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 . This action is responsive to an amendment filed on 12/18/2025.
Claims 1-20 are pending.
Continued Examination under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant’s submission filed on 12/18/2025 has been entered.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement submitted on 12/18/2025 have been considered by the
Examiner and made of record in the application.
Response to Amendments
Amendments filed on 12/18/2025 are under consideration. Claims 1, 11, and 19 are amended.
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Deyle et al. (US2022/0234194 Al) in view of Cope et al. (US 2023/0399196 Al) and in further view of Deyle et al. (US 11,209,832 B2) herein after referred to as Deyle 2.
Regarding claim 1 Deyle teaches A computer-implemented method for controlling a robot to use an elevator of a building, (Pg. 1 – Abstract – “A mobile robot is configured for operation in a commercial or industrial setting… take an elevator to move to a different floor, and test whether a door is locked properly.” & See Also Pg. 23 – “…structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention described herein…”) and transmitting, to the robot, and based on receiving the indication of the elevator cab, a command to travel to the elevator cab. (Pg. 34 – [0124, 0125, 0128] – “Likewise, the robot can query a building elevator system to determine the current floor of an elevator. Examples of detected objects and corresponding object states and properties (if applicable) include Elevators: number, current floor, button location, the date of last inspection ( determined by scanning text of an inspection certificate within the elevator)” (equates to and based on receiving the indication of the elevator cab as the quote shows the robot being able to query and thus receive an indication based on a query regarding the status of the elevator cab, wherein the indications may include the current floor of the elevator for the robot to access the cab at.) & See Also Pg. 24 – [0036] – “The communication interface can provide instructions or data to one or more infrastructure systems, security systems, or robots, for instance in response to… security operations” & See Also Pg. 30 – [0093] – “The security system 734 configures the robot 100 to perform one or more security operations. For instance, the security system can configure the robot to investigation a suspicious sound, to obstruct the movement of an unidentified individual, or patrol a portion of a building” & See Also Pg. 25 – [0052] – “The elevators 414 can include one or more elevator within a building. The elevators can be connected to one or more components of the environment of FIG. 2, for instance the central system 210” & See Also Pg. 3 & 4 – Fig. 2 &3 (equates to and transmitting, to the robot, a command to travel to the elevator cab as the robot can perform a security operation where the security system informs the robot to investigate a particular area as seen in quote 1 and 2. Quote 3 shows how the elevator is connected to the central system and would then be a possible destination to send a robot too if deemed necessary by the security system.))
Yet fails to teach comprising: receiving, from the robot, a tag indicating arrival at an elevator block; transmitting, to an elevator system and based on receiving the tag, a credential for the robot and a destination floor for the robot; wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building, receiving, from the elevator system and based on transmitting the credential and the destination floor, an indication of an elevator cab assigned to the robot for traveling to the destination floor.
Cope teaches a similar computer-implemented method for controlling a robot to use an elevator of a building (abstract). Cope teaches comprising: receiving, from the robot, a tag indicating arrival at an elevator block; (Pg. 15 – [0083] – “That is, the controllers of the systems may be configured to perform a check or validation of both a request for elevator call ( e.g., through handshake or the like) and perform a check upon arrival at a landing. At the landing, imaging or other checks may be performed prior to opening doors to the robot-use elevator. In some configurations, even after opening the elevator car doors, a check regarding the occupancy of the elevator car may be performed ( e.g., using optical analysis, handshakes, NFC, Bluetooth, tags, or the like).” (equates to comprising: receiving, from the robot, a tag indicating arrival at an elevator block as the controller can use a tag to check if the robot has arrived at the landing or the elevator block as seen from the quote.)) transmitting, to an elevator system and based on receiving the tag, (Pg. 6 – [0020] – “further embodiments of the methods may include transmitting from the robot a handshake request to the controller prior to operating the elevator car.” & See Also Pg. 15 – [0083] – “That is, the controllers of the systems may be configured to perform a check or validation of both a request for elevator call ( e.g., through handshake or the like) and perform a check upon arrival at a landing. At the landing, imaging or other checks may be performed prior to opening doors to the robot-use elevator. In some configurations, even after opening the elevator car doors, a check regarding the occupancy of the elevator car may be performed ( e.g., using optical analysis, handshakes, NFC, Bluetooth, tags, or the like).” (equates to transmitting, to an elevator system and based on receiving the tag as the first quote shows the transmitting based on a handshake and the second quote shows how the handshake may be a retrieval of tag information.)) a credential for the robot; (Pg. 10 – [0050] – “The elevator system 302 may include a plurality of landings with one or more elevator shafts and associated elevators configured to provide access to and transportation between the landings of the elevator system.” & See Also Pg. 10 – [0050] – “will open to permit entry and exiting to and from the elevator car, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art” (equates to a credential for the robot as the system provides access, with specified exiting and entering, to certain landings for the robots)) and a destination floor for the robot; (Pg. 8 – [0036] – “In embodiments where the robot is configured to perform a task not directly associated with the elevator system, the robot may be able to make calls for elevator travel between floors of the building to perform a task on the destination floor(s).” & See Also Pg. 8 – [0036] – “The robot may then travel to a position such that the robot can perform a verification or data gathering task. That is, the robot may communicate and/or interact with the elevator system to call an elevator car and travel in such elevator car to a designated location to perform an inspection or other task.” (equates to and a destination floor for the robot as the first quote shows the robot being able to access destination floors via receiving a task to perform a data gathering or verification task. Wherein the second quote shows the communication between the elevator system and the robot wherein the robot can receive its task from the elevator system and thus use that information to discern the destination floor needed for the task received. ) ) receiving, from the elevator system, and based on transmitting the credential and the destination floor an indication of an elevator cab assigned to the robot; for traveling to the destination floor (Pg. 10 – [0050] – “The elevator system 302 may include a plurality of landings with one or more elevator shafts and associated elevators configured to provide access to and transportation between the landings of the elevator system.” & See Also Pg. 10 – [0050] – “will open to permit entry and exiting to and from the elevator car, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art” & See Also Pg. 8 – [0036] – “In embodiments where the robot is configured to perform a task not directly associated with the elevator system, the robot may be able to make calls for elevator travel between floors of the building to perform a task on the destination floor(s).” & See Also Pg. 8 – [0036] – “The robot may then travel to a position such that the robot can perform a verification or data gathering task. That is, the robot may communicate and/or interact with the elevator system to call an elevator car and travel in such elevator car to a designated location to perform an inspection or other task.” & See Also Pg. 14 – [0076] – “The dispatching step at block 404 may optionally include transmitting from the controller to the robot assignment information. That is, a communication to the robot regarding an assigned elevator car may be received at the robot.” (equates to receiving, from the elevator system, and based on transmitting the credential and the destination floor an indication of an elevator cab assigned to the robot; for traveling to the destination floor as the first and second quotes show the elevator system granting a credential for robots entering and exiting the cab. The third and fourth quotes show the destination floor being configured to be given when the robot is assigned a task and thus can access the elevator cab to reach the destination floor. The final quote shows how the robot receives an indication of being assigned to an elevator cab.)).
Yet both fail to teach wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building.
Deyle 2 teaches wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building. (Pg. 66 – Col. 62 – lines 1 – 6 – “The target floor can be identified based on instructions to perform a task from a human operator or another mobile robot, or can be a part of a pre-determined patrol route/schedule. The mobile robot may receive instructions to move to the target floor to respond to an emergency or security incident on the target floor” & See Also Pg. 66 – [col. 62 – lines 32- …] – “After arriving at the location of the selected elevator, the mobile robot wirelessly communicates with the elevator system to request an elevator car. For instance, the mobile 35 robot can communicate with the elevator system via WiFi, Bluetooth, near-field communication, 3G/4G, LTE, or any other suitable communication protocol. In some embodiments, the mobile robot modifies 2610 information stored by a wireless tag coupled to or embedded within the mobile robot to send to an elevator controller associated with the elevator system. The modified information can identify the current floor, can identify the target floor, can include security credentials of the mobile robot” (equates to wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building as the first quote shows the instructions being sent to a robot regarding the floor in which the robot is requested to be at and the second quote shows how the robot and elevator control system works by the robot showing it’s credentials to be able to access a target floor.)) It would have been an advantageous addition to the system disclosed by Deyle- Cope to include wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building as this allows for a simple command to be sent from a remote system to one of the robots operating within the building to be immediately granted access to another floor of the building ensuring the credential given to the robot allows for access throughout a building.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building as this allows the robot to be granted access to section of the building only when the control center has deemed necessary allowing a type of top down control ensuring each mobile unit is in its desired location.
Regarding Claim 2 Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 Teaches (Deyle teaches the following limitations:) The computer-implemented method. and transmitting, to the robot, a command to at least one of detect door opening at an exterior of the elevator cab or enter the elevator cab when door opening at the exterior is detected. (Pg. 34 – [0124] – “the robot can also detect whether the door is open or closed” & See Also Pg. 23 -[0029] – “The central system 210 can be a central server or other computing system configured to provide instructions to the robots,” (equates to and transmitting, to the robot, a command to at least one of detect door opening at an exterior of the elevator cab or enter the elevator cab when door opening at the exterior is detected as the first quote shows that the robots can detect the door opening and second quote shows how that can be based on instructions sent from the central system.) )
Yet Deyle fails to teach further comprising: receiving, from the robot a second tag indicating arrival at the elevator cab;
Cope teaches a similar computer-implemented method for controlling a robot to use an elevator of a building (abstract). Cope teaches comprising: receiving, from the robot a second tag indicating arrival at the elevator cab (Pg. 15 – [0083] – “That is, the controllers of the systems may be configured to perform a check or validation of both a request for elevator call ( e.g., through handshake or the like) and perform a check upon arrival at a landing. At the landing, imaging or other checks may be performed prior to opening doors to the robot-use elevator. In some configurations, even after opening the elevator car doors, a check regarding the occupancy of the elevator car may be performed ( e.g., using optical analysis, handshakes, NFC, Bluetooth, tags, or the like).” (equates to from the robot a second tag indicating arrival at the elevator cab as the quote shows that after arrival a check for regarding occupancy type is made thus separate from the first check for landing arrival.)). It would have been an advantageous addition to the method disclosed by Deyle to include receiving, from the robot a second tag indicating arrival at the elevator cab; as this allows for another secure method of identifying the robot that is about to get on the elevator ensuring only identifiable machine or persons can be allowed on the elevator.
Therefor it would have been obvious one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include receiving, from the robot a second tag indicating arrival at the elevator cab; as this allows for another security layer to be implemented to the elevator system ensuring that the person with known credentials can get where they need to get within the plant setting.
Regarding Claim 3 Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 (Deyle teaches the following limitations:) Teaches The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising receiving, from the robot one or more images for detecting the door opening (Pg. 34 – [0124] - “Likewise, the robot can analyze images of the object to determine a state of the object. For instance, if the robot detects a door,”) wherein the one or more images are collected by the robot using one or more of light detection and ranging (LiDAR), an infrared camera, or a red, green, blue (RGB) camera. (Pg. 37 – [0177] - “The robot 900 may have a camera system including a plurality of cameras at different parts of the robot 900” & See Also Pg. 29 – [0085] - “The cameras 722 can include any number of cameras or camera arrays. For example, the cameras can include cameras configured to capture images or videos directly or a distance in front of the robot” (equates to wherein the one or more images are collected by the robot using one or more of light detection and ranging (LiDAR), an infrared camera, or a red, green, blue (RGB) camera as the door detection as previously mapped can be done with the robot’s camera as seen from the robot’s ability to capture images for detecting nearby surrounding, i.e. a door’s state.))
Regarding Claim 4 Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 (Deyle teaches the following limitations:) Teaches The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising comparing the one or more images to images of elevator door openings using artificial intelligence to detect the door opening, (Pg. 38 – [0182] – “The robot 900 can collect image data of the door 1010 that is provided as input to an image recognition software, a neural network, a machine learning algorithm, and the like to identify the type of the door, the location of the door handle, the direction the door rotates to open, and to determine other features associated with the door 1010.” (equates to further comprising comparing the one or more images to images of elevator door openings using artificial intelligence to detect the door opening, as seen from the beginning of the second quote the camera takes a picture of the door and the robot using a machine learning algorithm to detect various features of the door such as if it open)) wherein transmitting the command to enter the elevator cab is based on detecting the door opening. (Pg. 34 – [0124] – “the robot can also detect whether the door is open or closed” & See Also Pg. 41 – [0214] – “After entering the elevator 1210 and moving to the target location, the robot 900” & See Also Pg. 23 -[0029] – “The central system 210 can be a central server or other computing system configured to provide instructions to the robots,” (equates to wherein transmitting the command to enter the elevator cab is based on detecting the door opening as the first quote shows that the robots can detect the door opening, second quote shows the robot entering, and third quote shows how that can be based on instructions sent from the central system.) )
Regarding Claim 5 Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 (Deyle teaches the following limitations:) Teaches The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the command includes one or more of an indication of speed for the robot to move in entering the elevator cab, or an orientation of the robot to face within the elevator cab. (Pg. 42 – [0220] – “When the robot 900 arrives at the target floor, the robot 900 may identify the opening of the elevator doors 1230. In a similar manner to entering the elevator 1210, the robot 900 may move backwards and forwards within the elevator 1210 to align the wheels 910 to be perpendicular to the elevator doors 1230” (equates to wherein the command includes one or more of an indication of speed for the robot to move in entering the elevator cab, or an orientation of the robot to face within the elevator cab as the robot is seen to align itself with the elevator doors thus the command is based on the orientation of the robot to face in a particular direction. ))
Regarding Claim 6 Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 (Deyle teaches the following limitations:) Teaches The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the command further indicates to detect the door opening at an interior of the elevator cab and exiting the elevator cab when door opening at the interior is detected. (Pg. 42 – [0220] – “When the robot 900 arrives at the target floor, the robot 900 may identify the opening of the elevator doors 1230. In a similar manner to entering the elevator 1210, the robot 900 may move backwards and forwards within the elevator 1210 to align the wheels 910 to be perpendicular to the elevator doors 1230, and may exit the elevators” & See Also Pg. 34 – [0124] – “For instance, if the robot detects a door, the robot can also detect whether the door is open or closed.” (equates to wherein the command further indicates to detect the door opening at an interior of the elevator cab and exiting the elevator cab when door opening at the interior is detected as the robot can detect the opening of the door as seen by the second quote and can exit the door as seen by quote one thus can leave the elevator cab by detecting the state of the door while being within the elevator cab. ))
Regarding Claim 7 Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 (Deyle teaches the following limitations:) Teaches The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the command includes an indication of speed for the robot to move in exiting the elevator cab. (Pg.42 – [0220] – “When the robot 900 arrives at the target floor, the robot 900 may identify the opening of the elevator doors 1230. In a similar manner to entering the elevator 1210, the robot 900 may move backwards and forwards within the elevator 1210 to align the wheels 910 to be perpendicular to the elevator doors 1230, and may exit the elevators 1210 at a speed sufficient to reduce the risk of getting stuck within the elevator threshold”)
Regarding Claim 10 Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 (Deyle teaches the following limitations:) Teaches The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, to the robot, and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot moving to enter the elevator cab (Pg. 34 – [0124] – “the robot can also detect whether the door is open or closed” & See Also Pg. 23 -[0029] – “The central system 210 can be a central server or other computing system configured to provide instructions to the robots,” (equates to and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot moving to enter the elevator cab as the first quote shows that the robots can detect the door opening and second quote shows how that can be based on instructions sent from the central system.)) a command to erase information stored on the robot before entering the elevator cab. (Pg. 29 – [0082] – “the robot can store all detected information and data, for instance at full resolution, for a set amount of time, until the robot's available storage capacity falls below a threshold, until the data is transmitted, until an operator instructs the robot to delete the data, or until any other suitable criteria is satisfied.” (equates to transmitting, to the robot, a command to erase information stored on the robot before entering the elevator cab as the last words say any other suitable criteria and that criteria could include entrance into the elevator))
Regarding Claim 11 Deyle Teaches An apparatus for controlling a robot to use an elevator of a building, (Pg. 3 – Fig. 2 & See Also Pg. 23 -[0029] – “The central system 210 can be a central server or other computing system configured to provide instructions to the robots,” (equates to An apparatus for controlling a robot to use an elevator of a building as the central system of this art can guide the robots to use an elevator as seen throughout the art and throughout this office action.) ) comprising: one or more memories configured to, individually or in combination, store instructions; (Pg. 33 – [0111] – “The central system 210 can record and store data received from one or more robots 100, infrastructure systems 220, and security systems, for instance within log files in memory accessible to the central system” & See Also Pg. 23 -[0029] – “The central system 210 can be a central server or other computing system configured to provide instructions to the robots,” ) and one or more processors communicatively coupled with the one or more memories, (Pg. 33 – [0111] – “storage media ( e.g., non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums, such as flash memory, hard drives” & See Also Pg. 45 – [0244] – “Such a computer program may be stored in a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium, or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, which may be coupled to a computer system bus. Furthermore, any computing systems referred to in the specification may include a single processor” (equates to one or more processors communicatively coupled with the one or more memories as the non-transitory storage medium includes a flash memory and a processor thus a line of communication is established between either as they exist within the same device)) wherein the one or more processors are, individually or in combination, configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to: (Pg. 45 – [0243] – “In one embodiment, a software module is implemented with a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code, which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or all of the steps”) and transmit, to the robot and based on receiving the indication of the elevator cab, a command to travel to the elevator cab. (Pg. 34 – [0124, 0125, 0128] – “Likewise, the robot can query a building elevator system to determine the current floor of an elevator. Examples of detected objects and corresponding object states and properties (if applicable) include Elevators: number, current floor, button location, the date of last inspection ( determined by scanning text of an inspection certificate within the elevator)” (equates to and based on receiving the indication of the elevator cab as the quote shows the robot being able to query and thus receive an indication based on a query regarding the status of the elevator cab, wherein the indications may include the current floor of the elevator for the robot to access the cab at.) & See Also Pg. 24 – [0036] – “The communication interface can provide instructions or data to one or more infrastructure systems, security systems, or robots, for instance in response to… security operations” & See Also Pg. 30 – [0093] – “The security system 734 configures the robot 100 to perform one or more security operations. For instance, the security system can configure the robot to investigation a suspicious sound, to obstruct the movement of an unidentified individual, or patrol a portion of a building” & See Also Pg. 25 – [0052] – “The elevators 414 can include one or more elevator within a building. The elevators can be connected to one or more components of the environment of FIG. 2, for instance the central system 210” & See Also Pg. 3 & 4 – Fig. 2 &3 (equates transmit, to the robot, a command to travel to the elevator cab as the robot can perform a security operation where the security system informs the robot to investigate a particular area as seen in quote 1 and 2. Quote 3 shows how the elevator is connected to the central system and would then be a possible destination to send a robot too if deemed necessary by the security system.))
Yet Deyle fails to teach receive, from the robot, a tag indicating arrival at an elevator block; transmit, to an elevator system and based on receiving the tag, a credential for the robot and a destination floor for the robot; receive, from the elevator system and based on transmitting the credential and the destination floor, an indication of an elevator cab assigned to the robot, for traveling to the destination floor.
Cope teaches a similar computer-implemented method for controlling a robot to use an elevator of a building (abstract). Cope teaches receive, from the robot, a tag indicating arrival at an elevator block; (Pg. 15 – [0083] – “That is, the controllers of the systems may be configured to perform a check or validation of both a request for elevator call ( e.g., through handshake or the like) and perform a check upon arrival at a landing. At the landing, imaging or other checks may be performed prior to opening doors to the robot-use elevator. In some configurations, even after opening the elevator car doors, a check regarding the occupancy of the elevator car may be performed ( e.g., using optical analysis, handshakes, NFC, Bluetooth, tags, or the like).” (equates to receive, from the robot, a tag indicating arrival at an elevator block as the controller can use a tag to check if the robot has arrived at the landing or the elevator block as seen from the quote.)) transmit, to an elevator system and based on receiving the tag, a credential for the robot (Pg. 6 – [0020] – “further embodiments of the methods may include transmitting from the robot a handshake request to the controller prior to operating the elevator car.” & See Also Pg. 15 – [0083] – “That is, the controllers of the systems may be configured to perform a check or validation of both a request for elevator call ( e.g., through handshake or the like) and perform a check upon arrival at a landing. At the landing, imaging or other checks may be performed prior to opening doors to the robot-use elevator. In some configurations, even after opening the elevator car doors, a check regarding the occupancy of the elevator car may be performed ( e.g., using optical analysis, handshakes, NFC, Bluetooth, tags, or the like).” (equates transmit, to an elevator system and based on receiving the tag, a credential for the robot as the first quote shows the transmitting based on a handshake and the second quote shows how the handshake may be a retrieval of tag information.)) a credential for the robot; (Pg. 10 – [0050] – “The elevator system 302 may include a plurality of landings with one or more elevator shafts and associated elevators configured to provide access to and transportation between the landings of the elevator system.” & See Also Pg. 10 – [0050] – “will open to permit entry and exiting to and from the elevator car, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art” (equates to a credential for the robot as the system provides access, with specified exiting and entering, to certain landings for the robots)) and a destination floor for the robot; (Pg. 8 – [0036] – “In embodiments where the robot is configured to perform a task not directly associated with the elevator system, the robot may be able to make calls for elevator travel between floors of the building to perform a task on the destination floor(s).” & See Also Pg. 8 – [0036] – “The robot may then travel to a position such that the robot can perform a verification or data gathering task. That is, the robot may communicate and/or interact with the elevator system to call an elevator car and travel in such elevator car to a designated location to perform an inspection or other task.” (equates to and a destination floor for the robot as the first quote shows the robot being able to access destination floors via receiving a task to perform a data gathering or verification task. Wherein the second quote shows the communication between the elevator system and the robot wherein the robot can receive its task from the elevator system and thus use that information to discern the destination floor needed for the task received. ) receiving, from the elevator system, and based on transmitting the credential and the destination floor an indication of an elevator cab assigned to the robot; for traveling to the destination floor (Pg. 10 – [0050] – “The elevator system 302 may include a plurality of landings with one or more elevator shafts and associated elevators configured to provide access to and transportation between the landings of the elevator system.” & See Also Pg. 10 – [0050] – “will open to permit entry and exiting to and from the elevator car, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art” & See Also Pg. 8 – [0036] – “In embodiments where the robot is configured to perform a task not directly associated with the elevator system, the robot may be able to make calls for elevator travel between floors of the building to perform a task on the destination floor(s).” & See Also Pg. 8 – [0036] – “The robot may then travel to a position such that the robot can perform a verification or data gathering task. That is, the robot may communicate and/or interact with the elevator system to call an elevator car and travel in such elevator car to a designated location to perform an inspection or other task.” & See Also Pg. 14 – [0076] – “The dispatching step at block 404 may optionally include transmitting from the controller to the robot assignment information. That is, a communication to the robot regarding an assigned elevator car may be received at the robot.” (equates to receiving, from the elevator system, and based on transmitting the credential and the destination floor an indication of an elevator cab assigned to the robot; for traveling to the destination floor as the first and second quotes show the elevator system granting a credential for robots entering and exiting the cab. The third and fourth quotes show the destination floor being configured to be given when the robot is assigned a task and thus can access the elevator cab to reach the destination floor. The final quote shows how the robot receives an indication of being assigned to an elevator cab.)).
Yet both fail to teach wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building.
Deyle 2 teaches wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building. (Pg. 66 – Col. 62 – lines 1 – 6 – “The target floor can be identified based on instructions to perform a task from a human operator or another mobile robot, or can be a part of a pre-determined patrol route/schedule. The mobile robot may receive instructions to move to the target floor to respond to an emergency or security incident on the target floor” & See Also Pg. 66 – [col. 62 – lines 32- …] – “After arriving at the location of the selected elevator, the mobile robot wirelessly communicates with the elevator system to request an elevator car. For instance, the mobile 35 robot can communicate with the elevator system via WiFi, Bluetooth, near-field communication, 3G/4G, LTE, or any other suitable communication protocol. In some embodiments, the mobile robot modifies 2610 information stored by a wireless tag coupled to or embedded within the mobile robot to send to an elevator controller associated with the elevator system. The modified information can identify the current floor, can identify the target floor, can include security credentials of the mobile robot” (equates to wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building as the first quote shows the instructions being sent to a robot regarding the floor in which the robot is requested to be at and the second quote shows how the robot and elevator control system works by the robot showing it’s credentials to be able to access a target floor.)) It would have been an advantageous addition to the system disclosed by Deyle- Cope to include wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building as this allows for a simple command to be sent from a remote system to one of the robots operating within the building to be immediately granted access to another floor of the building ensuring the credential given to the robot allows for access throughout a building.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building as this allows the robot to be granted access to section of the building only when the control center has deemed necessary allowing a type of top down control ensuring each mobile unit is in its desired location.
Regarding Claim 12 Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 Teaches (Deyle teaches the following limitations:)The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are, individually or in combination, : (Pg. 45 – [0243] – “In one embodiment, a software module is implemented with a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code, which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or all of the steps”) configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus (Pg. 33 – [0111] – “The central system 210 can record and store data received from one or more robots 100, infrastructure systems 220, and security systems, for instance within log files in memory accessible to the central system” & See Also Pg. 23 -[0029] – “The central system 210 can be a central server or other computing system configured to provide instructions to the robots,” ) to: and transmit, to the robot, a command to at least one of detect door opening at an exterior of the elevator cab or enter the elevator cab when door opening at the exterior is detected. (Pg. 34 – [0124] – “the robot can also detect whether the door is open or closed” & See Also Pg. 23 -[0029] – “The central system 210 can be a central server or other computing system configured to provide instructions to the robots,” (equates to transmit, to the robot, a command to at least one of detect door opening at an exterior of the elevator cab or enter the elevator cab when door opening at the exterior is detected as the first quote shows that the robots can detect the door opening and second quote shows how that can be based on instructions sent from the central system.) )
Yet Deyle fails to teach the following limitations receive, from the robot a second tag indicating arrival at the elevator cab.
Cope teaches a similar computer-implemented method for controlling a robot to use an elevator of a building (abstract). Cope teaches receive, from the robot a second tag indicating arrival at the elevator cab. (Pg. 15 – [0083] – “That is, the controllers of the systems may be configured to perform a check or validation of both a request for elevator call ( e.g., through handshake or the like) and perform a check upon arrival at a landing. At the landing, imaging or other checks may be performed prior to opening doors to the robot-use elevator. In some configurations, even after opening the elevator car doors, a check regarding the occupancy of the elevator car may be performed ( e.g., using optical analysis, handshakes, NFC, Bluetooth, tags, or the like).” (equates to receive, from the robot a second tag indicating arrival at the elevator cab as the quote shows that after arrival a check for regarding occupancy type is made thus separate from the first check for landing arrival.)). It would have been an advantageous addition to the method disclosed by Deyle to include receiving, from the robot a second tag indicating arrival at the elevator cab; as this allows for another secure method of identifying the robot that is about to get on the elevator ensuring only identifiable machine or persons can be allowed on the elevator.
Therefor it would have been obvious one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include receive, from the robot a second tag indicating arrival at the elevator cab; as this allows for another security layer to be implemented to the elevator system ensuring that the person with known credentials can get where they need to get within the plant setting.
Regarding Claim 13 Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 Teaches (Deyle teaches the following limitations:) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are, individually or in combination, : (Pg. 45 – [0243] – “In one embodiment, a software module is implemented with a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code, which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or all of the steps”) configured to execute the instructions (Pg. 33 – [0111] – “The central system 210 can record and store data received from one or more robots 100, infrastructure systems 220, and security systems, for instance within log files in memory accessible to the central system” & See Also Pg. 23 -[0029] – “The central system 210 can be a central server or other computing system configured to provide instructions to the robots,” ) to cause the apparatus to receive, from the robot one or more images for detecting the door opening, (Pg. 34 – [0124] - “Likewise, the robot can analyze images of the object to determine a state of the object. For instance, if the robot detects a door,”) wherein the one or more images are collected by the robot using one or more of light detection and ranging (LiDAR), an infrared camera, or a red, green, blue (RGB) camera. (Pg. 37 – [0177] - “The robot 900 may have a camera system including a plurality of cameras at different parts of the robot 900” & See Also Pg. 29 – [0085] - “The cameras 722 can include any number of cameras or camera arrays. For example, the cameras can include cameras configured to capture images or videos directly or a distance in front of the robot” (equates to wherein the one or more images are collected by the robot using one or more of light detection and ranging (LiDAR), an infrared camera, or a red, green, blue (RGB) camera as the door detection as previously mapped can be done with the robot’s camera as seen from the robot’s ability to capture images for detecting nearby surrounding, i.e. a door’s state.))
Regarding Claim 14 Deyle-Cope -Deyle 2Teaches (Deyle teaches the following limitations:) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are, individually or in combination, (Pg. 45 – [0243] – “In one embodiment, a software module is implemented with a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code, which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or all of the steps”) configured to execute the instructions (Pg. 33 – [0111] – “The central system 210 can record and store data received from one or more robots 100, infrastructure systems 220, and security systems, for instance within log files in memory accessible to the central system” & See Also Pg. 23 -[0029] – “The central system 210 can be a central server or other computing system configured to provide instructions to the robots,” ) to cause the apparatus to compare the one or more images to images of elevator door openings using artificial intelligence to detect the door opening, (Pg. 38 – [0182] – “The robot 900 can collect image data of the door 1010 that is provided as input to an image recognition software, a neural network, a machine learning algorithm, and the like to identify the type of the door, the location of the door handle, the direction the door rotates to open, and to determine other features associated with the door 1010.” (equates to further comprising comparing the one or more images to images of elevator door openings using artificial intelligence to detect the door opening, as seen from the beginning of the second quote the camera take a picture of the door and the robot using a machine learning algorithm to detect various features of the door such as if it open)) wherein the one or more processors are, individually or in combination, (Pg. 45 – [0243] – “In one embodiment, a software module is implemented with a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code, which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or all of the steps”) configured to execute the instructions (Pg. 33 – [0111] – “The central system 210 can record and store data received from one or more robots 100, infrastructure systems 220, and security systems, for instance within log files in memory accessible to the central system” & See Also Pg. 23 -[0029] – “The central system 210 can be a central server or other computing system configured to provide instructions to the robots,” ) to cause the apparatus to transmit the command to enter the elevator cab based on detecting the door opening. (Pg. 34 – [0124] – “the robot can also detect whether the door is open or closed” & See Also Pg. 41 – [0214] – “After entering the elevator 1210 and moving to the target location, the robot 900” & See Also Pg. 23 -[0029] – “The central system 210 can be a central server or other computing system configured to provide instructions to the robots,” (equates to configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to transmit the command to enter the elevator cab based on detecting the door opening as the first quote shows that the robots can detect the door opening, second quote shows the robot entering, and third quote shows how that can be based on instructions sent from the central system.) )
Regarding Claim 15 Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 Teaches (Deyle teaches the following limitations:) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the command includes one or more of an indication of speed for the robot to move in entering the elevator cab, or an orientation of the robot to face within the elevator cab. (Pg. 42 – [0220] – “When the robot 900 arrives at the target floor, the robot 900 may identify the opening of the elevator doors 1230. In a similar manner to entering the elevator 1210, the robot 900 may move backwards and forwards within the elevator 1210 to align the wheels 910 to be perpendicular to the elevator doors 1230” (equates to wherein the command includes one or more of an indication of speed for the robot to move in entering the elevator cab, or an orientation of the robot to face within the elevator cab as the robot is seen to align itself with the elevator doors thus the command is based on the orientation of the robot to face in a particular direction. ))
Regarding Claim 16 Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 Teaches (Deyle teaches the following limitations:) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the command further indicates to detect the door opening at an interior of the elevator cab and exiting the elevator cab when door opening at the interior is detected. (Pg. 42 – [0220] – “When the robot 900 arrives at the target floor, the robot 900 may identify the opening of the elevator doors 1230. In a similar manner to entering the elevator 1210, the robot 900 may move backwards and forwards within the elevator 1210 to align the wheels 910 to be perpendicular to the elevator doors 1230, and may exit the elevators” & See Also Pg. 34 – [0124] – “For instance, if the robot detects a door, the robot can also detect whether the door is open or closed.” (equates to wherein the command further indicates to detect the door opening at an interior of the elevator cab and exiting the elevator cab when door opening at the interior is detected as the robot can detect the opening of the door as seen by the second quote and can exit the door as seen by quote one thus can leave the elevator cab by detecting the state of the door while being within the elevator cab. ))
Regarding Claim 19 Deyle Teaches One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions, (Pg. 31 – [0102] – “…computer memory; storage media ( e.g., non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums, such as flash memory, hard drives…”) executable by one or more processors, (Pg. 45 – [0243] – “In one embodiment, a software module is implemented with a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code, which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or all of the steps”) for controlling a robot to use an elevator of a building, (Pg. 3 – Fig. 2 & See Also Pg. 23 -[0029] – “The central system 210 can be a central server or other computing system configured to provide instructions to the robots,” (equates to An apparatus for controlling a robot to use an elevator of a building as the central system of this art can guide the robots to use an elevator as seen throughout the art and throughout this office action.) ) the instructions (Pg. 33 – [0111] – “The central system 210 can record and store data received from one or more robots 100, infrastructure systems 220, and security systems, for instance within log files in memory accessible to the central system” & See Also Pg. 23 -[0029] – “The central system 210 can be a central server or other computing system configured to provide instructions to the robots,” ) comprising instructions for: receiving, from the robot, a tag indicating arrival at an elevator block; (Pg. 40 – [0204] –“ In some embodiments, the elevator 1210 is associated with an access control system outside of the elevator 1210 that requires access credentials (such as a key fob, an identity card, or an RFID-enabled object) before being able to press the button 1220 for calling the elevator 1210. The robot 900 may identify a location of the access control system and moves to a threshold distance from the access control system. The robot 900 can then present access credentials for access to the elevator 1210.” (equates receiving, from the robot, a tag indicating arrival at an elevator block as the robot can present a tag or RFID object to access the floor it desires)) and transmitting, to the robot and based on receiving the indication of the elevator cab, a command to travel to the elevator cab. (Pg. 34 – [0124, 0125, 0128] – “Likewise, the robot can query a building elevator system to determine the current floor of an elevator. Examples of detected objects and corresponding object states and properties (if applicable) include Elevators: number, current floor, button location, the date of last inspection ( determined by scanning text of an inspection certificate within the elevator)” (equates to and based on receiving the indication of the elevator cab as the quote shows the robot being able to query and thus receive an indication based on a query regarding the status of the elevator cab, wherein the indications may include the current floor of the elevator for the robot to access the cab at.) & See Also Pg. 24 – [0036] – “The communication interface can provide instructions or data to one or more infrastructure systems, security systems, or robots, for instance in response to… security operations” & See Also Pg. 30 – [0093] – “The security system 734 configures the robot 100 to perform one or more security operations. For instance, the security system can configure the robot to investigation a suspicious sound, to obstruct the movement of an unidentified individual, or patrol a portion of a building” & See Also Pg. 25 – [0052] – “The elevators 414 can include one or more elevator within a building. The elevators can be connected to one or more components of the environment of FIG. 2, for instance the central system 210” & See Also Pg. 3 & 4 – Fig. 2 &3 (equates transmit, to the robot, a command to travel to the elevator cab as the robot can perform a security operation where the security system informs the robot to investigate a particular area as seen in quote 1 and 2. Quote 3 shows how the elevator is connected to the central system and would then be a possible destination to send a robot too if deemed necessary by the security system.))
Yet Deyle fails to teach transmitting, to an elevator system and based on receiving the tag, a credential for the robot and a destination floor for the robot; receiving, from the elevator system, and based on transmitting the credential and the destination floor an indication of an elevator cab assigned to the robot for traveling to the destination floor.
Cope teaches a similar computer-implemented method for controlling a robot to use an elevator of a building (abstract). Cope teaches transmitting, to an elevator system and based on receiving the tag, (Pg. 6 – [0020] – “further embodiments of the methods may include transmitting from the robot a handshake request to the controller prior to operating the elevator car.” & See Also Pg. 15 – [0083] – “That is, the controllers of the systems may be configured to perform a check or validation of both a request for elevator call ( e.g., through handshake or the like) and perform a check upon arrival at a landing. At the landing, imaging or other checks may be performed prior to opening doors to the robot-use elevator. In some configurations, even after opening the elevator car doors, a check regarding the occupancy of the elevator car may be performed ( e.g., using optical analysis, handshakes, NFC, Bluetooth, tags, or the like).” (equates to transmitting, to an elevator system and based on receiving the tag as the first quote shows the transmitting based on a handshake and the second quote shows how the handshake may be a retrieval of tag information.)) a credential for the robot; (Pg. 10 – [0050] – “The elevator system 302 may include a plurality of landings with one or more elevator shafts and associated elevators configured to provide access to and transportation between the landings of the elevator system.” & See Also Pg. 10 – [0050] – “will open to permit entry and exiting to and from the elevator car, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art” (equates to a credential for the robot as the system provides access, with specified exiting and entering, to certain landings for the robots)) and a destination floor for the robot; (Pg. 8 – [0036] – “In embodiments where the robot is configured to perform a task not directly associated with the elevator system, the robot may be able to make calls for elevator travel between floors of the building to perform a task on the destination floor(s).” & See Also Pg. 8 – [0036] – “The robot may then travel to a position such that the robot can perform a verification or data gathering task. That is, the robot may communicate and/or interact with the elevator system to call an elevator car and travel in such elevator car to a designated location to perform an inspection or other task.” (equates to and a destination floor for the robot as the first quote shows the robot being able to access destination floors via receiving a task to perform a data gathering or verification task. Wherein the second quote shows the communication between the elevator system and the robot wherein the robot can receive its task from the elevator system and thus use that information to discern the destination floor needed for the task received.)) receiving, from the elevator system, and based on transmitting the credential and the destination floor an indication of an elevator cab assigned to the robot; for traveling to the destination floor (Pg. 10 – [0050] – “The elevator system 302 may include a plurality of landings with one or more elevator shafts and associated elevators configured to provide access to and transportation between the landings of the elevator system.” & See Also Pg. 10 – [0050] – “will open to permit entry and exiting to and from the elevator car, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art” & See Also Pg. 8 – [0036] – “In embodiments where the robot is configured to perform a task not directly associated with the elevator system, the robot may be able to make calls for elevator travel between floors of the building to perform a task on the destination floor(s).” & See Also Pg. 8 – [0036] – “The robot may then travel to a position such that the robot can perform a verification or data gathering task. That is, the robot may communicate and/or interact with the elevator system to call an elevator car and travel in such elevator car to a designated location to perform an inspection or other task.” & See Also Pg. 14 – [0076] – “The dispatching step at block 404 may optionally include transmitting from the controller to the robot assignment information. That is, a communication to the robot regarding an assigned elevator car may be received at the robot.” (equates to receiving, from the elevator system, and based on transmitting the credential and the destination floor an indication of an elevator cab assigned to the robot; for traveling to the destination floor as the first and second quotes show the elevator system granting a credential for robots entering and exiting the cab. The third and fourth quotes show the destination floor being configured to be given when the robot is assigned a task and thus can access the elevator cab to reach the destination floor. The final quote shows how the robot receives an indication of being assigned to an elevator cab.)).
Yet both fail to teach wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building.
Deyle 2 teaches wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building. (Pg. 66 – Col. 62 – lines 1 – 6 – “The target floor can be identified based on instructions to perform a task from a human operator or another mobile robot, or can be a part of a pre-determined patrol route/schedule. The mobile robot may receive instructions to move to the target floor to respond to an emergency or security incident on the target floor” & See Also Pg. 66 – [col. 62 – lines 32- …] – “After arriving at the location of the selected elevator, the mobile robot wirelessly communicates with the elevator system to request an elevator car. For instance, the mobile 35 robot can communicate with the elevator system via WiFi, Bluetooth, near-field communication, 3G/4G, LTE, or any other suitable communication protocol. In some embodiments, the mobile robot modifies 2610 information stored by a wireless tag coupled to or embedded within the mobile robot to send to an elevator controller associated with the elevator system. The modified information can identify the current floor, can identify the target floor, can include security credentials of the mobile robot” (equates to wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building as the first quote shows the instructions being sent to a robot regarding the floor in which the robot is requested to be at and the second quote shows how the robot and elevator control system works by the robot showing it’s credentials to be able to access a target floor.)) It would have been an advantageous addition to the system disclosed by Deyle- Cope to include wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building as this allows for a simple command to be sent from a remote system to one of the robots operating within the building to be immediately granted access to another floor of the building ensuring the credential given to the robot allows for access throughout a building.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building as this allows the robot to be granted access to section of the building only when the control center has deemed necessary allowing a type of top down control ensuring each mobile unit is in its desired location.
Regarding Claim 20 Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 Teaches (Deyle teaches the following limitations:) The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19, the instructions further comprising instructions (Pg. 33 – [0111] – “The central system 210 can record and store data received from one or more robots 100, infrastructure systems 220, and security systems, for instance within log files in memory accessible to the central system” & See Also Pg. 23 -[0029] – “The central system 210 can be a central server or other computing system configured to provide instructions to the robots,” ) for: receiving, from the robot a second tag indicating arrival at the elevator cab; and transmitting, to the robot, a command to at least one of detect door opening at an exterior of the elevator cab or enter the elevator cab when door opening at the exterior is detected. (Pg. 34 – [0124] – “the robot can also detect whether the door is open or closed” & See Also Pg. 23 -[0029] – “The central system 210 can be a central server or other computing system configured to provide instructions to the robots,” (equates to and transmitting, to the robot, a command to at least one of detect door opening at an exterior of the elevator cab or enter the elevator cab when door opening at the exterior is detected as the first quote shows that the robots can detect the door opening and second quote shows how that can be based on instructions sent from the central system.) )
Yet Deyle fails to teach receiving, from the robot a second tag indicating arrival at the elevator cab.
Cope teaches a similar computer-implemented method for controlling a robot to use an elevator of a building (abstract). Cope teaches comprising: receiving, from the robot a second tag indicating arrival at the elevator cab (Pg. 15 – [0083] – “That is, the controllers of the systems may be configured to perform a check or validation of both a request for elevator call ( e.g., through handshake or the like) and perform a check upon arrival at a landing. At the landing, imaging or other checks may be performed prior to opening doors to the robot-use elevator. In some configurations, even after opening the elevator car doors, a check regarding the occupancy of the elevator car may be performed ( e.g., using optical analysis, handshakes, NFC, Bluetooth, tags, or the like).” (equates to from the robot a second tag indicating arrival at the elevator cab as the quote shows that after arrival a check for regarding occupancy type is made thus separate from the first check for landing arrival.)). It would have been an advantageous addition to the method disclosed by Deyle to include receiving, from the robot a second tag indicating arrival at the elevator cab; as this allows for another secure method of identifying the robot that is about to get on the elevator ensuring only identifiable machine or persons can be allowed on the elevator.
Therefor it would have been obvious one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include receiving, from the robot a second tag indicating arrival at the elevator cab; as this allows for another security layer to be implemented to the elevator system ensuring that the person with known credentials can get where they need to get within the plant setting.
Claims 8 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Deyle- Cope- Deyle 2 and in further view of Rui (CN 111847150 A)
Regarding Claim 8 Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 (Deyle teaches the following limitations:) Teaches The computer-implemented method of claim 1, as previously mapped above. Yet Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 fails to teach further comprising transmitting, to the robot and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot entering the elevator cab, a map of the destination floor of the building.
Rui teaches further comprising transmitting, to the robot and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot entering the elevator cab, a map of the destination floor of the building. ( Pg. 2 – “Further, after entering the elevator car, before submitting an elevator request to the server, the method includes: sending a location message to the server, the location message including location information of the robot and obstacle location information around the robot ” (equates to further comprising transmitting, to the robot and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot entering the elevator cab, a map of the destination floor of the building. As the quote shows the robot entering an elevator and then a map of obstacles and its own position being sent to the robot based on the entering criterion.)) It would have been an advantageous addition to the method disclosed by Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 to include further comprising transmitting, to the robot and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot entering the elevator cab, a map of the destination floor of the building as this limitation allows for localization of the environment and itself to be performed based on an understood set point of the elevator allowing correct movements to be scheduled and take place once the robot is ready to disembark to its target floor.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include further comprising transmitting, to the robot and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot entering the elevator cab, a map of the destination floor of the building as this allows for a routine map updating based on a newly entered position of the elevator ensuring the target mission of the robot is based on existing map data.
Regarding Claim 17 Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 Teaches (Deyle teaches the following limitations:) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are, individually or in combination, (Pg. 45 – [0243] – “In one embodiment, a software module is implemented with a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code, which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or all of the steps”) configured to execute the instructions(Pg. 33 – [0111] – “The central system 210 can record and store data received from one or more robots 100, infrastructure systems 220, and security systems, for instance within log files in memory accessible to the central system” & See Also Pg. 23 -[0029] – “The central system 210 can be a central server or other computing system configured to provide instructions to the robots,” ) to cause the apparatus to: and transmit, to the robot and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot entering the elevator cab,( Pg. 34 – [0124] – “the robot can also detect whether the door is open or closed” & See Also Pg. 23 -[0029] – “The central system 210 can be a central server or other computing system configured to provide instructions to the robots,” (equates to and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot entering the elevator cab as the first quote shows that the robots can detect the door opening and second quote shows how that can be based on instructions sent from the central system.)) a map of the destination floor of the building. (Pg. 33 – [0117] – “In some embodiments, the robot 100 can determine its location… can query the central system 210 for the robot's location, can use 3D information or 2D/map layout information to determine the location of the robot, and the like.” (equates to and transmitting, to the robot, a map of the destination floor of the building as the robot for some reason may lose it position and be able to ask the central system for a map of its surroundings, including the destination it needs to go to.))
Yet Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 fails to teach to cause the apparatus to: and transmit, to the robot and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot entering the elevator cab, a map of the destination floor of the building.
Rui teaches to cause the apparatus to: and transmit, to the robot and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot entering the elevator cab, a map of the destination floor of the building. ( Pg. 2 – “Further, after entering the elevator car, before submitting an elevator request to the server, the method includes: sending a location message to the server, the location message including location information of the robot and obstacle location information around the robot ” (equates to further comprising transmitting, to the robot and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot entering the elevator cab, a map of the destination floor of the building. As the quote shows the robot entering an elevator and then a map of obstacles and its own position being sent to the robot based on the entering criterion.)) It would have been an advantageous addition to the method disclosed by Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 to include further comprising transmitting, to the robot and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot entering the elevator cab, a map of the destination floor of the building as this limitation allows for localization of the environment and itself to be performed based on an understood set point of the elevator allowing correct movements to be scheduled and take place once the robot is ready to disembark to its target floor.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include further comprising transmitting, to the robot and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot entering the elevator cab, a map of the destination floor of the building as this allows for a routine map updating based on a newly entered position of the elevator ensuring the target mission of the robot is based on existing map data.
Claims 9 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Deyle- Cope- Deyle 2 and in further view of Moonsu (KR 10-2726239 B1)
Regarding Claim 9 Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 (Deyle teaches the following limitations:) Teaches The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, to the elevator system and based on receiving the tag, (Pg. 40 – [0204] –“ In some embodiments, the elevator 1210 is associated with an access control system outside of the elevator 1210 that requires access credentials (such as a key fob, an identity card, or an RFID-enabled object) before being able to press the button 1220 for calling the elevator 1210. The robot 900 may identify a location of the access control system and moves to a threshold distance from the access control system. The robot 900 can then present access credentials for access to the elevator 1210.” (equates to transmitting, to the elevator system and based on receiving the tag as the robot can present a tag or RFID object to access the floor it desires)) a personnel indicator for the robot indicating that the robot is to ride the elevator alone.
Yet Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 fails to teach a personnel indicator for the robot indicating that the robot is to ride the elevator alone.
Moonsu teaches a personnel indicator for the robot indicating that the robot is to ride the elevator alone. (Pg. 6 – “by presenting detailed operation methods and guidelines that can minimize the disadvantages of each operation mode in an elevator system that is operated by dividing into a robot-only mode” & See Also Pg,. – “Robot-only mode is a mode in which only robots can board the elevator, and an elevator set to robot-only mode can only perform call services targeting robots.” & See Also Pg. 12 - “Naturally, the full occupancy rates for robots and general passengers can be set differently.” (equates to a personnel indicator for the robot indicating that the robot is to ride the elevator alone as the first quote and second quote show the ability to set a robot only mode of travel and the last quote showing the amount of occupants being able to set differently for different cases and thus the robot only mode disclosed within can be set to allow only one robot to travel at a time and thus an indicator to ride alone can be created. ) ) It would have been an advantageous addition to the system disclosed by Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 to include a personnel indicator for the robot indicating that the robot is to ride the elevator alone as this allows a single robot to have a call for an elevator in which priority is given to a single rider ensuring no other humans or robots disturbed the travel path of the robot designated an assignment.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include a personnel indicator for the robot indicating that the robot is to ride the elevator alone as this allows a mode in which a robot is only allowed to ride in the elevator allowing a mode in which prioritizing a single robot is created.
Regarding Claim 18 Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 Teaches (Deyle teaches the following limitations:) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are, individually or in combination, (Pg. 45 – [0243] – “In one embodiment, a software module is implemented with a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code, which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or all of the steps”) configured to execute the instructions (Pg. 33 – [0111] – “The central system 210 can record and store data received from one or more robots 100, infrastructure systems 220, and security systems, for instance within log files in memory accessible to the central system” & See Also Pg. 23 -[0029] – “The central system 210 can be a central server or other computing system configured to provide instructions to the robots,” ) to cause the apparatus to transmit, to the elevator system and based on receiving the tag, (Pg. 40 – [0204] –“ In some embodiments, the elevator 1210 is associated with an access control system outside of the elevator 1210 that requires access credentials (such as a key fob, an identity card, or an RFID-enabled object) before being able to press the button 1220 for calling the elevator 1210. The robot 900 may identify a location of the access control system and moves to a threshold distance from the access control system. The robot 900 can then present access credentials for access to the elevator 1210.” (equates to transmitting, to the elevator system and based on receiving the tag as the robot can present a tag or RFID object to access the floor it desires))
Yet Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 fails to teach a personnel indicator for the robot indicating that the robot is to ride the elevator alone.
Moonsu teaches a personnel indicator for the robot indicating that the robot is to ride the elevator alone. (Pg. 6 – “by presenting detailed operation methods and guidelines that can minimize the disadvantages of each operation mode in an elevator system that is operated by dividing into a robot-only mode” & See Also Pg,. – “Robot-only mode is a mode in which only robots can board the elevator, and an elevator set to robot-only mode can only perform call services targeting robots.” & See Also Pg. 12 - “Naturally, the full occupancy rates for robots and general passengers can be set differently.” (equates to a personnel indicator for the robot indicating that the robot is to ride the elevator alone as the first quote and second quote show the ability to set a robot only mode of travels and the last quote showing the amount of occupants being able to set differently for different cases and thus the robot only mode disclosed within can be set to allow only one robot to travel at a time and thus an indicator to ride alone can be created. ) ) It would have been an advantageous addition to the system disclosed by Deyle-Cope-Deyle 2 to include a personnel indicator for the robot indicating that the robot is to ride the elevator alone as this allows a single robot to have a call for an elevator in which priority is given to a single rider ensuring no other humans or robots disturbed the travel path of the robot designated an assignment.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include a personnel indicator for the robot indicating that the robot is to ride the elevator alone as this allows a mode in which a robot is only allowed to ride in the elevator allowing a mode in which prioritizing a single robot is created.
Response to Arguments
Response to 35 U.S.C. § 103 rejection of claims 1-20 applicant’s amendments to the claim changes the scope. Applicant’s arguments have been considered but are not persuasive.
Applicant argues on pages 2-3, “Applicant requests that this rejection be withdrawn for at least the following reasons. Deyle and Cope, when taken alone or in combination, fail to disclose or suggest all aspects recited in the subject claims. For example, amended independent claim 1 recites, in part: transmitting, to an elevator system and based on receiving the tag, a credential for the robot and a destination floor for the robot, wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building; receiving, from the elevator system and based on transmitting the credential and the destination floor, an indication of an elevator cab assigned to the robot for traveling to the destination floor.
Deyle and Cope, when taken alone or in combination, fail to disclose or suggest at least such aspects. The Office Action acknowledges that Deyle fails to disclose "transmitting, to an elevator system and based on receiving the tag, a credential for the robot" and "receiving, from the elevator system, an indication of an elevator cab assigned to the robot," and cites Cope in alleged
1 Applicant's amendments are made without prejudice, waiver, disclaimer, or disavowal. Applicant does not concede that previously pending claims are not patentable over the cited references. Rather, any amendments or characterizations are being made to facilitate expeditious prosecution of this application. Applicant reserves the right to pursue any previously pending or other broader or narrower claims that capture any subject matter supported by the present disclosure, including subject matter found to be specifically disclaimed herein or by any prior prosecution. See, Office Action, pages 4 and 5. Cope generally describes "a robot-use elevator system having an elevator car ... , a controller configured to receive requests associated with the elevator system and configured to control operation of the elevator system, and a robot . .. configured to travel . . . in the elevator car." Cope, Abstract. Cope, as cited, discloses "distinguish a robot that is intended to board the elevator from others, such as humans (or unauthorized robots). In some embodiments, an authentication process (e.g., handshaking requirement before the elevator doors open at a requested landing) may be employed." Cope, paragraph [0083]. Cope, as cited, also discloses "a communication to the robot regarding an assigned elevator car may be received at the robot. As such, the robot may position itself relative to the assigned elevator car and/or be prepared to board the specific assigned elevator car." Cope, paragraph [0076]. Cope, however, fails to disclose or suggest at least "transmitting, to an elevator system ... , a credential for the robot and a destination floor .. wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building; receiving, from the elevator system and based on transmitting the credential and the destination floor, an indication of an elevator cab assigned to the robot for traveling to the destination floor," as recited in amended independent claim 1.
In particular, Cope only describes a generic handshaking process and assigning an elevator car to the robot. Cope fails to contemplate transmitting any information regarding a "destination floor" for the robot, much less where "receiving ... an indication of an elevator cab assigned to the robot" is 'for traveling to the destination floor", i.e., the "destination floor" as transmitted with "a credential" and "wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building," as generally recited in amended independent claim 1.
In addition, with respect to the claimed "credential," the Response to Arguments refers back to the rejection of independent claim 1. See, Office Action, page 30. In the rejection of independent claim 1, the Office Action cites Cope as disclosing "will open to permit entry and exiting to and from the elevator car" and that this "equates to a credential for the robot as the system provides access." See, Office Action, page 4. This section of Cope, however, merely describes opening of an elevator door, whether for a person or a robot, but fails to contemplate a "credential" at all, much less "wherein the credential is indicative of access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building," as recited in amended independent claim 1.
Moreover, paragraph of [0083] of Cope discloses "the robot-use elevator cars may be configured with sensors or the like that are configured distinguish a robot that is intended to board8the elevator from others, such as humans (or unauthorized robots). In some embodiments, an authentication process (e.g., handshaking requirement before the elevator doors open at a requested landing) may be employed." As an initial matter, independent claim 1 does not recite the robot sending the credential, and thus this paragraph is not applicable to the claimed aspects. In addition, Cope only discloses the handshaking requirement before the doors are opened at the requested landing, but Cope fails to contemplate the handshaking being indicative of "access permissions of the robot to one or more floors of the building," as recited in amended independent claim 1. Thus, Cope fails to cure the deficiencies of Deyle with respect to at least such aspects.
For at least these reasons, amended independent claim 1 is patentable over the art of record. Independent claims 11 and 19 are amended herein and recite similar aspects as amended independent claim 1. Thus, amended independent claims 11 and 19 are also patentable over the art of record for similar reasons as amended independent claim 1. Therefore, it is requested that the rejection of amended independent claims 1, 11, and 19 be withdrawn.” - Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 11, and 19 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Applicant argues on page 3, “For example, claim 8 recites, in part, "transmitting, to the robot and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot entering the elevator cab, a map of the destination floor of the building." The Office Action merely cites sections of Deyle that mention the concepts of "the robot can also detect whether the door is open or closed" and "the robot 100 can determine its location . .. can use . . . 2D/map layout information." See, Office Action, page 10. Even if Deyle mentions such concepts, Deyle fails to disclose or suggest at least "transmitting, to the robot and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot entering the elevator cab, a map of the destination floor of the building," as recited in claim 8. In particular, Deyle only contemplates the robot detecting whether the door is opened or closed, but not that some apparatus transmits a map to the robot "based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot entering the elevator cab," as generally recited in claim 8.” – Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 8 and 17 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Applicant argues on pages 3-4 – “In another example, claim 9 recites, in part, "transmitting, to the elevator system and based on receiving the tag, a personnel indicator for the robot indicating that the robot is to ride the elevator alone." The Office Action cites Deyle as disclosing "[t]his allows future passengers of the elevator 1210 to enter the elevator 1210 more easily . .. the robot 900 can leave the elevator altogether to let someone off ...and can re-enter the elevator after the person has left." See, Office Action, page 11. This section of Deyle, however, is simply indicating the robot can temporarily exit the elevator to allow people who are getting off the floor to exit without the robot being in the way. Deyle fails to contemplate "a personnel indicator for the robot indicating that the robot is to ride the elevator alone." This is further evidenced by the fact that because one person gets off in Deyle, it does not mean that the robot is then alone, and in any case, as there was a person on board that gets off, the robot did not ride alone before that time either. In other words, whether the robot in Deyle is riding alone is only based on happenstance of whether there are others on board, and does not involve "transmitting, to the elevator system and based on receiving the tag, a personnel indicator for the robot indicating that the robot is to ride the elevator alone," as recited in claim 9. ” - Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 9 and 18 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Applicant argues on page 4 – “In another example, claim 10 recites, in part, "transmitting, to the robot and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot moving to enter the elevator cab, a command to erase information stored on the robot before entering the elevator cab." The Office Action cites Deyle as disclosing "the robot can store all detected information and data . .. until any other suitable criteria is satisfied." See, id. This disclosure is not sufficient, without the benefit of Applicant's own disclosure, to arrive at storing the detected information and data until "detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot moving to enter the elevator cab," as generally recited in claim 10.”- As to point D the examiner respectfully disagrees. Applicant asserts that Deyle-Cope does not teach “transmitting, to the robot and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot moving to enter the elevator cab, a command to erase information stored on the robot before entering the elevator cab”. During Patent Examination, pending claims must be given their broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the specification (see MPEP 2111). The broadest reasonable interpretation of the aforementioned amendment is erase the stored information of the robot prior to entry into the elevator . Deyle teaches storing information within a robot is possible up until any point is reached that can be programmed into the robot in which the stored data no longer serves and purpose and then is subsequently deleted wherein any suitable criterion is satisfied wherein entering an elevator door being the suitable criterion may be a possibility in which the information within the robot is no longer stored within. (as mapped above in claim 10 ). Therefor the Examiner respectfully disagrees with the applicants arguments and assert that Deyle teaches “transmitting, to the robot and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot moving to enter the elevator cab, a command to erase information stored on the robot before entering the elevator cab”. Deyle Teaches: The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, to the robot, and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot moving to enter the elevator cab (Pg. 34 – [0124] – “the robot can also detect whether the door is open or closed” & See Also Pg. 23 -[0029] – “The central system 210 can be a central server or other computing system configured to provide instructions to the robots,” (equates to and based on detecting a door of the elevator cab opening or the robot moving to enter the elevator cab as the first quote shows that the robots can detect the door opening and second quote shows how that can be based on instructions sent from the central system.)) a command to erase information stored on the robot before entering the elevator cab. (Pg. 29 – [0082] – “the robot can store all detected information and data, for instance at full resolution, for a set amount of time, until the robot's available storage capacity falls below a threshold, until the data is transmitted, until an operator instructs the robot to delete the data, or until any other suitable criteria is satisfied.” (equates to transmitting, to the robot, a command to erase information stored on the robot before entering the elevator cab as the last words say any other suitable criteria and that criteria could include entrance into the elevator))
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Chun - Lin JP 2024-137804 A - To provide a system and method for an autonomous mobile robot to ride in an elevator with a human. [Solution] When an elevator riding task is started, a human detection and localization module and a human identification and state estimation module detect and count at least one human inside and/or outside the elevator, and a human-robot interaction module interacts with the at least one human. An elevator enclosed space positioning module performs spatial positioning within the elevator according to the result of detecting and counting the at least one human via the human detection and localization module and the human identification and state estimation module, and selects whether to enter the elevator or resume another elevator riding task
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/R.A.W./ Examiner, Art Unit 3667
/Hitesh Patel/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3667
2/24/26