CTNF 18/169,291 CTNF 96325 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia 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 § 101 07-04-01 AIA 07-04 35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows: Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title. None of the claims are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 in this office action. “A computer readable storage medium” as recited in claims 8-13 does not encompass non-statutory transitory forms of signal transmission in this application because paragraph [0095] of the specification recites “A computer readable storage medium, as that term is used in the present disclosure, is not to be construed as storage in the form of transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide, light pulses passing through a fiber optic cable, electrical signals communicated through a wire, and/or other transmission media.” Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 07-30-02 AIA The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claims 7 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claims 7 and 20 recite the limitation "from the fourth location." There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. It is unclear what ‘the’ fourth location is referencing because there is no prior mention of a fourth location in the claim or parent claim. For examination purposes, claims 7 and 20 are interpreted as reciting "from [[the]] a fourth location." Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA) 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. 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-12-aia AIA (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. 07-15-aia AIA Claim(s) 14-16 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Li (US 20200081455 A1) . Regarding Claim 14, Li teaches A computer-implemented method for operating a plurality of material handling units in a unitary configuration comprising: determining one or more objects to be transported from one or more first locations to one or more second locations; (“The system 100 further includes a facility controller 50, which generally assigns tasks to the ATVs 12, 14, 16, 18, and 19 as needed. Thus, the controller 50 may analyze tasks, designate one or more ATVs as being included in a swarm for carrying out a given task, and may also generate one or more routes R for ATV(s) in a swarm. … The system 100 may facilitate handling of materials, e.g., payload 20, from an initial location A to a location B, which may be a destination or delivery location for the payload 20. … Generally the controller 50 may be a facility or plant-level controller having responsibility for a facility or area within the facility, which facilitates development and assignment of material handling tasks.” See at least [0043-0045]) gathering, subject to the determining the one or more objects, information with respect to one or more characteristics of the one or more objects; (“inputs such as an object size, shape, weight, and/or locating position(s) may be used to determine a footprint of a robotic swarm of ATVs, a number of ATVs needed for the task, and/or positioning of the ATVs.” See at least [0039]; “A task analysis 510 may receive inputs 505, which includes information such as that regarding shapes, dimensions, weight, mass distribution, and clamping location(s) of an object to be moved as inputs for analyzing tasks for moving the object(s).” See at least [0058]) determining, subject to the gathering of information, one or more characteristics of a unitary material transport vehicle to transport the one or more objects from the one or more first locations to the one or more second locations; (“a method also includes designating a subset of available ATVs as a swarm based upon at least one characteristic of the object, and at least one characteristic of an available ATV. The at least one characteristic of the object may, in some examples, include at least one of a weight or mass of the object, a shape of the object, and a locating position of the object, and the at least one characteristic of the available ATV includes at least one of a load capacity of the ATV and a size of the ATV.” See at least [0014-0015]; “An availability of one or more ATVs may also be used, e.g., by a system level controller, to determine which ATV(s) will be designated as being included in a given swarm. … Thus, the four ATVs 12, 14, 16, 18 may be designated as a swarm for transporting a payload 20. The fifth ATV 19, on the other hand, may not be available, or may not be needed to carry out the task of transporting the payload 20 (e.g., based upon a load carrying capacity, footprint, etc., of the other ATVs), and thus may be temporarily idle.” See at least [0039-0040]) determining, subject to the determining the one or more characteristics of the unitary material transport vehicle, a number of material handling units within a plurality of material handling units to form the unitary material transport vehicle; (“a swarm of ATVs may be formed in real-time depending on requirements of a given material handling task. Merely as examples, inputs such as an object size, shape, weight, and/or locating position(s) may be used to determine a footprint of a robotic swarm of ATVs, a number of ATVs needed for the task, and/or positioning of the ATVs. An availability of one or more ATVs may also be used, e.g., by a system level controller, to determine which ATV(s) will be designated as being included in a given swarm.” See at least [0039]; “The controller 50 may then, in real time, determine a number of ATVs needed for the task. For example, the controller 50 may, based upon a footprint of each of the ATVs, or a load capacity, or the like, determine a number of ATVs needed for the task. Similar parameters of the payload 20, e.g., weight, dimensions, locating positions, etc., may be used in designating a swarm of ATVs.” See at least [0045]) and assembling the unitary material transport vehicle, wherein the unitary material transport vehicle includes the plurality of material handling units assembled into the unitary configuration. (“The controller 50 may also form the swarm's overall shape to handle the task, e.g., by designating a layout of ATVs 12, 14, 16, and 18 relative to each other. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, a rectangular orientation of the ATVs 12, 14, 16, 18 is employed. However, this arrangement is merely one example, and any arrangement may be employed that is convenient. The controller 50 may also determine a path or route from location A to location B, and transmit the determined route to the lead ATV 12. The lead ATV 12, in turn, may communicate with other ATV(s) 14, 16, and 18 in the swarm to synchronize their movement,” See at least [0046]; Also see at least figs. 3B-3G) Regarding Claim 15, Li further teaches further comprising: directing the plurality of material handling units from one or more third locations to the one or more first locations. (See at least [0069] and fig. 1 (provided below) which illustrates how the plurality of robots are navigated. Examiner Interpretation: Under broad reasonable interpretation, the examiner interprets the end of route segment S1 as a third location and the beginning of route segment S3 as a first location.) PNG media_image1.png 418 628 media_image1.png Greyscale Regarding Claim 16, Li further teaches further comprising: deploying, subject to the determining of the number, the plurality of material handling units. (“Generally the controller 50 may be a facility or plant-level controller having responsibility for a facility or area within the facility, which facilitates development and assignment of material handling tasks. In one example, a task may be identified or required. The controller 50 may then, in real time, determine a number of ATVs needed for the task. … The controller 50 may also form the swarm's overall shape to handle the task, e.g., by designating a layout of ATVs 12, 14, 16, and 18 relative to each other. … The controller 50 may also determine a path or route from location A to location B, and transmit the determined route to the lead ATV 12. The lead ATV 12, in turn, may communicate with other ATV(s) 14, 16, and 18 in the swarm to synchronize their movement, and change the route in real time if necessary, e.g., when an obstacle is detected, as will be discussed further below.” See at least [0045-0046]) Regarding Claim 20, Li further teaches further comprising: collecting data from one or more of each material handling unit of the plurality of material handling units relevant to one or more of: operating each material handling unit prior to assembling the unitary material transport vehicle; operating the plurality of material handling units in the unitary configuration; the at least partially disassembling of the unitary material transport vehicle; and transporting each material handling unit of the plurality of material handling units from the fourth location to one or more fifth locations. (“the lead ATV 12 may process sensor and signal data collected by the swarm of ATVs 12, 14, 16, 18. Accordingly, the processors 42 of each of the ATVs 14, 16, 18 may collect and transmit signals or data collected from outward sensors of the ATVs 14, 16, 18 to the lead ATV 12. The lead ATV, in turn, may generally process the received information, e.g., to determine a new route or segment for any of the ATVs 12, 14, 16, and/or 18. The lead ATV 12 may also generally decide the movement of the swarm overall, and may calculate movement of individual components or subcomponents of the swarm, e.g., individual ATVs 14, 16, and 18. The ATV 12 may subsequently transmit movement signals to all the ATVs 14, 16, and 18 of the swarm. In one example, a lead ATV 12 receives information from one or more of the other ATVs 14, 16, 18 when one of those ATVs detects an obstacle necessitating a change in the path of the swarm. Accordingly, the detecting ATV may initiate a stop of motion of the other ATVs, and provide information to the other ATVs such as a position of the detected obstacle, size of the obstacle, or any other information useful in navigating the swarm of ATVs 12, 14, 16, 18 around the obstacles.” See at least [0054]) Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA) 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. 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-23-aia AIA The factual inquiries 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 1-3, 6-10, 13, and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li (US 20200081455 A1) in view of Greenberger (US 20180231971 A1) . Regarding Claim 1, Li teaches A computer system for operating a plurality of material handling units in a unitary configuration comprising: one or more processing devices; (“The system 100 further includes a facility controller 50, which generally assigns tasks to the ATVs 12, 14, 16, 18, and 19 as needed.” See at least [0043]) a material handling tool at least partially resident within the one or more memory devices , the material handling tool configured to: determine one or more objects to be transported from one or more first locations to one or more second locations; (“The system 100 further includes a facility controller 50, which generally assigns tasks to the ATVs 12, 14, 16, 18, and 19 as needed. Thus, the controller 50 may analyze tasks, designate one or more ATVs as being included in a swarm for carrying out a given task, and may also generate one or more routes R for ATV(s) in a swarm. … The system 100 may facilitate handling of materials, e.g., payload 20, from an initial location A to a location B, which may be a destination or delivery location for the payload 20. … Generally the controller 50 may be a facility or plant-level controller having responsibility for a facility or area within the facility, which facilitates development and assignment of material handling tasks.” See at least [0043-0045]) gather, subject to the determining the one or more objects, information with respect to one or more characteristics of the one or more objects; (“inputs such as an object size, shape, weight, and/or locating position(s) may be used to determine a footprint of a robotic swarm of ATVs, a number of ATVs needed for the task, and/or positioning of the ATVs.” See at least [0039]; “A task analysis 510 may receive inputs 505, which includes information such as that regarding shapes, dimensions, weight, mass distribution, and clamping location(s) of an object to be moved as inputs for analyzing tasks for moving the object(s).” See at least [0058]) determine, subject to the gathering of information, one or more characteristics of a unitary material transport vehicle to transport the one or more objects from the one or more first locations to the one or more second locations; (“a method also includes designating a subset of available ATVs as a swarm based upon at least one characteristic of the object, and at least one characteristic of an available ATV. The at least one characteristic of the object may, in some examples, include at least one of a weight or mass of the object, a shape of the object, and a locating position of the object, and the at least one characteristic of the available ATV includes at least one of a load capacity of the ATV and a size of the ATV.” See at least [0014-0015]; “An availability of one or more ATVs may also be used, e.g., by a system level controller, to determine which ATV(s) will be designated as being included in a given swarm. … Thus, the four ATVs 12, 14, 16, 18 may be designated as a swarm for transporting a payload 20. The fifth ATV 19, on the other hand, may not be available, or may not be needed to carry out the task of transporting the payload 20 (e.g., based upon a load carrying capacity, footprint, etc., of the other ATVs), and thus may be temporarily idle.” See at least [0039-0040]) determine, subject to the determining the one or more characteristics of the unitary material transport vehicle, a number of material handling units within a plurality of material handling units to form the unitary material transport vehicle; (“a swarm of ATVs may be formed in real-time depending on requirements of a given material handling task. Merely as examples, inputs such as an object size, shape, weight, and/or locating position(s) may be used to determine a footprint of a robotic swarm of ATVs, a number of ATVs needed for the task, and/or positioning of the ATVs. An availability of one or more ATVs may also be used, e.g., by a system level controller, to determine which ATV(s) will be designated as being included in a given swarm.” See at least [0039]; “The controller 50 may then, in real time, determine a number of ATVs needed for the task. For example, the controller 50 may, based upon a footprint of each of the ATVs, or a load capacity, or the like, determine a number of ATVs needed for the task. Similar parameters of the payload 20, e.g., weight, dimensions, locating positions, etc., may be used in designating a swarm of ATVs.” See at least [0045]) and assemble the unitary material transport vehicle, wherein the unitary material transport vehicle includes the plurality of material handling units assembled into the unitary configuration. (“The controller 50 may also form the swarm's overall shape to handle the task, e.g., by designating a layout of ATVs 12, 14, 16, and 18 relative to each other. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, a rectangular orientation of the ATVs 12, 14, 16, 18 is employed. However, this arrangement is merely one example, and any arrangement may be employed that is convenient. The controller 50 may also determine a path or route from location A to location B, and transmit the determined route to the lead ATV 12. The lead ATV 12, in turn, may communicate with other ATV(s) 14, 16, and 18 in the swarm to synchronize their movement,” See at least [0046]; Also see at least figs. 3B-3G) Li does not explicitly teach, but Greenberger teaches one or more memory devices communicatively and operably coupled to the one or more processing devices; a material handling tool at least partially resident within the one or more memory devices (“The system includes a memory, and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory.” See at least [0004]; “The components of computing system 612 may include, but are not limited to, one or more processors or processing units 616, a system memory 623, and a bus 618 that couples various system components including system memory 623 to processor 616.” See at least [0055]; Program/utility 640, having a set (at least one) of program modules 642, may be stored in memory 632 … Program modules 642 generally carry out the functions and/or methodologies of embodiments of the invention” See at least [0061] and fig. 6, wherein a program module is interpreted as a material handling tool because it carries out the invention of managing drones that perform tasks including product delivery (See at least [0016-0017]).) It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the teachings of Li to further include the teachings of Greenberger with a reasonable expectation of success to store program modules that manage the robots in memory coupled to a processor to improve automation of the processes. Regarding Claim 2, Li further teaches the material handling tool further configured to: direct the plurality of material handling units from one or more third locations to the one or more first locations. (See at least [0069] and fig. 1 (provided below) which illustrates how the plurality of robots are navigated. Examiner Interpretation: Under broad reasonable interpretation, the examiner interprets the end of route segment S1 as a third location and the beginning of route segment S3 as a first location.) PNG media_image1.png 418 628 media_image1.png Greyscale Regarding Claim 3, Li further teaches the material handling tool further configured to: deploy, subject to the determining of the number, the plurality of material handling units. (“Generally the controller 50 may be a facility or plant-level controller having responsibility for a facility or area within the facility, which facilitates development and assignment of material handling tasks. In one example, a task may be identified or required. The controller 50 may then, in real time, determine a number of ATVs needed for the task. … The controller 50 may also form the swarm's overall shape to handle the task, e.g., by designating a layout of ATVs 12, 14, 16, and 18 relative to each other. … The controller 50 may also determine a path or route from location A to location B, and transmit the determined route to the lead ATV 12. The lead ATV 12, in turn, may communicate with other ATV(s) 14, 16, and 18 in the swarm to synchronize their movement, and change the route in real time if necessary, e.g., when an obstacle is detected, as will be discussed further below.” See at least [0045-0046]) Regarding Claim 6, Li does not explicitly teach, but Greenberger teaches the material handling tool further configured to: discontinue the transporting of the one or more objects from the one or more first locations to the one or more second locations; direct the unitary material transport vehicle to a fourth location; at least partially disassemble the unitary material transport vehicle into one or more second portions of the plurality of material handling units at the fourth location; and direct each second portion of the material handling units from the fourth location to one or more fifth locations. (“at warehouse 102 (i.e., the first location), the products may be loaded onto the respective individual drones, and the drones may be coupled to each other (e.g., as described in greater detail below). Two or more drones coupled together in this manner are referred to herein as a coupled collective of drones. After the drones are coupled together, the coupled collective may leave warehouse 102 and travel along the main delivery route 118, bringing the various products stored on the individual drones with them. When the coupled collective of drones reaches an intersection of the main delivery route 118 with one of the secondary delivery routes 120-132, one or more of the individual drones detach (or are detached) from the collective and travel along the respective secondary delivery route 120-132 to, for instance, deliver the product(s) stored thereon to the appropriate delivery point 104-116. For example, when the coupled collective of drones reaches the intersection of the main delivery route 118 with secondary delivery route 120, one (or more) of the individual drones detaches and travels along secondary delivery route 120 until it reaches delivery point 104, where, for instance, it delivers the product stored thereon. … after (e.g., immediately after) the individual drone detaches from the collective, the coupled collective continues along the main delivery route 118.” See at least [0020-0022], wherein the intersection is the fourth location and the delivery point is the fifth location.) It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the teachings of Li to further include the teachings of Greenberger with a reasonable expectation of success to minimize energy consumption and extend range of the drones. (See at least [0023]) Regarding Claim 7, Li further teaches the material handling tool further configured to: collect data from one or more of each material handling unit of the plurality of material handling units relevant to one or more of: operate each material handling unit prior to assembling the unitary material transport vehicle; operate the plurality of material handling units in the unitary configuration; the at least partially disassembling of the unitary material transport vehicle; and transport of each material handling unit of the plurality of material handling units from the fourth location to one or more fifth locations. (“the lead ATV 12 may process sensor and signal data collected by the swarm of ATVs 12, 14, 16, 18. Accordingly, the processors 42 of each of the ATVs 14, 16, 18 may collect and transmit signals or data collected from outward sensors of the ATVs 14, 16, 18 to the lead ATV 12. The lead ATV, in turn, may generally process the received information, e.g., to determine a new route or segment for any of the ATVs 12, 14, 16, and/or 18. The lead ATV 12 may also generally decide the movement of the swarm overall, and may calculate movement of individual components or subcomponents of the swarm, e.g., individual ATVs 14, 16, and 18. The ATV 12 may subsequently transmit movement signals to all the ATVs 14, 16, and 18 of the swarm. In one example, a lead ATV 12 receives information from one or more of the other ATVs 14, 16, 18 when one of those ATVs detects an obstacle necessitating a change in the path of the swarm. Accordingly, the detecting ATV may initiate a stop of motion of the other ATVs, and provide information to the other ATVs such as a position of the detected obstacle, size of the obstacle, or any other information useful in navigating the swarm of ATVs 12, 14, 16, 18 around the obstacles.” See at least [0054]) Regarding Claim 8, Li teaches A computer readable storage medium having computer executable instructions that when executed by at least one computing device operate a plurality of material handling units in a unitary configuration, comprising instructions to: determine one or more objects to be transported from one or more first locations to one or more second locations; (“The system 100 further includes a facility controller 50, which generally assigns tasks to the ATVs 12, 14, 16, 18, and 19 as needed. Thus, the controller 50 may analyze tasks, designate one or more ATVs as being included in a swarm for carrying out a given task, and may also generate one or more routes R for ATV(s) in a swarm. … The system 100 may facilitate handling of materials, e.g., payload 20, from an initial location A to a location B, which may be a destination or delivery location for the payload 20. … Generally the controller 50 may be a facility or plant-level controller having responsibility for a facility or area within the facility, which facilitates development and assignment of material handling tasks.” See at least [0043-0045]) gather, subject to the determining the one or more objects, information with respect to one or more characteristics of the one or more objects; (“inputs such as an object size, shape, weight, and/or locating position(s) may be used to determine a footprint of a robotic swarm of ATVs, a number of ATVs needed for the task, and/or positioning of the ATVs.” See at least [0039]; “A task analysis 510 may receive inputs 505, which includes information such as that regarding shapes, dimensions, weight, mass distribution, and clamping location(s) of an object to be moved as inputs for analyzing tasks for moving the object(s).” See at least [0058]) determine, subject to the gathering of information, one or more characteristics of a unitary material transport vehicle to transport the one or more objects from the one or more first locations to the one or more second locations; (“a method also includes designating a subset of available ATVs as a swarm based upon at least one characteristic of the object, and at least one characteristic of an available ATV. The at least one characteristic of the object may, in some examples, include at least one of a weight or mass of the object, a shape of the object, and a locating position of the object, and the at least one characteristic of the available ATV includes at least one of a load capacity of the ATV and a size of the ATV.” See at least [0014-0015]; “An availability of one or more ATVs may also be used, e.g., by a system level controller, to determine which ATV(s) will be designated as being included in a given swarm. … Thus, the four ATVs 12, 14, 16, 18 may be designated as a swarm for transporting a payload 20. The fifth ATV 19, on the other hand, may not be available, or may not be needed to carry out the task of transporting the payload 20 (e.g., based upon a load carrying capacity, footprint, etc., of the other ATVs), and thus may be temporarily idle.” See at least [0039-0040]) determine, subject to the determining the one or more characteristics of the unitary material transport vehicle, a number of material handling units within a plurality of material handling units to form the unitary material transport vehicle; (“a swarm of ATVs may be formed in real-time depending on requirements of a given material handling task. Merely as examples, inputs such as an object size, shape, weight, and/or locating position(s) may be used to determine a footprint of a robotic swarm of ATVs, a number of ATVs needed for the task, and/or positioning of the ATVs. An availability of one or more ATVs may also be used, e.g., by a system level controller, to determine which ATV(s) will be designated as being included in a given swarm.” See at least [0039]; “The controller 50 may then, in real time, determine a number of ATVs needed for the task. For example, the controller 50 may, based upon a footprint of each of the ATVs, or a load capacity, or the like, determine a number of ATVs needed for the task. Similar parameters of the payload 20, e.g., weight, dimensions, locating positions, etc., may be used in designating a swarm of ATVs.” See at least [0045]) and assemble the unitary material transport vehicle, wherein the unitary material transport vehicle includes the plurality of material handling units assembled into the unitary configuration. (“The controller 50 may also form the swarm's overall shape to handle the task, e.g., by designating a layout of ATVs 12, 14, 16, and 18 relative to each other. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, a rectangular orientation of the ATVs 12, 14, 16, 18 is employed. However, this arrangement is merely one example, and any arrangement may be employed that is convenient. The controller 50 may also determine a path or route from location A to location B, and transmit the determined route to the lead ATV 12. The lead ATV 12, in turn, may communicate with other ATV(s) 14, 16, and 18 in the swarm to synchronize their movement,” See at least [0046]; Also see at least figs. 3B-3G) Li does not explicitly teach, but Greenberger teaches A computer readable storage medium having computer executable instructions that when executed by at least one computing device operate a plurality of material handling units in a unitary configuration, (“computer program product for managing available energy among multiple drones is provided. The computer program product includes a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code being executable by a processor to perform a method,” See at least [0005]) It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the teachings of Li to further include the teachings of Greenberger with a reasonable expectation of success to store program modules that manage the robots in memory coupled to a processor to improve automation of the processes. Regarding Claim 9, Li further teaches further comprising instructions to: direct the plurality of material handling units from one or more third locations to the one or more first locations. (See at least [0069] and fig. 1 (provided below) which illustrates how the plurality of robots are navigated. Examiner Interpretation: Under broad reasonable interpretation, the examiner interprets the end of route segment S1 as a third location and the beginning of route segment S3 as a first location.) PNG media_image1.png 418 628 media_image1.png Greyscale Regarding Claim 10, Li further teaches further comprising instructions to: deploy, subject to the determining of the number, the plurality of material handling units. (“Generally the controller 50 may be a facility or plant-level controller having responsibility for a facility or area within the facility, which facilitates development and assignment of material handling tasks. In one example, a task may be identified or required. The controller 50 may then, in real time, determine a number of ATVs needed for the task. … The controller 50 may also form the swarm's overall shape to handle the task, e.g., by designating a layout of ATVs 12, 14, 16, and 18 relative to each other. … The controller 50 may also determine a path or route from location A to location B, and transmit the determined route to the lead ATV 12. The lead ATV 12, in turn, may communicate with other ATV(s) 14, 16, and 18 in the swarm to synchronize their movement, and change the route in real time if necessary, e.g., when an obstacle is detected, as will be discussed further below.” See at least [0045-0046]) Regarding Claim 13, Li does not explicitly teach, but Greenberger teaches further comprising instructions to: discontinue the transporting of the one or more objects from the one or more first locations to the one or more second locations; direct the unitary material transport vehicle to a fourth location; at least partially disassemble the unitary material transport vehicle into one or more second portions of the plurality of material handling units at the fourth location; and direct each second portion of the material handling units from the fourth location to one or more fifth locations. (“at warehouse 102 (i.e., the first location), the products may be loaded onto the respective individual drones, and the drones may be coupled to each other (e.g., as described in greater detail below). Two or more drones coupled together in this manner are referred to herein as a coupled collective of drones. After the drones are coupled together, the coupled collective may leave warehouse 102 and travel along the main delivery route 118, bringing the various products stored on the individual drones with them. When the coupled collective of drones reaches an intersection of the main delivery route 118 with one of the secondary delivery routes 120-132, one or more of the individual drones detach (or are detached) from the collective and travel along the respective secondary delivery route 120-132 to, for instance, deliver the product(s) stored thereon to the appropriate delivery point 104-116. For example, when the coupled collective of drones reaches the intersection of the main delivery route 118 with secondary delivery route 120, one (or more) of the individual drones detaches and travels along secondary delivery route 120 until it reaches delivery point 104, where, for instance, it delivers the product stored thereon. … after (e.g., immediately after) the individual drone detaches from the collective, the coupled collective continues along the main delivery route 118.” See at least [0020-0022], wherein the intersection is the fourth location and the delivery point is the fifth location.) It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the teachings of Li to further include the teachings of Greenberger with a reasonable expectation of success to minimize energy consumption and extend range of the drones. (See at least [0023]) Regarding Claim 19, Li does not explicitly teach, but Greenberger teaches further comprising: discontinuing the transporting of the one or more objects from the one or more first locations to the one or more second locations; directing the unitary material transport vehicle to a fourth location; at least partially disassembling the unitary material transport vehicle into one or more second portions of the plurality of material handling units at the fourth location; and directing each second portion of the material handling units from the fourth location to one or more fifth locations. (“at warehouse 102 (i.e., the first location), the products may be loaded onto the respective individual drones, and the drones may be coupled to each other (e.g., as described in greater detail below). Two or more drones coupled together in this manner are referred to herein as a coupled collective of drones. After the drones are coupled together, the coupled collective may leave warehouse 102 and travel along the main delivery route 118, bringing the various products stored on the individual drones with them. When the coupled collective of drones reaches an intersection of the main delivery route 118 with one of the secondary delivery routes 120-132, one or more of the individual drones detach (or are detached) from the collective and travel along the respective secondary delivery route 120-132 to, for instance, deliver the product(s) stored thereon to the appropriate delivery point 104-116. For example, when the coupled collective of drones reaches the intersection of the main delivery route 118 with secondary delivery route 120, one (or more) of the individual drones detaches and travels along secondary delivery route 120 until it reaches delivery point 104, where, for instance, it delivers the product stored thereon. … after (e.g., immediately after) the individual drone detaches from the collective, the coupled collective continues along the main delivery route 118.” See at least [0020-0022], wherein the intersection is the fourth location and the delivery point is the fifth location.) It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the teachings of Li to further include the teachings of Greenberger with a reasonable expectation of success to minimize energy consumption and extend range of the drones. (See at least [0023]) 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 4 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li (US 20200081455 A1) in view of Greenberger (US 20180231971 A1) and Gecchelin (US 20180022405 A1) . Regarding Claim 4, Modified Li does not explicitly teach, but Gecchelin teaches the material handling tool further configured to: deploy one or more telescopic coupling devices between at least a first portion of the plurality of material handling units. (“Retractable coupling and a mated coupling on either end of the vehicles, with multiple degrees of freedom, accommodate potential misalignment during initial engagement, and are drawn together and locked to rigidly couple the assembly during transit.” See at least [0006]; “FIG. 8 illustrates a side view of a self driving autonomous vehicle with an extended robotic arm used to couple with another self driving vehicle, according to one embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen the position of front linear actuator 21 moves towards the front to extend the robotic arm of the joining system.” See at least [0076], figs. 7-8 and 16 (provided below), wherein the robotic arm is the telescopic coupling device.) PNG media_image2.png 722 506 media_image2.png Greyscale It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the teachings of modified Li to further include the teachings of Gecchelin with a reasonable expectation of success because the retractable couplings “accommodate potential misalignment during initial engagement, and are drawn together and locked to rigidly couple the assembly during transit.” (See at least [0006]) Regarding Claim 11, Modified Li does not explicitly teach, but Gecchelin teaches further comprising instructions to: deploy one or more telescopic coupling devices between at least a first portion of the plurality of material handling units. (“Retractable coupling and a mated coupling on either end of the vehicles, with multiple degrees of freedom, accommodate potential misalignment during initial engagement, and are drawn together and locked to rigidly couple the assembly during transit.” See at least [0006]; “FIG. 8 illustrates a side view of a self driving autonomous vehicle with an extended robotic arm used to couple with another self driving vehicle, according to one embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen the position of front linear actuator 21 moves towards the front to extend the robotic arm of the joining system.” See at least [0076], figs. 7-8 and 16, wherein the robotic arm is the telescopic coupling device.) It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the teachings of modified Li to further include the teachings of Gecchelin with a reasonable expectation of success because the retractable couplings “accommodate potential misalignment during initial engagement, and are drawn together and locked to rigidly couple the assembly during transit.” (See at least [0006]) 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li (US 20200081455 A1) in view of Gecchelin (US 20180022405 A1) . Regarding Claim 17, Li does not explicitly teach, but Gecchelin teaches wherein the assembling the unitary material transport vehicle comprises: deploying one or more telescopic coupling devices between at least a first portion of the plurality of material handling units. (“Retractable coupling and a mated coupling on either end of the vehicles, with multiple degrees of freedom, accommodate potential misalignment during initial engagement, and are drawn together and locked to rigidly couple the assembly during transit.” See at least [0006]; “FIG. 8 illustrates a side view of a self driving autonomous vehicle with an extended robotic arm used to couple with another self driving vehicle, according to one embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen the position of front linear actuator 21 moves towards the front to extend the robotic arm of the joining system.” See at least [0076], figs. 7-8 and 16, wherein the robotic arm is the telescopic coupling device.) It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the teachings of modified Li to further include the teachings of Gecchelin with a reasonable expectation of success because the retractable couplings “accommodate potential misalignment during initial engagement, and are drawn together and locked to rigidly couple the assembly during transit.” (See at least [0006]) Allowable Subject Matter 12-151-08 AIA 07-43 12-51-08 Claim s 5, 12, and 18 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 relevant prior art does not disclose the material handling tool further configured to: determine an integrity of the one or more telescopic coupling devices as disclosed by the applicant. Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Wang (US 20200086481 A1) is pertinent because it discusses multiple lifting robots that attach together to lift an object together and wherein the number and layout of the robots is selected according to the shape and size of the lifted object. Paczan (US 20160378108 A1) is pertinent because it discusses coupling multiple UAVs together to collectively carry a large or heavy item and discusses decoupling UAVs from the collective group of UAVs to make a delivery to another location. Kirkbride (US 20190389575 A1) is pertinent because it discusses UAV clusters to carry heavy payloads and releasably coupling to each other by extendable arms. The above mentioned art, evaluated separately and in combination, does not disclose the entirety of limitations of the dependent claims 5, 12, and 18 since they do not describe the material handling tool further configured to: determine an integrity of the one or more telescopic coupling devices as disclosed by the applicant. No prior art has been found at the time of writing this office action to reject the pending claims 5, 12, and 18 under 35 U.S.C. 102 or 103. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Karston G Evans whose telephone number is (571)272-8480. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9:00-5:00. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, 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, Abby Lin can be reached at (571)270-3976. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /KARSTON G. EVANS/Examiner, Art Unit 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 2 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 3 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 4 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 5 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 6 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 7 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 8 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 9 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 10 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 11 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 12 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 13 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 14 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 15 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 16 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 17 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 18 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 19 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 20 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 21 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 22 Art Unit: 3657 Application/Control Number: 18/169,291 Page 23 Art Unit: 3657