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 .
Response to Amendment
The Examiner acknowledges Applicant’s amendment of claims 1, 3, 8, 12; cancelation of claim 2; and addition of claims 21-22 in Applicant’s Response to Official Action dated 12/18/2025 (“Response”). Claims 1 and 3-22 are currently pending in this application and are subject to examination herein.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/31/2025 was filed after the mailing date of the Non-Final Rejection on 08/18/2025, but included the fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.17(p). The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Response to Amendment
Based upon Applicant’s amendment of Claim 8 to remove the term “datum axis”, the Examiner’s prior objection to the Drawings is withdrawn.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: extraneous text “[[ADD axis test]]” is present and should be deleted (Para. [0058]).
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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 –
(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.
Claim(s) 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Japanese Pat. Pub. No JP 2019-187315 A to Miyakoshi.
Regarding claim 21, Miyakoshi discloses a robotic garden tool (Abstract) comprising:
a body (see Figs. 1-6) having a first end and a second end opposite the first end (see Figs. 1-6);
one or more wheels rotatably coupled to the body (see Figs. 1-6);
a cutting assembly (reaping/mowing portion 8) (Abstract; Figs. 1, 6; P. 2, lines 33-37; p. 4, lines 19-28) coupled to the body (see Figs. 1-6); and
a first bumper (bumper portion of comb shaped bumper 10) (Figs. 5-6; P. 4, lines 19-28) movably coupled to one of the first end and the second end (see Figs. 1-6), and wherein the first bumper includes a first bumper comb (comb portion of comb shaped bumper 10) (Figs. 5-6; P. 4, lines 19-28).
Allowable Subject Matter & Examiner's Reasons For Allowance
Claims 1, 3-20 and 22 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the prior art of record fails to disclose or otherwise teach the combination of limitations claimed in the aforementioned claims. In particular regarding independent claim 1, the prior art of record fails to disclose or otherwise teach a robotic garden tool comprising:
a body having a first end and a second end opposite the first end;
one or more wheels rotatably coupled to the body;
a cutting assembly coupled to the body;
a first grass comb positioned between the cutting assembly and the first end; and
a second grass comb positioned between the cutting assembly and the second end;
a first bumper movably coupled to one of the first end and the second end, and
wherein the first bumper includes a first bumper comb.
Specifically, the prior art does not disclose or otherwise teach the claimed combination and, in particular, does not teach the combination of a robotic garden tool comprising a first grass comb positioned between the cutting assembly and the first end; a second grass comb positioned between the cutting assembly and the second end; and a first bumper movably coupled to one of the first and the second end and wherein the first bumper includes a first bumper comb.
Claims 3-11 depend, either directly or ultimately, from allowable, independent claim 1 and are, therefore, likewise allowed.
In particular regarding independent claim 12, the prior art of record fails to disclose or otherwise teach a robotic garden tool comprising:
a body having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, wherein the body defines a longitudinal axis passing through both the first end and the second end; and
a cutting assembly coupled to the body, wherein the cutting assembly includes:
a blade guard defining an axis of rotation, the blade guard including a base plate and one or more ribs, wherein at least a portion of at least one rib is spaced axially from the base plate to define a volume therebetween,
a cutting blade rotatable with respect to the blade guard about the axis of rotation, and wherein the at least a portion of the cutting blade is positioned within the volume.
Specifically, the prior art does not disclose or otherwise teach the claimed combination and, in particular, does not teach a cutting assembly coupled to the body, wherein the cutting assembly includes: a blade guard defining an axis of rotation, the blade guard including a base plate and one or more ribs, wherein at least a portion of at least one rib is spaced axially from the base plate to define a volume therebetween, a cutting blade rotatable with respect to the blade guard about the axis of rotation, and wherein the at least a portion of the cutting blade is positioned within the volume.
Claims 13-20 and 22 depend, either directly or ultimately, from allowable, independent claim 12 and are, therefore, likewise allowed.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 CLAUDE J BROWN whose telephone number is (571)270-5924. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8AM-5PM.
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, Joseph M. Rocca can be reached at (571) 272-8971. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CLAUDE J BROWN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3671