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 .
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) 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matus et al. US 2020/0375093 A1 in view of Grobler US 2006/0254833 A1.
Independent Claim 1: Matus discloses a robotic mowing device, comprising:
a main body (102);
a left-side driving wheel (left 106) attached at a left side of the main body and adapted to contact a ground surface when the robotic mowing device is located on the ground surface;
a right-side driving wheel (right 106) attached to a right side of the main body and adapted to contact the ground surface when the robotic mowing device is located on the ground surface;
one or more motors (see para. [0060], lns. 3-9) to drive the left-side driving wheel and the right-side driving wheel to cause the left-side driving wheel and the right-side driving wheel to turn, as per claim 1.
However, Matus fails to disclose a deployable propulsion device that includes a rolling member, an actuating assembly, and a driving wheel attached to a rotatable axle, and that is adapted to actuate the rolling member between:
a deployed state in which the rolling member is (a) adapted to contact the ground surface when the robotic mowing device is located on the ground surface while the left- side driving wheel and the right-side driving wheel are in contact with the ground and (b) adapted to rotate at a same time as the left-side driving wheel and the right-side driving wheel, thereby providing additional traction beyond traction provided by the left-side driving wheel and the right-side driving wheel; and
a retracted state in which the rolling member is held apart from the ground surface when the robotic mowing device is located on the ground surface, wherein the actuating assembly serves as an interface to transfer rotational power to the driving wheel while linearly actuating the driving wheel between the retracted state and the deployed state by selectively moving the rotatable axle up and down alonh a linear path in a direction that is transverse to a rotating axis of the rotatable axle, as per claim 1.
Grobler discloses a device (1) comprising a deployable propulsion device (2) that includes a rolling member (2.4), an actuating assembly (3, 4), and a driving wheel (the wheel 2.3 driven by the axle of 4.1 of 4.3 as seen in Figs. 3 and 8) attached to a rotatable axle (unnumbered axle, seen in Figs. 3, 8), and that is adapted to actuate (via 3) the rolling member between:
a deployed state (seen in Fig. 1, the “extension” state) in which the rolling member is (i) adapted to contact the ground surface when the device is located on the ground surface while the left- side driving wheel and the right-side driving wheel are in contact with the ground and (ii) adapted to rotate at a same time as the left-side driving wheel and the right-side driving wheel, thereby providing additional traction beyond traction provided by the left-side driving wheel and the right-side driving wheel (para. [0084], lns. 10-18); and
a retracted state (not shown, the “retracted” state, see para. [0070], lns. 3-5) in which the rolling member is held apart from the ground surface when the device is located on the ground surface, wherein the actuating assembly serves as an interface to transfer rotational power to the driving wheel (via 4) while linearly actuating the driving wheel between the retracted state and the deployed state (via 3) by selectively moving the rotatable axle up and down along a linear path (vertical path “a”, seen in Fig. 1) in a direction that is transverse to a rotating axis of the rotatable axle (the transverse direction as seen by the orientation of the axle of 4.1.2 as seen in Fig. 3), as per claim 1.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the deployable propulsion device of Grobler on the device of Matus in order to reduce the load pressure transferred to the ground and to improve off-road performance under wet and icy conditions.
Dependent Claims 2-5: Grobler, of the resultant combination above, further discloses wherein the rolling member (2.4) comprises a continuous track and multiple wheels (2.3) positioned within the continuous track, as per claim 2;
wherein:
the deployable propulsion device (2) is a left-side deployable propulsion device (see the left-side device 2 in Figs. 2-3 and 7) and the rolling member (2.4) is a left-side rolling member (left-side 2.4); and
the device (1) comprises a right-side deployable propulsion device (see the right-side device 2 in Figs. 2-3 and 7) that includes a right-side rolling member (right-side 2.4) and that is adapted to actuate the right-side rolling member (via 3) between:
a right-side deployed state (seen in Fig. 1, the “extension” state) in which the right-side rolling member is in contact with the ground surface when the device is located on the ground surface; and
(ii) a right-side retracted state (not shown, the “retracted” state, see para. [0070], lns. 3-5) in which the right-side rolling member is held apart from the ground surface when the device is located on the ground surface, as per claim 3.
Matus further comprises:
a left-side trailing wheel (left 109) that is adapted to contact the ground surface and that is spaced apart from the left-side driving wheel; and
a right-side trailing wheel (right 109) that is adapted to contact the ground surface and that is spaced apart from the right-side driving wheel, as per claim 4;
wherein:
the left-side trailing wheel (left 109) is undriven by any motor (para. [0060], lns. 2-3); and
the right-side trailing wheel (right 109) is undriven by any motor (para. [0060], lns. 2-3), as per claim 5.
Dependent Claims 6-7: Matus further discloses a vegetation-cutting assembly (201) that is attached to the main body (102) and that includes a blade (not shown) that is adapted to cut vegetation, as per claim 7.
However, the combination fails to disclose wherein:
the left-side deployable propulsion device is located between the left-side driving wheel and the left-side trailing wheel; and
the right-side deployable propulsion device is located between the right-side driving wheel and the right-side trailing wheel, as per claim 6;
the left-side driving wheel is located between the vegetation-cutting assembly and the left-side deployable propulsion device; and
the right-side driving wheel is located between the vegetation-cutting assembly and the right-side deployable propulsion device, as per claim 7.
In the combination of Matus in view of Grobler, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to locate the deployable propulsion devices (Grobler’s left- and right-side devices 2) between Matus’ driving wheels (106) and trailing wheels (109), as per claim 6, since it has been held that arranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art and this would be the most place to provide a deployable propulsion device to Matus’ robot since it is already free of gear and the location of the robot’s center of gravity, as seen in Matus’ Fig. 2A.
This arrangement would result in the left-side driving wheel (Matus left 106) being located between the vegetation-cutting assembly (Matus 201) and the left-side deployable propulsion device (Grobler’s left 2) and the right-side driving wheel (Matus right 106) being located between the vegetation-cutting assembly (Matus 201) and the right-side deployable propulsion device (Grobler’s right 2), as per claim 7.
Claim(s) 8-9, 11-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matus et al. in view of Grobler as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Aljahmi US 2015/0274227 A1.
Dependent Claims 8-9, 11-12: The device is disclosed as applied above. However, the combination fails to disclose at least one sensor; and
at least one computing device in communication with the at least one sensor, wherein the at least one computing device is configured to perform operations comprising:
determining that additional traction should be used based on information collected by at least one sensor; and
deploying an additional vehicle propulsion system based on the determining that additional traction should be used, as per claim 8;
wherein determining that additional traction should be used comprises determining that the additional traction should be used based on one or more of:
detecting vehicle slippage;
detecting ground moisture;
a predicted likelihood of poor traction in a certain region; or
determining that the robotic mowing device has tilted at least a threshold amount, as per claim 9;
wherein the operations comprise modifying another vehicle characteristic, as per claim 11;
wherein modifying another vehicle characteristic comprises modifying one or more of a ride height of the robotic mowing device or modifying a blade height of the robotic mowing device, as per claim 12.
Aljahmi discloses a similar deployable propulsion device comprising at least one sensor (not shown, see the final 5 lines of para. [0008] and para. [0009], lns. 18-20); and
at least one computing device (900) in communication with the at least one sensor, wherein the at least one computing device is configured to perform operations comprising:
determining that additional traction should be used based on information collected by at least one sensor (see para. [0035]); and
deploying an additional vehicle propulsion system based on the determining that additional traction should be used (see para. [0035]), as per claim 8;
wherein determining that additional traction should be used comprises determining that the additional traction should be used based on one or more of:
detecting vehicle slippage (see the final four lines of para. [0035]);
detecting ground moisture;
a predicted likelihood of poor traction in a certain region (see para. [0035]); or
determining that the device has tilted at least a threshold amount, as per claim 9;
wherein the operations comprise modifying another vehicle characteristic (the height of the vehicle as seen between Figs. 6-7), as per claim 11;
wherein modifying another vehicle characteristic comprises modifying one or more of a ride height of the device (as seen between Figs. 6-7) or modifying a blade height of the device, as per claim 12.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the sensor and determination of need for the vehicle propulsion systems as taught by Aljahmi on the device of Matus and Grobler in order to automatically maintain traction during slippery or uneven conditions.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matus et al. in view of Grobler and Aljahmi as applied to claim 8 above, and further in view of Welling 5,287,938.
Dependent Claim 10: The device is disclosed as applied above. However, the combination fails to disclose wherein deploying an additional vehicle propulsion system comprises deploying the additional vehicle propulsion system asymmetrically by deploying fewer than all of a left-side traction system and a right-side traction system, as per claim 10.
Welling discloses a similar device wherein deploying an additional vehicle propulsion system (left or right 4) comprises deploying the additional vehicle propulsion system (the other right or left 4) asymmetrically by deploying fewer than all of a left-side traction system (left 7) and a right-side traction system (right 7, see Abstract, lns. 5-10 and col. 3, lns. 51-57), as per claim 10.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the independently deployable vehicle propulsion systems of Welling on the device of Matus, Grobler and Aljahmi in order to maintain the vehicle level when traversing on sloping grounds.
Response to Arguments
Applicant has amended independent Claim 1 to recite an actuating assembly that serves as an interface to transfer rotation to the drive wheel while also actuating the driving wheel between the retracted and deployed states. However, as seen above, the original combination of Matus et al. in view of Grobler still reads on the claim.
The recitation of “an actuating assembly”, specifically the word “assembly”, in its broadest reasonable interpretation, reads on a single article comprised of multiple articles or parts. In this case, Grobler’s actuating assembly is comprised of the drive means 3 which actuates the rolling member/driving wheel between the deployed and retracted states AND drive means 4 which rotatably powers the driving wheel. The applicant has failed to include any limitations that would preclude this interpretation.
It is also noted that when looking to the specification for specific definitions of “an actuating assembly” and/or “interface” that many alternative options are disclosed and so do not help to further narrow the scope of claim 1 as amended.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Alicia M. Torres whose telephone number is 571-272-6997. The examiner’s fax number is 571-273-6997. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joseph M. Rocca, can be reached at (571) 272-8971.
Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the group receptionist whose telephone number is 571-272-3600. The fax number for this Group is 571-273-8300.
/Alicia Torres/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3671 June 24, 2026
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