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 Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Diankov et al (US PG. Pub. 2020/0238519) in view of Lin (US PG. Pub. 2020/0241574). Relative to claim 1, Diankov discloses:
A warehouse robot control method, comprising:
obtaining a container scheduling instruction of a first target container, the container scheduling instruction comprises a container type of the first target container (Para. 0114, robot is instructed to select target object 112, which is a container, see Fig. 3A, the object is selected based on a predetermined selection measure, and/or selection rule and/or template related to a pose or an outline);
determining a container pose recognition algorithm according to the container type of the first target container (Para. 0096, see predetermined recognition mechanism), and recognizing pose information of the first target container based on the container pose recognition algorithm (pose of object 302 is based on predetermined recognition mechanism and/or recognition rule, see also, predetermined image pattern; Para. 0099); and
controlling the warehouse robot (100)(Fig. 4A) to pick up the first target container according to the pose information (Para. 0119).
Diankov does not expressly disclose:
controlling the warehouse robot to pick up the first target container according to the pose information comprises:
determining a position relation between the pickup apparatus of the warehouse robot and the first target container according to the pose information;
moving and/or rotating the warehouse robot according to the position relation; and controlling the pickup apparatus of the warehouse robot to pick up the first target container;
after the moving and/or rotating the warehouse robot according to the position relation, the method further comprises:
obtaining a pickup distance between the warehouse robot and the first target container;
determining whether the pickup distance meets a pickup condition of the warehouse robot; and
if yes, controlling the pickup apparatus of the warehouse robot to pick up the first target container.
Lin teaches:
controlling the warehouse robot (104)(Fig. 1) to pick up the first target object (108) according to the pose information comprises (Para. 0068):
determining a position relation between the pickup apparatus (for instance, arms, fingers, pincers) of the warehouse robot (104) and the first target object (108) according to the pose information (Para. 0068);
moving and/or rotating the warehouse robot (104) according to the position relation (Para. 0045); and controlling the pickup apparatus of the warehouse robot (104) to pick up the first target object (Para. 0044);
after the moving and/or rotating the warehouse robot (104) according to the position relation, the method further comprises:
obtaining a pickup distance between the warehouse robot (104) and the first target object (108)(Para. 0067-0068);
determining whether the pickup distance meets a pickup condition of the warehouse robot (104)(Para. 0068); and
if yes, controlling the pickup apparatus of the warehouse robot (104) to pick up the first target object (108)(Para. 0068, if object is within range of arm, then the success condition is met and object may be successfully onboarded).
Lin teaches: determining a position relation between the pickup apparatus of the robot and the target object according to the pose; moving and/or rotating the warehouse robot according to the position; after moving and/or rotating the warehouse robot according to the position relation; obtaining a pickup distance between the warehouse robot and the target object; determining whether the pickup distance meets a pickup condition; and the robot picking up the target object if the condition is met as described above for the purpose of providing a robot control system for accurately approaching the same designated object in different environments in an automated manner (Para. 0001-0002; 0005-0006).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art on or before the time of the filing to modify the method of Diankov with the determining a position relation between the pickup apparatus of the robot and the target object according to the pose, obtaining a pickup distance between the warehouse robot and the target object, and controlling the robot to pick up the first target container if the pickup distance meeting a pickup condition, as taught in Lin for the purpose of providing a robot control system for accurately approaching the same designated object in different environments in an automated manner.
Relative to claim 1, Lin does not expressly disclose the target object is a target container. Lin can be modified so that the target object is a target container as an obvious matter of design choice based on the user’s preference. The system of Lin includes identifying, approaching, picking, and manipulating a variety of objects, such as objects commonly used in homes (Para. 0020). The system implies that the objects may include containers, as containers are common objects used in homes to be picked by a robot. See MPEP §2144.01
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Lin, so that the target object is a target container as a matter of design choice since the disclosure implies that the target objects to be picked can include containers.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YOLANDA RENEE CUMBESS whose telephone number is (571)270-5527. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10-6.
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/YOLANDA R CUMBESS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651