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) 1 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 Objections
Claim(s) 1 is/are objected to because of the following informalities:
In re claim 1; “…a first condition condition, in which” seems to contain a typographical error. It is suggested that the claim language be changed to recite; “…a first condition, in which”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are:
“control device” (Claim(s) 1 and 6, described in P[0050]). The limitation is being interpreted under 112(f) due to the presence of a generic placeholder and the use of functional language as disclosed. The limitation is further defined within the present application as including a central control device 20, a transport vehicle control device 30 that controls the transport vehicles 4, a cleaning vehicle control device 40 that controls the cleaning vehicles 1, and a maintenance facility control device 50 that controls the maintenance facility 2. Therefore, the limitation is being interpreted under 112(f) and further understood as a controller, control circuit, processor, a combination of hardware and software, or equivalence thereof.
“input reception unit” (Claim(s) 4, described in P[0066, 0102]). The limitation is being interpreted under 112(f) due to the presence of a generic placeholder and the use of functional language as disclosed. The limitation is further defined within the present application as; “The central control device 20 includes a command unit 20A, an input reception unit 20B, and a storage unit 20C.” [0051]. Therefore, the limitation is being interpreted under 112(f) and further understood as a controller, control circuit, processor, a combination of hardware and software, or equivalence thereof.
“zone setting reception unit” (Claim(s) 4, described in P[0062, 0104]). The limitation is being interpreted under 112(f) due to the presence of a generic placeholder and the use of functional language as disclosed. The limitation is further defined within the present application as; “the input reception unit 20B of the control device 10 has a function as a “zone setting reception unit” that can receive input of a zone on the travel route” and further that “the control device includes a zone setting reception unit configured to receive input of a zone along the travel route”. Therefore, the limitation is being interpreted under 112(f) and further understood as a controller, control circuit, processor, a combination of hardware and software, or equivalence thereof.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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 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.
Claim(s) 1 and 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Staab (US-20190322292-A1), Hahm (US-20070245511-A1), Wang (US-20200387165-A1), Hattori (JP-2009261429-A), Venkiteswaran (US-20200043257-A1), and further in view of Erko (US-20030093166-A1).
In re claim 1. (Currently Amended) Staab (US-20190322292-A1) discloses A cleaning system comprising:
at least one cleaning vehicle configured to travel along a predetermined travel route and clean the travel route [0100] The rail vehicle 30 has a functional module 50 for carrying out the surveillance, inspection, and/or maintenance of the industrial site. The functional module 50 may include process equipment such as an inspection camera, a sensor, a manipulator, or the like. The functional module 50 may have at least one of a computer vision system, an ultrasonic distance sensor, an optical distance sensor, a laser distance sensor, and a radar sensor. Further, the functional module 50 may include a rail inspection system, a vehicle inspection system, an industrial equipment inspection system, a rail cleanup system (e.g., for removal of snow, debris, or other disturbances from the rail), a tagging system);
a maintenance facility provided at a specified position on the travel route [0136] The base station has housing (garage) for accommodating and/or sheltering the rail vehicle and configured to perform maintenance on the at least one cleaning vehicle [0137-0138] The base station comprises a wash bay for cleaning the rail vehicle… base station comprises a sensor (e.g., optical sensor) for performing a visual and/or functional check of the rail vehicle when the vehicle is at the base station. The sensor may include at least one of a camera, light sensor, distance sensor. The sensor may be adapted for visual and functional checks of the rail vehicle; and
a control device configured to control the at least one cleaning vehicle [0147] The network interface may provide remote network access to a base station controller of the base station from a remote host, e.g., on operating system level or application level. Similarly, the network interface may also allow access to the base a vehicle controller of the rail vehicle and the maintenance facility [0144] The base station has a base station controller to control the logic and behavior of any one or more of the sensors and functional elements of the base station mentioned herein,
wherein the travel route comprises a plurality of rails on which at least one transport vehicle for transporting articles travels [0085-0086] The multiple vehicles may be driven independently from each other for moving separately along the rail. Alternatively, the multiple vehicles may be coupled to each other for moving jointly along the rail… The presence of multiple vehicles may allow at least one of the following: performing the same operation fast with one vehicle, and slower and more thoroughly with another vehicle; or performing service operation on the vehicle system (e.g., clean the rail, clean another vehicle, tow a damaged vehicle, refuel/recharge another vehicle)… [0100] The rail vehicle 30 has a functional module 50 for carrying out the surveillance, inspection, and/or maintenance of the industrial site. The functional module 50 may include process equipment such as an inspection camera, a sensor, a manipulator, or the like,
wherein the maintenance facility comprises:
****; and
a washing section for washing the at least one cleaning vehicle and the at least one transport vehicle [0137] The base station comprises a wash bay for cleaning the rail vehicle.,
****
Staab lacks the following underlined limitations:
a dust disposal section for disposing of dust collected by the at least one cleaning vehicle; and
… executes interruption and maintenance control in response to a state of the at least one cleaning vehicle satisfying at least one predetermined maintenance condition during execution of the cleaning by the cleaning vehicle, and wherein the interruption and maintenance control comprises
wherein the interruption and maintenance control comprises:
a first control of interrupting the cleaning performed by the at least one cleaning vehicle, causing the at least one cleaning vehicle to move to the specified position, and causing the maintenance facility to perform the maintenance on the at least one cleaning vehicle, and
a second control of causing, after the first control, the at least one cleaning vehicle to move to an interruption position at which the cleaning was interrupted, and causing the at least one cleaning vehicle to resume the cleaning from the interruption position,
wherein the at least one maintenance condition includes at least one of a first condition, in which the cleaning in a cleaning zone set along the travel route is complete, a plurality of preset candidate conditions including the first condition
and a second condition, in which an amount of cleaning time that has elapsed after completion of previous maintenance exceeds a predetermined threshold value, a plurality of preset candidate conditions… including the second condition
wherein the control device comprises an input reception unit configured to receive a plurality of input operations, at least one of which is a candidate condition to be applied, wherein the candidate condition is selected from among a plurality of preset candidate conditions including the first condition and the second condition, and wherein the control device sets the candidate condition received by the selection reception unit as the maintenance condition
Regarding the limitation; “…dust disposal section for disposing of dust collected by the at least one cleaning vehicle”, Hahm (US-20070245511-A1) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for [0046] In accordance with yet another aspect, the present application provides a dust removing method of a robot cleaning system, including: determining whether a predetermined amount of dust has been collected in a first dust collector mounted in a robot cleaner; moving the robot cleaner to a docking station; moving the first dust collector to the docking station and moving an exchangeable dust collector mounted in the docking station to the robot cleaner such that the dust collectors are exchanged; and conveying the first dust collector, which has been moved to the docking station, to a disposal area.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Staab to include a dust disposal section with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Hahm, for the benefit of providing a designated area for debris removal, ensuring dust and debris does not interfere with operational environments.
Regarding the limitations; “…interruption and maintenance control in response to a state of the at least one cleaning vehicle satisfying at least one predetermined maintenance condition during execution of the cleaning by the cleaning vehicle…”, Wang (US-20200387165-A1) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for interruption and maintenance control in response to a state of the at least one cleaning vehicle satisfying at least one predetermined maintenance condition during execution of the cleaning by the cleaning vehicle ([0065] FIG. 10 illustrates at least part of movement route of the autonomous mobile robot; [0049] Therefore, when the cleaning robot completes cleaning, or the cleaning robot is in the low energy level, the cleaning robot moves towards to the charging station 21 according to the position of the charging station 21 stored in the memory, and then is charged by the charging station.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Staab to include interruption and maintenance control in response to a state of the at least one cleaning vehicle satisfying at least one predetermined maintenance condition during execution of the cleaning by the cleaning vehicle with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Wang.
One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize the benefits of this modification as it would yield a system capable of interrupting a predetermined operations based upon remaining battery power or once a cleaning operation is completed, enabling the system to address low power levels and perform maintenance on a vehicle once cleaning operations have been completed, increasing usability and preparedness for future operations.
Regarding the limitation; “…first control of interrupting the cleaning performed by the at least one cleaning vehicle, causing the at least one cleaning vehicle to move to the specified position, and causing the maintenance facility to perform the maintenance on the at least one cleaning vehicle…second control of causing, after the first control, the at least one cleaning vehicle to move to an interruption position at which the cleaning was interrupted, and causing the at least one cleaning vehicle to resume the cleaning from the interruption position”, Hattori (JP-2009261429-A) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for a first control of interrupting the cleaning performed by the at least one cleaning vehicle ([0048] FIG. 7 shows a method of interrupting cleaning at the position P0 and returning the self-propelled cleaner to the charging stand. The self-propelled cleaner advances straight from P0 in the current direction to the room wall.), causing the at least one cleaning vehicle to move to the specified position, and causing the maintenance facility to perform the maintenance on the at least one cleaning vehicle (For example, it is assumed that the battery capacity detection circuit 37 detects a predetermined capacity decrease at the position indicated by P0 in FIG. In this case, in order to efficiently clean the entire room, the cleaning is interrupted at the position P0, the self-propelled cleaner is once returned to the charging stand, the battery 15 is recharged, and then returned to the position of P0 again. It is necessary to restart cleaning after that.), and a second control of causing, after the first control, the at least one cleaning vehicle to move to an interruption position at which the cleaning was interrupted, and causing the at least one cleaning vehicle to resume the cleaning from the interruption position ([0052-53] If recharging is completed, the main body casing 31 is returned to the cleaning interruption position P0, and cleaning is resumed from P0. FIG. 8 shows a route situation when the main body casing 31 is to be returned linearly from the charging stand 200 to the cleaning interruption position P0.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Staab to include a first and second positional control operation with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Hattori, for the benefit of providing interruption signals that enable a system to address predetermined operational conditions that arise during use and further enabled to return to default operations once predetermined conditions have been addressed.
Regarding the limitation; “first condition that the cleaning in a cleaning zone set along the travel route is complete” Wang (US-20200387165-A1) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for wherein the at least one maintenance condition includes at least one of a first condition that the cleaning in a cleaning zone set along the travel route is complete ([0065] FIG. 10 illustrates at least part of movement route of the autonomous mobile robot; [0049] Therefore, when the cleaning robot completes cleaning, or the cleaning robot is in the low energy level, the cleaning robot moves towards to the charging station 21 according to the position of the charging station 21 stored in the memory, and then is charged by the charging station.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Staab to include at least one of a first condition that the cleaning in a cleaning zone set along the travel route is complete with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Wang.
One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize the benefits of this modification as it would yield a system capable of returning a vehicle to a maintenance location once a cleaning operation is completed, enabling the system to address low power levels and perform maintenance on a vehicle once cleaning operations have been completed, increasing usability and preparedness for future operations.
Regarding the limitation; “…a second condition that an amount of cleaning time that has elapsed after completion of previous maintenance exceeds a predetermined threshold value”, Venkiteswaran (US-20200043257-A1) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for a second condition that an amount of cleaning time that has elapsed after completion of previous maintenance exceeds a predetermined threshold value ([0074] When the time elapsed since the previous maintenance exceeds a time threshold, the server 130 can identify the degraded state and instruct the computer 105 to move the vehicle to the repair station 205 to replace and/or repair the brake.), Venkiteswaran further discloses wherein a control device (server 130) comprises a selection reception unit (server 130) configured to receive a candidate condition to be applied [0065-0074], wherein the candidate condition is selected from among a plurality of preset candidate conditions ([0074] Alternatively or additionally, when a mileage elapsed since the previous maintenance exceeds a mileage threshold, the server 130 can identify the degraded state and instruct the computer 105 to move the vehicle to the repair station 205 to replace and/or repair the brake. Alternatively or additionally, when a brake duty cycle, i.e., a percentage of time per time period (e.g., one minute) during which the brake is applied, exceeds a duty cycle threshold) including … the second condition, and wherein the control device sets the candidate condition received by the selection reception unit as the maintenance condition ([0074] Alternatively or additionally…the server 130 can identify the degraded state and instruct the computer 105 to move the vehicle to the repair station 205 to replace and/or repair the brake.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Staab to include a second condition that an amount of cleaning time that has elapsed after completion of previous maintenance exceeds a predetermined threshold value, as taught by Venkiteswaran.
One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize the benefits of this modification as it would yield a system capable of monitoring and implementing maintenance dependent upon a time of usage since last predetermined maintenance, increasing operational efficiency and lifetime based on more than one consideration for usage, such as time, and depreciation during operation.
Regarding the limitation; “…wherein the control device comprises an input reception unit configured to receive a plurality of input operations, at least one of which is a candidate condition to be applied, … and wherein the control device sets the candidate condition received by the selection reception unit as the maintenance condition”, Erko (US-20030093166-A1) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for ([0005] A computer controlled surface maintenance machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,940,928, assigned to Tennant Company, and incorporated by reference herein. Disclosed therein is a simplified operator control system for both using the machine in its conventional cleaning task and providing maintenance for the machine at predetermined maintenance levels.) comprising a control device comprising an input reception unit ([0025] Control device 70 includes a user interface such as user interface 72 wherein a user may manually select machine operations by providing manually inputted settings at occurring selected times and selected through the input control interface.) configured to receive a plurality of input operations ([0003] Examples of such functions, but not limited are: the sweeping brush must raise and lower, the scrubbing brush must raise and lower; the squeegee must raise and lower to remove used cleaning solution and direct that solution to the recovery tank, the speed and direction of the machine must vary, the filter in the dust collection system must be periodically cleaned, and the debris hopper must be periodically dumped. Not only must the operator and/or machine controller control all of these individual functions, but there are maintenance functions which must be periodically performed on the machine in order to keep it in its most efficient operating condition.), at least one of which is a candidate condition to be applied… and wherein the control device sets the candidate condition received by the selection reception unit as the maintenance condition ([0010] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a data collection and management method is provided for use in association with a surface maintenance machine wherein a control system controls selected machine operations in response to manually inputted operation settings selected by an operator and occurring at selected times. In broad terms, an embodiment of the present invention includes steps of receiving and storing operational and time information associated with machine operation, conveying information to an information processor, and processing the information so as to provide a report or record of time quantified machine information.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Staab to include wherein the control device comprises an input reception unit configured to receive a plurality of input operations, at least one of which is a candidate condition to be applied … and wherein the control device sets the candidate condition received by the selection reception unit as the maintenance condition with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Erko, for the benefit of an apparatus and method [0012] to provide accurate monitoring and reporting of selected aspects of operator, machine and equipment performance to enhance productivity and to monitor and execute [0003] maintenance functions which must be periodically performed on the machine in order to keep it in its most efficient operating condition.
7. (New) Staab (US-20190322292-A1) discloses The cleaning system of The cleaning system of wherein the specified position is set on a route different from a route along which the at least one transport vehicle transports the articles [0031] The rail vehicle system 1 comprises a rail 10, a rail vehicle 30 adapted for travelling in a lengthwise direction (left to right in FIG. 1a) along the rail 10, and a base station 90… [0035] The rail vehicle, and more specifically the car 31a, has a functional module 50 including process equipment for carrying out the surveillance, inspection, and/or maintenance of the industrial site. The functional module 50 has, as process equipment, a manipulator 52 and a camera 54… [0132-0137] The rail vehicle system has at least one base station, optionally a plurality of base stations, arranged along a rail. The rail passes through or ends at a base station.
8. (New) Staab (US-20190322292-A1) lacks The cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the at least one maintenance condition further includes a third condition, in which the amount of dust collected by the cleaning vehicle exceeds a predetermined dust amount threshold value, and the control device causes the cleaning vehicle to move to the dust disposal section by executing the first control when the third condition is met regardless of the candidate condition received by the input reception unit.
Regarding the limitation; Hahm (US-20070245511-A1) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for [0046] In accordance with yet another aspect, the present application provides a dust removing method of a robot cleaning system, including: determining whether a predetermined amount of dust has been collected in a first dust collector mounted in a robot cleaner; moving the robot cleaner to a docking station; moving the first dust collector to the docking station and moving an exchangeable dust collector mounted in the docking station to the robot cleaner such that the dust collectors are exchanged; and conveying the first dust collector, which has been moved to the docking station, to a disposal area.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Staab to include wherein if dust collected by the cleaning vehicle exceeds a predetermined dust amount threshold value, the control device causes the cleaning vehicle to move to the dust disposal section with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Hahm, for the benefit of providing a designated area for debris removal, ensuring there is capacity within the cleaning device to properly attend to debris located within an operational area, emptying containment to make room for additional debris once over an operational capacity/limit.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Staab (US-20190322292-A1), Hahm (US-20070245511-A1), Wang (US-20200387165-A1), Hattori (JP-2009261429-A), Venkiteswaran (US-20200043257-A1), and Erko (US-20030093166-A1), as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Wong (US-20220047138-A1).
In re claim 4. Staab (US-20190322292-A1) lacks The cleaning system according to claim 1, wherein the control device comprises a zone setting reception unit configured to receive input of a zone along the travel route and receive a selection made from among a plurality of preset zones along the travel route, and wherein the control device sets the zone received by the zone setting reception unit as a cleaning zone to be cleaned.
Regarding the limitation; Wong (US-20220047138-A1) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for a zone setting reception unit (controller circuit) configured to receive input of a zone along the travel route and receive a selection made from among a plurality of preset zones along the travel route, and wherein the control device sets the zone received by the zone setting reception unit as a cleaning zone to be cleaned ([0093-0095] FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating an exemplary process 400B of exchanging information among devices in the communication network 400A, including the mobile robot 100, the cloud computing system 406, and the mobile device 404. A cleaning mission may be initiated by pressing a button on the mobile robot 100 or may be scheduled for a future time or day. The user may select a set of rooms to be cleaned during the cleaning mission, select a set of areas or zones within a room, or may instruct the robot to clean all rooms. The user may also select a set of cleaning parameters to be used in each room during the cleaning mission… A user 402 views 420 the robot status data and time estimate data on the display and may input 422 new cleaning parameters or may manipulate the order or identity of rooms to be cleaned. The user 402, may, for example, delete rooms from a cleaning schedule of the mobile robot 100.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Staab to include a zone setting reception unit configured to receive input of a zone along the travel route and receive a selection made from among a plurality of preset zones along the travel route, and wherein the control device sets the zone received by the zone setting reception unit as a cleaning zone to be cleaned with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Wong.
One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize the benefits of this modification as it would yield a system capable of customizing areas in which cleaning operations are carried out, increasing usability by allowing a user to determine where cleaning operations will be completed amongst a plurality of possible cleaning areas/routes.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Staab (US-20190322292-A1), Hahm (US-20070245511-A1), Wang (US-20200387165-A1), Hattori (JP-2009261429-A), Venkiteswaran (US-20200043257-A1), and Erko (US-20030093166-A1), as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Ichijo (JP-2000342498-A).
In re claim 5. Staab (US-20190322292-A1) lacks The cleaning system according to claim 1, wherein: the at least one cleaning vehicle comprises a plurality of cleaning vehicles, a plurality of the cleaning zones are set along the travel route, and the control device associates a different cleaning vehicle with each of the cleaning zones, and causes each of the cleaning vehicles to perform the cleaning in the associated cleaning zone.
Regarding the limitation; Ichijo (JP-2000342498-A) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for the at least one cleaning vehicle comprises a plurality of cleaning vehicles, a plurality of the cleaning zones are set along the travel route, and the control device associates a different cleaning vehicle with each of the cleaning zones, and causes each of the cleaning vehicles to perform the cleaning in the associated cleaning zone ([0017] The automatic cleaning system includes cleaning robots 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D arranged in each of a plurality of cleaning areas 2A, 2B, 2C existing in a facility where an intranet 1 as a communication line network is provided, and in the facility... [0020] Each of the cleaning robots 3A to 3D is a self-propelled floor cleaning robot such as a sweeper type cleaning robot, a scrubber type cleaning robot, a vacuum type cleaning robot, or a wax type cleaning robot. Each of the cleaning robots 3A to 3D removes obstacles from the reference points set in the cleaning areas 2A to 2C corresponding to the cleaning area data based on the cleaning area data created and input in advance for each of the cleaning areas 2A to 2C... The cleaning area data is map data corresponding to the shapes of the floor surfaces of the cleaning areas 2A to 2C to be cleaned… [0047] The work management computer 4 reads a plurality of cleaning area data stored in the memory card 40 connected to the reading/writing device 41, and makes it possible to select one of the cleaning area data by an input operation. Then, the cleaning area data selected by the input operation is transmitted to the microcomputer 44 as the cleaning area data of the cleaning areas 2A to 2C to be executed by the cleaning robots 3A to 3D… [0052] Next, the cleaning area data of the cleaning areas 2A to 2C are set for the cleaning robots 3A to 3D.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Staab to include a plurality of cleaning vehicles, a plurality of the cleaning zones are set along the travel route, and the control device associates a different cleaning vehicle with each of the cleaning zones, and causes each of the cleaning vehicles to perform the cleaning in the associated cleaning zone with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Ichijo.
One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize the benefits of this modification as it would yield a system capable of utilizing more than one cleaning vehicle and assigning dedicated cleaning zone to individual cleaning vehicles respectively, enabling the system to clean more than one area at a time.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Staab (US-20190322292-A1), Hahm (US-20070245511-A1), Wang (US-20200387165-A1), Hattori (JP-2009261429-A), Venkiteswaran (US-20200043257-A1), and Erko (US-20030093166-A1), as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Kim (US-20120125363-A1).
In re claim 6. Staab (US-20190322292-A1) lacks The cleaning system according to claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to execute repetitive cleaning control that causes the cleaning vehicle to repeatedly perform the cleaning in the cleaning zone set along the travel route.
Regarding the limitation; Kim (US-20120125363-A1) discloses in a similar invention field of endeavor, a consideration for wherein the control device (control unit 145) is configured to execute repetitive cleaning control that causes the cleaning vehicle to repeatedly perform the cleaning in the cleaning zone set along the travel route ([0006] Cleaning a given cleaning area using the robot cleaner means an operation in which the robot cleaner repeatedly travels in the cleaning area based on a preset traveling pattern to clean the area.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time the instant application was effectively filed to adapt the modified system of Staab to include wherein the control device is configured to execute repetitive cleaning control that causes the cleaning vehicle to repeatedly perform the cleaning in the cleaning zone set along the travel route with a reasonable expectation for success, as taught by Kim.
One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize the benefits of this modification as it would yield a system configured to continuously clean a designated area, ensuring the designated area is properly clean by repeatedly operating throughout the area, allowing the system to address any cleaning concerns missed during previous cleaning cycles.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Contact
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/M.J.M./Examiner, Art Unit 3663
/ABBY J FLYNN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3663