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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 4 recites the limitation "the future cleaning cycle" in line 1 of the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purposes of examination, the examiner is interpreting claim 4 to depend from claim 3.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1A2) as being anticipated by Renaud et al., US 2014/0263087 (Renaud).
Regarding claim 1, Renaud discloses an automatic swimming pool cleaner (abstract, REF 100, fig. 1) comprising a controller (see “processing device”, ¶ 0008) configured to:
Analyze input (vision, turbidity, etc. sensor data, ¶ 0008) related to a pool system; and
Define a future cleaning cycle (see “cleaning modes or path”, ¶ 0038) comprising a trigger (see “upon identifying debris”, ¶ 0009) based on the input, wherein the input comprises pool dirtiness (¶ 0029).
Regarding claim 2, Renaud discloses a cleaner further configured to define a future cleaning cycle without receiving a cleaning order from a user (see “upon identifying debris”, ¶ 0009).
Regarding claim 3, Renaud discloses a cleaner further configured to perform the future cleaning cycle based on occurrence of the trigger (see “upon identifying debris”, ¶ 0009).
Regarding claim 4, Renaud discloses a cleaner wherein the trigger to perform the future cleaning cycle comprises a pool dirtiness level (¶ 0009).
Regarding claim 5, Renaud is relied upon in the rejection of claims 1-4 set forth above. Renaud further discloses a method of automatically scheduling cleaning cycles for an automatic swimming pool cleaner, the method comprising analyzing an input related to a pool system and defining by the cleaner, a future cleaning cycle comprising a trigger as a cycle parameter based on the input (¶ 0008-0009).
Regarding claim 6 Renaud discloses a method further comprising causing the cleaner to perform the future cleaning cycle based on an occurrence of the trigger (¶ 0009).
Regarding claims 7-8, Renaud discloses a method further comprising defining an additional cycle parameter for the future cleaning cycle based on the input, wherein the additional cycle parameter comprises a cleaning pattern (see “cleaning modes or path”, ¶ 0038).
Regarding claim 9, Renaud discloses a method wherein the input comprises a pool dirtiness level (¶ 0009).
Regarding claim 10, Renaud discloses a method further comprising receiving the input from a user (see “for programming the docking station and/or the swimming pool cleaner”, ¶ 0007 and 0032).
Regarding claim 11, Renaud discloses a method further comprising receiving the input from at least one sensor or camera (see “vision system”, ¶ 0008).
Regarding claim 12, Renaud discloses a method further comprising providing the defined future cleaning cycle to a user (¶ 0032).
Regarding claim 13, Renaud discloses a method further comprising receiving supplemental input from a user after defining the future cleaning cycle and modifying the future cleaning cycle based on the supplemental input (see “manually control the position and/or the cleaning function of the cleaner”, ¶ 0032).
Regarding claim 14, Renaud discloses a method wherein the trigger for starting the future cleaning cycle comprises a pool dirtiness level (¶ 0009).
Regarding claims 15-20, Renaud is relied upon in the rejection of claims 5-14, where a non-transitory computer readable medium (¶ 0029) comprises the instructions for performing the method recited in claims 5-14.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DIRK R BASS whose telephone number is (571)270-7370. The examiner can normally be reached 8-4:30 EST Monday-Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Bobby Ramdhanie can be reached at (571) 270-3240. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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DIRK R. BASS
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1779
/DIRK R BASS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1779
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