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 filed 09/17/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that Hooley as modified does not close the amended limitations of amended claim 1, Specifically A light pipe that extends longitudinally along a light pipe longitudinal axis, wherein a light emitting surface of the light pipe extends continuously over first and second light sources to form a bar of light, and an indicator axis that intersects each of first and second indicia of an indicator strip and that extends parallel to the light pipe longitudinal axis, wherein the first indicia corresponds to the first and second light source.
While Examiner agrees that Hooley as modified previously does not discloses all of these limitations, Hooley as modified below in the updated rejection discloses or makes obvious these limitations. Firstly, regarding the light pipe longitudinal axis, as seen in Annotated Figure A below, Hooley does disclose a light pipe longitudinal axis, and said light pipe does have a light emitting and light receiving surface, as the light pipe of hooley is meant to allow light to pass through, the bottom surface facing the LEDs would form a light receiving surface, and the top surface facing away from the LEDs would form a light emitting surface.
Finally, Tsuchida discloses a similar user interface also with a light longitudinal axis, and an indicator axis that intersect each of the first and second indicia of the UI, that is parallel to the light longitudinal axis, As seen in Annotated Figure B provided below in the rejection of claim 1.
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to rearrange the location of the indicia such that an indicator axis intersects each of the first and second indicia and extends parallel to the light pipe longitudinal axis as taught by Tsuchida as this is known equivalent method of providing cleaning information to the user during a cleaning operation and it has been held substituting equivalents known for the same purpose is obvious. See MPEP 2144.06 II.
It would be further obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the UI of Hooley to indicate the level of suction being provided by the suction motor, as doing so would expand on the original operation of the display of Hooley (See Para [0026] of Hooley “For example, the user interface can be including a display 235 (mounted on the display controller 210) and a switch 240, or the like. The display 235 can be as simple is an LED or LCD display indicating operation of the vacuum cleaner 10 and the switch 240 can be used for activating/deactivating the vacuum cleaner 10.”) and will provide additional information to the user and allow the user more easily optimize the motor power usage for the cleaner.
Modifying Hooley in such a manner would result in a first indicia that corresponds to the first and second light sources (H indicator in Tsuchida, associated with both light sources being on to form the longer of the two bars of Light) and a second indicia that corresponds with a third light source (L indicator in Tsuchida, associated with the smaller of the two bars of light).
As such Examiner does not find these arguments persuasive. Applicants’ arguments pointed towards independent claims 8 and 15 are not found persuasive for the same reasons as claim 1.
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.
Claims 1, 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hooley (US 20180249875 A1), in view of Marutani (US Patent Pub 20190254490 A1), Tsuchida (US Patent No. 5023973) and King (US 20140331831 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Hooley teaches A surface treatment apparatus comprising:
an upright section (14, see figure 5);
a surface cleaning head (12) having an agitator (brush roll 27), the surface cleaning head being pivotally coupled to the upright section
(Para [0014] “FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary vacuum cleaner 10. The vacuum cleaner 10 includes a surface cleaning head 12, a pivot assembly 14, and a canister assembly 16. The vacuum cleaner 10 further includes a cleaning wand 18. Optionally, the canister assembly 16 is removably coupled to the cleaning head 12 and the pivot assembly 14. The cleaning wand 18 is removable from the pivot assembly 14 so that the canister assembly 16 and the cleaning wand 18 can be used for vacuuming apart from the cleaning head 12 and the pivot assembly 14.”);
an agitator motor (brushroll motor 200) configured to cause the agitator to rotate
(Para [0021] “For example, in one embodiment, the electrical components include a brushroll motor 200 (FIG. 7) that drive a brushroll (also referred to as brush) 27 that agitates the surface 20 being cleaned.”);
a vacuum assembly coupled to the upright section, the vacuum assembly including a dust cup (66) and a suction motor (72), the dust cup and the suction motor being fluidly coupled to the surface cleaning head configured to cause debris to be drawn from a surface to be treated;
a user interface (UI) coupled to the surface cleaning head; the UI includes:
A printed circuit board (PCB) (236);
at least a first light source coupled to the PCB (300A, part of display 235, see citation below) a second light source coupled to the PCB, (300B Part of display 235), and a third light source coupled to the PCB (300C, part of display 235);
(Para [0026] “The user interface is included to control the vacuum cleaner 10. The user interface can include a combination of digital and analog input devices required to control the vacuum 10. For example, the user interface can be including a display 235 (mounted on the display controller 210) and a switch 240, or the like. The display 235 can be as simple is an LED or LCD display indicating operation of the vacuum cleaner 10 and the switch 240 can be used for activating/deactivating the vacuum cleaner 10. FIG. 1 shows a display 235 and a switch 240. The display 235 can be mounted on a PCB 236 (FIG. 11) with other additional passive and active components necessary for controlling the display, similar to what was discussed for the appliance controller 205.”);
A light pipe (310 and 315) the light pipe being configured to allow a transmission of light (See Para [0027] “FIGS. 8-10 show a display having a plurality of LEDs 300A-300D working with indicators 305A-305D formed in a panel 310 of the surface cleaning head 12. The indicators 305A-D are words (or symbols) of clear plastic formed in a black panel 315 so that when a series of LEDs 300A-300D light positioned behind the indicators 305A-305D the LEDs 300A-300D illuminate the indicators 305A-305D through the black panel 315. The black panel 315 is insert molded into the outer housing 320 of the surface cleaning head 12”);
An indicator strip (305a-305d) including a first indicia (305A-305D are each individual indicia) corresponding to a different LED (Please see Para [0027] reproduced below)
“FIGS. 8-10 show a display having a plurality of LEDs 300A-300D working with indicators 305A-305D formed in a panel 310 of the surface cleaning head 12. The indicators 305A-D are words (or symbols) of clear plastic formed in a black panel 315 so that when a series of LEDs 300A-300D light positioned behind the indicators 305A-305D the LEDs 300A-300D illuminate the indicators 305A-305D through the black panel 315. The black panel 315 is insert molded into the outer housing 320 of the surface cleaning head 12. Each LED or series of LEDs 300A, 30013, 300C, or 300Da re positioned in a box (e.g., box 301B shown in FIG. 11) that is sealed against the inside of the outer housing 320 around the indicator 305A, 305B, 305C, or 305D, respectively, such that light shines through the clear plastic forming the word or symbol, but the activated LEDs 300A, 300B, 300C, or 300D do not illuminate other indicators 305A, 305B, 305C, or 305D not activated. Therefore, the indicators 305A, 305B, 305C, or 305D not activated appear to be black because the view through the clear word is into a dark box.”
And a UI cover (320).
And suggests but does not explicitly disclose:
the light pipe (310) that extends longitudinally along a longitudinal axis (See Annotated Figure A), the light pipe having a light receiving surface (interior facing surface of 310 and 315) and a light emitting surface (exterior facing surface of 310 and 315), the light pipe extending over the PCB (236) and each of the first light source, the second light source and the third light source (See figure 8, showing 310 extending over the LEDs) the light pipe being configured to allow a transmission of light from the light receiving surface to the light emitting surface, wherein the light emitting surface extends continuously over the first and second light sources to form a bar of light (See Para [0027] “FIGS. 8-10 show a display having a plurality of LEDs 300A-300D working with indicators 305A-305D formed in a panel 310 of the surface cleaning head 12. The indicators 305A-D are words (or symbols) of clear plastic formed in a black panel 315 so that when a series of LEDs 300A-300D light positioned behind the indicators 305A-305D the LEDs 300A-300D illuminate the indicators 305A-305D through the black panel 315. The black panel 315 is insert molded into the outer housing 320 of the surface cleaning head 12” See Figs. 8-10 showing different parts of the light bar light up with different LEDs)
the indicator strip (305a-305d) extending over the light pipe (310) such that the light pipe is disposed between the indicator strip and the pcb, (305a-305d are formed in 315 which is formed above 310)
the UI cover extending over the indicator strip such that the indicator strip is disposed between the light pipe and the UI cover (Para [0027] “Each LED or series of LEDs 300A, 30013, 300C, or 300Da re positioned in a box (e.g., box 301B shown in FIG. 11) that is sealed against the inside of the outer housing 320 around the indicator 305A,”).
However, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill over the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the PCB, light pipe, indicator strip and UI cover as there a limited and finite number of viable ways these components can be spatially related in an up and down direction, as non-viable options would result in the operator of the cleaner either being able to not clearly see the indicator light or not see them at all. It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to try different orders in order to find the optimal order, and one would have a reasonable expectation of success of finding an optimal order.
And Hooley does not explicitly disclose
a debris sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of a number of debris in a dirty air path;
wherein the indicator axis intersects each of the first and second indicia and extends parallel to the light pipe longitudinal axis;
a controller configured to:
receive the signal indicative of the amount of the debris in the dirty air path;
adjust the UI based on the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor
by illuminating the first light source and disabling the second light source such that the bar of light has a first length when the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor exceeds a first motor rotation speed threshold while being less than a second motor rotation speed threshold; and
illuminating the first light source and the second light source such that the bar of light has a second length, the second length being greater than the first length when the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor exceeds the first and the second motor rotation speed thresholds.
However, Marutani does teach a debris sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of an amount of debris in a dirty air path (See Para [0038]
“The dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 is an optical sensor disposed, for example, in an upstream side of the dust-collecting unit 40, that is, in an air path continuing from the suction port 31 to the dust-collecting unit 40, or the like. The dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 includes a light emitting part for emitting light and a light receiving part for receiving the light emitted from the light emitting part. Then, the dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 is capable of detecting the amount of the dust and dirt passing through between the light emitting part and the light receiving part, based on the amount of light received by the light receiving part out of the light emitted by the light emitting part.”);
a controller (24) configured to:
receive the signal indicative of the amount of the debris in the dirty air path (See Para [0039] and [0042]
[0039] “Further, the control unit 24 includes a sensor connection part 63 serving as sensor control means to be electrically connected to the sensor part 23.”
[0042] “The sensor connection part 63 serves to acquire a detection result done by the sensor part 23 (the periphery detection sensor 43, the infrared sensor 44 and the dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45).”;
adjust a rotation speed of at least one of the suction motors or the agitator motor based on the signal indicative of the amount of debris in the dirty air path (See Para [0065] cited in the following paragraph);
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Hooley in view of Marutani to include a dust sensor in order to provide information to the user and allow for the automatic control of the suction power in a proportional amount to the dust detected. (See Para [0065] of Marutani “The control unit 24 is also capable of increasing and decreasing a driving force of the electric blower 35, the rotary brush 36 (brush motor 37) or the side brushes 38 (side brush motors 39) according to the dust-and-dirt amount detected by the dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45, the type of the floor surface, and the like. In the case where the dust-and-dirt amount detected by the dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 is large, as an example, the driving force described above is increased. In the case where the dust-and-dirt amount is relatively small, the driving force is decreased.”)
Further, Tsuchida teaches wherein an indicator axis interests each of the first and second indicia and extend parallel to the light pipe longitudinal axis (See Fig. 1 showing a user interface on a light panel (analogous to the light pipe) with a longitudinal axis extending horizontally, and the L (low power) to H (High power) being plotted along a horizontal axis on the power control indicator 25, See Annotated Figure B below) and
adjust the UI based on the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor such that the bar of light has a first length when the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or agitator exceeds a first motor rotation speed threshold and the bar of light has a second length, the second length being greater than the first length when the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor exceeds the first and the second motor rotation speed threshold.
(See Col 4 Line 6-10 “The power control indicator 25 indicates the suction force of the electric air blower 7, namely, a state of output control, with a notch indicator of five levels, LL, L, M, H1 and H2, corresponding to five red light emitting diodes D4 to D8, respectively.” See Light bar on indicator 25 in Fig. 1 and further see Col 5 Line 38-49 “Reference numeral 41 denotes an indication unit controller. The light emitting diodes D4 to D8 of the power control indicator 25 work in response to the signal voltage from the operation notch determining unit 38. All the diodes are of (no light) when the OFF notch is set, one of them lights up for the LL notch, two of them light up at the L notch, and three of them light up at the M notch, five of them light up at the H notch. The diodes light up by the number corresponding to the detected output voltage from the pressure detecting unit 40 when the A notch is set.”)
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to rearrange the location of the indicia such that an indicator axis intersects each of the first and second indicia and extends parallel to the light pipe longitudinal axis as taught by Tsuchida as this is known equivalent method of providing cleaning information to the user during a cleaning operation and it has been held substituting equivalents known for the same purpose is obvious. See MPEP 2144.06 II.
It would be further obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the UI of Hooley to indicate the level of suction being provided by the suction motor, as doing so would expand on the original operation of the display of Hooley (See Para [0026] of Hooley “For example, the user interface can be include a display 235 (mounted on the display controller 210) and a switch 240, or the like. The display 235 can be as simple is an LED or LCD display indicating operation of the vacuum cleaner 10 and the switch 240 can be used for activating/deactivating the vacuum cleaner 10.”) and will provide additional information to the user and allow the user more easily optimize the motor power usage for the cleaner.
Further, King teaches imparting information via LED by illuminating one light at a first threshold, turning it off at another threshold (See Para [0044] “As discussed above, any LED sequence may be implemented as the indicator. For example, the yellow LED(s) can turn off when the green or red LED(s) illuminate. The indicator 130 sequence can be different in manual mode versus automatic mode.”),
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to further modify Hooley in view of king in order to have the first light source and disabling the second light source when the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor exceeds a first motor rotation speed threshold while being less than a second motor rotation speed threshold; and illuminating the first light source and the second light source when the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor exceeds the first and the second motor rotation speed thresholds as doing so would be an obvious matter of design choice, in presenting the same information in a different format.
Modifying Hooley in such a manner would result in a first indicia that corresponds to the first and second light sources (H indicator in Tsuchida, associated with both light sources being on to form the longer of the two bars of Light) and a second indicia that corresponds with a third light source (L indicator in Tsuchida, associated with the smaller of the two bars of light).
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Annotated Figure A (Fig. 8 of Hooley)
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Annotated Figure B (Fig. B of Tsuchida)
Regarding Claim 7, Hooley teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and in addition teaches wherein the debris sensor is located within the dirty air path (See Para [0038] of Marutani “Then, the dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 is capable of detecting the amount of the dust and dirt passing through between the light emitting part and the light receiving part, based on the amount of light received by the light receiving part out of the light emitted by the light emitting part.”).
Claims 3 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hooley (US 20180249875 A1) in view of Marutani (US Patent Pub 20190254490 A1), Tsuchida (US Patent No. 5023973) King (US 20140331831 A1) as modified in claim 1 and in further view of Afrouzi (US 20190204851 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Hooley as modified teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and in addition teaches wherein the debris sensor (45 of Marutani) is an optical sensor (See Para [0038] of Marutani). However, Hooley as modified does not explicitly teach that the debris sensor utilizes infrared, but it does teach another optical sensor but does teach an infrared sensor for detecting obstacles (See Para [0037])
However, Afrouzi does teach a similar cleaner, including multiple sensors and teaches that these sensors can be infrared sensors (See Para [0060] of Afrouzi “Robotic cleaning devices may also include sensors for observing the environment, such as sensors for detecting obstructions, types of flooring, cliffs, system status, debris, etc., and sensors for measuring movement, distance, temperature, etc. Examples of sensors include IR sensors, tactile sensors, sonar sensors, gyroscopes, optical encoder, odometer, ultrasonic range finder sensors, depth sensing cameras, odometer sensors, optical flow sensors, LIDAR, cameras, IR illuminator.”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize an IR scanner in the debris sensor in order to reduce power consumption and to allow the sensor to reliably work regardless of the light level.
Regarding Claim 4, Hooley as modified teaches all the limitations of claim 3, and in addition teaches, wherein the IR optical sensor further comprises:
a transmitter configured to transmit light; and
a receiver configured to output the signal based on a quantity of the IR light received by the receiver (See Para [0038] of Marutani “The dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 is an optical sensor disposed, for example, in an upstream side of the dust-collecting unit 40, that is, in an air path continuing from the suction port 31 to the dust-collecting unit 40, or the like. The dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 includes a light emitting part for emitting light and a light receiving part for receiving the light emitted from the light emitting part. Then, the dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 is capable of detecting the amount of the dust and dirt passing through between the light emitting part and the light receiving part, based on the amount of light received by the light receiving part out of the light emitted by the light emitting part).
But does not explicitly teach that the transmitter and receiver utilize infrared,
However, Marutani teaches additional sensors that do utilize infrared (44, see Para [0040]). It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing fate of the invention to modify the optical debris sensor of Marutani to be IR sensors as IR sensors are known to be utilized in vacuum cleaners and would not change the operation of the device, while accomplishing the same purpose, and as such the type of optical sensor would be an obvious matter of design choice.
Claims 8, 10-11, 14-17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Marutani (US Patent Pub 20190254490 A1) in view of Tsuchida (US Patent No. 5023973), King (US 20140331831 A1), Hooley (US 20180249875 A1).
Regarding Claim 8, Marutani teaches A vacuum cleaner comprising:
a surface cleaning heads (11) having an agitator (36);
a dust cup (40) fluidly coupled to the surface cleaning head (11);
a suction motor (35) fluidly coupled to the surface cleaning head (11);
an agitator motor (37) configured to cause the agitator to rotate
(Para [0031] “The cleaning unit 22 may include at least one of an electric blower 35 which sucks dust and dirt along with air through the suction port 31, a rotary brush 36 as a rotary cleaner which is rotatably attached to the suction port 31 for scraping up dust and dirt, as well as a brush motor 37 which rotationally drives the rotary brush 36, and side brushes 38 which are auxiliary cleaning means (an auxiliary cleaning part) as swinging-cleaning parts rotatably attached on the both sides of the main casing 20 on its front side or the like to scrape together dust and dirt, as well as side brush motors 39 which drives the side brushes 38.”);
a debris sensor (45) configured to generate a signal indicative of an amount of debris in a dirty air path (See Para [0038] of Marutani
“The dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 is an optical sensor disposed, for example, in an upstream side of the dust-collecting unit 40, that is, in an air path continuing from the suction port 31 to the dust-collecting unit 40, or the like. The dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 includes a light emitting part for emitting light and a light receiving part for receiving the light emitted from the light emitting part. Then, the dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 is capable of detecting the amount of the dust and dirt passing through between the light emitting part and the light receiving part, based on the amount of light received by the light receiving part out of the light emitted by the light emitting part.”);
and a controller (24) configured to:
receive the signal indicative of the amount of the debris in the dirty air path based on the signal indicative of the amount of debris in the dirty air path (Marutani Para [0065]
“The control unit 24 is also capable of increasing and decreasing a driving force of the electric blower 35, the rotary brush 36 (brush motor 37) or the side brushes 38 (side brush motors 39) according to the dust-and-dirt amount detected by the dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45, the type of the floor surface, and the like. In the case where the dust-and-dirt amount detected by the dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 is large, as an example, the driving force described above is increased. In the case where the dust-and-dirt amount is relatively small, the driving force is decreased.”);
adjust a rotation speed of at least one of the suction motors or the agitator motor
(See Para [0065 above]);
But does not explicitly teach a user interface (UI) coupled to the surface cleaning head, the UI includes: a printed circuit board (PCB) at least a first light source coupled to the PCB a second light source coupled to the PCB and a third light source coupled to the PCB
a light pipe that extends longitudinally along a light pipe longitudinal axis, the light pipe having a light receiving surface and a light emitting surface, the light pipe extending over the PCB and each of the first light source, the second light source and the third light source, the light pipe being configured to allow a transmission of light from the light receiving surface to the light emitting surface, wherein the light emitting surface extends continuously over the first and second light sources;
an indicator strip extending over the light pipe such that the light pipe is disposed between the indicator strip and the PCB, the indicator strip including a first indicia that corresponds to the first to the first and second sources and a second indicia that corresponds to the third light source, wherein an indicator axis intersects each of the first and second indicia and extends parallel to the light pipe longitudinal axis;
and a UI cover extending over the indicator strip such that the indicator strip is disposed between the light pipe and the UI cover;
and adjust the UI based on the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motors or the agitator motor by illuminating the first light source and disabling the second light source such that the bar of light has a first length when the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor exceeds a first motor rotation speed threshold while being less than a second motor rotation speed threshold; and
illuminating the first light source and the second light source such that the bar of light has a second length, the second length being greater than the first length when the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor exceeds the first and the second motor rotation speed thresholds.
Hooley teaches
A printed circuit board (PCB) (236);
at least a first light source coupled to the PCB (300A, part of display 235, see citation below) a second light source coupled to the PCB, (300B Part of display 235), and a third light source coupled to the PCB (300C, part of display 235);
(Para [0026] “The user interface is included to control the vacuum cleaner 10. The user interface can include a combination of digital and analog input devices required to control the vacuum 10. For example, the user interface can be include a display 235 (mounted on the display controller 210) and a switch 240, or the like. The display 235 can be as simple is an LED or LCD display indicating operation of the vacuum cleaner 10 and the switch 240 can be used for activating/deactivating the vacuum cleaner 10. FIG. 1 shows a display 235 and a switch 240. The display 235 can be mounted on a PCB 236 (FIG. 11) with other additional passive and active components necessary for controlling the display, similar to what was discussed for the appliance controller 205.”);
A light pipe (315) the light pipe being configured to allow a transmission of light (See Para [0027] “FIGS. 8-10 show a display having a plurality of LEDs 300A-300D working with indicators 305A-305D formed in a panel 310 of the surface cleaning head 12. The indicators 305A-D are words (or symbols) of clear plastic formed in a black panel 315 so that when a series of LEDs 300A-300D light positioned behind the indicators 305A-305D the LEDs 300A-300D illuminate the indicators 305A-305D through the black panel 315. The black panel 315 is insert molded into the outer housing 320 of the surface cleaning head 12”).
An indicator strip (305a-305d) including a first indicia (305A-305D are each individual indicia) corresponding to a different LED (Please see Para [0027] reproduced below)
“FIGS. 8-10 show a display having a plurality of LEDs 300A-300D working with indicators 305A-305D formed in a panel 310 of the surface cleaning head 12. The indicators 305A-D are words (or symbols) of clear plastic formed in a black panel 315 so that when a series of LEDs 300A-300D light positioned behind the indicators 305A-305D the LEDs 300A-300D illuminate the indicators 305A-305D through the black panel 315. The black panel 315 is insert molded into the outer housing 320 of the surface cleaning head 12. Each LED or series of LEDs 300A, 30013, 300C, or 300Da re positioned in a box (e.g., box 301B shown in FIG. 11) that is sealed against the inside of the outer housing 320 around the indicator 305A, 305B, 305C, or 305D, respectively, such that light shines through the clear plastic forming the word or symbol, but the activated LEDs 300A, 300B, 300C, or 300D do not illuminate other indicators 305A, 305B, 305C, or 305D not activated. Therefore, the indicators 305A, 305B, 305C, or 305D not activated appear to be black because the view through the clear word is into a dark box.”
And a UI cover (320)
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to further modify Marutani as modified to have User interface that can impart information regarding the current performance and operation of the cleaner to the user, allowing for an easier and more efficient operation of the device for a user.
And Hooley suggests but does not explicitly disclose:
the light pipe (310) that extends longitudinally along a longitudinal axis (See Annotated Figure A), the light pipe having a light receiving surface (interior facing surface of 310 and 315) and a light emitting surface (exterior facing surface of 310 and 315), the light pipe (310) extending over the PCB (236) and each of the first light source, the second light source and the third light source (See figure 8, showing 310 extending over the LEDs) the light pipe being configured to allow a transmission of light from the light receiving surface to the light emitting surface, wherein the light emitting surface extends continuously over the first and second light sources to form a bar of light (See Para [0027] “FIGS. 8-10 show a display having a plurality of LEDs 300A-300D working with indicators 305A-305D formed in a panel 310 of the surface cleaning head 12. The indicators 305A-D are words (or symbols) of clear plastic formed in a black panel 315 so that when a series of LEDs 300A-300D light positioned behind the indicators 305A-305D the LEDs 300A-300D illuminate the indicators 305A-305D through the black panel 315. The black panel 315 is insert molded into the outer housing 320 of the surface cleaning head 12” See Figs. 8-10 showing different parts of the light bar light up with different LEDs)
the indicator strip (305a-305d) extending over the light pipe (310) such that the light pipe is disposed between the indicator strip and the pcb, (305a-305d are formed in 315 which is formed above 310)
the UI cover extending over the indicator strip such that the indicator strip is disposed between the light pipe and the UI cover (Para [0027] “Each LED or series of LEDs 300A, 30013, 300C, or 300Da re positioned in a box (e.g., box 301B shown in FIG. 11) that is sealed against the inside of the outer housing 320 around the indicator 305A,”).
However, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill over the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the PCB, light pipe, indicator strip and UI cover as there a limited and finite number of viable ways these components can be spatially related in an up and down direction, as non-viable options would result in the operator of the cleaner either being able to not clearly see the indicator light or not see them at all. It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to try different orders in order to find the optimal order, and one would have a reasonable expectation of success of finding an optimal order.
Examiner notes that as Marutani as modified above teaches a first indicia that corresponds to the first and second light sources (H indicator in Tsuchida, associated with both light sources being on to form the longer of the two bars of Light) and a second indicia that corresponds with a third light source (L indicator in Tsuchida, associated with the smaller of the two bars of light).
Further, Tsuchida teaches wherein an indicator axis interests each of the first and second indicia and extend parallel to the light pipe longitudinal axis (See Fig. 1 showing a user interface on a light panel (analogous to the light pipe) with a longitudinal axis extending horizontally, and the L (low power) to H (High power) being plotted along a horizontal axis on the power control indicator 25, See Annotated Figure B Above.) and,
adjust the UI based on the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor such that the bar of light has a first length when the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or agitator exceeds a first motor rotation speed threshold and the bar of light has a second length, the second length being greater than the first length when the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor exceeds the first and the second motor rotation speed threshold.
(See Col 4 Line 6-10 “The power control indicator 25 indicates the suction force of the electric air blower 7, namely, a state of output control, with a notch indicator of five levels, LL, L, M, H1 and H2, corresponding to five red light emitting diodes D4 to D8, respectively.” See Light bar on indicator 25 in Fig. 1 and further see Col 5 Line 38-49 “Reference numeral 41 denotes an indication unit controller. The light emitting diodes D4 to D8 of the power control indicator 25 work in response to the signal voltage from the operation notch determining unit 38. All the diodes are of (no light) when the OFF notch is set, one of them lights up for the LL notch, two of them light up at the L notch, and three of them light up at the M notch, five of them light up at the H notch. The diodes light up by the number corresponding to the detected output voltage from the pressure detecting unit 40 when the A notch is set.”)
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to rearrange the location of the indicia such that an indicator axis intersects each of the first and second indicia and extends parallel to the light pipe longitudinal axis as taught by Tsuchida as this is known equivalent method of providing cleaning information to the user during a cleaning operation and it has been held substituting equivalents known for the same purpose is obvious. See MPEP 2144.06 II.
It would be further obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the UI of Hooley to indicate the level of suction being provided by the suction motor, as doing so would expand on the original operation of the display of Hooley now in Marutani as modified (See Para [0026] of Hooley “For example, the user interface can be include a display 235 (mounted on the display controller 210) and a switch 240, or the like. The display 235 can be as simple is an LED or LCD display indicating operation of the vacuum cleaner 10 and the switch 240 can be used for activating/deactivating the vacuum cleaner 10.”) and will provide additional information to the user and allow the user more easily optimize the motor power usage for the cleaner.
Further, King teaches imparting information via LED by illuminating one light at a first threshold, turning it off at another threshold (See Para [0044] “As discussed above, any LED sequence may be implemented as the indicator. For example, the yellow LED(s) can turn off when the green or red LED(s) illuminate. The indicator 130 sequence can be different in manual mode versus automatic mode.”),
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to further modify the interface of Hooley in Marutani as modified above view of king in order to have the first light source and disabling the second light source when the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor exceeds a first motor rotation speed threshold while being less than a second motor rotation speed threshold; and illuminating the first light source and the second light source when the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor exceeds the first and the second motor rotation speed thresholds as doing so would be an obvious matter of design choice, in presenting the same information in a different format.
Regarding claim 10, Marutani as modified teaches all the limitations of claim 8 and in addition teaches wherein the debris sensor (45 of Marutani) is an optical sensor (See Para [0038] of Marutani). However, Marutani does not explicitly teach that the debris sensor utilizes infrared, but it does teach another optical sensor but does teach an infrared sensor for detecting obstacles (See Para [0037])
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize an IR scanner in the debris sensor in order to reduce power consumption and to allow the sensor to reliably work regardless of the light level.
Regarding Claim 11, Marutani as modified teaches all the limitations of claim 10, and in addition teaches, wherein the IR optical sensor further comprises:
a transmitter configured to transmit light; and
a receiver configured to output the signal based on a quantity of the IR light received by the receiver (See Para [0038] of Marutani “The dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 is an optical sensor disposed, for example, in an upstream side of the dust-collecting unit 40, that is, in an air path continuing from the suction port 31 to the dust-collecting unit 40, or the like. The dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 includes a light emitting part for emitting light and a light receiving part for receiving the light emitted from the light emitting part. Then, the dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 is capable of detecting the amount of the dust and dirt passing through between the light emitting part and the light receiving part, based on the amount of light received by the light receiving part out of the light emitted by the light emitting part).
But does not explicitly teach that the transmitter and receiver utilize infrared,
However, Marutani teaches additional sensors that do utilize infrared (44, see Para [0040]). It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing fate of the invention to modify the optical debris sensor of Marutani to be IR sensors as IR sensors are known to be utilized in vacuum cleaners and would not change the operation of the device, while accomplishing the same purpose, and as such the type of optical sensor would be an obvious matter of design choice.
Regarding Claim 14, Marutani as modified teaches all the limitations of claim 8, and in addition teach wherein the debris sensor is located within the dirty air path (See Para [0038] of Marutani “Then, the dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 is capable of detecting the amount of the dust and dirt passing through between the light emitting part and the light receiving part, based on the amount of light received by the light receiving part out of the light emitted by the light emitting part.”).
Regarding Claim 15, Marutani teaches:
A surface treatment apparatus comprising (11):
a suction motor (35) configured to cause debris to be drawn from a surface to be treated (See Para [0031]
“The cleaning unit 22 may include at least one of an electric blower 35 which sucks dust and dirt along with air through the suction port 31, a rotary brush 36 as a rotary cleaner which is rotatably attached to the suction port 31 for scraping up dust and dirt, as well as a brush motor 37 which rotationally drives the rotary brush 36, and side brushes 38 which are auxiliary cleaning means (an auxiliary cleaning part) as swinging-cleaning parts rotatably attached on the both sides of the main casing 20 on its front side or the like to scrape together dust and dirt, as well as side brush motors 39 which drives the side brushes 38.”);
a debris sensor (45) configured to generate a signal indicative of an amount of debris in a dirty air path (See Para [0038] of Marutani
“The dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 is an optical sensor disposed, for example, in an upstream side of the dust-collecting unit 40, that is, in an air path continuing from the suction port 31 to the dust-collecting unit 40, or the like. The dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 includes a light emitting part for emitting light and a light receiving part for receiving the light emitted from the light emitting part. Then, the dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 is capable of detecting the amount of the dust and dirt passing through between the light emitting part and the light receiving part, based on the amount of light received by the light receiving part out of the light emitted by the light emitting part.”);
a surface cleaning head (22) having an agitator (36);
a controller (24) configured to:
receive the signal indicative of the amount of the debris in the dirty air path 1
(Marutani Para [0065] “The control unit 24 is also capable of increasing and decreasing a driving force of the electric blower 35, the rotary brush 36 (brush motor 37) or the side brushes 38 (side brush motors 39) according to the dust-and-dirt amount detected by the dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45, the type of the floor surface, and the like. In the case where the dust-and-dirt amount detected by the dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 is large, as an example, the driving force described above is increased. In the case where the dust-and-dirt amount is relatively small, the driving force is decreased.”);
adjust a rotation speed of the suction motor based on the signal indicative of the amount of debris in the dirty air path (See Para [0065] above);
But does not explicitly teach A user interface (UI) coupled to the surface cleaning head, the UI includes a printed circuit board (PCB) at least a first light source coupled to the PCB a second light source coupled to the PCB and a third light source coupled to the PCB,
a light pipe that extends longitudinally along a light pipe longitudinal axis, the light pipe having a light receiving surface and a light emitting surface, the light pipe extending over the PCB and each of the first light source the second light source and the third light source, the light pipe being configured to allow a transmission of light from the light receiving surface to the light emitting surface, wherein the light emitting surface extends continuously over the first and second light sources to form a bar of light;
an indicator strip extending over the light pipe such that the light pipe is disposed between the indicator strip and the PCB, the indicator strip including a first indicia that corresponds to the first to the first and second sources and a second indicia that corresponds to the third light source, wherein an indicator axis intersects each of the first and second indicia and extends parallel to the light pipe longitudinal axis;
and a UI cover extending over the indicator strip such that the indicator strip is disposed between the light pipe and the UI cover; and
adjust the UI based on the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor
by illuminating the first light source and disabling the second light source such that the bar of light has a first length when the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor exceeds a first motor rotation speed threshold while being less than a second motor rotation speed threshold; and
illuminating the first light source and the second light source such that the bar of light has a second length, the second length being greater than the first length when the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor exceeds the first and the second motor rotation speed thresholds.
Hooley teaches
A printed circuit board (PCB) (236);
at least a first light source coupled to the PCB (300A, part of display 235, see citation below) a second light source coupled to the PCB, (300B Part of display 235), and a third light source coupled to the PCB (300C, part of display 235);
(Para [0026] “The user interface is included to control the vacuum cleaner 10. The user interface can include a combination of digital and analog input devices required to control the vacuum 10. For example, the user interface can be include a display 235 (mounted on the display controller 210) and a switch 240, or the like. The display 235 can be as simple is an LED or LCD display indicating operation of the vacuum cleaner 10 and the switch 240 can be used for activating/deactivating the vacuum cleaner 10. FIG. 1 shows a display 235 and a switch 240. The display 235 can be mounted on a PCB 236 (FIG. 11) with other additional passive and active components necessary for controlling the display, similar to what was discussed for the appliance controller 205.”);
A light pipe (315), the light pipe being configured to allow a transmission of light (See Para [0027] “FIGS. 8-10 show a display having a plurality of LEDs 300A-300D working with indicators 305A-305D formed in a panel 310 of the surface cleaning head 12. The indicators 305A-D are words (or symbols) of clear plastic formed in a black panel 315 so that when a series of LEDs 300A-300D light positioned behind the indicators 305A-305D the LEDs 300A-300D illuminate the indicators 305A-305D through the black panel 315. The black panel 315 is insert molded into the outer housing 320 of the surface cleaning head 12”)
An indicator strip (305a-305d) including a first indicia (305A-305D are each individual indicia) corresponding to a different LED (Please see Para [0027] reproduced below)
“FIGS. 8-10 show a display having a plurality of LEDs 300A-300D working with indicators 305A-305D formed in a panel 310 of the surface cleaning head 12. The indicators 305A-D are words (or symbols) of clear plastic formed in a black panel 315 so that when a series of LEDs 300A-300D light positioned behind the indicators 305A-305D the LEDs 300A-300D illuminate the indicators 305A-305D through the black panel 315. The black panel 315 is insert molded into the outer housing 320 of the surface cleaning head 12. Each LED or series of LEDs 300A, 30013, 300C, or 300Da re positioned in a box (e.g., box 301B shown in FIG. 11) that is sealed against the inside of the outer housing 320 around the indicator 305A, 305B, 305C, or 305D, respectively, such that light shines through the clear plastic forming the word or symbol, but the activated LEDs 300A, 300B, 300C, or 300D do not illuminate other indicators 305A, 305B, 305C, or 305D not activated. Therefore, the indicators 305A, 305B, 305C, or 305D not activated appear to be black because the view through the clear word is into a dark box.”
And a UI cover (320)
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to further modify Marutani as modified to substitute the components of the UI of Marutani with those described by Hooley as they are known equivalents in the art for producing a User interface for a vacuum cleaner.
And Hooley suggests but does not explicitly disclose:
the light pipe (310) that extends longitudinally along a longitudinal axis (See Annotated Figure A), the light pipe having a light receiving surface (interior facing surface of 310 and 315) and a light emitting surface (exterior facing surface of 310 and 315), the light pipe extending over the PCB (236) and each of the first light source, the second light source and the third light source (See figure 8, showing 310 extending over the LEDs) the light pipe being configured to allow a transmission of light from the light receiving surface to the light emitting surface, wherein the light emitting surface extends continuously over the first and second light sources to form a bar of light (See Para [0027] “FIGS. 8-10 show a display having a plurality of LEDs 300A-300D working with indicators 305A-305D formed in a panel 310 of the surface cleaning head 12. The indicators 305A-D are words (or symbols) of clear plastic formed in a black panel 315 so that when a series of LEDs 300A-300D light positioned behind the indicators 305A-305D the LEDs 300A-300D illuminate the indicators 305A-305D through the black panel 315. The black panel 315 is insert molded into the outer housing 320 of the surface cleaning head 12” See Figs. 8-10 showing different parts of the light bar light up with different LEDs)
the indicator strip (305a-305d) extending over the light pipe (310) such that the light pipe is disposed between the indicator strip and the pcb, (305a-305d are formed in 315 which is formed above 310)
the UI cover extending over the indicator strip such that the indicator strip is disposed between the light pipe and the UI cover (Para [0027] “Each LED or series of LEDs 300A, 30013, 300C, or 300Da re positioned in a box (e.g., box 301B shown in FIG. 11) that is sealed against the inside of the outer housing 320 around the indicator 305A,”).
Further, Tsuchida teaches wherein an indicator axis interests each of the first and second indicia and extend parallel to the light pipe longitudinal axis (See Fig. 1 showing a user interface on a light panel (analogous to the light pipe) with a longitudinal axis extending horizontally, and the L (low power) to H (High power) being plotted along a horizontal axis on the power control indicator 25, See Annotated Figure B Above.) and
adjust the UI based on the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor such that the bar of light has a first length when the rotation speed of the suction motor exceeds a first motor rotation speed threshold and the bar of light has a second length, the second length being greater than the first length when the rotation speed of the suction motor exceeds the first and the second motor rotation speed threshold.
(See Col 4 Line 6-10 “The power control indicator 25 indicates the suction force of the electric air blower 7, namely, a state of output control, with a notch indicator of five levels, LL, L, M, H1 and H2, corresponding to five red light emitting diodes D4 to D8, respectively.” See Light bar on indicator 25 in Fig. 1 and further see Col 5 Line 38-49 “Reference numeral 41 denotes an indication unit controller. The light emitting diodes D4 to D8 of the power control indicator 25 work in response to the signal voltage from the operation notch determining unit 38. All the diodes are of (no light) when the OFF notch is set, one of them lights up for the LL notch, two of them light up at the L notch, and three of them light up at the M notch, five of them light up at the H notch. The diodes light up by the number corresponding to the detected output voltage from the pressure detecting unit 40 when the A notch is set.”)
Further, King teaches imparting information via LED by illuminating one light at a first threshold, turning it off at another threshold (See Para [0044] “As discussed above, any LED sequence may be implemented as the indicator. For example, the yellow LED(s) can turn off when the green or red LED(s) illuminate. The indicator 130 sequence can be different in manual mode versus automatic mode.”),
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to rearrange the location of the indicia such that an indicator axis intersects each of the first and second indicia and extends parallel to the light pipe longitudinal axis as taught by Tsuchida as this is known equivalent method of providing cleaning information to the user during a cleaning operation and it has been held substituting equivalents known for the same purpose is obvious. See MPEP 2144.06 II.
It would be further obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to further modify the interface of Hooley as disclosed in Marutani as modified above in view of king in order to have the first light source and disabling the second light source when the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor exceeds a first motor rotation speed threshold while being less than a second motor rotation speed threshold; and illuminating the first light source and the second light source when the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor exceeds the first and the second motor rotation speed thresholds as doing so would be an obvious matter of design choice, in presenting the same information in a different format.
However, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill over the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the PCB, light pipe, indicator strip and UI cover as there a limited and finite number of viable ways these components can be spatially related in an up and down direction, as non-viable options would result in the operator of the cleaner either being able to not clearly see the indicator light or not see them at all. It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to try different orders in order to find the optimal order, and one would have a reasonable expectation of success of finding an optimal order.
Examiner notes that as Marutani as modified above teaches a first indicia that corresponds to the first and second light sources (H indicator in Tsuchida, associated with both light sources being on to form the longer of the two bars of Light) and a second indicia that corresponds with a third light source (L indicator in Tsuchida, associated with the smaller of the two bars of light).
Regarding claim 16, Marutani as modified teaches all the limitations of claim 15 and in addition teaches wherein the debris sensor (45 of Marutani) is an optical sensor (See Para [0038] of Marutani). However, Marutani does not explicitly teach that the debris sensor utilizes infrared, but it does teach another optical sensor but does teach an infrared sensor for detecting obstacles (See Para [0037])
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize an IR scanner in the debris sensor in order to reduce power consumption and to allow the sensor to reliably work regardless of the light level.
Regarding Claim 17, Marutani as modified teaches all the limitations of claim 16, and in addition teaches, wherein the IR optical sensor further comprises:
a transmitter configured to transmit light; and
a receiver configured to output the signal based on a quantity of the IR light received by the receiver (See Para [0038] of Marutani “The dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 is an optical sensor disposed, for example, in an upstream side of the dust-collecting unit 40, that is, in an air path continuing from the suction port 31 to the dust-collecting unit 40, or the like. The dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 includes a light emitting part for emitting light and a light receiving part for receiving the light emitted from the light emitting part. Then, the dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 is capable of detecting the amount of the dust and dirt passing through between the light emitting part and the light receiving part, based on the amount of light received by the light receiving part out of the light emitted by the light emitting part).
But does not explicitly teach that the transmitter and receiver utilize infrared,
However, Marutani teaches additional sensors that do utilize infrared (44, see Para [0040]). It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing fate of the invention to modify the optical debris sensor of Marutani to be IR sensors as IR sensors are known to be utilized in vacuum cleaners and would not change the operation of the device, while accomplishing the same purpose, and as such the type of optical sensor would be an obvious matter of design choice.
Regarding Claim 20, Marutani as modified teaches all the limitations of claim 15, and in addition teach wherein the debris sensor is located within the dirty air path (See Para [0038] of Marutani “Then, the dust-and-dirt amount sensor 45 is capable of detecting the amount of the dust and dirt passing through between the light emitting part and the light receiving part, based on the amount of light received by the light receiving part out of the light emitted by the light emitting part.”).
Claims 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hooley (US 20180249875 A1) in view of Marutani (US Patent Pub 20190254490 A1), Tsuchida (US Patent No. 5023973), King (US 20140331831 A1), as modified in claim 1 and in further view of Tondra (US 20060130270 A1).
Regarding Claim 6 Hooley as modified teaches all the limitations of claim 1, but does not explicitly teach wherein the rotation speed of the suction motor and the agitator motor are controlled by adjusting a current supplied to the suction motor and the agitator motor.
However, Tondra does teach utilizing a controller to adjust the rotation speed of a motor via adjusting the current supplied to said motor (See Para [0019] “The microprocessor 810 will adjust the suction nozzle 100 to the bare floor position while simultaneously adjusting the current to the motor-fan assembly M2 and the agitator drive motor M1.”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modifying Marutani to be capable of adjusting the current to the motor as doing so would allow for control of motor speed which effects the speed of the agitator or the suction power of the cleaner which would be beneficial to the user allowing for control and customization for different floors and floor types.
Claims 13 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Marutani (US Patent Pub 20190254490 A1) in view of, Tsuchida (US Patent No. 5023973), King (US 20140331831 A1) Hooley (US 20180249875 A1), as modified in claims 8 and 15 in further view of Tondra (US 20060130270 A1).
Regarding Claim 13, Marutani as modified teaches all the limitations of claim 8, but does not explicitly teach wherein the rotation speed of the suction motor and the agitator motor are controlled by adjusting a current supplied to the suction motor and the agitator motor.
However, Tondra does teach utilizing a controller to adjust the rotation speed of a motor via adjusting the current supplied to said motor (See Para [0019] “The microprocessor 810 will adjust the suction nozzle 100 to the bare floor position while simultaneously adjusting the current to the motor-fan assembly M2 and the agitator drive motor M1.”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modifying Marutani to be capable of adjusting the current to the motor as doing so would allow for control of motor speed which effects the speed of the agitator or the suction power of the cleaner which would be beneficial to the user allowing for control and customization for different floors and floor types.
Regarding Claim 19, Marutani as modified teaches all the limitations of claim 15, but does not explicitly teach wherein the rotation speed of the suction motor and the agitator motor are controlled by adjusting a current supplied to the suction motor and the agitator motor.
However, Tondra does teach utilizing a controller to adjust the rotation speed of a motor via adjusting the current supplied to said motor (See Para [0019] “The microprocessor 810 will adjust the suction nozzle 100 to the bare floor position while simultaneously adjusting the current to the motor-fan assembly M2 and the agitator drive motor M1.”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modifying Marutani to be capable of adjusting the current to the motor as doing so would allow for control of motor speed which effects the speed of the agitator or the suction power of the cleaner which would be beneficial to the user allowing for control and customization for different floors and floor types.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hooley (US 20180249875 A1), in view of Marutani (US Patent Pub 20190254490 A1), Tsuchida (US Patent No. 5023973) and King (US 20140331831 A1) as modified in claim 1 and in further view of Zeiler (US 20200113133 A1)
Regarding Claim 2, Hooley as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 1 but does not explicitly disclose wherein adjust the UI based on the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor comprises:
Average the rotation speed of the suction motor with rotation speed of the agitator motor to obtain an average rotation speed; and
Adjust the Ui based on the average rotation speed.
However, Zeiler discloses a device utilizing at least two different motors, the at least two different motors having two distinct types of motor a drive motor (analogous to a suction motor) and a chore motor (analogous to an agitator motor), and a controller (200 and 210 and 224) which tracks and stores operational data for the device including the motor speeds and average motor speeds (See Para [0065] “the control system 200 may include a database. The database is configured to retrievably store historical operational data for the mower 100. As used herein, “operational data” includes, but is not limited to, battery charge amounts, battery status, voltage level, current draw, motor currents, motor speeds, average motor speeds, runtime, fault conditions, angle of operation, acceleration, power takeoff switch status, one or more indicator lights, tire pressure, air temperature, blade speed, battery temperature, auxiliary temperature, and so on. In some embodiments, the operational parameters include ranges with a maximum and minimum desired value to which a current operating parameter of the mower 100 can be compared. In addition, the mower 100 may include various sensors, such as temperature sensors, angle sensors, acceleration sensors, pressure sensors, etc., to detect current operational data.”), wherein the controller (224) receives said operational data including motor speed and average motor speeds, to calculate an efficiency score based on said operation data for display to the operator (See Para [0074] “In this way, the efficiency circuit 224 determines optimum operating conditions to extend the runtime of the energy storage device 140 to its maximum life. The efficiency circuit 224 may calculate an efficiency score based on the operational data to display to the operator via the user interface 160. In some embodiments, the efficiency circuit 224 can cause the display 216 to display suggestions to the operator for more efficient operation (e.g., slow down drive speed, slow down blade speed, increase blade speed, etc.).”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the controller of Hooley as modified to change the UI based on the average rotational speed of the suction motor and the agitator motor as doing so would allow for the user to get a full sense of the power consumption and efficiency of the cleaner to facilitate more efficient cleaning.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Marutani (US Patent Pub 20190254490 A1) in view of Tsuchida (US Patent No. 5023973), King (US 20140331831 A1), Hooley (US 20180249875 A1) as modified in claim 8 and in further view of Zeiler (US 20200113133 A1)
Regarding Claim 9, Marutani as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 1 but does not explicitly disclose wherein adjust the UI based on the rotation speed of at least one of the suction motor or the agitator motor comprises:
Average the rotation speed of the suction motor with rotation speed of the agitator motor to obtain an average rotation speed; and
Adjust the Ui based on the average rotation speed.
However, Zeiler discloses a device utilizing at least two different motors, the at least two different motors having two distinct types of motor a drive motor (analogous to a suction motor) and a chore motor (analogous to an agitator motor), and a controller (200 and 210 and 224) which tracks and stores operational data for the device including the motor speeds and average motor speeds (See Para [0065] “the control system 200 may include a database. The database is configured to retrievably store historical operational data for the mower 100. As used herein, “operational data” includes, but is not limited to, battery charge amounts, battery status, voltage level, current draw, motor currents, motor speeds, average motor speeds, runtime, fault conditions, angle of operation, acceleration, power takeoff switch status, one or more indicator lights, tire pressure, air temperature, blade speed, battery temperature, auxiliary temperature, and so on. In some embodiments, the operational parameters include ranges with a maximum and minimum desired value to which a current operating parameter of the mower 100 can be compared. In addition, the mower 100 may include various sensors, such as temperature sensors, angle sensors, acceleration sensors, pressure sensors, etc., to detect current operational data.”), wherein the controller (224) receives said operational data including motor speed and average motor speeds, to calculate an efficiency score based on said operation data for display to the operator (See Para [0074] “In this way, the efficiency circuit 224 determines optimum operating conditions to extend the runtime of the energy storage device 140 to its maximum life. The efficiency circuit 224 may calculate an efficiency score based on the operational data to display to the operator via the user interface 160. In some embodiments, the efficiency circuit 224 can cause the display 216 to display suggestions to the operator for more efficient operation (e.g., slow down drive speed, slow down blade speed, increase blade speed, etc.).”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the controller of Marutani as modified to change the UI based on the average rotational speed of the suction motor and the agitator motor as doing so would allow for the user to get a full sense of the power consumption and efficiency of the cleaner to facilitate more efficient cleaning.
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.
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.
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/T.J.M./Examiner, Art Unit 3723
/DAVID S POSIGIAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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