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 .
In view of the pre-appeal brief filed on 8/8/23 PROSECUTION IS HEREBY REOPENED.
A new ground of rejection is set forth below.
To avoid abandonment of the application, appellant must exercise one of the following
two options:
1) file a reply under 37 CFR 1.111 (if this Office action is non-final) or a reply under 37 CFR 1.113 (if this Office action is final); or,
(2) initiate a new appeal by filing a notice of appeal under 37 CFR 41.31 followed by an appeal brief under 37 CFR 41.37. The previously paid notice of appeal fee and appeal brief fee can be applied to the new appeal. If, however, the appeal fees set forth in 37 CFR 41.20 have been increased since they were previously paid, then appellant must pay the difference between the increased fees and the amount previously paid.
A Supervisory Patent Examiner (SPE) has approved of reopening prosecution by
signing below:
/KHOI H TRAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3656
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(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.
Claim(s) 2, 6-25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KNUTSON ET AL (US 2017/0049288). Herein after KNUTSON.
As for independent claim 2, KNUTSON discloses an autonomous mobile robot comprising:
a drive system configured to navigate the robot about a surface {see at least figures 1-2, pars. 0018-0019 which discloses autonomous cleaning and autonomous driving of machine 10};
a sensor system configured to generate a signal indicative of a location of the robot on the surface {see at least figures 1 and 3, optical sensors 12A-12B and distance sensors 14A-14B, laser scanner 36, and at least pars.0020, 0025, 0067 e.g. the angular position of each wheel 26A, 26B, and the angular position and steering angle of wheel 28 can be used to determine the position of machine 10 relative to objects sensed by optical sensors 12A and 12B and distance sensors 14A and 14B, as well as laser scanner 36 in mapping an environment of machine 10};
a controller operably connected to the drive system and the sensor system, the controller configured to execute instructions to perform operations {figure 2, pars. 0009-0010, e.g., a control system for a robotic floor cleaning machine configured to perform a cleaning operation along a cleaning path can comprise a controller, and a plurality of sensors. The controller can be configured to control autonomous movement of the robotic floor cleaning machine along the cleaning path and autonomous performance of the cleaning operation} comprising:
receiving information indicative of a behavior control zone on the surface {see at least figures 1, 5, pars. 0052; 0058, 0070 which discloses cleaning path route 94 (behavior control zone) e.g. GUI panel 84 can include indicia in the form of a map, an icon, text, or other identifiable representation. For example, Control panel 18 can visually communicate the intended route for the cleaning path of machine 10 using graphical user interface (GUI) panel 84…….GUI panel 84 can graphically show a representation of cleaning route 94 using machine icon 96 relative to walls 98 and objects 100. GUI panel 84 can allow for an operator to choose between multiple routes, such as route 94 and an alternative route.
maneuvering the robot about the surface using the drive system {see at least figures 1, 3, 5, pars. 0019, 0027, 0068, 0070, 0079 e.g., a control system for a robotic floor cleaning machine configured to perform a cleaning operation along a cleaning path, the control system comprising: a controller configured to control autonomous movement of the robotic floor cleaning machine along the cleaning path and autonomous performance of the cleaning operation};
identifying, based on at least the signal indicative of the location of the robot and the information indicative of the behavior control zone(cleaning route 94), that the robot is positioned at a buffer zone (buffer zone 104} around the behavior control zone (cleaning route 94) during the maneuvering {see at least figure 5, pars. 0066, 0068-0070 which discloses cleaning path 94 (behavior control zone) that machine 10 travel for cleaning operations}, wherein the buffer zone 104 comprises an area external (wall 98) to a boundary of the behavior control zone (cleaning route 94) {see at least figure 5, par. 0068-0070}; and initiating a behavior in response to identifying that the robot is positioned at the buffer zone {see at least figure 5, and pars. 0066, 0068-0070}.
As for dep. claims 3-4, KNUTSON discloses wherein the operation further comprises selecting a size of the buffer zone, wherein selecting the size of the buffer zone comprises selecting the size of the buffer zone during the maneuvering {see at least pars. 0066, 0068}.
As for dep. claims 6-7, which discloses wherein selecting the size of the buffer zone comprises selecting the size based on at least an uncertainty associated with an estimation of the location of the robot, wherein the selected sized of the buffer zone is proportional to the uncertainty associated with the estimation of the location of the robot maneuvering {see KNUTSON at least pars. 0066, 0068-0070}
As for dep. claim 8, which discloses wherein selecting the size of the buffer zone comprising: receiving a signal corresponding to a user selection for the size of the buffer zone; and selecting the size of the buffer zone based on at least the receive signal {see KNUTSON at least pars. 0066, 0068-0070}
As for dep. claim 9, which discloses wherein the behavior comprises adjusting a movement speed of the robot; or adjust a movement direction of the robot {see KNUTSON at least par. 0070}
As for dep. claim 10, which discloses a vacuum system to clean the surface, and wherein the behavior comprises adjusting a vacuum power delver to the vacuum system {see KNUTSON at least par. 0038}.
As for dep. claim 11, which discloses a light indicator system, wherein the controller is operably connected to the light indicator system, the operations comprise activating the light indicator system in response to the robot being proximate the behavior control zone {see KNUTSON at least pars. 0025-0026, 0062, 0066}.
As for dep. claim 12, which discloses wherein activating the light indicator system in response to the robot being proximate the behavior control zone comprises operating the light indicator system to indicate a direction of the behavior control zone relative to the location of the robot {see KNUTSON at least pars. 0025-0026, 0062, 0066}.
As for dep. claim 13, which discloses transmitting mapping data to cause a mobile device to present a map of the surface; and receiving from the mobile device a user instruction to establish the behavior control zone {see KNUTSON at least figure 5, pars. 0025, 0058, 0061, 0063-0064, 0068-0070}
As for dep. claim 14, which discloses receiving from the mobile device, a user instruction to establish the buffer zone {see KNUTSON at least figure 5, pars. 0068-0070}
As for dep. claims 15-18, which discloses wherein the information indicative of the behavior control zone on the surface corresponds to a user selection and is received prior to the maneuvering, and wherein the buffer zone is established by the robot during the maneuvering, wherein the buffer zone comprise a perimeter offset outwardly from a perimeter of the behavior control zone, wherein the buffer zone corresponds to a region having a fixed size, wherein the buffer zone corresponds to a region having a variable size {see KNUTSON at least figure 5, pars. 0068-0070}.
As for dep. claim 24, which discloses wherein the area external to the boundary of the behavior control zone is contiguous to the behavior control zone {see KNUTSON at least figure 5, pars. 0068-0070}
As for dep. claim 25, which discloses wherein an outer perimeter of the are external to the boundary of the behavior control zone is defined, at least in part, as an offset of the boundary of the behavior control zone. This limitation merely describe of how the behavior control zone is built or defined and it does not seem to impact any structure of the robot as recited in claim 2. In the other words, an autonomous mobile robot comprises a drive system, a sensor, a controller (as shown in claim 2) do not define the behavior control zone. Therefore, this limitation does not mean anything to the structure of the robot recited in claim 2 and thus is given little patentable weight. Further, KNUTSON teaches this limitation at least in figure 5, pars. 0068-0070}
As for claims 19-23, the limitations of these claims are noted in the rejection above. Therefore, they are rejected for the same reasons sets forth above.
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.
Claim(s)5-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KNUTSON as applied to claim 2 above and in view of BAE ET AL (US 2018/0292832) from Applicant IDS filed on 4/26/22. Herein after BAE.
As for dep. claim 5, KNUTSON discloses claimed invention as indicated above. KNUTSON further discloses estimating a location of the robot based on at least signal generated by the sensor {see at least abstract; pars. 0025, 0026, 0079}. However, KNUTSON does not explicitly disclose “computing an uncertainty associated with the estimated location of the robot, wherein selecting the size during the maneuvering comprising selecting the size based on at least the uncertainty associated with the estimated location of the robot”. However, BAE teaches these limitations at least in part. 011-0013, figures 1A-1B which discloses the buffer zone (e.g., warning zone 108), the vehicle can determine within what zone its error bounds are located by superimposing the error bounds with a map that is portioned into zones. The vehicle can use its estimated location error bounds enter a warning zone, the vehicle can reflect itself away from the warning zone and back into the safe zone}. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective of filing date of the claim invention to modify the system of KNUTSON to include determine the uncertainty of location of the robot and the use of buffer zone based on the uncertainty of BAE in order to allow the vehicle to recognize a buffer zone and avoid entry into another specified zone to avoid damage (BAE pars. 0012-0013}.
As for dep. claims 6-7, which discloses wherein selecting the size of the buffer zone comprises selecting the size based on at least an uncertainty associated with an estimation of the location of the robot, wherein the selected sized of the buffer zone is proportional to the uncertainty associated with the estimation of the location of the robot maneuvering {see BAE at least pars. 0011-0013, figures 1A-1B; KNUTSON at least pars. 0066, 0068-0070 and figure 5}.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The reference Suvarna et al (US 2019/0061157) discloses robotic virtual boundaries, the virtual boundary changes over time to change cleaning areas, act as a gate, change associated cleaning mode, etc. The virtual areas with boundaries are selected by a user.
The reference of Molina Cabrera et al (US 2021/0080964) discloses system and method to virtually teach a semi-autonomous device, par. 0030 discloses the human operator can define safety margins in the virtual environment to ensure the virtual device operates in a safe manner where possible collisions and/or damage to the semi-autonomous device or the target environment is reduced.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Kira Nguyen whose telephone number is (571)270-1614. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Friday 9:00-5:00 ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Khoi Tran can be reached on 571-272-6919. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KIRA NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3656