DETAILED ACTION
This is a final office action on the merits. Receipt of applicant’s amendment to the claim filed 6/23/2025 is acknowledged. Claims 1 – 21 are currently pending in the case and are addressed on the merits below.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed 6/23/2025 have been considered but are moot. Applicant’s arguments are directed toward the newly amended claim language filed 6/23/2025 which has changed the scope of the claim and necessitated new grounds of rejection. The new grounds of rejection are set forth in detail below.
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.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 9, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hong et al., (US 2013/0000675) in view of Taylor (US 2020/0026301).
Regarding claim 1, Hong teaches a robot cleaner (see Hong at least fig. 2; robot cleaner [1]), comprising:
a driver (see Hong at least fig. 2; driving device [20]) ;
a sensor (see Hong at least par. 50 and fig. 1; "vision sensor 13 to photograph the surrounding environment");
a memory storing a map of a space in which the robot cleaner is located (see Hong at least par. 67; "memory 170 stores the map generated by the feature map generation unit 130"); and a processor (see Hong at least fig. 3; control unit [160]) configured to:
based on information obtained through the sensor, control the driver to drive the robot cleaner in a cleaning region comprised in the map (see Hong at least par. 64 and fig. 3; "feature map generation unit 130 extracts a plurality of feature points from the ceiling image captured by the photographing unit 110 and then generates a feature map"),
Hong does not explicitly teach identify a type of an obstacle located in the cleaning region while the robot cleaner is driving in the cleaning region, the type of the obstacle being identified as one of a first type obstacle or a second type obstacle, the first type obstacle being a wall-type obstacle and the second type obstacle being obstacles other than the wall-type obstacle, and
control the driver to change a driving direction of the robot cleaner from different spaced distances for obstacles of different types.
However, Taylor teaches: identify a type of an obstacle located in the cleaning region while the robot cleaner is driving in the cleaning region, the type of the obstacle being identified as one of a first type obstacle or a second type obstacle, the first type obstacle being a wall-type obstacle and the second type obstacle being obstacles other than the wall-type obstacle (see [0146] identifying fixed type objects (which includes walls) and non-fixed objects), and
control the driver to change a driving direction of the robot cleaner from different spaced distances for obstacles of different types (see [0146] controlling distance from the objected based on object type; see also figs 8A – 8E illustrating changing direction to maintain the threshold distance buffer, [0119]).
Therefore, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Hong in view of Taylor such that Hong would identify obstacle type (including wall and non-wall) and establish a buffer based on the obstacle type. This buffer would be used for path planning and control to avoid collisions and interference based on the obstacle type. Thereby improving safety and reducing damage while allowing robot tasks to be completed.
Regarding claim 9, Hong teaches a driving method of a robot cleaner (see Hong at least fig. 16 and par. 98; "control method of the robot cleaner") which comprises a sensor (see Hong at least par. 50 and fig. 1; "vision sensor 13 to photograph the surrounding environment"), the driving method comprising:
based on information obtained through the sensor, identifying a type of an obstacle located in a cleaning region while driving in the cleaning region comprised in a map (see Hong at least par. 64 and fig. 3; "feature map generation unit 130 extracts a plurality of feature points from the ceiling image captured by the photographing unit 110 and then generates a feature map"); and
Hong does not explicitly teach the type of the obstacle being identified as one of a first type obstacle or a second type obstacle, the first type obstacle being a wall-type obstacle and the second type obstacle being obstacles other than the wall-type obstacle; and
changing a driving direction from different spaced distances for different type obstacles while driving in the cleaning region.
Taylor teaches:
the type of the obstacle being identified as one of a first type obstacle or a second type obstacle, the first type obstacle being a wall-type obstacle and the second type obstacle being obstacles other than the wall-type obstacle (see [0146] identifying fixed type objects (which includes walls) and non-fixed objects); and
changing a driving direction from different spaced distances for different type obstacles while driving in the cleaning region (see [0146] controlling distance from the objected based on object type; see also figs 8A – 8E illustrating changing direction to maintain the threshold distance buffer, [0119]).
Therefore, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Hong in view of Taylor such that Hong would identify obstacle type (including wall and non-wall) and establish a buffer based on the obstacle type. This buffer would be used for path planning and control to avoid collisions and interference based on the obstacle type. Thereby improving safety and reducing damage while allowing robot tasks to be completed.
Regarding claim 16, Hong teaches a non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing computer instructions (see Hong at least par. 105; "computer-readable media including program instructions to implement various operations embodied by a computer") that cause a robot cleaner (see Hong at least fig. 2; robot cleaner [1]) including a sensor (see Hong at least par. 50 and fig. 1; "vision sensor 13 to photograph the surrounding environment") to perform operations when executed by a processor of the robot cleaner, the operations comprising;
based on information obtained through the sensor, identifying a type of an obstacle located in a cleaning region while driving in the cleaning region comprised in a map (see Hong at least par. 64 and fig. 3; "feature map generation unit 130 extracts a plurality of feature points from the ceiling image captured by the photographing unit 110 and then generates a feature map"); and
Hong does not explicitly teach: the type of the obstacle being identified as one of a first type obstacle or a second type obstacle, the first type obstacle being a wall-type obstacle and the second type obstacle being obstacles other than the wall-type obstacle (see [0146] identifying fixed type objects (which includes walls) and non-fixed objects); and
changing a driving direction from different spaced distances for different type obstacles while driving in the cleaning region (see [0146] controlling distance from the objected based on object type; see also figs 8A – 8E illustrating changing direction to maintain the threshold distance buffer, [0119]).
Therefore, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Hong in view of Taylor such that Hong would identify obstacle type (including wall and non-wall) and establish a buffer based on the obstacle type. This buffer would be used for path planning and control to avoid collisions and interference based on the obstacle type. Thereby improving safety and reducing damage while allowing robot tasks to be completed.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hong et al., (US 2013/0000675) in view of Taylor (US 2020/0026301) in further view of Wolfe (US 20160299503).
Regarding claim 8, modified Hong already teaches the robot cleaner of claim 1,
Hong does not explicitly teach wherein the map is divided into a plurality of regions,
wherein the plurality of regions comprises a first region and a second region connected to the first region through a gate,
wherein the processor is further configured to:
based on the cleaning region being the first region, control the driver for the robot cleaner to drive in the first region based on a first division line set at the gate, and
based on the cleaning region being the second region, control the driver for the robot cleaner to drive in the second region based on a second division line set at the gate, and
wherein the first division line and the second division line are set at different locations within the gate.
However, Wolfe, who discloses a wall following robot for cleaning, teaches wherein the map is divided into a plurality of regions,
wherein the plurality of regions comprises a first region and a second region connected to the first region through a gate (see Wolfe at least par. 81 and fig. 3G; "environment 392 having a first room 393 and a second room 394 separated by a doorway 395"),
wherein the processor is further configured to:
based on the cleaning region being the first region, control the driver for the robot cleaner to drive in the first region based on a first division line set at the gate (see Wolfe at least par. 81 and fig. 3F; "robot 100 executes an area coverage pattern 396, e.g., a cornrow and vine pattern, to clean the first room 393"), and
based on the cleaning region being the second region, control the driver for the robot cleaner to drive in the second region based on a second division line set at the gate (see Wolfe at least par. 81 and fig. 3H; "robot 100 can execute an area coverage pattern 398 to clean the second room 394"), and
wherein the first division line and the second division line are set at different locations within the gate (see Wolfe at least fig. 3F, fig. 3H, and par. 81; "executes an area coverage pattern 396, e.g., a cornrow and vine pattern, to clean the first room 393. Using the area coverage pattern 396, the robot 100 fails to clean the doorway 395 and the second room 394"; "execute an area coverage pattern 398 to clean the second room 394"; the first room [393] and the second room [394] are separate from the doorway in different locations.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Hong by cleaning multiple rooms separately as is done in Wolfe in order to clean areas that fail to be cleaned by an area coverage pattern (Wolfe par. 81).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 – 7, 10 – 15, and 17 – 21 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.
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 ADAM R MOTT whose telephone number is (571)270-5376. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9 - 5:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James Trammell can be reached at (571) 272-6712. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ADAM R MOTT/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3657
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