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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This is a non-final Office Action on the merits in response to communications filed by Applicant on September 19, 2022. Claims 1-20 are currently pending and examined below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-4, 8, 15, 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Jung et al. US2017/0156560 (“Jung”).
Regarding claim(s) 1. Jung discloses a front bumper assembly, applied to a cleaning robot, comprising a bumper body and two elastic pieces, the two elastic pieces are disposed at rear ends of two sides of the bumper body, each of the elastic pieces is of an integrally formed structure and is provided with a first elastic portion and a second elastic portion which are abutted against the bumper body (para. 244-par. 246, One ends of the bumper restoring members 157a and 157b may be coupled with elastic member fixing protrusions 103c formed in the sub body 103, and the other ends of the bumper restoring members 157a and 157b may be coupled with bumper fixing plates 151a and 151b formed in the bumper 151.),
the first elastic portion is configured for receiving first pressure applied by the bumper body, and is able to apply a first counterforce opposite to the first pressure in direction to the bumper body, the second elastic portion is configured for receiving second pressure applied by the bumper body, and is able to apply a second counterforce opposite to the second pressure in direction to the bumper body, the first pressure is a pressure in an advancing direction of the cleaning robot (para. 247-256, One ends of the bumper restoring members 157a and 157b may be coupled with elastic member fixing protrusions 103c formed in the sub body 103, and the other ends of the bumper restoring members 157a and 157b may be coupled with bumper fixing plates 151a and 151b formed in the bumper 151.), and
the second pressure is a lateral pressure perpendicular to or arranged at an acute angle with the advancing direction (FIG. 13 shows a case in which the front left part of the bumper 151 included in the cleaning robot 100 of FIG. 12 contacts an obstacle O, and FIG. 14 shows a case in which the left, side part of the bumper 151 included in the cleaning robot 100 of FIG. 12 contacts an obstacle O., Para. 451, para. 514-517).
Regarding claim(s) 2. Jung discloses wherein the elastic piece comprises a first bent portion, a spring portion and a second bent portion, which are connected in sequence, the first bent portion is configured for being connected with a main body of the cleaning robot, the spring portion defines the first elastic portion, and the second bent portion extends from an end portion of the spring portion to a lateral side of the spring portion to form the second elastic portion (para. 245, The bumper restoring members 157a and 157b may be configured with elastic members such as springs, and may include a left bumper restoring member 157a disposed in the left part of the sub body 103, and a right bumper restoring member 157b disposed in the right part of the sub body 103.).
Regarding claim(s) 3, 15. Jung discloses wherein the elastic piece comprises a first bent portion and a second bent portion connected to each other, the first bent portion is configured for being connected with a main body of the cleaning robot, the second bent portion is a V-shaped structure with an opening facing a side where the first bent portion is located, the V-shaped structure defines the first elastic portion, and a free end of the V-shaped structure defines the second elastic portion (para. 131, Referring to FIGS. 3 to 6, the cleaning robot 100 may be composed of a main body 101 and a sub body 103. The main body 101 may be in the shape of a nearly semi-circular pillar, and the sub body 103 may be in the shape of a rectangle, as shown in FIG. 4.).
Regarding claim(s) 4. Jung discloses wherein the first bent portion is a sleeving part mounted on the main body of the cleaning robot in a sleeving manner (para. 242, a plurality of slip preventing protrusions for preventing the bumper 151 from slipping may be formed on the inner circumference surfaces of the bumper fixing holes, and a plurality of slip preventing grooves corresponding to the slip preventing protrusions may be formed on the outer circumference surfaces of the bumper fixing protrusions 103a and 103b.).
Regarding claim(s) 8. Jung discloses a cleaning robot, comprising a main body of the cleaning robot, a collision detection mechanism mounted on the main body of the cleaning robot, and the front bumper assembly as claimed in claim 1 (para. 115, The contact sensor 150 may sense a contact/collision of the cleaning robot 100 to/with an obstacle or a wall that interferes with driving of the cleaning robot 100. Also, if a collision with an obstacle or a wall is sensed, the contact sensor 150 may provide a contact sensed signal to the controller 110.).
Regarding claim(s) 17, 18, 19. Jung discloses wherein the elastic piece is formed by bending a strip-shaped piece, and comprises a first bent portion, a spring portion and a second bent portion, which are connected in sequence, the first bent portion is configured for being connected with a main body of the cleaning robot, the spring portion defines the first elastic portion, and the second bent portion extends from an end portion of the spring portion to a lateral side of the spring portion to form the second elastic portion (para. 241-para. 245, a plurality of slip preventing protrusions for preventing the bumper 151 from slipping may be formed on the inner circumference surfaces of the bumper fixing holes, and a plurality of slip preventing grooves corresponding to the slip preventing protrusions may be formed on the outer circumference surfaces of the bumper fixing protrusions 103a and 103b.).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-7, 16, 20 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The closest prior arts of record when taken either individually or in other combination fail to teach or render obvious of the claimed subject matter of the bumper body comprises a transverse portion and longitudinal portions connected to two ends of the transverse portion respectively, a first limiting structure is provided at a free end of each longitudinal portion and comprises a first limiting portion and a second limiting portion, the first limiting portion is disposed on an inner side wall of the longitudinal portion in a protruding mode, and is configured for abutting against the first elastic portion, and the second limiting portion is disposed on an end face of the longitudinal portion in a protruding mode in the length direction of the longitudinal portion and is configured for abutting against the second elastic portion and further in combination with additional features of the independent claims are patentably distinguishable over the prior arts of record.
Claims 9-14 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The closest prior arts of record when taken either individually or in other combination fail to teach or render obvious of the claimed subject matter of wherein the main body of the cleaning robot comprises a base and an upper housing mounted on the base, a mounting space is formed between the upper housing and the base, a part of the bumper body is located in the mounting space, another part protrudes out of the mounting space, the bumper body is able to move relative to the upper housing and the base within a preset range, and the collision detection mechanism and the elastic pieces are both fixedly mounted on the base and/or the upper housing and further in combination with additional features of the independent claims are patentably distinguishable over the prior arts of record.
Inquiry
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRUC M DO whose telephone number is (571)270-5962. The examiner can normally be reached on 9AM-6PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Marc Burgess can be reached on 571-272-9385. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TRUC M DO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3666