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 .
The current application filed Jun. 08, 2023, related to PCT/JP2020/046229 filed Dec. 11, 2020.
Response to Amendment/Arguments
Applicant's amendment/arguments filed 06/24/2026 have been fully considered and are moot in view new grounds of rejection. Applicant's arguments with respect to the claims have been considered. The arguments do not apply to any of the references being used in the current rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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 1-9 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.
Claim 1, recites of:
“a traveling body with a wheel to be driven” and the second wheel portion has a pair of wheels which is not clear of whether the traveling body with a wheel to be driven and the pair of wheels at the second wheel portion is a wheel portion of the traveling body. The claim fails to define whether the first wheel portion has a pair of wheels.
“when the autonomous traveling apparatus is viewed along a rotation axis of the pair of wheels orthogonal to the traveling direction of the autonomous travelling apparatus, at least a portion of the first laser sensor and at least a portion of the pair of wheels are arranged to be aligned in an upward/downward direction” which is unclear. The claim fails to define how and what manner the underline matter is obtained and arranged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoshida (JP2017222297A) in view of Serizawa (20170153641).
With regard to claim 1, Yoshida discloses an autonomous traveling apparatus traveling on a floor, comprising:
a traveling body with a wheel to be driven, wherein the traveling body includes a first wheel portion and a second wheel portion each provided in the traveling body along a traveling direction of the autonomous traveling apparatus with a predetermined space being interposed between the first wheel portion and the second wheel portion, and the second wheel portion has a pair of wheels configured to be movable upward/downward with respect to the autonomous traveling apparatus between a highest point and a lowest point (a rocker bogie mechanism includes a center frame and a pair of traveling units attached symmetrically with respect to the center frame. Each of the pair of running portions includes a rocker frame supported by a center frame. Each portion having pair of wheels can rotate independently and traveling parts can climb up and down and each driving wheel has sensor for detecting steering operation, see the description of embodiments, first embodiment section. As shown in Fig.8 the front and back portion, the traveling wheels of each portion enable moving up and down step. When the front wheel hits the step while traveling, the front wheel rides on the step by the driving force to the driving wheel. When viewed from the center frame 100, the height difference between the front wheels 330 and the drive wheels 320 is absorbed by the rotation of the bogie fram 220, so that the horizontality of the center frame 100 is maintained, see the description of Fig. 8A-1 t 8G-1).
Yoshida fails to teach that bogie a laser sensor which detect an object around by emitting laser light on a scanning plane expanding parallel to a floor while rotating the laser light with respect to the first laser sensor and by receiving reflected light of the laser light, the laser sensor is provided at a position on the traveling body, the scanning plane is located lower than the highest point of a range of an upward/downward movement of each of the pair of wheels, the scanning plane being a range in which the laser light passes while rotating the laser light.
Serizawa discloses an autonomous traveling device (AV) which comprises a laser located on the AV, scanning a plan expanding parallel to a floor while rotating the laser light with respect to the first laser sensor and by receiving reflected light of the laser light, and being a range of an upward/downward movement of the wheels in which the laser light passes while rotating the laser light, see [0093]-[0097]+.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Yoshida by including a laser located on the AV, scanning a plan expanding parallel to a floor while rotating the laser light with respect to the first laser sensor and by receiving reflected light of the laser light, and being a range of an upward/downward movement of the wheels in which the laser light passes while rotating the laser light as taught by Serizawa for improving the bogie’s navigation.
With regard to claim 2, Serizawa teaches that the autonomous traveling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first laser sensor is provided between the pair of wheels in a top view of the traveling body (a laser ranging sensor 15 located on the vehicle, see [0094]+ & [0174]+).
With regard claim 3, Yoshida teaches that the autonomous traveling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first wheel portion has a first front wheel and a second front wheel, and the pair of wheels are a first rear wheel and a second rear wheel (see the first embodiment description).
With regard to claim 6, Serizawa teaches that the autonomous traveling apparatus stores map information of the entire use area into the map memory, information of the obstacles, and setting the height of the laser plane, see [0140]+) which meets the scope of the claims. Where the design choice of “a height from a ground at the maximum reach point is 200 mm or more, and a height of the scanning plane from the ground is 200 mm or less” in an expected way of implementing of Serizawa with no new or unexpected result.
With regarding claim 7, Yoshida teaches that the autonomous traveling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein configuring the pair of wheels to be movable upward/downward includes configuring the pair of wheels to be swingable in a plane orthogonal to the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling apparatus (see the description of the first embodiment).
With regarding claim 8, Yoshida teaches that the autonomous traveling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the pair of wheels is an omniwheel (see the description of the first embodiment).
With regard to claim 9, Serizawa teaches that the autonomous traveling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pair of wheels are movable between the highest and lowest points in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction (the autonomous traveling robot 1 enables to climb over the obstacle 301, and moving downward the recess 302, see [0093]-[0094]+).
Claim(s) 4-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoshida (JP2017222297A) in view of Serizawa (20170153641) as applied to claim 3 above, and further in view of Maeda (JP2009109219).
With regard to claim 4, Yoshida and Serizawa disclose the claimed subject matter but fail to teach that the bogie further comprising: a second laser sensor having the same function as a function of the first laser sensor; and a third laser sensor having the same function as the function of the first laser sensor, wherein the second laser sensor is provided on the traveling body so as to be located above the first front wheel, and the third laser sensor is provided on the traveling body so as to be located above the second front wheel.
Maeda discloses a self-traveling robot comprises multiple lasers emitting laser light sources to the front of the robot for providing objects surrounding environment and traveling (see description of Fig.2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Yoshida by including a laser located on the AV, scanning a plan expanding parallel to a floor while rotating the laser light with respect to the first laser sensor and by receiving reflected light of the laser light, and being a range of an upward/downward movement of the wheels in which the laser light passes while rotating the laser light as taught by Serizawa; and further other lasers located above the wheels as taught by Maeda. The combination of Alfraro, Serizawa and Maeda is an adapted system for providing the bogie’s up/down navigation.
With regard to claim 5, Maeda teaches that autonomous traveling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a direction of the laser light emitted from the first laser sensor at least includes a backward traveling direction of the autonomous traveling apparatus, a direction of laser light emitted from the second laser sensor at least includes a forward traveling direction of the autonomous traveling apparatus and one direction orthogonal to the forward traveling direction, and a direction of laser light emitted from the third laser sensor at least includes the forward traveling direction of the autonomous traveling apparatus and the other direction orthogonal to the forward traveling direction (see the description of Fig. 2 and Fig.3).
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.
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NGA X. NGUYEN
Examiner
Art Unit 3662
/NGA X NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3662
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