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
This action is in response to amendments and remarks filed on 08/06/2025. Claims 1-3, 5-8, and 10-20 are considered in this office action. Claims 4 and 9 have been canceled. Claims 1, 5-7, 11, 13, and 17-19 have been amended. Claims 1-3, 5-8, and 10-20 are pending examination. Claims 1-20 are rejected.
Response to Arguments
Applicant presents the following arguments regarding the previous office action:
Velderman does not disclose a supplemental battery system that provides power to a charging station.
Velderman in claim 6 and Kangasa in claim 9 do not disclose a charging module that is configured to prioritize charging of a removable battery pack over a spare battery pack based on a piece of outdoor power equipment being schedules to be placed at a jobsite within a predefined time window.
The combination of Velderman, Kuriyagawa, and Chen for claim 13 does not disclose an object detection sensor.
Applicant’s argument A, with respect to the independent claims has been fully considered and is moot. Velderman teaches the supplementary battery system. Velderman discloses, (0039, the charging station 254 may also charge a supplemental battery 103 that is separate from the mower 100) … (0039, the charging circuit 105 may also be powered by the supplemental battery 103. A relay switch 258 can be used to select the power source for the charging circuit 105, where the relay switch 258 selects the supplemental battery 103 as the power source when the supplemental battery). This enables the supplementary battery to power the charging function of the station even when the generator is not generating. The supplementary battery pack provide power to the charging stations charging circuitry satisfying the claimed supplemental battery system dedicated to providing power to the charging bay or the spare battery charging station. Accordingly, under the examiners interpretation, Velderman teaches this feature.
Applicant’s argument B, with respect to claims 6 and 9 has been fully considered and is moot. Under the broadest reasonable interpretation, Kangas (US20050200332A1) teaches a charging module that prioritizes one battery over another based on an impeding time bounded usage window that corresponds to a scheduled deployment. Kangas determines whether charging is to occur during a peak usage time period (Abstract, determining that the battery is to be charged during a peak usage time period), which is defined as a time of day when the batteries are to be used to power devices. Once the peak use or scheduled use is identified Kangas assigns a priority rating to each battery and the plurality of batteries are charged according to the ratings. The higher priority batteries are charged first or a higher rates so they are ready for use, while the lower priority batteries wait. Kangas goes on to teach that the priority can depends on parameters such as the type of device the battery is powering or the type of user (0024, the battery's part number or amp-hour rating, the type of device the battery would be or is powering, or the type of user that would be using the battery). This shows that prioritization is tied to expected use within the defined time window rather than arbitrary factors. Therefore, a “removable battery pack” is tied to the higher priority battery and the “spare” is tied to the lower priority battery that is deferred. The “jobsite within a determined time” maps to the peak usage window during which the battery must be ready. Kangas provides priority charging because the equipment will be used in a defined upcoming window by calculating a peak charge schedule, and charging in the determined order/rates to ensure availability during that window.
Applicant’s argument C, with respect to the independent claims has been fully considered and is moot in light of new grounds for rejection below.
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.
(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.
Claims 1-2, and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Velderman et al (US20160242356A1).
Regarding claim 1, Velderman discloses, a service vehicle for storing and transporting outdoor power equipment, the service vehicle comprising: a loading/unloading ramp (Velderman, 0035, the rear movable portion 204 may have a flap 210 pivotally attached thereto, in order to facilitate loading the mower 100 onto the trailer 200); a charging bay configured to charge a rechargeable battery pack mounted on a first piece of outdoor power equipment (Velderman, 0038, the trailer 250 may have a charging station 254 with a charging circuit 256 connected to the generator/alternator 252 via an electrical connection 257. The generator/alternator 252 generates high currents and is capable of providing power for the high charging rate charging circuits. The charging circuit 256 receives the high current electricity generated by the generator/alternator 252 and provides charging currents to the power tool battery packs 115 via the charging circuit 105); a spare battery charging station configured to store and selectively charge a spare rechargeable battery pack (Velderman, 0039, the charging station 254 may also charge a supplemental battery 103 that is separate from the mower 100. In this manner, if the battery 103 in the mower 100 is discharged beyond the allowed parameters, the user can quickly swap the discharged battery 103 with a charged battery 103), a supplemental battery system dedicated to providing power to the charging bay or the spare battery charging station (0039, the charging station 254 may also charge a supplemental battery 103 that is separate from the mower 100) … (0039, the charging circuit 105 may also be powered by the supplemental battery 103. A relay switch 258 can be used to select the power source for the charging circuit 105, where the relay switch 258 selects the supplemental battery 103 as the power source when the supplemental battery), a user interface including a display; communication with the user interface and including a processing circuit with a charging module, the controller being configured to receive a charge level of the rechargeable battery pack and the spare rechargeable battery pack from the charging module and instruct the user interface to display the charge levels (Velderman, 0028, the charging circuit 105 may also control as display 126, as shown in FIGS. 2-3, in order to indicate to the user which of the power tool battery packs 115 have been fully charged and/or the state of charge of the power tool battery packs 115).
Regarding claim 2, Velderman discloses, the service vehicle of claim 1, wherein the charging module is configured to control a rate of charge of the rechargeable battery pack and the spare rechargeable battery pack (Velderman, 0039, in one situation, the high charge current batteries 103 (in the mower 100 and the charging station 254) can be charged quickly with high charging currents when the trailer 300 is moving and the high currents are available (taking full advantage of the available high charging currents) and then the high charge current batteries 103 can charge the low charge current batteries 115 at the low charging currents when the high charging currents are not available).
Regarding claim 5, Velderman discloses, the service vehicle of claim 1, wherein the supplemental battery system dedicated to providing power to the charging bay and the spare battery charging station (Velderman, 0039, additionally, the batteries 103 (either in the mower 100 or the charging station 254) can charge the batteries 115 (in the mower 100 or the charging station 254, respectively) with low charging currents by the low charging rate charging circuit 105 (in the mower 100 or the charging station 254, respectively) when power is not being generated by the generator 252, i.e., when the trailer 300 is not moving. In this manner, in one situation, the high charge current batteries 103 (in the mower 100 and the charging station 254) can be charged quickly with high charging currents when the trailer 300 is moving and the high currents are available).
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.
Claims 3, and 6-8, is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Velderman et al (US20160242356A1) in view of Kangas et al (US20050200332A1).
Regarding claim 3, Velderman discloses, the service vehicle of claim 2 as discussed supra. Additionally, Kangas who is in the same field of endeavor of battery charging stations discloses, the charging module being configured to prioritize charging of the rechargeable battery pack over the spare rechargeable battery pack based on the first piece of outdoor power equipment being scheduled to be placed at a jobsite within a predefined time window (Kangasa, 0007, a method for charging at least one battery, includes: determining a status of at least one parameter for the battery, where the at least one parameter comprises a closeness to a desired charge level; determining that the battery is to be charged during a peak usage time period; and determining a priority rating for the battery based upon the at least one parameter, where a battery closer to the desired charge level has a higher priority rating. The battery is then charged according to it priority rating, i.e., batteries closest to the desired charge level are charged first or at a higher charge rate. When batteries are to be charged for an off-peak usage time period, the charge rates of the batteries are adjusted based upon the available time for the charge. In this manner, quick recharged battery availability is provided during peak usage time periods, while battery life is prolonged during off-peak usage time periods).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Velderman’s disclosure to incorporate Kangas teachings. This would serve to streamline charging availability based on set schedule for usage times of an outdoor equipment.
Further justification for combining Velderman’s and Kangas disclosures not only comes from the state of the art but from Kangasa (Kangasa, 0015, the following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patent application and its requirements. Various modifications to the preferred embodiment will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the generic principles herein may be applied to other embodiments).
Regarding claim 6, Velderman discloses, a system for providing outdoor power equipment services, comprising: a first piece of outdoor power equipment, the first piece of outdoor power equipment including a removable battery pack and a drive motor powered by the removable battery pack (Velderman, 0006, the present invention may include a lawn mower, comprising at least two wheels for driving the mower; at least one blade for cutting grass; a generator for generating electricity; an electric motor electrically coupled to the generator for receiving the generated electricity, the electric motor coupled to the at least two wheels for driving the at least two wheels and/or the at least one blade for driving the at least one blade; a charging circuit electrically coupled to the generator for receiving the generated electricity; and at least one receptacle for receiving a removable battery pack); and a service vehicle including: a loading/unloading ramp (Velderman, 0035, the rear movable portion 204 may have a flap 210 pivotally attached thereto, in order to facilitate loading the mower 100 onto the trailer 200); a charging bay configured to store the first piece of outdoor power equipment and selectively charge the removable battery pack (Velderman, 0038, the trailer 250 may have a charging station 254 with a charging circuit 256 connected to the generator/alternator 252 via an electrical connection 257. The generator/alternator 252 generates high currents and is capable of providing power for the high charging rate charging circuits. The charging circuit 256 receives the high current electricity generated by the generator/alternator 252 and provides charging currents to the power tool battery packs 115 via the charging circuit 105); a spare battery charging station configured to store and selectively charge a spare removable battery pack for the first piece of outdoor power equipment (Velderman, 0039, the charging station 254 may also charge a supplemental battery 103 that is separate from the mower 100. In this manner, if the battery 103 in the mower 100 is discharged beyond the allowed parameters, the user can quickly swap the discharged battery 103 with a charged battery 103); and a charging battery system configured to supply power to the charging bay and the spare battery charging station to charge one or more of the removable battery pack or the spare removable battery pack (Velderman, 0039, the charging station 254 may also charge a supplemental battery 103 that is separate from the mower 100. In this manner, if the battery 103 in the mower 100 is discharged beyond the allowed parameters, the user can quickly swap the discharged battery 103 with a charged battery 103). However, Velderman does not explicitly disclose, a controller including a processing circuit with a charging module, wherein the charging module is configured to prioritize charging of the removable battery pack over the spare removable battery pack based on the first piece of outdoor power equipment being scheduled to be placed at a jobsite within a predefined time window.
Nevertheless. Kangas discloses, a controller including a processing circuit with a charging module, (0019, the charge control algorithm 100 individually controls the charging of a plurality of batteries 108 via an individual battery charge control circuits 106. The circuits 106 can be a single charge integrated circuit (IC) or several charge IC's replicated across the battery positions. The circuits 106 can also be a single control circuit that regulates the current to the batteries 108 on an individual basis), wherein the charging module is configured to prioritize charging of the removable battery pack over the spare removable battery pack based on the first piece of outdoor power equipment being scheduled to be placed at a jobsite within a predefined time window (Kangas, 0007, a method for charging at least one battery, includes: determining a status of at least one parameter for the battery, where the at least one parameter comprises a closeness to a desired charge level; determining that the battery is to be charged during a peak usage time period; and determining a priority rating for the battery based upon the at least one parameter, where a battery closer to the desired charge level has a higher priority rating. The battery is then charged according to it priority rating, i.e., batteries closest to the desired charge level are charged first or at a higher charge rate. When batteries are to be charged for an off-peak usage time period, the charge rates of the batteries are adjusted based upon the available time for the charge. In this manner, quick recharged battery availability is provided during peak usage time periods, while battery life is prolonged during off-peak usage time periods).
Regarding claim 7, Velderman and Kangas disclose, the system of claim 6, as discussed supra. Additionally, Velderman discloses the service vehicle further includes a user interface in communication with the controller (Velderman, 0028, the charging circuit 105 may also control as display 126, as shown in FIGS. 2-3, in order to indicate to the user which of the power tool battery packs 115 have been fully charged and/or the state of charge of the power tool battery packs 115).
Regarding claim 8, Velderman and Kangas disclose, the system of claim 7, as discussed supra. Additionally, Velderman discloses the controller is configured to receive a charge level of the removable battery pack or the spare removable battery pack from the charging module and instruct the user interface to display the charge level (Velderman, 0028, the charging circuit 105 may also control as display 126, as shown in FIGS. 2-3, in order to indicate to the user which of the power tool battery packs 115 have been fully charged and/or the state of charge of the power tool battery packs 115) … (Velderman, 0039, the charging station 254 may also charge a supplemental battery 103 that is separate from the mower 100).
Claims 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Velderman et al (US20160242356A1) in view of Kangas et al (US20050200332A1), further in view of Bowman et al (WO2018024852A1).
Regarding claim 10, Velderman and Kangas disclose, the system of claim 6 as discussed supra. Additionally, Bowman who is in the same field of endeavor of delivery robot transportation and charging discloses, the service vehicle being configured to selectively load and unload the first piece of outdoor power equipment at a jobsite based on instructions received by a controller of the service vehicle (Bowman, Description Paragraph 7-8, the loading of the n delivery robot present in the vehicle can be carried out by the placement device during the standstill of the vehicle and / or during the drive of the vehicle. According to an advantageous embodiment, the vehicle mounting device is furthermore designed and set up to automatically unload a freight of N delivery robots present in the cargo space into the freight storage area. Thus, for example, it is possible to automatically unload the freight from delivery robots that automatically return to the vehicle by a customer with freight in the cargo storage area of the vehicle).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Velderman and Kangas to incorporate Bowman’s teachings. This would serve to provide clear lines of communication between the charging vehicle, charging station and mobile working equipment.
Further justification for combining the combination of Velderman and Kangas with Bowman not only comes from the state of the art but from Bowman (Bowman, other variations can be derived therefrom by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. It is therefore clear that a multitude of possible variations exists. It is also to be understood that exemplified embodiments are really only examples that are not to be construed in any way as limiting the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention. Rather, the foregoing description and description enable the skilled artisan to practice the exemplary embodiments, and those of skill in the knowledge of the disclosed inventive concept may make various changes).
Regarding claim 11, Velderman, Kangas, and Bowman disclose, the system of claim 10 as discussed supra. Additionally, Bowman discloses, the instructions being provided by a cloud-based service (Bowman, Description Paragraph 20, the vehicle further advantageously has a communication interface with a control center. Advantageously, some or all of the information available in the vehicle, for example about a vehicle state, about a state of the delivery robot, etc., can be transmitted from the vehicle to the control center via this interface. In addition, from the control center to the vehicle information, such as changes in the route of the vehicle, changes in the specific data, in particular the recipient data of a freight, etc. are transmitted); wherein the cloud-based service determines a route for the service vehicle based on one or more parameters communicated to the cloud-based service from the first piece of outdoor power equipment and the service vehicle (Bowman, Description Paragraph 20, the vehicle further advantageously has a communication interface with a control center. Advantageously, some or all of the information available in the vehicle, for example about a vehicle state, about a state of the delivery robot, etc., can be transmitted from the vehicle to the control center via this interface. In addition, from the control center to the vehicle information, such as changes in the route of the vehicle, changes in the specific data, in particular the recipient data of a freight, etc. are transmitted). The justification and reasoning for combining these discloses is the same as given in regard to claim 10.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Velderman et al (US20160242356A1) in view of Kangas et al (US20050200332A1), further in view of Bowman et al (WO2018024852A1), further in view of Vestal et al (US20140365258A1).
Regarding claim 12, Velderman, Kangas, and Bowman disclose, the system of claim 11 as discussed supra. Additionally, Bowman discloses, the one or more parameters comprise one or more of a battery charge level of the removable battery pack, an operating time remaining for the first piece of outdoor power equipment, or a location of the service vehicle (Bowman, Description Paragraph 15, in an advantageous embodiment, the delivery robots communicate via the communication interface at least one of the following states of a respective delivery robot to the vehicle: Loading condition of the respective delivery robot, - Type of freight (eg postal / parcel / registered mail, etc.) of the respective delivery robot, - identification of the respective freight, - position of the respective delivery robot, - delivery address reached, - available operating energy of the respective delivery robot, - Error message of the respective delivery robot).
Additionally, Vestal who is in the same field of endeavor of mobile job management discloses, an estimated completion time, and a percentage of job completed (Vestal, 0027, the status profile may comprise a file or data structure stored in the memory that includes records and/or fields suitable for holding and/or indicating one or more of a wide variety of different current status values or conditions for each mobile robot in the fleet, including without limitation the following: a robot identifier; a robot position; a robot heading; a current robot speed; a current job identifier; a current job status; a current job location; a proximity to the current job location; a current job destination path; an estimated time of arrival; an estimated time of departure; a robot idle time; a robot performance level; a robot security level; a robot battery charge level; a robot payload status; a robot payload error condition; a robot cargo status, and/or a robot cargo capacity).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Velderman, Kangas to incorporate Bowman and Vestal’s teachings. This would serve to provide clear lines of communication between the charging vehicle, charging station and mobile working equipment, as well as manage the working equipment in a cohesive way.
Further justification for combining the combination of Velderman, Kangas, and Bowman with Vestal’s disclosures not only comes from the state of the art but from Vestal (Vestal, 0164, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize and appreciate that other status and configuration factors could also be used to determine assignments, such as available payload space, traffic conditions along the route, high-priority critical tasks, the required time of arrival, whether deliveries can be batched together, etc. Using a combination of these factors, the system may determine, for example, that the best mobile robot to assign to a particular task may not be the mobile robot that is currently closest in proximity to where that task will be performed).
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Velderman et al (US20160242356A1) in view of Kuriyagawa et al (US20180148089A1), further in view of Noonan et al. (US5204814A).
Regarding claim 13, Velderman discloses outdoor power equipment comprising: a plurality of removable battery packs. Additionally, Kuriyagawa who is in the same field of endeavor of outdoor power equipment discloses, one or more electric drive motors supplied with electrical power from the plurality of removable battery packs; one or more wheels, each selectively driven by one of the one or more electric drive motors; an electric blade motor supplied with electrical power from the plurality of removable battery packs (Kuriyagawa, 0024, the riding mower 2 is provided with a pair of rear wheels 8 and a pair of front wheels 9. The riding mower 2 is further provided with a pair of electric motors 12 having output shafts connected to the respective rear wheels 8 … the electric motors 12 and the speed reduction units 13 are coaxially aligned with the rear wheels 8. A battery 11 is positioned centrally between the electric motors 12. The engine 7 is provided with an electric generator not shown in the drawing. The electric power generated by the generator is stored in the battery 11, and the electric motors 12 receive electric power from the battery and the electric power generator under control of a control unit 1 mounted on a central part of the vehicle body 3); a cutting blade driven by the electric blade motor (Kuriyagawa, 0023, the riding mower 2 is provided with a vehicle body 3 supporting a mowing unit 4 in a lower part thereof The mowing unit 4 includes an engine 7, and a cutting blade (not shown in the drawings) driven by the engine 7. A grass bag 6 is attached to a rear end of the vehicle body 3 so that the grass cut by the cutting blade is forwarded to the grass bag 6 by an air flow created by the rotation of the cutting blade); a sensor module including a roll sensor (Kuriyagawa, 0007, an axle sensor (25) for detecting a roll angle of the second axle relative to the vehicle body; and a control unit); and a controller in communication with the one or more electric drive motors, the electric blade motor, and the sensor module (Kuriyagawa, 0007, wherein the control unit is configured, when substantially no steering input of the steering device is detected by the steering sensor, to accelerate the left driven wheel when a right end up roll angle of the second axle is detected by the axle sensor, and to accelerate the right driven wheel when a left end up roll angle of the second axle is detected by the axle sensor), the controller being configured to: determine whether a roll angle measured by the roll sensor is greater than a first roll threshold (Kuriyagawa, 0039, when the front axle 16 is tilted with the right end up by a roll angle exceeding the prescribed angle (10 degrees <θr, for instance), the output of the left electric motor 12L is increased so that the left rear wheel 8L accelerates, and, depending on the travel speed of the mower 2, the output of the right electric motor 12R is decreased so that the right rear wheel 8R decelerates); and in response to determining that the roll angle is greater than the first roll threshold, instruct the one or more electric drive motors to drive at least two of the one or more wheels at different speeds (Kuriyagawa, Abstract, a control unit 1 of the power equipment is configured to accelerate the left driven wheel when a right end up roll angle of the center pivot axle is detected by an axle sensor 25).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Velderman’s disclosure to incorporate Kuriyagawa’s teachings. This would serve to make the power equipment still be effective when navigation on uneven terrain, thus enhancing work efficiency.
Further justification for combining Velderman’s and Kuriyagawa’s disclosures not only comes from the state of the art but from Kuriyagawa (Kuriyagawa, 0058, it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that various alterations and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention … as long as the right and left rear wheels can be individually driven, the rear wheels may be driven by an internal combustion engine, instead of electric motors. The mowing unit may also be driven by an electric motor, instead of the internal combustion engine). However, even the combination of Velderman and Kuriyagawa does not explicitly disclose an object detection sensor.
Nevertheless, Noonan who is in the same field of endeavor of Autonomous lawn mowers discloses, an object detection sensor (SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION, 5, ultrasonic sensors are used to identify objects in the vehicle's immediate path and signal the vehicle to stop before contact is made).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Velderman and Kuriyagawa to incorporate Noonan. This would serve to make the power equipment safe when operating in chaotic environments and prevent collisions, thus enhancing work efficiency.
Claims 14-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Velderman et al (US20160242356A1) in view of Kuriyagawa et al (US20180148089A1) further in view of Noonan et al. (US5204814A), further in view of Wykman et al (US20180213731A1).
Regarding claim 14, Velderman, Kuriyagawa and Noonan disclose the outdoor power equipment of claim 13 as discussed supra. Additionally, Wykman, who is in the same field of endeavor of lawn monitoring for work equipment discloses, the sensor module including one or more environmental sensors configured to detect a quality of a lawn, (Wykman, 0061, the vegetation analyzer 770 may be configured to utilize one or more sensors to measure lawn conditions. The sensor network 30 may be configured to collect data (e.g., plant stress), and the controller is configured to adjust at least one of a height of the cutting blade, a speed of the electric blade motor, or a speed of the one or more electric drive motors based on the quality of the lawn (Wykman, 0094, the user may be enabled to see the map view on a device (e.g., the electronic device 42) and select zones, a scheduling menu, autonomous operation settings, or other interaction mechanisms to define tasks for certain zones at certain times. Instructions may be provided to mow at different times, at different heights, in specific patterns, or with selected frequency in each respective zone).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Velderman, Kuriyagawa and Noonan to incorporate Wykman’s teachings. This would serve to monitor and treat a user’s lawn further expanding the capabilities of the work equipment to a plurality of jobs.
Further justification for combining the combination of Velderman, Kuriyagawa, and Noonan with Wykman not only comes from the state of the art but from Wykman (Wykman, 0115, many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings).
Regarding claim 15, Velderman, Kuriyagawa, Noonan, and Wykman disclose the outdoor power equipment of claim 14 as discussed supra. Additionally, Wykman discloses, the one or more environmental sensors include an air quality sensor, a temperature sensor, or a moisture sensor (Wykman, 0052, temperature sensors, cameras, radio receivers/transmitters, watering tools, cutting devices, moisture sensors, light sensors, lighting devices, and/or the like may be included with the robotic vehicle 15 to enable condition checks to be made at random or specifically selected locations throughout the parcel 200). The justification and reasoning for combining these discloses is the same as given in regard to claim 14.
Regarding claim 16, Velderman, Kuriyagawa, Noonan, and Wykman disclose the outdoor power equipment of claim 13 as discussed supra. Additionally, Wykman discloses, the sensor module includes a chemical detection sensor configured to detect a level of a chemical of a lawn, and wherein the controller is configured to determine if an addition of the chemical is needed or if the level of the chemical requires reduction (Wykman, Claim 18, wherein the robotic vehicle is configured to alert an operator to suggest operation interaction with task performance equipment when a zone is in need of at least one of water, chemicals, nutrients, or combinations thereof as determined by the vegetation analyzer) … (Wykman, 0103, the sprinkler angle sensor 856 may be configured to determine which sector of a zone a sprinkler should be distributing water and/or fertilizer. As such, the sprinkler angle sensor 856 may be configured to reduce water and fertilizer consumption). The justification and reasoning for combining these discloses is the same as given in regard to claim 14.
Claims 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Velderman et al (US20160242356A1) in view of Kuriyagawa et al (US20180148089A1), further in view of Noonan et al. (US5204814A), further in view of Chen et al (US4694639A).
Regarding claim 17, 18, 19, and 20, Velderman and Kuriyagawa disclose the outdoor power equipment of claim 13 and later claim 19 as discussed supra. Additionally, Chen who is in the same field of endeavor of robotic lawn mowers discloses, the sensor module includes an object detection sensor, and the controller is configured to reduce a speed of the one or more electric drive motors in response to the object detection sensor detecting an object; wherein the sensor module includes an object detection sensor, and the controller is configured to reduce a speed of the one or more electric drive motors and cease operation of the electric blade motor in response to the object detection sensor detecting an object. wherein the sensor module includes an object detection sensor, and the controller is configured to cease operation of the one or more electric drive motors and the electric blade motor in response to the object detection sensor detecting an object, wherein the controller requires a manual restart after ceasing operation of the one or more electric drive motors and the electric blade motor. (Chen, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION, Paragraph 18, the robotic lawn mower of this invention is equipped with safety devices, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, including a bumper member 5 which is very similar to most automatic guided vehicle applications, and an elongated bar member 6 which is like a rod antenna. Both provide a switching means for emergency shutting-off of the ignition system of the engine. They also activate a brake to stop the operation of the machine, and generate a sound alarm and a warning light to call for help. The mower will not start again until the object is removed and the mower manually reinitialized).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Velderman, Kuriyagawa, and Noonan to incorporate Chen. This would serve to provide a safety means for the robotic lawn mower to ensure it does not collide with foreign objects or hurt people.
Further justification for combining the combination of Velderman, Kuriyagawa, and Noonan with Chen not only comes from the state of the art but from Chen (Chen, it is to be understood that certain modifications are possible by persons skilled in the art without departing from the principles of this invention).
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 SHANE E DOUGLAS whose telephone number is (703)756-1417. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:30AM - 5:00PM.
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/S.E.D./Examiner, Art Unit 3665/CHRISTIAN CHACE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3665