DETAILED ACTION
The present Office action is in response to the amendments filed on 3 AUGUST 2023.
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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in China on 4 AUGUST 2022. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the CN2022222047955.5 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55. On 4 JANUARY 2024 a Priority Document Exchange was mailed indicating failure to retrieve the priority document under the priority document exchange program.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by U.S. Publication No. 2025/0036139 A1 (hereinafter “Andriolo”).
Regarding claim 1, Andriolo discloses a mowing device ([0003], l. 2, “autonomous lawn mower”), comprising:
a mower (FIG. 1, autonomous lawn mower 100); and
a camera (FIG. 1, image acquisition apparatus 102) located at a front part of the mower and oriented in a forward direction of the mower ([0064], ll. 1-5, “the autonomous lawn mower includes an image acquisition apparatus 102. The image acquisition apparatus 102 is disposed at a top of a front end, and is configured to acquire an image in a traveling direction (as shown by the arrow in FIG. 1) of the body 101”), the camera having a lens ([0124], l. 9, “a lens of the camera”);
wherein a vertical line is defined from a center of the lens to a traveling surface of the mower, the vertical line and the traveling surface intersect at a first intersection ([0282], ll. 4-6, “FIG. 14, it is a critical state when a field of view centerline of the field of view of the image acquisition apparatus is perpendicular to the horizontal line. In this case, a3=a1=0°.” [0125], ll. 1-4, “The installation angle includes a lens rotation angle a3, and the lens rotation angle a3 is an included angle between a lens central axis of the image acquisition apparatus and a vertical direction.” FIG. 14 discloses the vertical axis as the centerline of the camera corresponding to the lens at a height h3 and perpendicular to the traveling surface as noted by angle a3 being 0° and therefore overlapping), a horizontal axis is defined from the first intersection in the forward direction of the mower along the traveling surface as a positive direction ([0282], ll. 4-6, “FIG. 14, it is a critical state when a field of view centerline of the field of view of the image acquisition apparatus is perpendicular to the horizontal line.” In FIG 14 the horizontal axis is expressed by the horizontal line intersecting the vertical line. Note, if measured at a height of the grass, then the horizontal line at h3, or else at ground level it is the ground level in the traveling direction), a central axis of the lens and the horizontal axis intersect at a second intersection, and the second intersection is in the positive direction of the horizontal axis or coincides with the first intersection ([0282], ll. 4-6, “FIG. 14, it is a critical state when a field of view centerline of the field of view of the image acquisition apparatus is perpendicular to the horizontal line. In this case, a3=a1=0°.” Note, a3=a1=0° is equivalent to the “coincides with the first intersection” because the camera is facing straight down and therefore the center axis of the lens is the same vertical axis that is perpendicular to the horizontal axis. FIGS. 9-11 illustrate embodiments where angles a1 and a3 are not 0° and the dashed center axis of the lens intersects at a second intersection that is further ahead of the mower and therefore intersecting in the positive direction of the horizontal axis).
Regarding claim 2, Andriolo discloses every limitation of claim 1, as outlined above. Additionally, Andriolo discloses wherein the camera is configured with the mower so as to be rotatable or remain fixed relative to the mower ([0125], ll. 1-4, “The installation angle includes a lens rotation angle a3, and the lens rotation angle a3 is an included angle between a lens central axis of the image acquisition apparatus and a vertical direction.” In FIG. 3, the lens rotation angle corresponds to rotating the image acquisition apparatus in a way that causes point D to decrease in distance from autonomous lawn mower when reducing the angle and increase the distance of point D when increasing the angle).
Regarding claim 3, Andriolo discloses every limitation of claim 1, as outlined above. Additionally, Andriolo discloses wherein a field of view of the lens of the camera has a field angle β in a vertical direction ([0013], ll. 14-16, “the internal parameters of the image acquisition apparatus include a vertical field of view angle a2”), side lines of the field angle β are constituted by a first field-of-view boundary and a second field-of-view boundary, and the second field-of-view boundary is closer to the mower than the first field-of-view boundary (FIGS. 7-14 depicts angle a2 defining the field of view between two boundary lines, the furthest from the front end 106 is the first field-of-view boundary and the closest to the front end 106 is the second field-of-view boundary); and
the second field-of-view boundary and the horizontal axis intersect at a third intersection, and when the third intersection is in the positive direction of the horizontal axis, there is a distance between the first intersection and the third intersection (FIGS. 7-14 each depict a field of view boundary for angle a2 with the second field-of-view boundary intersecting the horizontal line in the traveling direction of the mower. Note, the broadest reasonable interpretation for the distance is any distance and as such it is taught by the distance in each of FIGS. 7-14).
Regarding claim 4, Andriolo discloses every limitation of claim 3, as outlined above. Additionally, Andriolo discloses wherein the distance is between 0 mm and 5 mm (FIG. 11 depicts a distance of 0 mm as the second field-of-view boundary overlaps with the vertical line. Other intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of the image acquisition apparatus would define the distance, including the installation distance x0, height h1, and the angles a1, a2, and a3, each of which are defined in the specification with reference to FIGS. 7-14 that would produce a distance of 500 mm or less).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 5-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Publication No. 2025/0036139 A1 (hereinafter “Andriolo”) in view of U.S. Publication No. 2021/0271247 A1 (hereinafter “Udagawa”).
Regarding claim 5, Andriolo discloses every limitation of claim 1, as outlined above. Andriolo fails to expressly disclose wherein the mowing device further comprises a camera mounting structure, and the camera is connected with the mower by the camera mounting structure.
However, Udagawa teaches wherein the mowing device further comprises a camera mounting structure, and the camera is connected with the mower by the camera mounting structure (FIG. 1B illustrates cameras 11 mounted on a pan angle adjustment mechanism 11b. [0027], ll. 1-3, “Each of cameras 11 (the left camera 11L and the right camera 11R) is held by a pan angle adjustment mechanism 11b.” Note, Andriolo discloses the camera is mounted on the mower and performs rotation; however, the corresponding structure is not identified, see FIG. 1).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have a mounting structure for mounting the camera on a mower, as taught by Udagawa (FIG. 1B), in Andriolo’s disclosure. One would have been motivated to modify Andriolo’s disclosure, by incorporating Udagawa’s disclosure, to improve camera functionalities (Udagawa: ¶ [0007]) and because it is a simple substitution of the means by which Andriolo is attaching the camera for another to obtain the predictability of mounting a camera with pan and rotation functionalities (see MPEP § 2143(I)(B)).
Regarding claim 6, Andriolo and Udagawa disclose every limitation of claim 5, as outlined above. Additionally, Andriolo discloses wherein the mower comprises a mower housing and a controller([0055], ll. 5-7, “The autonomous lawn mower 100 includes a body 101, a movement module 105, a mowing assembly 104, and a control module 103”).
Andriolo fails to expressly disclose the controller is disposed in the mower housing and is capable of controlling a rotation of the camera relative to the mower.
However, Udagawa teaches the controller is disposed in the mower housing and is capable of controlling a rotation of the camera relative to the mower ([0027], ll. 5-8, “The ECU 44 (a control unit C2) can control the angle of each camera 11 by controlling at least one of the pan angle adjustment mechanism 11b and the tilt angle adjustment mechanism 11c.” FIG. 1B depicts the ECU 44 within the vehicle body 12). The same motivation of claim 5 applies equally as well to claim 6.
Regarding claim 7, Andriolo and Udagawa disclose every limitation of claim 6, as outlined above. Additionally, Udagawa discloses wherein a battery pack is further disposed in the mower housing (FIG. 1B, battery 32 within autonomous work machine 10), and the battery pack is located at a rear part of the mower relative to the forward direction (FIG. 1B, battery 32 is located in the back, note the camera 11 is directed in the forward direction and opposite to the battery 32) and is used for providing a power source for the mower ([0033], ll. 7-10, “The work motor 22, the travel motors 26, and the blade height adjustment motor 100 are also connected to the battery 32, and receive power from the battery 32”). The same motivation of claim 5 applies equally as well to claim 7.
Regarding claim 8, Andriolo and Udagawa disclose every limitation of claim 7, as outlined above. Additionally, Andriolo discloses wherein the mower further comprises a motor and a mowing blade, the motor is disposed in the mower housing, the mowing blade is disposed at a bottom of the mower, and the motor is used for driving the mowing blade to rotate ([0061], ll. 1-4, “the mowing assembly 104 includes a cutting deck and a cutting motor for driving the cutting deck to rotate. At least one blade is disposed on the cutting deck, and the cutting deck is driven by the cutting motor to rotate.” FIG. 1 depicts the mowing assembly 104 underneath and within the autonomous lawn mower 100).
Regarding claim 9, Andriolo and Udagawa disclose every limitation of claim 8, as outlined above. Additionally, Udagawa discloses wherein the mower further comprises a driving traveling wheel and a driven traveling wheel (FIG. 1B, front wheels 14 and rear wheels 16), the driving traveling wheel is located at the rear part of the mower relative to the forward direction (FIG. 1B, rear wheels 16 located in the rear of autonomous work machine 10), the driven traveling wheel is located at the front part of the mower relative to the forward direction (FIG. 1B, front wheels 14 located at the front of autonomous work machine 10), and under a driving action of the driving traveling wheel, the mower travels on the traveling surface and drives the driven traveling wheel to rotate ([0032], ll. 1-9, “The travel motors 26 (a left travel motor 26L and a right travel motor 26R) are two electric motors (motors) attached to the chassis 12a of the autonomous work machine 10. The two electric motors are connected to the left and right rear wheels 16. The left and right rear wheels are independently rotated forward (rotated in an advancing direction) or rotated backward (rotated in a reversing direction) by using the front wheels 14 as driven wheels and the rear wheels 16 as driving wheels”). The same motivation of claim 5 applies equally as well to claim 9.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
U.S. Patent No. 11,464,161 (hereinafter “Phanco”) – Discloses an autonomous mower with a front camera and controller components within a housing of the autonomous mower. See Phanco, FIG. 1.
U.S. Publication No. 2021/0185906 A1 (hereinafter “Tsuruda”) – Discloses an autonomous travel work machine with a camera and controller components within a housing of the autonomous travel work machine. See Tsuruda, FIG. 2.
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/STUART D BENNETT/Examiner, Art Unit 2481