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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 22 and 23 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 22, 23, 25, 27, 29-34, 36, and 38-44 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Torresani (US Pub. 2017/0345247) in view of Barista (WO 02/45559).
Regarding claim 22, Torresani teaches a beverage preparation machine for dispensing a beverage (Para. [0001]: “[a] vending device (i.e., a dispensing device), such as a cold drink equipment (CDE) vending device”, para. [0034]: “device 300”), the machine comprising:
a processor (Para. [0034]: “processor 320”) configured to:
identify one or more faults occurring by the beverage preparation machine (Para. [0043]: ”a set of health sensors (e.g., to determine whether a component is malfunctioning, such as a sensor to determine whether is bill validator is operating or a sensor to determine whether display module 420 is operating), or the like”), wherein the one or more faults comprise a need to repair the beverage preparation machine immediately or in the future (Para. [0097]: “vending device 240 utilizes sensor data (e.g., temperature sensor data) to cause a component failure to be predicted and an inspector to be dispatched to inspect vending device 240 automatically”); and
a memory (Para. [0039]: “processor 320 executing software instruction stored by a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as memory 330 and/or storage component 340”) configured to store the one or more faults (Para. [0063] describes how vending device 240 continually monitors sensors and collects data regarding the health status of the device);
a communication interface (communication interface 370) configured to:
transmit (Para. [0038]), to an electronic device (user device 250), a message indicating an occurrence of the one or more faults by the beverage preparation machine (Para. [0064]: “operations control module 535 may transmit information to user device 250 to cause an inspector, a technician, or the like to be deployed for a particular vending device 240”); and
receive an indication that the message indicating the occurrence of the one or more faults has been received by the electronic device and reviewed by a user of the electronic device (Para. [0065]: “portal module 540 may generate a questionnaire regarding a status of a particular vending device 240 for display via a user interface, and may receive an indication of one or more interactions with the user interface associated with selecting responses to the questionnaire”); and
a user interface (Para. [0037]: output component 360) configured to:
provide, via at least one of a display or a speaker (Para. [0037]: “output component 360 includes a component that provides output information from device 300 (e.g., a display, a speaker, and/or one or more light-emitting diodes)”), the indication that the message indicating the occurrence of the one or more faults has been received by the electronic device and reviewed by the user of the electronic device (Para. [0065]: “portal module 540 may generate a questionnaire regarding a status of a particular vending device 240 for display via a user interface, and may receive an indication of one or more interactions with the user interface associated with selecting responses to the questionnaire”).
Torresani does not expressly disclose to determine if the one or more faults include one or more user-correctable faults; and
identify an estimated time to resolve the one or more user-correctable faults;
provide, via at least one of the display or the speaker, the estimated time to resolve the one or more user-correctable faults; and
provide, at the coffee beverage preparation machine, at least one of: a user permission for the coffee beverage preparation machine to automatically correct at least some of the one or more user-correctable faults subsequent to the provision of the estimated time to resolve the one or more user-correctable faults, or a user input to prepare a beverage rather than the user permission for the coffee beverage preparation machine to automatically correct at least some of the one or more user-correctable faults;
the processor being further configured to at least one of:
automatically perform one or more actions to correct the one or more user-correctable faults, based at least in part, on the provision of the user permission for the coffee beverage preparation machine to automatically correct at least some of the one or more user-correctable faults; or
prepare a beverage, based at least in part, on the user input to prepare a beverage rather than the user permission for the coffee beverage preparation machine to automatically correct at least some of the one or more user-correctable faults.
However, Barista teaches a vending machine for coffee (Pg. 1: “vending machines which may be operated by consumers on demand and which dispense coffee and other hot beverages”), the machine comprising:
a processor (Pgs. 22-23, “[m]ain controller 51 contains the central intelligence of machine operation. According to a preferred embodiment, main controller 51 is divided into two main functions namely, the process control 60 and the information processing sections 61”) configured to: determine if the one or more faults include one or more user-correctable faults (Pg. 26, “machine's LCD 55 will keep the user informed of any issues requiring attention such as the need to order coffee, service issues, etc.”); and
identify an estimated time to resolve the one or more user-correctable faults (Pg. 26, “the machine may ask the user whether two minutes are available for a cleaning cycle”);
provide, via at least one of the display or the speaker (LCD 55), the estimated time to resolve the one or more user-correctable faults (for this example, two minutes is needed to resolve the user-correctable fault of having ran too many operational cycles without a cleaning cycle); and
provide, at the coffee beverage preparation machine (LCD 55), at least one of: a user permission for the coffee beverage preparation machine to automatically correct at least some of the one or more user-correctable faults subsequent to the provision of the estimated time to resolve the one or more user-correctable faults (Pg. 26, “if the user replies in the affirmative by touching a button, the two-minute cleaning will start”), or a user input to prepare a beverage rather than the user permission for the coffee beverage preparation machine to automatically correct at least some of the one or more user-correctable faults (Pg. 26, ”if the response were no, then the machine would remember that a cleaning cycle is still required and prompt the user again at a later time”);
the processor being further configured to at least one of:
automatically perform one or more actions to correct the one or more user-correctable faults, based at least in part, on the provision of the user permission for the coffee beverage preparation machine to automatically correct at least some of the one or more user-correctable faults (Pg. 26, “[t]he electronics will ensure that the machine is regularly serviced by performing cleaning cycles and other maintenance functions at regular intervals … if the user replies in the affirmative by touching a button, the two-minute cleaning will start”); or
prepare a beverage, based at least in part, on the user input to prepare a beverage rather than the user permission for the coffee beverage preparation machine to automatically correct at least some of the one or more user-correctable faults (Pg. 26, ”if the response were no, then the machine would remember that a cleaning cycle is still required and prompt the user again at a later time” thus allowing a beverage to be prepared rather than the fault being cleared).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the vending machine network of Torresani to have the coffee vending machine of Barista in the managed network. One of ordinary skill would be motivated to provide additional products, i.e. coffee and to provide “an improved beverage dispensing machine including machine intelligence which provides inbuilt security for a machine and which enables an operator to monitor and control the performance of the machine remotely or locally and to increase flexibility of machine operation” (Pg. 7).
Regarding claim 23, Torresani teaches a method of handling one or more faults of a beverage preparation machine (Para. [0030]), the method comprising:
identifying, via a processor (Para. [0034]: “processor 320”), one or more faults (Para. [0043]: ”a set of health sensors (e.g., to determine whether a component is malfunctioning, such as a sensor to determine whether is bill validator is operating or a sensor to determine whether display module 420 is operating”), wherein the one or more faults comprise a need to repair the beverage preparation machine immediately or in the future (Para. [0097]: “vending device 240 utilizes sensor data (e.g., temperature sensor data) to cause a component failure to be predicted and an inspector to be dispatched to inspect vending device 240 automatically”);
storing the one or more faults occurring by the beverage preparation machine (Para. [0039]: “memory 330 and/or storage component 340”, para. [0063] describes how vending device 240 continually monitors sensors and collects data regarding the health status of the device);
sending (Para. [0038]), to an electronic device (user device 250), a message indicating the occurrence of the one or more faults by the beverage preparation machine (Para. [0064]: “operations control module 535 may transmit information to user device 250 to cause an inspector, a technician, or the like to be deployed for a particular vending device 240”);
receiving an indication that the message indicating the occurrence of the one or more faults has been received by the electronic device and reviewed by a user of the electronic device (Para. [0065]: “portal module 540 may generate a questionnaire regarding a status of a particular vending device 240 for display via a user interface, and may receive an indication of one or more interactions with the user interface associated with selecting responses to the questionnaire”);
providing, via at least one of the display or the speaker (Para. [0037]: “output component 360”), the indication that the message indicating the occurrence of the one or more faults has been received by the electronic device and reviewed by the user of the electronic device (Para. [0065]: “portal module 540 may generate a questionnaire regarding a status of a particular vending device 240 for display via a user interface, and may receive an indication of one or more interactions with the user interface associated with selecting responses to the questionnaire”).
Torresani does not expressly disclose dispensing, via an outlet, a beverage flavored by one or more beverage packets;
determining if the one or more faults include one or more user-correctable faults;
identifying an estimated time to resolve the one or more user-correctable faults;
providing, via at least one of the display or speaker, the estimated time to resolve the one or more user-correctable faults;
providing, at the coffee beverage preparation machine, at least one of: a user permission for the coffee beverage preparation machine to automatically correct at least some of the one or more user-correctable faults subsequent to the provision of the estimated time to resolve the one or more user-correctable faults, or a user input to prepare a beverage rather than the user permission for the coffee beverage preparation machine to automatically correct at least some of the one or more user-correctable faults; and
at least one of: automatically performing, by the coffee beverage preparation machine, one or more actions to correct the one or more user-correctable faults, based at least in part, on the provision of the user permission for the coffee beverage preparation machine to automatically correct at least some of the one or more user-correctable faults, automatically performing, by the coffee beverage preparation machine, one or more actions to correct the one or more user-correctable faults, based at least in part, on the indication of the user permission.
However, Barista teaches a similar method of handling one or more faults of a coffee beverage preparation machine (Fig. 1, pg. 7), the method comprising:
dispensing, via an outlet, a beverage flavored by one or more beverage packets (Fig. 1, pg. 17, “a beverage dispensing machine which is capable of serving coffee made from soluble ( instant ) coffee”).
Barista discloses the remaining limitations as they are all substantially the same as claim 22 above and would have been obvious to combine for the same reason.
Regarding claim 25, Torresani further teaches wherein the memory is further configured to store a maintenance history of the coffee beverage preparation machine (Para. [0058]), the processor being further configured to determine a next maintenance based on the stored maintenance history (Para. [0065]).
Regarding claim 27, Torresani further teaches wherein the processor is further configured to determine, based on one or more aspects of the one or more faults, one or more solutions for repairing the one or more faults; and wherein the user interface is further configured to provide, via at least one of the display or the speaker, the one or more solutions for repairing the one or more faults (Para. [0065]).
Regarding claim 29, Torresani further teaches wherein the communication interface is further configured to send the one or more faults occurring by the coffee beverage preparation machine to a server for storage (Para. [0019]).
Regarding claim 30, Torresani further teaches wherein the communication interface is configured to receive at least one proposed correction to the one or more faults occurring by the coffee beverage preparation machine (Para. [0038]).
Regarding claim 31, Torresani further teaches wherein the processor is further configured to automatically perform one or more actions to correct the one or more faults occurring by the coffee beverage preparation machine based, at least in part, on the at least one received proposed correction to the one or more faults (Para. [0087]).
Regarding claim 32, Torresani further teaches wherein the user interface is further configured to provide, via the display or the speaker, one or more actions to correct the one or more faults occurring by the coffee beverage preparation machine based on the at least one received proposed correction to the one or more faults (Para. [0065]).
Regarding claim 33, Torresani further teaches wherein the communication interface is further configured to provide, to the electronic device, one or more actions to correct the one or more faults occurring by the coffee beverage preparation machine based on the at least one received proposed correction to the one or more faults (Para. [0065]), the electronic device being a mobile device of a user (Para [0032]: “user device 250 may include a communication and/or computing device, such as a mobile phone (e.g., a smart phone, a radiotelephone, etc.), a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a handheld computer, a gaming device, a wearable communication device (e.g., a smart wristwatch, a pair of smart eyeglasses, etc.) or a similar type of device”).
Regarding claim 34, Torresani further teaches storing a maintenance history of the coffee beverage preparation machine (Para. [0058]); and determining a next maintenance based on the stored maintenance history (Para. [0074]).
Regarding claim 36, Torresani further teaches the method further comprising: determining, based on one or more aspects of the one or more faults, one or more solutions for repairing the one or more faults; and providing, via at least one of the display or the speaker, the one or more solutions for repairing the one or more faults (Para. [0065]).
Regarding claim 38, Torresani further sending the one or more faults occurring by the coffee beverage preparation machine to a server for storage (Para. [0019]).
Regarding claim 39, Torresani further teaches receiving at least one proposed correction to the one or more faults occurring by the coffee beverage preparation machine (Para. [0038]).
Regarding claim 40, Torresani further teaches automatically performing one or more actions to correct the one or more faults occurring by the coffee beverage preparation machine based, at least in part, on the at least one received proposed correction to the one or more faults (Para. [0087]).
Regarding claim 41, Torresani further teaches providing, via the display or the speaker, one or more actions to correct the one or more faults occurring by the coffee beverage preparation machine based on the at least one received proposed correction to the one or more faults (Para. [0065]).
Regarding claim 42, Torresani further teaches providing, to the electronic device, one or more actions to correct the one or more faults occurring by the coffee beverage preparation machine based on the at least one received proposed correction to the one or more faults (Para. [0065]), the electronic device being a mobile device of a user (Para. [0032]).
Regarding claim 43, Torresani further teaches storing, in the memory (cloud server 220), at least one of: an amount of time that at least one of the one or more faults caused the coffee beverage preparation machine to be inoperable (Para. [0100]), a severity of at least one of the one or more faults (Paras. [0079]-[0080]: “cloud server 220 may determine that one or more technicians are to be deployed to inspect and/or repair vending device 240”, thus determining a severity of a fault), a party that corrected at least one of the one or more faults (Para. [0079]: “cloud server 220 may utilize operations data to select a particular technician based on a location, an inventory of components stored in a repair vehicle utilized by the particular technician, a competency of the technician (e.g., a set of skills or a level of training), a schedule of other repairs assigned to the particular technician”), or a method used to correct at least one of the one or more faults (Fig. 7A, Para. [0096]).
Regarding claim 44, Torresani further teaches wherein the memory is further configured to store at least one of: an amount of time that at least one of the one or more faults caused the coffee beverage preparation machine to be inoperable (Para. [0100]), a severity of at least one of the one or more faults (Paras. [0079]-[0080]: “cloud server 220 may determine that one or more technicians are to be deployed to inspect and/or repair vending device 240”, thus determining a severity of a fault), a party that corrected at least one of the one or more faults (Para. [0079]: “cloud server 220 may utilize operations data to select a particular technician based on a location, an inventory of components stored in a repair vehicle utilized by the particular technician, a competency of the technician (e.g., a set of skills or a level of training), a schedule of other repairs assigned to the particular technician”), or a method used to correct at least one of the one or more faults (Fig. 7A, Para. [0096]).
Claims 26 and 35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Pub. 2017/0345247 by Giorgio Torresani et al. (“Torresani”) and Barista (WO 02/45559) in further view of Cheng (US Pub. 2006/0219517.
Regarding claims 26 and 35, Torresani does not expressly disclose wherein the one or more faults and the next maintenance are identified by a unique code.
However, Cheng teaches a vending machine management system (Abstract) wherein the one or more faults and the next maintenance are identified by a unique code (Para. [0045]: “the control data from the host system comprises a status code management list. This status code management list can be used by an audit system to more effectively monitor for and report status codes received from the VMC to the host system. These status codes may be referred to as "error" codes, but may report any of a variety of status events and are not necessarily limited to reporting errors or failures”, FIG. 4C provides an error code table see paras. [0051]-[0052]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include in the beverage device of Torresani and Barista with the vending machine management system of Cheng. One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to include this feature in order for “human operators to interpret status messages received from the audit system 140” (Para. [0051]).
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 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 DANIEL W HATTEN whose telephone number is (703)756-1362. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10-6 (EST).
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/DANIEL WARD HATTEN/ Examiner, Art Unit 3761
/TOPAZ L. ELLIOTT/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761
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