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 .
Status of Claims
No claim amendments were presented with this applicant Arguments dated 03/02/2026, only arguments, thus Examiner will be suing the claims as presented on 04/21/2025.
Claim 11 previously cancelled.
Claims 1-10 and 12-16 are pending.
Response to Arguments/Remarks
Rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 103
Applicant argues:
In the Office Action claims 1-10 and 12-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as
being unpatentable over US20180364726 (hereinafter "Foster"), in view of US
2017/0311534A1 (hereinafter "Rusciolelli"), in view of EP2764764 (hereinafter "Bischoff"),
and further in view of "Agricultural Robotics: Unmanned Robotic Service Units in
Agricultural Tasks" (hereinafter "Cheein").
It is respectfully submitted that the features of claim 1 as amended are not disclosed or suggested in cited references.
The Office relies on Foster as the primary reference. This reference is discussed in the application as filed, including at paragraphs [0018]-[0023] of the published application (US 2022/0221877): Patent application US2018/364726 is known in the state of the art, describing a control system for an agricultural work vehicle system comprising a controller with a memory and a processor, the controller being configured to:
Determine multiple partitions based, at least in part, on a map of an agricultural field;
Determine a partition list of multiple partitions based, at least in part, on a set of bounding characteristics of each of the multiple partitions;
Determine an order of the multiple partitions based on the partition list of the multiple partitions; and
Output a signal indicative of a travel path for the agricultural work vehicle.
This solution is not satisfactory for several reasons. First of all, it requires continuous exchanges, with high speeds, between the autonomous vehicle and the server when it is the server that controls one or more robots, or a significant computing power for the computer of the autonomous vehicle, as well as a communication capacity between the autonomous vehicles to coordinate their movements.
Applicant respectfully submits that Foster does not disclose the features as claimed in the manner asserted by the Office. With reference to paragraphs [0003]-[0004] and [0019], it is asserted that Foster discloses: "calculating a topology of an area of movement, carried out by a server separate from a computer of one of the autonomous vehicles, the computer calculating a digital map of a surface to be processed comprising defining travel lines and associating each travel line with an identifier, without assigning travel lines to a particular autonomous vehicle during said calculating the digital map, the
digital map including at least georeferenced border data of area of movement and a plurality of georeferenced indexed travel lines Li being said travel lines associated with identifiers." Applicant respectfully disagrees.
In the relied upon paragraphs, it is acknowledged that Foster discusses the determination of partitions based on a map of an agricultural field and a partition list, and outputting a signal indicative of a travel path for the agricultural work vehicle. However, Foster is silent regarding "calculating a digital map of a surface to be processed comprising defining travel lines and associating each travel line with an identifier, without assigning travel lines to a particular autonomous vehicle during said calculating the digital map, the digital map including at least georeferenced border data of area of movement and a plurality of georeferenced indexed travel lines Li being said travel lines associated with identifiers." There is no disclosure in Foster, particularly in the relied upon paragraphs, of defining travel lines, associating travel lines with identifiers, and including georeferenced index travel lines associated with identifiers. The "partitions" described by Foster are not travel lines, as is made clear in paragraph [0027]: " the field may be split into partitions which enables the partitions of the field to be ordered for the travel path of the work vehicle 10. For example, each partition may include a different type of travel path, such as a path around the edge of the field, a path around an obstacle, a path that includes a group of substantially parallel rows, etc. After the field has been split into partitions, the vehicle controller 46 may order the partitions such that the work vehicle 10 travels through the partitions sequentially. Further, as discussed above, at least one partition may include a group of substantially parallel rows." (emphasis added). It is made clear here that partitions are parts of an area, but not necessary travel lines.
The Office also relies on paragraph [0019], particularly the phrase "and then to determine a travel route." However, this phrase has no connection to the features in claim 1 to which it is cited against. Claim 1 recites calculations and determinations made by a server that is separate from the autonomous vehicle. But the sentence referenced by the Office is clearly referring to the vehicle determining a travel route: "In some embodiments, the work vehicle 10 or scouting vehicle may be directed to travel around a perimeter of the field 14 to determine the outer bounds of the field 14 and then to determine a traversal
route." This paragraph does not disclose or suggest the features of claim 1.
It is also asserted that claim 9 of Foster discloses the feature of claim 1 of: "guiding steps, during travel on an identified travel line assigned to a vehicle after said calculating the digital map, controlled by the computer of the vehicle in question, taking into account the digital map precalculated by the separate computer, comprising: transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed travel line Li to each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles." However, claim 9 states: "wherein each of the plurality of work
vehicles has a different width, and wherein the controller is configured to assign each of the plurality of partitions to a respective work vehicle of the plurality of work vehicles based, at least in part, on the different widths of the each of the plurality of work vehicles."
Thus, the cited passages of claim 9 make no disclosure or reference to transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed travel line to each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles, and does not reference indexed travel lines at all.
The remaining cited references fail to make up for these deficiencies in Foster.
The Office relies on Rusciolelli to teach the "service message," but the technical problems solved are fundamentally different. Rusciolelli is an exception-handling and emergency re-planning system (reacting to obstacles or full tanks). The subject matter of claim 1 is a nominal sequential protocol for routine operation (allocating the next task upon normal completion of the current one). A person having ordinary skill in the art would not have been motivated to use a complex emergency re-planning system to perform simple, line-by-line task orchestration.
Further, Rusciolelli is reactive in that it focuses on stopping/diverting after a conflict is detected. The subject matter claimed is proactive: it uses a resource-locking mechanism in the database to preemptively exclude lines from allocation, ensuring a conflict can never occur.
The Office cites Cheein to show the state of the art. However, Cheein explicitly states that agricultural robotic navigation is still largely experimental. An obviousness rejection requires a "reasonable expectation of success" and predictable results. The fact that the field is characterized as experimental by the Office's own reference argues against the predictability of combining such complex systems.
Bischoff identifies path segments strictly for sensor calibration (metrology). These are temporary tuning zones. In contrast, the indexed lines of the present application are persistent logical entities used for fleet-wide resource management (logistics/data architecture). There is no technical incentive to merge a machine-tuning process into a geometric planner to create a fleet allocation system.
In view of the foregoing, it is respectfully submitted that claim 1 would not have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art based on the cited references, and is in allowable form.
As claim 15 recites features similar to those in claim 1 and discussed above, for similar reasons, it is respectfully submitted that claim 15 also would not have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, and is in allowable form.
At least in view of their dependency on independent claim 1, it is respectfully submitted that dependent claims 2-14 and 16 are in allowable form.
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Foster does teach the limitation’s in their broadest reasonable interpretation. Foster discloses an agricultural fleet system which creates a map for the controller, thus it is digital. In ¶ 0004, Foster describes partitions based, at least in part, on a set of bounding characteristics which can include topology of the field [¶ 0017 which describes the shape and obstacles in the field] (topology, according to Wikipedia and copilot search in Google, is used to detect and identify topological barriers such as obstacles, holes and determining the best path for the vehicle). Thus Foster does disclose this feature.
Further in the arguments the applicant is only concentrating on specific paragraphs and is not taking into consideration the ART as a whole (examiner does say see at least).
Note that the Applicant is encouraged to consider the cited art in the entirety, even though the Office Action has not cited one or more parts of a reference, the uncited portions may also have particular relevance to the pending claims and/or any potential amendments.
Foster does disclose defining travel lines and associating each travel line in ¶ 0026 and 0035 at least which describes swath paths in any configuration.
Foster determines a travel path which is given to the controller (thus is digital) (see below). If a travel path is calculated and discharged to control then all limitations are covered in their BRI.
Applicant argues that Rusciolelli does not teach a service message. A service message can be any type include those that would be use by the applicant’s reason or as indicated in the remarks, as an emergency re-planning system when reacting to obstacles.
Cheein further encourages further work, such as is indicated in this application. As indicated in the conclusion “Hopefully, this article has provided sufficient information for an interest-ed reader to further improve the field of unmanned service units to massive the use of such vehicles in main and secondary agricultural tasks.” Thus is indicating that their data is a start to do more and achieve more in the field of autonomous agricultural systems/machines.
Applicant goes on to say that Bischoff is not the same and does not support the other art. Bischoff does disclose georeferencing [col. 2, lines 9-28] indicates “so as to recall the map data during the harvest in a georeferenced manner and to use them to set up work parameters of the harvester to be adjusted automatically.” And basis of georeferenced data obtained during the biomass development. During the harvesting operation, a regulation of the rate of advance and the setting of the work parameters of the combine harvester take place on the basis of the theoretical map so as to attain an acceptable threshing quality and losses. Bischoff further teaches [col. 4, line 64 – Col. 5, line 6] “It is not the overriding goal of the invention to immediately derive direct indications from the electronic map data for the optimal adjustment of the machine. Rather, the areas with the same or similar characteristics and their limits are to be recognized. For the individual areas, an optimization by an internal control loop initially takes place. These found values can then be used to “train” the electronic map in a known manner. Another advantage is that a learning-capable, georeferenced electronic map can be built up as a framework for various control tasks in which the development expense is reduced.”
Note that under a broadest reasonable interpretation (BRI), words of the claim must be given their plain meaning, unless such meaning is inconsistent with the specification. The plain meaning of a term means the ordinary and customary meaning given to the term by those of ordinary skill in the art at the relevant time. The ordinary and customary meaning of a term may be evidenced by a variety of sources, including the words of the claims themselves, the specification, drawings, and prior art. However, the best source for determining the meaning of a claim term is the specification - the greatest clarity is obtained when the specification serves as a glossary for the claim terms. The words of the claim must be given their plain meaning unless the plain meaning is inconsistent with the specification. 2111.01 (I). See also In re Marosi, 710 F.2d 799, 802, 218 USPQ 289, 292 (Fed. Cir. 1983) ("'[C]laims are not to be read in a vacuum, and limitations therein are to be interpreted in light of the specification in giving them their ‘broadest reasonable interpretation.'"2111.01 (II)
With respect to the interpretation of claim terms, MPEP 2111 states:
The Patent and Trademark Office ("PTO") determines the scope of claims in patent applications not solely on the basis of the claim language, but upon giving claims their broadest reasonable construction "in light of the specification as it would be interpreted by one of ordinary skill in the art." In re Am. Acad. of Sci. Tech. Ctr., 367 F.3d 1359, 1364[, 70 USPQ2d 1827, 1830] (Fed. Cir. 2004). Indeed, the rules of the PTO require that application claims must "conform to the invention as set forth in the remainder of the specification and the terms and phrases used in the claims must find clear support or antecedent basis in the description so that the meaning of the terms in the claims may be ascertainable by reference to the description." 37 CFR 1.75(d)(1).
The words of the claim must be given their plain meaning unless the plain meaning is inconsistent with the specification In re Zletz, 893 F.2d 319, 13 USPQ2d 1320 (Fed. Cir. 1989).
"Though understanding the claim language may be aided by explanations contained in the written description, it is important not to import into a claim limitations that are not part of the claim. For example, a particular embodiment appearing in the written description may not be read into a claim when the claim language is broader than the embodiment." Superguide Corp. v. DirecTV Enterprises, Inc., 358 F.3d 870, 875, 69 USPQ2d 1865, 1868 (Fed. Cir. 2004).(see MPEP 2111.01).
During patent examination, the pending claims must be "given their broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the specification." The broadest reasonable interpretation does not mean the broadest possible interpretation. Rather, the meaning given to a claim term must be consistent with the ordinary and customary meaning of the term (unless the term has been given a special definition in the specification), and must be consistent with the use of the claim term in the specification and drawings. Further, the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claims must be consistent with the interpretation that those skilled in the art would reach. In re Cortright, 165 F.3d 1353, 1359, 49 USPQ2d 1464, 1468 (Fed. Cir. 1999) (see PMEP 2111).
Accordingly, the claims herein will be interpreted in accordance with the MPEP 2111.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-10 and 12-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Foster et al. [US20180364726, now Foster] in view of Rusciolelli [US20170311534, now Rusciolelli], in view of BISCHOFF [EP2764764, now Bischoff], further with F. A. Auat Cheein and R. Carelli, "Agricultural Robotics: Unmanned Robotic Service Units in Agricultural Tasks," in IEEE Industrial Electronics Magazine, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 48-58, Sept. 2013, [now Cheein].
Claim 1
Foster discloses a method of managing a fleet of self-guided agricultural vehicles, each comprising a device for real-time determination of coordinates of its current position [see at least Foster, Abstract; ¶ 0019 (“a map may be updated during operation of the work vehicle “)], the method comprising:
calculating a topology of an area of movement, carried out by a computer separate from a computer of one of the autonomous vehicles, the computer calculating a digital map of a surface to be processed comprising defining travel lines and associating -each travel line with an identifier, without assigning travel lines to a particular autonomous vehicle during said calculating the digital map, the digital map including at least georeferenced border data of area of movement and a plurality of georeferenced indexed travel lines Li [see at least Foster, abstract; ¶ 0003 – 0004 (“In one embodiment, a control system of an agricultural work vehicle system includes a controller that includes a memory and a processor. The controller is configured to determine multiple partitions based, at least in part, on a map of an agricultural field. Further, the controller is configured to determine a partition list of the multiple partitions based, at least in part, on a set of bounding characteristics of each of the multiple partitions. In addition, the controller is configured to determine an order of the multiple partitions based on the partition list of the multiple partitions. Moreover, the controller is configured to output a signal indicative of a travel path for the agricultural work vehicle. [0004] In another embodiment, a method for creating a travel path through an agricultural field for a work vehicle includes determining, via a controller, multiple partitions based, at least in part, on a map of an agricultural field. The method further includes determining, via the controller, a partition list of the multiple partitions based, at least in part, on a set of bounding characteristics of each of the multiple partitions. In addition, the method includes determining, via the controller, an order of the multiple partitions based on the partition list of the multiple partitions. Moreover, the method includes outputting, via the controller, a signal indicative of a travel path for the agricultural work vehicle.”); 0019 (“and then to determine a traversal route”); and
guiding steps, during travel on [[a]] an identified travel line assigned to a vehicle after said calculating the digital map, controlled by the computer of the vehicle in question, taking into account the digital map precalculated by the separate computer, comprising: transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed travel line Li to each of the self- guided agricultural vehicles [see at least Foster, Claim 9 (“to assign each of the plurality of partitions to a respective work vehicle of the plurality of work vehicles based, at least in part, on the different widths of the each of the plurality of work vehicles.”)],
wherein: - the method comprises an initial step of storing at least one copy of the digital map in a digital memory of each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles [see at least Foster; ¶ 0022 (“The memory device 50 may store processor-executable instructions (e.g., firmware or software) for the processor 48 to execute, such as instructions for controlling the work vehicle 10. The storage device(s) (e.g., nonvolatile storage) may include ROM, flash memory, a hard drive, or any other suitable optical, magnetic, or solid-state storage medium, or a combination thereof. The storage device(s) may store data (e.g., field maps), instructions (e.g., software or firmware for controlling the work vehicle, etc.), and any other suitable data.”)];
- the area of movement of each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles is controlled by a local computer on a basis of the allocated indexed travel lines Li and the position coordinates [see at least Foster, ¶ 0021 (“the processor 48 may include multiple microprocessors, one or more “general-purpose” microprocessors, one or more special-purpose microprocessors, and/or one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICS), or some combination thereof. For example, the processor 48 may include one or more reduced instruction set (RISC) processors.”); 0033 (“in certain embodiments, control functions of the vehicle control system 26 may be distributed between the vehicle controller 46 and the base station controller 68. In further embodiments, the base station controller 68 may perform a substantial portion of the control functions of the vehicle control system 26. Indeed, any processes of the vehicle controller 46 and the base station controller 68 may be allocated to either controller in at least some embodiments. Furthermore, at least part of the processes described herein may be performed via a cloud-based service or other remote computing, and such computing is considered part of the vehicle control system 26.”)].
Foster does not specifically disclose but Rusciolelli, from the same field of endeavor, teaches the allocation messages for a following indexed line Li is transmitted to a self- guided agricultural vehicle when the self-guided agricultural vehicle transmits a service message [see at least Rusciolelli, Claim 11 (“transmit”); ¶ 0015 ("provide a mission plan for an autonomous vehicle, the mission plan including a path for the autonomous vehicle to travel while performing an agricultural operation... monitor for an event condition reported by an autonomous vehicle; and (d) upon receiving an event condition, provide a revised mission plan for the autonomous vehicle in which the revised mission plan adjusts the path to resolve the event condition")].
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the control system configured to determine multiple partitions (lines of travel) with the to implement transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed line Li to each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles Li, as taught by Rusciolelli, from the same field of endeavor, in order to account for path deviations. Thus improving safety, effectiveness and efficiency.
Foster in view of Rusciolelli fails to explicitly disclose/teach but Bischoff does teach wherein each vehicle is each associated with an identifier being said travel lines associated with identifiers [see at least Biscoff, Abstract; ¶ 0014 (“determined during driving and cutting at least some of the routes identified in step (e) and are used in subsequent steps (d).”); 0019 (“the routes identified”)].
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the control system configured to determine multiple partitions (lines of travel) with the to implement transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed line Li to each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles Li, as taught by Rusciolelli, in order to account for path deviations, further with the ability to assign travel lines of Bischoff. Thus improving safety, effectiveness and efficiency.
Cheein further teaches and supports the concepts of the art of record and indicates the obviousness of combining the art of record. [see at leash Cheein, page 48; page 49, col. 1; Detection section (“The detection of the agricultural features is directly related to the purpose of the service unit design and the sensors incorporated on it. The detection stage in Figure 1 is aimed at answering the following two questions: Which is the biological feature of interest? How is such a feature extracted/detected? Artificial vision cameras, range lasers, and ultrasonic devices are widely used for acquisition of features [19]–[22]. In particular, image acquisition and processing is being increasingly applied in precision agriculture [23], [24]. Although most of the implementations are used for weed detection [25]–[27], artificial vision systems are also used for navigation. Such a case is shown in [28], wherein an autonomous robot used the Hough transform to navigate between the furrows of an olive grove. In a previous work of the authors [29], a monocular vision system was used to acquire stem information from an olive grove, based on support vector machines (this classification uses a linear kernel, which was previously trained with a positive image set—with olive stems—and a negative set—without olive stems). Subramanian et al. [30] integrate a range laser scanner with a vision system to obtain histograms of the environment. Such a histogram is a range-laser-based methodology for processing environmental information (it stores geometrical information in the form of angle and range histograms [31]). Hence, the histograms allow for a collision-free navigation of the agricultural machinery. Ultrasonic sensors have also been used to measure the range. For example, Zhao et al. [32] present a system to measure the harvest area by using ultrasonic sensors positioned at both sides of the harvest header—to detect the crops—and a GPS for machinery positioning.”); Table 1; conclusion].
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the control system configured to determine multiple partitions (lines of travel) with the to implement transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed line Li to each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles Li, as taught by Rusciolelli, in order to account for path deviations, further with the ability to assign travel lines of Bischoff. Cheein further combines the concepts of all of the ART of record and shows the state of the art in this subject area. Thus combining the ART allows for improving safety, effectiveness and efficiency.
Claim 2,
Foster view of Rusciolelli, Bishoff and Cheein discloses the method of Claim 1.
Foster discloses wherein the digital map further comprises at least georeferenced data for at least one area to be worked constituted by a set of reference sections of at least one line or of a border of the area, [see at least Foster, ¶ 0016 (“in certain embodiments, the agricultural implement 12 may be a tillage tool, a fertilizer application tool, a seeding or planting tool, a cutting tool, or a harvesting tool, among others. In the present embodiment, the agricultural implement 12 is towed and/or pushed by the work vehicle 10. In other embodiments, the agricultural implement may be integrated within the work vehicle. Further, in some embodiments, the agricultural implement may include an air cart that is towed behind the agricultural implement or integrated within the implement or work vehicle.”)].
Rusciolelli further teaches this limitation [see at least Rusciolelli , ¶ 0034 ("The paths 60 may be bounded be a field line 62 (which may also include a fence) and/or demarcated sections of the field 50, such as a first section 64 for the first team 56 to operate, and a second section 66 for the second team 58 to operate. In one aspect, the vehicles 10 may operate systematically in rows, hack and forth, each row having a width "W" determined to accommodate the vehicles 10 for maximum fanning production. The mission plan may take into account known or expected obstacles in the field 50, such as trees 70, a local base station 72, or a water formation 74, such that the paths 60 may be arranged in advance with turns 76 to avoid such obstacles in completing rows of a section.")].
and wherein the self-guided agricultural vehicles each comprise at least one work tool able to assume at least two states,[see at least Rusciolelli , ¶ 0031 ("The agricultural operation control system 38 may allow for general operation of the agricultural machinery 14 by the control system 20, such as collecting an agricultural product (such as for harvesting), dispensing an agricultural product (such as for planting or spraying), actuating an agricultural product (such as for cutting or raking) and the like");
the local computer further controlling the state of the at least one work tool as a function of the position coordinates and of the digital map. [see at least Rusciolelli, ¶ 0033 "the lead vehicle (A or C) may conduct a first agricultural operation in an area of the field 50 before a following vehicle (B or D) may conduct a second agricultural, operation in the same area. For example, the lead vehicle (A or C) may be a harvester for harvesting crops, and the following vehicle (B or D) may be a tiller for tilling the ground after the crops have been harvested.").
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the control system configured to determine multiple partitions (lines of travel) with the to implement transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed line Li to each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles Li, as taught by Rusciolelli, from the same field of endeavor, inorder to account for path deviations. Thus improving safety, effectiveness and efficiency.
Claim 3
Foster view of Rusciolelli, Bishoff and Cheein discloses the method of Claim 2.
Foster further discloses wherein the local computer of the self-guided agricultural vehicle commands a change in the state of its at least one work tool on the basis of the position coordinates [see at least Foster, ¶ 0016 (“The agricultural implement 12 may be any suitable implement for performing agricultural operations throughout the field 14. “)].
Foster does not specifically disclose by Rusciolelli does teach wherein the digital map comprises at least one crossable area of interest constituted by a set of reference sections of at least one line or of a border of the area [see at least Rusciolelli , ¶ 0034 "The paths 60 may be bounded be a field line 62 (which may also include a fence) and/or demarcated sections of the field 50, such as a first section 64 for the first team 56 to operate, and a second section 66 for the second team 58 to operate. In one aspect, the vehicles 10 may operate systematically in rows, hack and forth, each row having a width "W" determined to accommodate the vehicles 10 for maximum fanning production. The mission plan may take into account known or expected obstacles in the field 50, such as trees 70, a local base station 72, or a water formation 74, such that the paths 60 may be arranged in advance with turns 76 to avoid such obstacles in completing rows of a section.")];
and also of the georeferenced data of the border of the at least one crossable area of interest.[see at least Rusciolelli, ¶ 0034 "The paths 60 may be bounded be a field line 62 (which may also include a fence) and/or demarcated sections of the field 50, such as a first section 64 for the first team 56 to operate, and a second section 66 for the second team 58 to operate")].
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the control system configured to determine multiple partitions (lines of travel) with the to implement transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed line Li to each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles Li, as taught by Rusciolelli, from the same field of endeavor, in order to account for path deviations. Thus improving safety, effectiveness and efficiency.
Claim 4,
Foster view of Rusciolelli, Bishoff and Cheein discloses the method of Claim 3.
Foster does not specifically disclose but Rusciolelli does teach wherein the at least one crossable area of interest is indexed according to a type of work tool, [see at least Rusciolelli, ¶ 0033-0034 ("the lead vehicle (A or C) may conduct a first agricultural operation in an area of the field 50 before a following vehicle (B or D) may conduct a second agricultural, operation in the same area. For example, the lead vehicle (A or C) may be a harvester for harvesting crops, and the following vehicle (B or D) may be a tiller for tilling the ground after the crops have been harvested ... Each vehicle 10 may autonomously travel a path 60 in the field 50 while performing an agricultural operation according to the mission plan. The paths 60 may be bounded be a field line 62 (which may also include a fence) and/or demarcated sections of the field 50, such as a first section 64 for the first team 56 to operate, and a second section 66 for the second team 58 to operate")];
and wherein the fleet of self-guided agricultural vehicles includes a heterogeneous set of self-guided agricultural vehicles associated with different work tools. [see at least Rusciolelli, ¶ 0033 ("the lead vehicle (A or C) may conduct a first agricultural operation in an area of the field 50 before a following vehicle (B or D) may conduct a second agricultural, operation in the same area. For example, the lead vehicle (A or C) may be a harvester for harvesting crops, and the following vehicle (B or D) may be a tiller for tilling the ground after the crops have been harvested.")].
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the control system configured to determine multiple partitions (lines of travel) with the to implement transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed line Li to each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles Li, as taught by Rusciolelli, from the same field of endeavor, in order to account for path deviations. Thus improving safety, effectiveness and efficiency.
Claim 5
Foster view of Rusciolelli, Bishoff and Cheein discloses the method of Claim 1.
Foster does not specifically disclose but Rusciolelli does teach reserving the allocated indexed lines, and wherein the transmitting of the allocation messages excludes lines belonging to the reserved allocated indexed lines. [see at least Rusciolelli, ¶ 0011 "To avoid a collision, the collision avoidance process may analyze a current pass of each vehicle and a next planned pass of each vehicle, and may compare this analysis to the current pass and next planned passes of all vehicles performing operations in the same field. If it discovers that any vehicles may pass in opposite directions on the same or adjacent paths, the collision avoidance process may re-plan the path for one of the vehicles involved in the potential collision. When a potential collision is identified, a vehicle with a lower rank in the hierarchy may execute one of several possible avoidance strategies, such as moving to a new path/pass that will avoid the collision, or stopping and waiting at the end of a current pass. If a collision, avoidance maneuver is executed, it is likely that as a result the remaining portion of the mission may benefit from a re-construction and re-optimization"); 0034 ("demarcated sections of the field 50, such as a first section 64 for the first team 56 to operate, and a second section 66 for the second team 58 to operate"); 0034 ("Each vehicle 10 may autonomously travel a path 60 in the field 50 while performing an agricultural operation according to the mission plan. The paths 60 may be bounded be a field line 62 (which may also include a fence) and/or demarcated sections of the field 50, such as a first section 64 for the first team 56 to operate, and a second section 66 for the second team 58 to operate")].
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the control system configured to determine multiple partitions (lines of travel) with the to implement transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed line Li to each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles Li, as taught by Rusciolelli, from the same field of endeavor, in order to account for path deviations. Thus improving safety, effectiveness and efficiency.
Claim 6
Foster view of Rusciolelli, Bishoff and Cheein discloses the method of Claim 1.
Foster does not disclose but Rusciotelli and Bishoff teach
Murphy discloses the digital map further comprises at least georeferenced border data of at least one indexed maintenance area, [see at least Rusciolelli, ¶ 0030 ("an amount of agricultural product dispensed (such as liters sprayed for sprayers)"); ¶ 0032 ("an exemplar mission plan for execution in an agricultural field 50 using multiple vehicles 10 is provided"); ¶ 0012 "Accordingly, a vehicle performing a first field operation may be required to cover an area before a vehicle performing a second field operation covers the same area. The field map for the second field operation may have, for example, three operational regions: no coverage: covered by the first field operation only; and covered by both the first and second field operations")]; [see at least Bishoff ¶ 0007 (georeferenced”); 0008; 0009; 0051 (“edge of map”); Note can be the same as a border];
and wherein the area of movement of each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles is controlled by a local computer on the basis of the indexed maintenance area allocated in response to a service message [see at least Rusciolelli, ¶ 00i33-34 ("according to the mission plan... travel a path 60 in the field 50 while performing an agricultural operation according to the mission plan")]
and the position coordinates. [see at least Rusciolelli, ¶ 0034 ("The paths 60 may be bounded be a field line 62 (which may also include a fence) and/or demarcated sections of the field 50, such as a first section 64 for the first team 56 to operate, and a second section 66 for the second team 58 to operate. In one aspect, the vehicles 10 may operate systematically in rows, hack and forth, each row having a width "W" determined to accommodate the vehicles 10 for maximum fanning production. The mission plan may take into account known or expected obstacles in the field 50, such as trees 70, a local base station 72, or a water formation 74, such that the paths 60 may be arranged in advance with turns 76 to avoid such obstacles in completing rows of a section.")].
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the control system configured to determine multiple partitions (lines of travel) with the to implement transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed line Li to each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles Li, as taught by Rusciolelli, in order to account for path deviations, further with the ability to assign travel lines of Bischoff. Thus improving safety, effectiveness and efficiency.
Claim 7
Foster view of Rusciolelli, Bishoff and Cheein discloses the method of Claim 1.
Foster does disclose the use of coordinates [see at least Foster, ¶ 0019] but does not specifically disclose the limitations as stated, but Rusciolelli does teach wherein the service message is transmitted by the self-guided agricultural vehicles when they respectively approach an end of the reference section of the allocated indexed line, [see at least Rusciolelli, ¶ 0035 ("While the vehicles 10 are conducting their agricultural operations, they may each provide progress information to the base station 52. The progress information may indicate progress with respect to the agricultural operation the vehicle 10 has been assigned. Accordingly, such progress information may include reporting a current position of the vehicle 10 with respect to the path 60, reporting an amount of agricultural product collected, reporting an amount of agricultural product dispensed, and so forth. For example, vehicle A may report its precise GPS location corresponding to nearing completion of the third row of the first section 64 with a specific amount of crop harvested")];
and the service message comprises current coordinates. [see at least Rusciolelli, ¶ 0035 "vehicle A may report its precise GPS location corresponding to nearing completion")].
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the control system configured to determine multiple partitions (lines of travel) with the to implement transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed line Li to each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles Li, as taught by Rusciolelli, from the same field of endeavor, in order to account for path deviations. Thus improving safety, effectiveness and efficiency.
Claim 8
Foster view of Rusciolelli, Bishoff and Cheein discloses the method of Claim 1.
Foster discloses “receive a location of the work vehicle” [see at least Foster ¶0021] but Rusciolelli more specifically teaches [see at least Rusciolelli, ¶ 0035 "While the vehicles 10 are conducting their agricultural operations, they may each provide progress information to the base station 52... vehicle A may report its precise GPS location corresponding to nearing completion of the third row of the first section 64 with a specific amount of crop harvested, and vehicle B may report its precise GPS location corresponding to a distance behind vehicle A, nearing completion of the first row of the first section 64, with tilling in progress"); 0042 ("The progress monitors 152 may be continuously or periodically updated upon receiving progress information from the vehicles 10, such as vehicles A, B, C and D")].
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the control system configured to determine multiple partitions (lines of travel) with the to implement transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed line Li to each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles Li, as taught by Rusciolelli, from the same field of endeavor, in order to account for path deviations. Thus improving safety, effectiveness and efficiency.
Claim 9,
Foster view of Rusciolelli, Bishoff and Cheein discloses the method of Claim 1.
Foster in general terms discloses changes for the vehicle [see at least Foster, ¶ 0035 (“ to completely traverse the field 14, the swath paths 110 are illustrated as straight lines for demonstrative purposes. For example, points 111 illustrate instantaneous changes in direction, the work vehicle may travel along a curve to change direction from one swath path to the next. Further, in the illustrated embodiment, each endpoint 112 of the swath paths 110 is denoted by a dot. The endpoints 112 denote where the work vehicle changes directions to continue the operation.”)] but Rusciolelli more specifically teaches wherein the self-guided agricultural vehicles periodically exchange the allocation messages and recalculate line and/or zone allocations of each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles [see at least Rusciolelli, ¶ 0042-0043 ("The progress monitors 152 may be continuously or periodically updated upon receiving progress information from the vehicles 10, such as vehicles A, B, C and Das described above in FIG. 3. Progress information may include, for example, a position of each vehicle with respect to its assigned path, an amount of agricultural product collected, an amount of agricultural product dispensed, and so forth. The event log 154 may track event conditions reported by the vehicles 10 and/or other equipment being monitored in the system. Event conditions may include, for example, an obstacle being detected in the path of a vehicle 10, an oncoming, vehicle being detected in the path or an adjacent path of a vehicle 10, a disablement or other condition of a vehicle 10, and so forth.... One or more mission revisions 156 may be provided by the system from time to time to update one or more portions of the mission plan 150 (such as specific paths for specific vehicles) and/or to replace all of the mission plan 150. Mission revisions 156 may typically be provided, for example, upon receiving an event condition being tracked in the event log 154. Mission revisions 156 may typically adjust paths of one or more vehicles 10 to resolve event conditions being monitored, though mission revisions 156 may be provided for other reasons.")].
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the control system configured to determine multiple partitions (lines of travel) with the to implement transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed line Li to each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles Li, as taught by Rusciolelli, from the same field of endeavor, in order to account for path deviations. Thus improving safety, effectiveness and efficiency.
Claim 10
Foster view of Rusciolelli, Bishoff and Cheein discloses the method of Claim 2.
Foster discloses the basic communication but Rusciolelli more specifically teaches the service message comprising the current position coordinates of each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles is transmitted periodically by each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles, the method further comprising recording data packets comprising the current position transmitted by the local computer as well as the state of the at least one work tool, and periodically transmitting the data packets to a remote server. [see at lease Rusciolell, ¶ 00J2 ("The progress monitors 152 may be continuously or periodically updated upon receiving progress information from the vehicles 10, such as vehicles A, B, C and Das described above in FIG. 3. Progress information may include, for example, a position of each vehicle"); 0042 ("The progress monitors 152 may be continuously or periodically updated upon receiving progress information from the vehicles 10, such as vehicles A, B, C and Das described above in FIG. 3. Progress information may include, for example, a position of each vehicle... The event log 154 may track event conditions"); 0006 "The back office is typically where the majority of data used for mission planning and construction is stored. This data could comprise, for example, of Geographical Information System (GIS) maps of a farm/fields, an equipment library (including information providing an equipment inventory, equipment geometries and/or specifications), equipment break-down/service status"); 0038 "data... collected in the data structures... may include... an equipment library, including information providing equipment geometries and/or specifications for each type of vehicle 10 in the inventory record 124 corresponding to the equipment type 130; and historical data 138, which may include mission reports reported by vehicles 10 from previous agricultural operations."); 0005 ("Autonomous vehicle control systems typically include a localized control system on the vehicle itself, and a back-office/base station command and control system located at another location away from the vehicle. The back office/base station is typically connected to the vehicle via a long range radio communication system (which may allow communication>l mile). If there are multiple vehicles in the system, they may also be interconnected via a short range communication system (which may allow communication<l mile). A localized base station might also be located in the field which could also connect to the short range communication system."); 0028 ("The vehicle 10 may also include a long range antenna 16 for communicating with a base station"); 0041 ("The data structures 110 may also include data structures to be communicated to the vehicles 10 and/or to be updated based on information received by the vehicles 10 including, for example, a mission plan 150, progress monitors 152, an event log 154, mission revisions 156 and mission reports 158... Progress information may include, for example, a position of each vehicle... an amount of agricultural product collected, an amount of agricultural product dispensed, and so forth. The event log 154 may track event conditions reported by the vehicles 10 and/or other equipment being monitored in the system"); 0048 ("Next, while monitoring for event conditions, in decision block 186 the base station determines if an event condition has been reported. During execution of a mission, there may be events which cause deviations from the initial mission plan, such as equipment break down"); 0053 ("Finally, in block 208, the mission plan may be communicated to the vehicles 10 and/or other equipment for mission execution and deployment of equipment at designated times, as indicated by block 180 of FIG. 5")].
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the control system configured to determine multiple partitions (lines of travel) with the to implement transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed line Li to each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles Li, as taught by Rusciolelli, from the same field of endeavor, in order to account for path deviations. Thus improving safety, effectiveness and efficiency.
Claim 12
Foster view of Rusciolelli, Bishoff and Cheein discloses the method of Claim 1.
Foster does not specifically disclose but Rusciolelli teaches transmitting georeferenced data for an area of interest detected by a third-party device, for the recalculation of the digital map. [see at least Rusciolelli, ¶ 0056 ("the base station may provide a revised mission plan to avoid the collision 230. The base station may apply a predetermined, established hierarchy in which vehicle Eis prioritized above vehicle F. Accordingly, the base station may provide a revised mission plan in which vehicle E will give way by adjusting the path of vehicle E to a collision avoidance path 232, based on the established hierarchy, to avoid the collision 230."); 0005 ("a back-office/base station command and control system located at another location away from the vehicle")].
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the control system configured to determine multiple partitions (lines of travel) with the to implement transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed line Li to each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles Li, as taught by Rusciolelli, from the same field of endeavor, in order to account for path deviations. Thus improving safety, effectiveness and efficiency.
Claim 13
Foster view of Rusciolelli, Bishoff and Cheein discloses the method of Claim 1.
Foster does disclose “the operator interface 38 is also configured to enable an operator to control certain functions of the work vehicle (e.g., starting and stopping the work vehicle, instructing the work vehicle to follow a route through the field, etc.). In the illustrated embodiment, the operator interface 38 includes a display 40 configured to present information to the operator, such as the position of the work vehicle 10 within the field, the speed of the work vehicle 10, and the path of the work vehicle 10, among other data.”) [0028], but does not specifically teach the limitations which Rosciolelli does teach wherein the local computer of each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles controls stopping if crossing of a border is detected [see at least Rusciolelli, ¶ 0011 "When a potential collision is identified, a vehicle with a lower rank in the hierarchy may execute one of several possible avoidance strategies, such as... stopping and waiting at the end of a current pass"); 00i27 "The vehicle 10 may operate "autonomously" meaning that it may be capable of sensing an environment and driving, steering, stopping"; Rusciolelli, 0011 ("To avoid a collision, the collision avoidance process may analyze a current pass of each vehicle and a next planned pass of each vehicle, and may compare this analysis to the current pass and next planned passes of all vehicles performing operations in the same field. If it discovers that any vehicles may pass in opposite directions on the same or adjacent paths, the collision avoidance process may re-plan the path for one of the vehicles involved in the potential collision"); Note that the border is a border of passing, i.e., at the end of a current pass, and it is detected in the future.].
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the control system configured to determine multiple partitions (lines of travel) with the to implement transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed line Li to each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles Li, as taught by Rusciolelli, from the same field of endeavor, in order to account for path deviations. Thus improving safety, effectiveness and efficiency.
Claim 14
Foster view of Rusciolelli, Bishoff and Cheein discloses the method of Claim 3
Foster discloses [0026 (“The vehicle controller 46 may utilize a map of the field to determine a travel path for the work vehicle 10. For example, the travel path may include a swath (i.e., a continuous curvature path including straight line segments (e.g., rows), arcs, clothoids, splines, or any combination thereof).”; 0035 (“points 111 illustrate instantaneous changes in direction, the work vehicle may travel along a curve to change direction from one swath path to the next. Further, in the illustrated embodiment, each endpoint 112 of the swath paths 110 is denoted by a dot. The endpoints 112 denote where the work vehicle changes directions to continue the operation. For example, an interior endpoint 122 illustrates where the field 14 becomes too narrow for the swath path 110 to continue.”) but Rusciolelli more specifically teaches wherein the local computer of each of dynamically changing the at least one crossable area of interest into non- crossable areas [see at least Rusciolelli , ¶ 0010 ("the base station may also execute a collision avoidance process. To avoid a collision, the collision avoidance process may analyze a current pass of each vehicle and a next planned pass of each vehicle, and may compare this analysis to the current pass and next planned passes of all vehicles performing operations in the same field. If it discovers that any vehicles may pass in opposite directions on the same or adjacent paths, the collision avoidance process may re-plan the path for one of the vehicles involved in the potential collision. When a potential collision is identified, a vehicle with a lower rank in the hierarchy may execute one of several possible avoidance strategies, such as moving to a new path/pass that will avoid the collision, or stopping and waiting at the end of a current pass. Having provided a mission revision to resolve the event")].
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the control system configured to determine multiple partitions (lines of travel) with the to implement transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed line Li to each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles Li, as taught by Rusciolelli, from the same field of endeavor, in order to account for path deviations. Thus improving safety, effectiveness and efficiency.
Claim 16
Foster view of Rusciolelli, Bishoff and Cheein discloses the method of Claim 2.
Foster further discloses ¶ 0035 (“Although, in operation, the work vehicle may travel along curves to completely traverse the field 14, the swath paths 110 are illustrated as straight lines for demonstrative purposes. For example, points 111 illustrate instantaneous changes in direction, the work vehicle may travel along a curve to change direction from one swath path to the next.”) but Rusciolelli more specifically teaches wherein the self-guided agricultural vehicles periodically exchange the allocation messages and recalculate line and/or zone allocations of each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles, the method further comprising recording data packets comprising the current position transmitted by the local computer as well as the state of the at least one work tool, and periodically transmitting the data packets to a remote server [see at least Rusciolelli, ¶ 0042-0043 ("The progress monitors 152 may be continuously or periodically updated upon receiving progress information from the vehicles 10, such as vehicles A, B, C and Das described above in FIG. 3. Progress information may include, for example, a position of each vehicle with respect to its assigned path, an amount of agricultural product collected, an amount of agricultural product dispensed, and so forth. The event log 154 may track event conditions reported by the vehicles 10 and/or other equipment being monitored in the system. Event conditions may include, for example, an obstacle being detected in the path of a vehicle 10, an oncoming, vehicle being detected in the path or an adjacent path of a vehicle 10, a disablement or other condition of a vehicle 10, and so forth.... One or more mission revisions 156 may be provided by the system from time to time to update one or more portions of the mission plan 150 (such as specific paths for specific vehicles) and/or to replace all of the mission plan 150. Mission revisions 156 may typically be provided, for example, upon receiving an event condition being tracked in the event log 154. Mission revisions 156 may typically adjust paths of one or more vehicles 10 to resolve event conditions being monitored, though mission revisions 156 may be provided for other reasons."); 0042 ("The progress monitors 152 may be continuously or periodically updated upon receiving progress information from the vehicles 10, such as vehicles A, B, C and Das described above in FIG. 3. Progress information may include, for example, a position of each vehicle... The event log 154 may track event conditions"); 0006 ("The back office is typically where the majority of data used for mission planning and construction is stored. This data could comprise, for example, of Geographical Information System (GIS) maps of a farm/fields, an equipment library (including information providing an equipment inventory, equipment geometries and/or specifications), equipment break-down/service status"); 0038 ("data... collected in the data structures... may include... an equipment library, including information providing equipment geometries and/or specifications for each type of vehicle 10 in the inventory record 124 corresponding to the equipment type 130; and historical data 138, which may include mission reports reported by vehicles 10 from previous agricultural operations."); 0005 ("Autonomous vehicle control systems typically include a localized control system on the vehicle itself, and a back-office/base station command and control system located at another location away from the vehicle. The back office/base station is typically connected to the vehicle via a long range radio communication system (which may allow communication>l mile). If there are multiple vehicles in the system, they may also be interconnected via a short range communication system (which may allow communication<l mile). A localized base station might also be located in the field which could also connect to the short range communication system."); 0028 ("The vehicle 10 may also include a long range antenna 16 for communicating with a base station"); 0041 ("The data structures 110 may also include data structures to be communicated to the vehicles 10 and/or to be updated based on information received by the vehicles 10 including, for example, a mission plan 150, progress monitors 152, an event log 154, mission revisions 156 and mission reports 158... Progress information may include, for example, a position of each vehicle... an amount of agricultural product collected, an amount of agricultural product dispensed, and so forth. The event log 154 may track event conditions reported by the vehicles 10 and/or other equipment being monitored in the system"); 0048 ("Next, while monitoring for event conditions, in decision block 186 the base station determines if an event condition has been reported. During execution of a mission, there may be events which cause deviations from the initial mission plan, such as equipment break down"; Rusciolelli ,J52 "Finally, in block 208, the mission plan may be communicated to the vehicles 10 and/or other equipment for mission execution and deployment of equipment at designated times, as indicated by block 180 of FIG. 5")].
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the control system configured to determine multiple partitions (lines of travel) with the to implement transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed line Li to each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles Li, as taught by Rusciolelli, from the same field of endeavor, in order to account for path deviations. Thus improving safety, effectiveness and efficiency.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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 mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOAN T GOODBODY whose telephone number is (571) 270-7952. The examiner can normally be reached on M-TH 7-3 (US Eastern time).
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/JOAN T GOODBODY/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3664
(571) 270-7952
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