to the recited sensor apparatus where vehicle control system further utilizes video cameras arranged on the vehicles to allow the controller of the master vehicle to view both the forward and the rear views from the slave vehicles); and
transmitting the generated control information to each of the plurality of mobile robots (¶49 – transmitting the master path corresponding to the recited transmitting generated control information to each of the mobile robots),
wherein a leader robot in the plurality of mobile robots executes: calculating a first control value of the leader robot by using the information related to the location and the intermediate destination of the leader robot in the control information; and controlling the leader robot based on the calculated first control value of the leader robot (¶30 – master vehicle corresponding to the recited leader robot automatically follows a predetermined path corresponding to the recited calculating and executing a first control value using the information related to the current location and intermediate destination of the leader robot in the control information), and
wherein a follower robot in the plurality of mobile robots executes: calculating a second control value of the leader robot by using the information related to the location and the intermediate destination of the leader robot in the control information; calculating a control value of the follower robot by using the calculated second control value of the leader robot and the information related to the location and the intermediate destination of the follower robot in the control information; and controlling the follower robot so as to follow the leader robot based on the calculated control value of the follower robot (¶30 – slave vehicle corresponding to the recited follower robot utilize parameters to determine appropriate steering and speed commands corresponding to the recited second control values of the follower robot based on the relative parameters/controls of the master vehicle corresponding to the recited control value of the leader robot to automatically position themselves relative to the master vehicle corresponding to the recited controlling a movement of the follower robot so as to follow the leader robot based on the calculated control value of the follower robot).
Regarding claims 2, 19, and 23, Wilhelm further discloses wherein the sensor apparatus executes: detecting a current location of each of the plurality of mobile robots at the same timing based on sensor information obtained by sensing the plurality of mobile robots in the predetermined area (¶37-38 – positioning system determines the locations of any number of vehicles controlled by the system corresponding to the recited detecting a current location of each of the plurality of mobile robots at the same timing within the bounded area corresponding to the recited the predetermined area); and
transmitting information related to the current location of each of the plurality of mobile robots at the same timing to the control apparatus (¶37-38 and ¶60 – vehicles receive their current locations as well as that of the master vehicle through the positioning system and location generator 90), and
wherein the control apparatus, in the generating the control information, executes (¶57 – control and navigation system specifically with control modules of master and slave vehicles corresponding to the recited control apparatus connected to the robots to initiate controls):
acquiring the information related to the current location of each of the plurality of mobile robots at the same timing from the sensor apparatus (¶60 and Fig. 10A – elements 402 and 404 corresponding to the recited acquiring the information related to the current location of each of the plurality of mobile robots at the same timing from the sensor apparatus);
calculating the intermediate destination of each of the plurality of mobile robots based on the information related to the current location and a final destination set in advance (¶60 and Fig. 10A – determining destination point as well as pseudo destination point based on current location and current course corresponding to the recited current location and a final destination set in advance); and
generating the control information including the information related to the current location, the intermediate destination, and the final destination of each of the plurality of mobile robots (¶60 and Fig. 10A – course is maintained or adjusted corresponding to the recited generating the control information based on the destination point, pseudo destination point, current location, and current course corresponding to the recited current location, the intermediate destination, and the final destination for each slave vehicle corresponding to the recited each of the plurality of mobile robots).
Regarding claims 3, 20, and 24, Wilhelm further discloses wherein the sensor apparatus executes transmitting the sensor information obtained by sensing the plurality of mobile robots in the predetermined area to the control apparatus (¶37-38 and ¶60 – positioning system determines the locations of any number of vehicles controlled by the system corresponding to the recited detecting a current location of each of the plurality of mobile robots at the same timing within the bounded area corresponding to the recited the predetermined area), and
wherein the control apparatus, in the generating the control information, executes (¶57 – control and navigation system specifically with control modules of master and slave vehicles corresponding to the recited control apparatus connected to the robots to initiate controls):
detecting a current location of each of the plurality of mobile robots at the same timing based on the sensor information (¶37-38 and ¶60 – positioning system determines the locations of any number of vehicles controlled by the system corresponding to the recited detecting a current location of each of the plurality of mobile robots at the same timing within the bounded area corresponding to the recited the predetermined area which is received by the control and navigation system);
calculating the intermediate destination of each of the plurality of mobile robots based on the information related to the current location and information related to a final destination set in advance (¶60 and Fig. 10A – determining destination point as well as pseudo destination point based on current location and current course corresponding to the recited current location and a final destination set in advance); and
generating the control information including the information related to the current location, the intermediate destination, and the final destination of each of the plurality of mobile robots (¶60 and Fig. 10A – course is maintained or adjusted corresponding to the recited generating the control information based on the destination point, pseudo destination point, current location, and current course corresponding to the recited current location, the intermediate destination, and the final destination for each slave vehicle corresponding to the recited each of the plurality of mobile robots).
Regarding claims 4, 11, 12, and 21, Wilhelm further discloses wherein the calculating the first control value of the leader robot in the leader robot and the calculating the second control value of the leader robot in the follower robot comprise (¶30 and ¶60-62 – master vehicle corresponding to the recited leader robot determines first control values for itself while slave vehicle corresponding to the recited follower robot also determines second control values for the leader robot so it can follow):
calculating a current location of the leader robot when acquiring second control information subsequent to acquisition of first control information as the control information based on first control information (¶60-62 and Figs 10A-11 – calculating an optimal course corresponding to the recited current location of the leader robot when acquiring subsequent path planning controls corresponding to the recited second control information subsequent to the first control information as the control information based on first control information);
calculating a movement error between the calculated current location of the leader robot and the current location of the leader robot included in the second control information (¶60-62 and Figs 10A-11 – difference in optimal course and current course corresponding to the recited movement error between the calculated current location of the leader robot and the current location of the leader robot included in the second control information);
calculating a base velocity of the leader robot by using the calculated movement error (¶59 – if a difference is determined corresponding to the recited calculated movement error, determine the adjustments to be made in the individual vehicle location, heading, speed and other parameters where speed corresponding to the recited base velocity); and
calculating the control value of the leader robot by using the calculated base velocity of the leader robot, and the calculated current location and the calculated intermediate destination of the leader robot included in the second control information (¶60-62 and Figs 10A-11 – control values are iteratively calculated based on previous control values/calculated/measured locations and destinations to provide second control information), and
wherein the calculating the base velocity comprises calculating the base velocity so that a speed becomes lower as the movement error becomes larger (¶54 – maintaining relative position between master and slave vehicles while maintaining a parallel trajectory would require speed adjustments for the leader to decrease or follower vehicle to increase at higher rates as the error increases therefore corresponding to the recited calculating the base velocity so that a speed becomes lower as the movement error becomes larger).
Regarding claims 13, 14, 15, and 22, Wilhelm further discloses wherein in the calculating the base velocity, the movement error in "x" direction, the movement error in "y" direction, and an angle error in a traveling direction in the calculated movement error are weighted and adjusted (¶45 and Fig. 4 – relative positioning between master and slave vehicles utilized in determining optimal/current course related adjustments utilize relative X, Y, and heading angle values to determine steering and speed adjustments).
Regarding claims 16, 17, and 18, Wilhelm further discloses wherein in the calculating the base velocity, the weighting is changed according to a curvature of a circular path of the leader robot (¶65 – slave vehicles can follow evolving curves associated with the turns of the master vehicle corresponding to the recited calculating base velocity according to the weighted curvature of the leader robot).
Additional References Cited
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Ewerhart et al. (US 2005/0012603) discloses a vehicle following system which utilizes a plurality of sensors for determining relative positioning including cameras, radars, lasers, ultrasonic, etc. (¶1)
Takeda (US 2012/0265409) discloses an autonomous vehicle system which utilizes cameras to follow a traveling-ahead vehicle utilizing adaptive cruise control (¶29).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Matthew J Reda whose telephone number is (408)918-7573. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday 7-4 ET.
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/MATTHEW J. REDA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3665