DETAILED ACTION
This is the First Office Action on the Merits and is directed towards claims 1-17 as originally presented and filed on 11/08/2022.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
Priority is claimed as set forth below, accordingly the earliest effective filing date is November 10, 2021 (20211110).
The present application, effectively filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
This application claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No.2021-183548, filed on November 10, 2021 (20211110).
Information Disclosure Statement
As required by M.P.E.P. 609 [R-07.2022], Applicant's 11/08/2022, 05/22/2023 and 09/25/2025 submission(s) of Information Disclosure Statement (IDS)(s) is/are acknowledged by the Examiner and the reference(s) cited therein has/have been considered in the examination of the claim(s) now pending. A copy of the submitted IDS(s) initialed and dated by the Examiner is/are attached to the instant Office action.
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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20200030976 A1 to DIANKOV; Rosen (cited in the 05/25/2023 IDS) in view of US 20210122039 A1 to Su; Harry Zhe et al. (hereinafter Su, cited in the 05/25/2023 IDS) and further in view of WO2020054771A1 to MORI KAZUHIRO (cited in the 05/25/2023 IDS).
Regarding claim 1 DIANKOV teaches in for example the Figure(s) reproduced immediately below:
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and associated descriptive texts a cargo handling apparatus (given the Broadest Reasonable Interpretation (BRI) of the limitation “cargo handling apparatus” connotes “distribution management system 100” as shown, Fig. 1 and para:
“[0057] Each unit of the distribution management system 100 may also be realized by hardware, may also be realized by software, and may also be realized by hardware and software. At least some of the respective units of the distribution management system 100 may also be realized by a single server, or may also be realized by a plurality of servers. At least some of the respective units of the distribution management system 100 may also be realized on a virtual server or a cloud system. At least some of the respective units of the distribution management system 100 may also be realized by a personal computer or a mobile terminal. As the mobile terminal, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a PDA, a tablet, a notebook computer or a laptop computer, a wearable computer and the like can be illustrated. Each unit of the distribution management system 100 may also store information by using a distributed inventory technology such as a block chain, or a distributed network.”),
comprising:
a hand holding an article (in the figures above see “picking hand 412” as explained in for example para:
“[0093] FIG. 4 schematically shows one example of an internal configuration of a robot 140. In the present embodiment, the robot 140 includes a manipulator 410, a driving unit 420 and a drive control unit 430. In the present embodiment, the manipulator 410 includes a picking hand 412 and a robot arm 414.
[0094] In the present embodiment, the picking hand 412 holds the work 10. The holding manner of the picking hand 412 is not particularly limited. As the holding manner of the picking hand 412, a manner of attracting the work 10 with a low pressure, a manner of holding the work 10 by a plurality of finger modules and the like can be illustrated. The picking hand 412 may also be exchanged in accordance with the working contents. The picking hand 412 may have various sensors such as a contact sensor, a mass measurement sensor and a load measurement sensor.”);
a robot arm moving the hand (connotes robot arm 414 in para [0093] above);
a transfer device arranged with the robot arm in a first direction, the transfer device transferring the article (given the Broadest Reasonable Interpretation (BRI) a Person of Ordinary Skill In The Art (POSITA) would understand the claimed “transfer device” as shown in fig. 1, to connote “conveying apparatus 170” and conveyors 172 and 174 as explained in for example paras:
“[0042] FIG. 1 schematically shows one example of a system configuration of a distribution management system 100. In the present embodiment, the distribution management system 100 includes an article management apparatus 110, a data registration apparatus 120, a transfer apparatus 130 and a conveying apparatus 170. In the present embodiment, the transfer apparatus 130 includes a robot 140, an image capturing apparatus 152, an image capturing apparatus 154 and a transfer control apparatus 160. In the present embodiment, the conveying apparatus 170 includes a conveyor 172 that conveys the supply pallet 12 and a conveyor 174 that conveys a delivery pallet 14.
[0056] In the present embodiment, the conveying apparatus 170 conveys one or more works. For example, the conveying apparatus 170 conveys one or more works stored in the supply pallet 12. The conveying apparatus 170 may also convey one or more works stored in the delivery pallet 14.”);
a measurement device measuring a position and a size of the article (given the BRI connotes Fig. 1 items 152 “As the image capturing apparatus 152, a camera, a stereo camera, a three-dimensional sensor and the like can be illustrated. “ and 154 “As the image capturing apparatus 154, a camera, a stereo camera, a three-dimensional sensor and the like can be illustrated. “ as explained in for example para:
“[0053] In the present embodiment, the image capturing apparatus 152 captures an image of the supply pallet 12 arranged on the working position of the transfer apparatus 130. The image capturing apparatus 152 may also acquire three-dimensional information (for example, a three-dimensional point cloud) of a surface of the supply pallet 12. The image capturing apparatus 152 may also capture a stereo image of the supply pallet 12. The image capturing apparatus 152 may also acquire temperature information of the supply pallet 12. As the image capturing apparatus 152, a camera, a stereo camera, a three-dimensional sensor and the like can be illustrated. The image capturing apparatus 152 may also include a plurality of image capturing apparatuses.
[0054] In the present embodiment, the image capturing apparatus 154 captures an image of the delivery pallet 14 arranged on the working position of the transfer apparatus 130. The image capturing apparatus 154 may also acquire three-dimensional information (for example, a three-dimensional point cloud) of a surface of the delivery pallet 14. The image capturing apparatus 152 may also capture a stereo image of the supply pallet 12. The image capturing apparatus 154 may also acquire temperature information of the delivery pallet 14. As the image capturing apparatus 154, a camera, a stereo camera, a three-dimensional sensor and the like can be illustrated. The image capturing apparatus 154 may also include a plurality of image capturing apparatuses.”);
and a control device performing a first operation of transferring the article to the transfer device by using the hand and the robot arm (given the BRI connotes the transfer control apparatus 160 performing in Fig. 1 and paras:
“[0055] In the present embodiment, the transfer control apparatus 160 controls the transfer apparatus 130. In one embodiment, the transfer control apparatus 160 is arranged outside the transfer apparatus 130. In another embodiment, the transfer control apparatus 160 is arranged inside the transfer apparatus 130. Details of the transfer control apparatus 160 are described below.
[0046] Next, the transfer apparatus 130 identifies a work 10 that is to be a working target of the transfer apparatus 130 from among the articles stored in the supply pallet 12. Also, the transfer apparatus 130 sets a specific position or any position of the delivery pallet 14 as an arrangement position of the above-described work 10. The transfer apparatus 130 determines a trajectory for moving the work 10 of the supply pallet 12 to the specific position or any position of the delivery pallet 14. The transfer apparatus 130 (i) picks and takes the identified work 10 out of the supply pallet 12, and (ii) arranges the identified work 10 to the specific position or any position of the delivery pallet 14.”),
and a second operation of transferring the transferred article by using the transfer device (given the BRI connotes transferring as explained in for example para:
“[0047] When another article ordered by the user has been stored in the above-described supply pallet 12, the transfer apparatus 130 repeats a similar working to the above. When the other article ordered by the user has been stored in another supply pallet 12, the conveyor 172 moves the above-described supply pallet 12 out of the working position of the transfer apparatus 130, and conveys the above-described other supply pallet 12 to the working position of the transfer apparatus 130. The transfer apparatus 130 repeats a similar working to the above with respect to another article stored in another supply pallet 12. Then, as all articles ordered by the user are stored in the delivery pallet 14, the conveyor 174 moves the delivery pallet 14 out of the working position of the transfer apparatus 130. Accordingly, pieces of baggage for delivery can be prepared.”),
the control device determining, based on a measurement result of the measurement device, whether or not the robot arm will interfere with the transfer device or a second article on the transfer device when performing the first operation for a first article (given the BRI connotes para:
“[0141] For example, if the picking hand 412 arranges, according to the holding method indicated by the holding information, the work 10 on any position or a specific position of the delivery pallet 14, the arrangement planning unit 720 determines whether or not the picking hand 412 and the work 10 interfere with the delivery pallet 14 and other articles. When the arrangement planning unit 720 determines that the picking hand 412 and the work 10 do not interfere with the delivery pallet 14 and the other articles, the arrangement planning unit 720 extracts the position and the posture of the picking hand 412 at that time as the arrangement candidate. The arrangement planning unit 720 repeats the above-described determining processing within a range of the constraint condition regarding the amount or duration time of calculation set by the concurrent processing control unit 550. Accordingly, the arrangement planning unit 720 can generate the information regarding one or more arrangement candidates. Note that the arrangement planning unit 720 may also repeat the above-described determining processing until all articles included in the user order information are arranged on the delivery pallets 14. The arrangement planning unit 720 sends the information regarding the one or more arrangement candidates to the trajectory candidate extracting unit 740. The information regarding the one or more arrangement candidates may be one example of the second candidate information.”),
the control device controlling a start timing of the first operation according to a determination result of the interference (wherein it is understood to a POSITA that each trajectory to move “work 10” from a supply pallet to a delivery pallet is checked for collision and if a collision is detected a new path is searched which implicitly leads to a later start timing as taught in for example paras [0151-156]:
“[0156] On the other hand, when the trajectory planning unit 750 determines that the interference occurs on the calculated trajectory, the trajectory planning unit 750 accesses to the trajectory candidate extracting unit 740 to request for information representing a combination having an evaluation that is next highest after the previous combination. As the trajectory planning unit 750 receives the information representing a new combination from the trajectory candidate extracting unit 740, the trajectory planning unit 750 generates the trajectory information according to procedures similar to the above-described procedures. The combination having the next highest evaluation may be one example of a second combination.” .
Although the claims are interpreted in light of the specification, limitations from the specification are NOT imported into the claims. The Examiner must give the claim language the broadest reasonable interpretation (BRI) the claims allow.
See MPEP 2111.01 Plain Meaning [R-10.2019], which states
II. IT IS IMPROPER TO IMPORT CLAIM LIMITATIONS FROM THE SPECIFICATION
"Though understanding the claim language may be aided by explanations contained in the written description, it is important not to import into a claim limitations that are not part of the claim. For example, a particular embodiment appearing in the written description may not be read into a claim when the claim language is broader than the embodiment." Superguide Corp. v. DirecTV Enterprises, Inc., 358 F.3d 870, 875, 69 USPQ2d 1865, 1868 (Fed. Cir. 2004). See also Liebel-Flarsheim Co. v. Medrad Inc., 358 F.3d 898, 906, 69 USPQ2d 1801, 1807 (Fed. Cir. 2004) (discussing recent cases wherein the court expressly rejected the contention that if a patent describes only a single embodiment, the claims of the patent must be construed as being limited to that embodiment); E-Pass Techs., Inc. v. 3Com Corp., 343 F.3d 1364, 1369, 67 USPQ2d 1947, 1950 (Fed. Cir. 2003) ("Inter US-20100280751-A1 1pretation of descriptive statements in a patent’s written description is a difficult task, as an inherent tension exists as to whether a statement is a clear lexicographic definition or a description of a preferred embodiment. The problem is to interpret claims ‘in view of the specification’ without unnecessarily importing limitations from the specification into the claims."); Altiris Inc. v. Symantec Corp., 318 F.3d 1363, 1371, 65 USPQ2d 1865, 1869-70 (Fed. Cir. 2003) (Although the specification discussed only a single embodiment, the court held that it was improper to read a specific order of steps into method claims where, as a matter of logic or grammar, the language of the method claims did not impose a specific order on the performance of the method steps, and the specification did not directly or implicitly require a particular order). See also subsection IV., below. When an element is claimed using language falling under the scope of 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 6th paragraph (often broadly referred to as means- (or step-) plus- function language), the specification must be consulted to determine the structure, material, or acts corresponding to the function recited in the claim, and the claimed element is construed as limited to the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof. In re Donaldson, 16 F.3d 1189, 29 USPQ2d 1845 (Fed. Cir. 1994) (see MPEP § 2181- MPEP § 2186).
In Zletz, supra, the examiner and the Board had interpreted claims reading "normally solid polypropylene" and "normally solid polypropylene having a crystalline polypropylene content" as being limited to "normally solid linear high homopolymers of propylene which have a crystalline polypropylene content." The court ruled that limitations, not present in the claims, were improperly imported from the specification. See also In re Marosi, 710 F.2d 799, 802, 218 USPQ 289, 292 (Fed. Cir. 1983) ("'[C]laims are not to be read in a vacuum, and limitations therein are to be interpreted in light of the specification in giving them their ‘broadest reasonable interpretation.'" (quoting In re Okuzawa, 537 F.2d 545, 548, 190 USPQ 464, 466 (CCPA 1976)). The court looked to the specification to construe "essentially free of alkali metal" as including unavoidable levels of impurities but no more.).”
While it is considered that given the BRI DIANKOV teaches the invention as claimed and explained above, if Applicant is of the opinion that DIANKOV does not appear to expressly disclose the control device determining, based on a measurement result of the measurement device, whether or not the robot arm will interfere with the transfer device or a second article on the transfer device when performing the first operation for a first article and the control device controlling a start timing of the first operation according to a determination result of the interference then resort may be had to the analogous art of Su.
In analogous art Su also discloses the subject-matter of claim 1 in for example Figure 1, paras [0043], [0050] wherein it is understood that a POSITA would easily identify end effector 108, robotic arm 102, conveyor belt 118, cameras 115, 117, controller 106; and in paras [0076], especially
"The determined item states may be used by robotic system 101 to make informed decisions about where and what items to pick, and where/when/how to place the items…."Robotic system 101 may also choose collision free zones to place items in drop-off area 118. The collision zones may be determined from estimated trajectories of tracked items. Using the data associated with the plurality of cameras, robotic system 101 is able to understand the shape of the grasped item and environment 100. This enables robotic system 101 to intelligently plan trajectories that will avoid collisions between the picked items and environment 100.", or
and [0133],
"At 410, the selected item is placed at the second location. Items may be placed in a manner that prevents the end effector from colliding with boundaries associated with the second location."
and further teaches in for example, the figures below:
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And associated descriptive texts the control device determining, based on a measurement result of the measurement device, whether or not the robot arm will interfere with the transfer device or a second article on the transfer device when performing the first operation for a first article (in for example paras:
“[0076] A vision system that includes the plurality of cameras is configured to keep track of each item in a workspace area through multi modal means (e.g., RGB instance tracking, RGB feature matching, RGB optical flow, point cloud matching, etc.) and utilize methods, such as Hungarian pair matching, to keep track of the items that robotic system 101 is to pick. Robotic system 101 is configured to estimate the states of each tracked item, such as velocity, potential to fall/slide away, and trajectory of motion. Robotic system 101 may use other known information, such as current speed and size of the conveyance systems and sensors 134 to update the item states with higher accuracy. The determined item states may be used by robotic system 101 to make informed decisions about where and what items to pick, and where/when/how to place the items. For example, robotic system 101 may select more stable items to pick (grasp) and possibly pick (even while moving) from an estimated item location in the future to compensate for movement time of robotic arm 102 and a velocity of a moving item. Robotic system 101 may place an item onto a moving platform drop-off area more steadily without dropping and causing the item to roll by placing the item with an initial velocity as estimated from environment 100. Robotic system 101 may also choose collision free zones to place items in drop-off area 118. The collision zones may be determined from estimated trajectories of tracked items. Using the data associated with the plurality of cameras, robotic system 101 is able to understand the shape of the grasped item and environment 100. This enables robotic system 101 to intelligently plan trajectories that will avoid collisions between the picked items and environment 100.”);
and the control device controlling a start timing of the first operation according to a determination result of the interference (as set forth in for example Fig. 4 step 410 as explained in for example paras:
“[0133] At 410, the selected item is placed at the second location. Items may be placed in a manner that prevents the end effector from colliding with boundaries associated with the second location.”)
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the collision avoidance disclosed in Su with the collision avoidance taught in DIANKOV with a reasonable expectation of success because it would have “enabled robotic system 101 to intelligently plan trajectories that will avoid collisions between the picked items and environment 100.” as taught by Su Para(s) [0076] above and increased the overall throughput of the system as taught in Su para:
“[0077] In some embodiments, a plurality of robotic systems are working together to pick and place items. Using a plurality of robotic systems may increase the overall throughput of the system.”).
While it is considered that the combination of DIANKOV and Su teach the invention as claimed and explained above, resort may also be had to the teachings of Mori to show it would have been obvious to a POSITA to adjust the timing of the robot to prevent collisions and interferences as taught in for example Figure 1 below:
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and corresponding passages, gripper 12, arm 11, conveyor section 14, first sensor 15, second sensor 16, control device 100;
"the unloading device is stacked, the first sensor that recognizes the topmost article of the group of articles in which a plurality of articles in each row have the same height, and a gripper that grips the article. An arm movement mechanism for moving the arm in a horizontal direction and a height direction, a second sensor for measuring an article height indicating the height of the article held by the holding section, and the arm movement The article moved by a mechanism is placed thereon, an intermediate conveyor that sends out the placed article to a destination, an intermediate conveyor lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the height of the intermediate conveyor, and the article is placed on the intermediate conveyor.";
"As described above, in the unloading system 1, the arm llA is retracted to a height that does not collide with the intermediate conveyor 14A immediately after the grip of the article 31 is released and released on the intermediate conveyor 14A. The unloading throughput can be improved by moving the arm unit 11 and the grip unit 12 to a position above the grip position of the next article in parallel with the article discharge.",
A POSITA would understand that the absence of collision is guaranteed by retracting the arm and the throughput is improved by performing the two operations in parallel.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the collision avoidance disclosed in Mori with the collision avoidance taught in the combination of DIANKOV and Su with a reasonable expectation of success because it would have “improved the unloading throughput” as taught by Mori Para(s):
“(4) An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the unloading system described below, the unloading device moves the arm on the intermediate conveyor in parallel with discharging the articles on the intermediate conveyor gripped by the gripper at the tip of the arm to the main conveyor. Is retracted upward, and the gripper is moved to a position above the article to be taken in next, thereby improving the unloading throughput.”.
Regarding claim 2 and the limitation the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the interference will not occur, the control device accelerates the start timing of the first operation for the first article compared to when the interference will occur (see the teachings of DIANKOV paras [0150]+:
“[0150] In the present embodiment, the trajectory planning unit 750 generates the trajectory information prescribing the trajectory on which the picking hand 412 picks a work on a holding position and arranges the work on an arrangement position. The trajectory planning unit 750 may also generate trajectory information prescribing a trajectory on which the picking hand 412 moves from the starting position to a holding position, picks a work on the holding position, and arranges the work to an arrangement position. The trajectory planning unit 750 sends the generated trajectory information to the control information generating unit 760.”).
Regarding claim 3 and the limitation the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the interference will not occur, the control device starts the first operation for the first article while performing the second operation for the second article (see the teachings of DIANKOV paras [0150]+:
“[0151] The trajectory planning unit 750 generates the trajectory information according to the following procedures, for example. The trajectory planning unit 750 first receives information representing a combination of a holding candidate and an arrangement candidate from the trajectory candidate extracting unit 740. Next, the trajectory planning unit 750 is for calculating trajectory information of a trajectory on which (i) the picking hand 412 picks, on the holding position, a work with a posture represented by the holding candidate included in the combination extracted by the trajectory candidate extracting unit 740 and (ii) the picking hand 412 arranges, on the arrangement position, the work with a posture represented by the arrangement candidate included in the combination extracted by the trajectory candidate extracting unit 740. At this time, the trajectory planning unit 750 may also calculate trajectory information of a trajectory on which (i) the picking hand 412 moves from the starting position to the holding position, (ii) the picking hand 412 picks, on the holding position, a work with a posture represented by the holding candidate included in the first combination extracted by the trajectory candidate extracting unit 740 and (iii) the picking hand 412 arranges, on the arrangement position, the work with a posture represented by the arrangement candidate included in the first combination extracted by the trajectory candidate extracting unit 740.”).
Regarding claim 4 and the limitation the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the interference will occur, the control device starts the first operation for the first article after completing the second operation for the second article (see the teachings of DIANKOV paras [0150]+:
“[0154] The trajectory planning unit 750 may also divide the calculated trajectory into a plurality of zones and determine whether the interference is present or absent for each zone. The process of determining the interference for each zone may be performed concurrently or in parallel. When there is even only one zone in which the interference occurs, the trajectory planning unit 750 can determine that the interference occurs on the trajectory even if the determining processing for another zone is not ended. Accordingly, the determination time can be shortened.”
Regarding claim 5 and the limitation the apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a moving device moving the transfer device along the first direction (see the teachings of DIANKOV wherein it is understood that the conveyor belts are moved by a moving device as taught in for example para:
“[0047] When another article ordered by the user has been stored in the above-described supply pallet 12, the transfer apparatus 130 repeats a similar working to the above. When the other article ordered by the user has been stored in another supply pallet 12, the conveyor 172 moves the above-described supply pallet 12 out of the working position of the transfer apparatus 130, and conveys the above-described other supply pallet 12 to the working position of the transfer apparatus 130. The transfer apparatus 130 repeats a similar working to the above with respect to another article stored in another supply pallet 12. Then, as all articles ordered by the user are stored in the delivery pallet 14, the conveyor 174 moves the delivery pallet 14 out of the working position of the transfer apparatus 130. Accordingly, pieces of baggage for delivery can be prepared.”),
the control device using the moving device to move the transfer device away from the robot arm when starting the first operation for the first article when the interference will occur (see DIANKOV paras:
“[0045] The baggage for delivery is produced according to the following procedures, for example. First, the conveyor 172 of the conveying apparatus 170 conveys the supply pallet 12, in which an article ordered by a user is stored, to a working position of the transfer apparatus 130. In one embodiment, the supply pallet 12 stores one article. In another embodiment, the supply pallet 12 stores a plurality of articles of the same type. In still another embodiment, the supply pallet 12 stores a plurality of types of articles. Also, the conveyor 174 of the conveying apparatus 170 conveys the delivery pallet 14 to a working position of the transfer apparatus 130.
[0046] Next, the transfer apparatus 130 identifies a work 10 that is to be a working target of the transfer apparatus 130 from among the articles stored in the supply pallet 12. Also, the transfer apparatus 130 sets a specific position or any position of the delivery pallet 14 as an arrangement position of the above-described work 10. The transfer apparatus 130 determines a trajectory for moving the work 10 of the supply pallet 12 to the specific position or any position of the delivery pallet 14. The transfer apparatus 130 (i) picks and takes the identified work 10 out of the supply pallet 12, and (ii) arranges the identified work 10 to the specific position or any position of the delivery pallet 14.“) .
Regarding claim 6 and the limitation the apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when the interference will not occur, the control device does not cause the transfer device to move when starting the first operation for the first article (see the teachings of DIANKOV claim:
“7. The control device according to claim 5, wherein: the evaluation function includes an evaluation item associated with an estimated value of a period of time that is from (i) a time when the picking hand moves to the first position from a third position being a position of the picking hand when the picking apparatus starts to perform working on the work, (ii) the picking hand picks, at the first position, the work with the posture associated with the first position included in the selected combination being an evaluation target according to the evaluation function, to (iii) a time when the picking hand arranges, at the second position, the work with the posture associated with the second position included in the selected combination being the evaluation target according to the evaluation function.”) .
Regarding claim 7 and the limitation the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the interference will occur, the control device starts the first operation for a third article while performing the second operation for the second article, and the third article is different from the first article (see DIANKOV para:
“[0112] In the present embodiment, the recognition unit 520 may perform concurrently or in parallel parts of a plurality of steps configuring the recognition processing. Similarly, the planning unit 530 may perform concurrently or in parallel parts of a plurality of steps configuring the planning processing. The execution unit 540 may perform concurrently or in parallel parts of a plurality of steps configuring the execution processing. Also, the transfer control apparatus 160 may perform concurrently or in parallel the recognition processing, the planning processing and the execution processing regarding a plurality of works 10. For example, the transfer control apparatus 160 performs planning processing of a second work and recognition processing of a third work while performing execution processing of a first work. The above-described concurrent processing or parallel processing can be realized by a pipeline processing technology, for example.”).
Regarding claim 8 and the limitation the apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the transfer device transfers the article in a second direction crossing the first direction, a position of the third article in a third direction is different from a position of the first article in the third direction, and the third direction crosses a plane along the first and second directions (see DIANKOV para:
“[0113] In the present embodiment, the concurrent processing or concurrent processing control unit 550 controls the parallel processing in the transfer control apparatus 160. In one embodiment, the concurrent processing control unit 550 controls the concurrent processing or parallel processing in each of the recognition unit 520, the planning unit 530 and the execution unit 540. In another embodiment, in a case in which the transfer control apparatus 160 performs concurrently or in parallel the processing regarding the plurality of works 10, the concurrent processing control unit 550 controls the recognition unit 520, the planning unit 530 and the execution unit 540 such that the information can be smoothly exchanged between the recognition unit 520, the planning unit 530 and the execution unit 540.”).
Regarding claim 9 and the limitation the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the first operation for the second article, the control device places the second article at a position on the transfer device such that the robot arm does not interfere with the second article when performing the first operation for the first article (see DIANKOV Figures 12 and 13 above and paras:
“[0177] In S1208, the trajectory planning unit 750 determines whether the interference is present or absent on the calculated trajectory represented by the trajectory information. In the present embodiment, the trajectory planning unit 750 is for dividing the calculated trajectory represented by the trajectory information into a plurality of zones to determine whether the interference is present or absent for each zone. If it is determined that no interference occurs on the trajectory in all zones (in a case of “Yes” in S1208), the trajectory planning unit 750 ends the processing. Note that even in this case, the processing from S1204 to S1208 may also be repeated within a range of the constraint condition regarding the amount or duration time of calculation set by the concurrent processing control unit 550. On the other hand, if it is determined that the interference occurs on the trajectory in at least some zones (in a case of “No” in S1208), the processing from S1204 to S1208 is repeated.
[0178] FIG. 13 schematically shows one example of the interference checking processing in S1208. In the present embodiment, the trajectory planning unit 750 is for dividing the trajectory represented by the trajectory information calculated in S1206 into a plurality of zones to determine whether an interference is present or absent for each zone. Also, the trajectory planning unit 750 performs the determining processing in at least two zones concurrently or in parallel. According to the present embodiment, in S1302, the trajectory planning unit 750 determines whether the interference is present or absent on the trajectory represented by the trajectory information that is calculated in S1206. The trajectory planning unit 750 is for dividing the trajectory represented by the trajectory information calculated in S1206 into a plurality of zones to determine whether the interference is present or absent for each zone. The trajectory planning unit 750 performs the determining processing in all zones concurrently or in parallel, for example.“)
Regarding claim 10 and the limitation the apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the measurement device includes:
a first measuring instrument measuring the position and size of the article when viewed along the first direction;
and a second measuring instrument measuring a length in the first direction of the article (see Mori, Fig. 1 sensor 15, 16, suction pad 13 and gripper 12 as explained in for example paras:
“FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of the unloading system 1. The unloading system 1 has an unloading device 10. The unloading device 10 includes an arm unit 11, a grip unit 12, a suction pad 13, an intermediate conveyor unit 14, a first sensor 15, and a second sensor 16. The unloading device 10 grips and moves the individual articles 31 of the group of articles 30 regularly loaded on the pallet 21 arranged in the vicinity of the unloading device 10 and moves to a destination not shown in FIG. It is a device that conveys to the main conveyor.
The first sensor 15 is attached to the housing 17 and is arranged above the position where the article group 30 on the pallet 21 is arranged. The first sensor 15 is, for example, a stereo camera. The stereo camera measures the distance between the camera and each of the articles 31 in the article group 30 based on the parallax when the images are captured from two different points. The first sensor 15 photographs the group of articles 30 regularly loaded on the pallet 21 and recognizes the position of each article 31 in the group of articles 30.
The second sensor 16 is disposed between the group of articles 30 regularly stacked on the pallet 21 and the intermediate conveyor section 14 in the X direction. The second sensor 16 is attached to, for example, a bottom frame of the housing 17.
The second sensor 16 is, for example, a laser range finder (LRF). The LRF, for example, emits an infrared laser from a measurement position where the second sensor 16 is installed, irradiates the laser light L, and a distance to the article 31 based on the degree of reflection by the article 31 held by the holding unit 12. Is an optical instrument for measuring. The second sensor 16 measures the distance to the bottom of the article 31 on the movement trajectory of the article 31 which is gripped by the suction pad 13 of the gripper 12 and moved by the arm 11 onto the intermediate conveyor 14A. Measure the height. The laser light is not limited to infrared laser light, and may be laser light such as visible light, ultraviolet light, or X-ray.”).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the collision avoidance disclosed in Mori with the collision avoidance taught in the combination of DIANKOV and Su with a reasonable expectation of success because it would have “improved the unloading throughput” as taught by Mori Para(s):
“(4) An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the unloading system described below, the unloading device moves the arm on the intermediate conveyor in parallel with discharging the articles on the intermediate conveyor gripped by the gripper at the tip of the arm to the main conveyor. Is retracted upward, and the gripper is moved to a position above the article to be taken in next, thereby improving the unloading throughput.”.
Regarding claim 11 and the limitation the apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:
a moving device moving the second measuring instrument along the first direction,
the second measuring instrument including a distance sensor, the distance sensor measuring a distance to the article in a direction crossing the first direction, the moving device moving the distance sensor in a direction opposite to a movement direction of the article while the robot arm moves the article (see the rejection of corresponding parts of the combination of references and the motivation to combine in the rejection of corresponding parts of at least claims 10, and 1 above incorporated herein by reference wherein it is understood that the rearrangement of the parts of the combination would have been an obvious matter of design choice./
See MPEP 2144.04.VI.REVERSAL, DUPLICATION, OR REARRANGEMENT OF PARTS.
Regarding claim 12 and the limitation the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hand includes:
a first suction-gripping unit suction-gripping the article in the first direction,
and a second suction-gripping unit suction-gripping the article in a second direction crossing the first direction (see Mori Fig. 1 above suction pad 13 and gripper 12 as explained in for example the enlarged portion of Fig. 1 below:
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and paras:
“The gripper 12 has a suction pad 13. The suction pad 13 holds the article 31 by, for example, vacuum suction. The number of the suction pads 13 may be one or more. When the pressure inside the suction pad 13 is reduced to a negative pressure while the suction pad 13 is in contact with the surface of the article 31, the suction pad 13 is vacuum-sucked to the surface of the article 31. When the negative pressure in the suction pad 13 is released, the suction pad releases the article.”).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the collision avoidance disclosed in Mori with the collision avoidance taught in the combination of DIANKOV and Su with a reasonable expectation of success because it would have “improved the unloading throughput” as taught by Mori Para(s):
“(4) An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the unloading system described below, the unloading device moves the arm on the intermediate conveyor in parallel with discharging the articles on the intermediate conveyor gripped by the gripper at the tip of the arm to the main conveyor. Is retracted upward, and the gripper is moved to a position above the article to be taken in next, thereby improving the unloading throughput.”.
Regarding claim 13 and the limitation the apparatus according to claim 12, wherein based on the measurement result, the control device switches between:
a first holding method of holding the article by using only the first suction-gripping unit;
and a second holding method of holding the article by using the first and second suction-gripping units (see the teachings of Mori in for example paras:
“The second sensor 16 is, for example, a laser range finder (LRF). The LRF, for example, emits an infrared laser from a measurement position where the second sensor 16 is installed, irradiates the laser light L, and a distance to the article 31 based on the degree of reflection by the article 31 held by the holding unit 12. Is an optical instrument for measuring. The second sensor 16 measures the distance to the bottom of the article 31 on the movement trajectory of the article 31 which is gripped by the suction pad 13 of the gripper 12 and moved by the arm 11 onto the intermediate conveyor 14A. Measure the height. The laser light is not limited to infrared laser light, and may be laser light such as visible light, ultraviolet light, or X-ray.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the unloading system 1. The unloading system 1 includes the above-described unloading device 10 and the unloading control device 100. The unloading control device 100 is a control device that controls the operation of each unit of the unloading device 10.
The unloading control device 100 has a communication interface 101, a processor 102, a memory 103, and a storage 104. These can communicate via the bus line 105.
The communication interface 101 is an interface used for communication with an external device. The communication interface 101 includes terminals and circuits corresponding to a communication standard for communicating with each unit of the unloading device 10. The communication interface 101 communicates with the respective units of the arm unit 11, the grip unit 12, the suction pad 13, the intermediate conveyor unit 14, the first sensor 15, and the second sensor 16 via the network 2 based on the control of the processor 102.”).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the suction pads disclosed in Mori with the robot hand taught in the combination of DIANKOV and Su with a reasonable expectation of success because it would have “improved the unloading throughput” as taught by Mori Para(s):
“(4) An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the unloading system described below, the unloading device moves the arm on the intermediate conveyor in parallel with discharging the articles on the intermediate conveyor gripped by the gripper at the tip of the arm to the main conveyor. Is retracted upward, and the gripper is moved to a position above the article to be taken in next, thereby improving the unloading throughput.”.
Regarding claim 14 and the limitation a cargo handling apparatus, comprising:
a hand holding an article;
a robot arm moving the hand;
and a transfer device located below the robot arm,
the transfer device transferring the article, when the hand is to hold a first article, compared to when interference of the robot arm with the transfer device or a second article on the transfer device will occur,
a start timing of the holding of the first article by the hand being accelerated when the interference will not occur (see the rejection of corresponding parts of AT LEAST claim 1 above incorporated herein by reference and especially DIANKOV para:
“[0062] The above-described software or program may be a program to control the picking apparatus. In the above-described program, the picking apparatus may arrange, on a second position of a second container, a work picked on a first position of a first container by using a picking hand, the second container being different from the above-described first container. The above-described program may be a program to cause a computer to perform a point cloud information acquiring procedure of acquiring point cloud information of a region including at least one of the above-described picking hand and the above-described work at a timing being at least one of (i) a timing when the above-described picking hand picks the above-described work on the above-described first position, (ii) a timing when the above-described picking hand moves the above-described work out of the above-described first container, (iii) a timing when the above-described picking hand moves the above-described work in the above-described second container, and (iv) a timing when the above-described picking hand arranges the above-described work on the above-described second position. The above-described program may be a program to cause a computer to perform an abnormality detection procedure of detecting abnormality based on the point cloud information acquired in the above-described point cloud information acquiring procedure.”).
Regarding claim 15 and the limitation a control device, the control device causing a cargo handling apparatus to perform a first operation and a second operation, the cargo handling apparatus including:
a hand holding an article;
a robot arm moving the hand;
a transfer device arranged with the robot arm in a first direction, the transfer device transferring the article;
and a measurement device measuring a position and a size of the article,
the first operation transferring the article to the transfer device by using the hand and the robot arm,
the second operation transferring the transferred article by using the transfer device,
the control device determining, based on a measurement result of the measurement device, whether or not the robot arm will interfere with the transfer device or a second article on the transfer device when performing the first operation for a first article,
the control device controlling a start timing of the first operation according to a determination result of the interference (see the rejection of corresponding parts of AT LEAST claim 1 above incorporated herein by reference and especially DIANKOV para:
“[0062] The above-described software or program may be a program to control the picking apparatus. In the above-described program, the picking apparatus may arrange, on a second position of a second container, a work picked on a first position of a first container by using a picking hand, the second container being different from the above-described first container. The above-described program may be a program to cause a computer to perform a point cloud information acquiring procedure of acquiring point cloud information of a region including at least one of the above-described picking hand and the above-described work at a timing being at least one of (i) a timing when the above-described picking hand picks the above-described work on the above-described first position, (ii) a timing when the above-described picking hand moves the above-described work out of the above-described first container, (iii) a timing when the above-described picking hand moves the above-described work in the above-described second container, and (iv) a timing when the above-described picking hand arranges the above-described work on the above-described second position. The above-described program may be a program to cause a computer to perform an abnormality detection procedure of detecting abnormality based on the point cloud information acquired in the above-described point cloud information acquiring procedure.”).
Regarding claim 16 and the limitation a cargo handling method, the cargo handling method causing a cargo handling apparatus to perform a first operation and a second operation, the cargo handling apparatus including:
a hand holding an article;
a robot arm moving the hand;
a transfer device arranged with the robot arm in a first direction, the transfer device transferring the article;
and a measurement device measuring a position and a size of the article, the first operation transferring the article to the transfer device by using the hand and the robot arm, the second operation transferring the transferred article by using the transfer device, the cargo handling method comprising:
determining, based on a measurement result of the measurement device, whether or not the robot arm will interfere with the transfer device or a second article on the transfer device when performing the first operation for a first article;
and controlling a start timing of the first operation according to a determination result of the interference (see the rejection of corresponding parts of AT LEAST claim 1 above incorporated herein by reference and especially DIANKOV para:
[0022] In a fifth aspect of the present invention, a control method is provided. The above-described control method may be a control method for controlling a picking apparatus. The above-described control method may be performed by a computer. In the above-described control method, the picking apparatus may arrange, on a second position, a work picked on a first position by using a picking hand, the second position being different from the first position. The above-described control method includes a first candidate information acquiring step of acquiring the first candidate information representing each of one or more postures that the picking hand is operable to take on the first position, for example. The above-described control method includes a second candidate information acquiring step of acquiring the second candidate information representing each of one or more postures that the picking hand is operable to take on the second position, for example. The above-described control method includes an extracting step of extracting a first combination from among the one or more combinations regarding the one or more postures represented by the first candidate information and the one or more postures represented by the second candidate information, for example. The above-described control method includes a trajectory calculating step of calculating trajectory information of a trajectory on which (i) the picking hand picks, on the first position, the work with a posture associated with the first position included in a first combination and (ii) the picking hand arranges, on the second position, the work with a posture associated with the second position included in the first combination, for example. The above-described control method includes a determining step of determining whether an interference is present or absent on the trajectory represented by the trajectory information that is calculated in the trajectory calculating step, for information that is calculated in the trajectory calculating step, for”).
Regarding claim 17 and the limitation a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program, the program causing a control device of a cargo handling apparatus to perform a first operation and a second operation, the cargo handling apparatus including:
a hand holding an article;
a robot arm moving the hand;
a transfer device arranged with the robot arm in a first direction, the transfer device transferring the article;
and a measurement device measuring a position and a size of the article,
the first operation transferring the article to the transfer device by using the hand and the robot arm,
the second operation transferring the transferred article by using the transfer device, the program causing the control device to: determine, based on a measurement result of the measurement device, whether or not the robot arm will interfere with the transfer device or a second article on the transfer device when performing the first operation for a first article;
and control a start timing of the first operation according to a determination result of the interference (see the rejection of corresponding parts of AT LEAST claim 1 above incorporated herein by reference and especially DIANKOV para:
“[0016] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided. the non-transitory computer-readable medium has processor instructions stored thereon that, when executed cause the processor to perform operations for controlling a picking apparatus that arranges, on a second position, a work picked on a first position by using a picking hand, the second position being different from the first position, the operations comprising:”).).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure as teaching, inter alia, the state of the art of cargo handling apparatuses at the time of the invention. For example:
US 20130096713 A1 to TAKIZAWA; Katsumi et al. teaches, inter alia a ROBOT SYSTEM, ROBOT, AND SORTED ARTICLE MANUFACTURING METHOD in for example the ABSTRACT, Figures and/or Paragraphs below:
“A robot system includes a first loading portion, a plurality of second loading portions provided for each sorting destination, and a robot configured to sort the plurality of articles loaded onto the first loading portion, and to transfer the articles to the second loading portions. The robot includes a robot arm, a tool, a first sensor configured to acquire distance information, an article identifying portion configured to identify the article loaded onto the first loading portion, a second sensor configured to acquire outer shape information, and to acquire sorting destination information, a first calculating portion configured to calculate a shape and size of the article, a sorting destination determining portion configured to determine a sorting destination, and a first operation control portion configured to control the robot arm and the tool so that the article is stacked onto the identified second loading portion.”.
US 20220288793 A1 to YAMANE; Hideshi et al. teaches, inter alia a ROBOT HAND, ROBOT, ROBOT SYSTEM, AND TRANSFER METHOD in for example the ABSTRACT, Figures and/or Paragraphs below:
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“A robot hand is a robot hand to transfer an article, which includes a holder to move the article in a first direction while holding the article, a driving belt having a transferring surface on which the article is placed and driven to move the transferring surface in the first direction, and a first driver to drive the driving belt. The holder moves in the first direction to place the
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held article onto the transferring surface.
[0058] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating one example of a configuration in one state of the robot hand 130 according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the robot hand 130 illustrated in FIG. 3, when seen from a back side. FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating one example of a configuration in another state of the robot hand 130 according to this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the robot hand 130 illustrated in FIG. 5, when seen from the back side. In FIGS. 5 and 6, a holder 134 (described later) is slid in a first direction D1, compared to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of the robot hand 130 illustrated in FIG. 3, when cut vertically along a driving belt 133c and seen in a direction VII.”.
US 20210107748 A1 to ISHIOKA; Yukinobu teaches, inter alia a CARGO HANDLING APPARATUS in for example the ABSTRACT, Figures and/or Paragraphs below:
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“A cargo handling apparatus includes a first conveyor portion, a first detection portion, a second conveyor portion, a gripping portion, a second detection portion, and a controller. The first conveyor portion is configured to convey an article to be handled in a first direction. The first detection portion is configured to detect article information. The second conveyor portion is configured to convey the article in a second direction. The gripping portion is configured to arrange the article in an accumulating portion. The second detection portion is configured to detect stacking information. The controller is configured to control operation of the gripping portion based on the article information and the stacking information.”.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL LAWSON GREENE JR whose telephone number is (571)272-6876. The examiner can normally be reached on MON-THUR 7-5:30PM (EST).
Examiner interviews are available via telephone and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Hunter Lonsberry can be reached on (571) 272-7298. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANIEL L GREENE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3665 20260110