DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Status of the Claims
The amendment received on 15 December 2025 has been acknowledged and entered.
New claim 22 has been added. Claims 1-22 are currently pending.
Response to Amendments and Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 15 December 2025 with respect to claim interpretation have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. It is recommended that Applicant (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Applicant's arguments filed 15 December 2025 with respect to the rejection of claims 1-21 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. However, the Examiner notes again that Claims 17 and 20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if incorporated into all independent claims. Further, the Examiner asserts that "many of the difficulties encountered in the prosecution of patent applications after final rejection may be alleviated if each applicant includes, at the time of filing or no later than the first reply, claims varying from the broadest to which he or she believes he or she is entitled to the most detailed that he or she is willing to accept." MPEP 608.01(m).
Applicant argues (in REMARKS, pages 18-20 of 26) that Applicant respectfully disagrees with the Examiner's characterization that Ruth et al., alone or in combination with Hartmann-Haqparwar, Jang et al., Official Notice, McHale et al., Lo et al., Oshima et al., Karsten et al. and Miros et al. or any of the other references cited, renders Applicant's claimed disclosure obvious. Additionally, there is no motivation or incentive in Ruth et al., alone or in combination with Hartmann-Haqparwar, Jang et al., Official Notice, McHale et al., Lo et al., Oshima et al., Karsten et al. and Miros et al. or any of the other references cited, to arrive at Applicant's disclosure as claimed. It is respectfully submitted that Ruth et al., alone or in combination with Hartmann-Haqparwar, Jang et al., Official Notice, McHale et al., Lo et al., Oshima et al., Karsten et al. and Miros et al. or any of the other references cited, teaches away from Applicant's unique and innovative delivery system. Applicant's claimed disclosure recites an improved delivery system having a unique and advantageous orientation and combination of components which is more efficient, advantageous, and eliminates various negative features associated with the systems/devices disclosed in the cited references.
Applicant's claimed disclosure is directed toward an improved delivery system for delivering a delivery item which requires temperature control in which delivery according to a suppliable power amount of a power supply can be performed, a deliver item can be maintained at a predetermined temperature until completion of delivery and the quality of the delivery item can be maintained. Applicant's improved delivery system is able to accomplish these tasks as a result of its unique and advantageous arrangement and orientation of components and technical features which include, in part, the following:
a delivery possibility determination unit configured to execute a delivery possibility determination based on at least
i) power supply information and
ii) a travel speed of a delivery box, which is based on position information, and further based on
iii) a temperature adjustable time, in which a temperature adjustment of a delivery item at a predetermined temperature is possible, the temperature adjustable time being based on the power supply information, or
iv) a delivery prediction time, which is acquired based on the travel speed.
Accordingly, the determination is executed based on i) the power supply information and ii) the travel speed, and additionally, iii) the temperature adjustable time or iv) the delivery prediction time.
Specifically in this regard, independent Claim 1 sets forth Applicant's unique and innovative arrangement and orientation of components, reciting a delivery system including, in part, "the delivery possibility determination unit is configured to execute the delivery possibility determination based on at least i) the power supply information and ii) a travel speed of the delivery box, which is based on the position information, and further based on iii) a temperature adjustable time, in which the temperature adjustment of the delivery item at the predetermined temperature is possible, the temperature adjustable time being based on the power supply information, or iv) a delivery prediction time, which is acquired based on the travel speed." Ruth et al., alone or in combination with Hartmann-Haqparwar, Jang et al., Official Notice, McHale et al., Lo et al., Oshima et al., Karsten et al. and Miros et al. or any of the other references cited, does not disclose, teach or suggest, at least, any structure similar to a delivery system including, in part, "the delivery possibility determination unit is configured to execute the delivery possibility determination based on at least i) the power supply information and ii) a travel speed of the delivery box, which is based on the position information, and further based on iii) a temperature adjustable time, in which the temperature adjustment of the delivery item at the predetermined temperature is possible, the temperature adjustable time being based on the power supply information, or iv) a delivery prediction time, which is acquired based on the travel speed" as recited in independent Claim 1 of Applicant's claimed disclosure. Applicant's above described unique and innovative delivery system technical features are similarly recited in independent Claims 3, 14 and 15 of Applicant's claimed disclosure. There is no motivation or incentive in Ruth et al., alone or in combination with Hartmann- Haqparwar, Jang et al., Official Notice, McHale et al., Lo et al., Oshima et al., Karsten et al. and Miros et al. or any of the other references cited, to arrive at Applicant's disclosure as claimed. In fact, the cited references teach away from and articulate various disadvantages associated with the arrangement, configuration and orientation of components taught in Applicant's claimed disclosure.
In response to applicant’s argument that there is no teaching, suggestion, or motivation to combine the references, the examiner recognizes that obviousness may be established by combining or modifying the teachings of the prior art to produce the claimed invention where there is some teaching, suggestion, or motivation to do so found either in the references themselves or in the knowledge generally available to one of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Fine, 837 F.2d 1071, 5 USPQ2d 1596 (Fed. Cir. 1988), In re Jones, 958 F.2d 347, 21 USPQ2d 1941 (Fed. Cir. 1992), and KSR International Co. v. Teleflex, Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007). In this case, Ruth et al. is a powered climate controlled smartbox. Hartmann-Haqparwar teaches using the speed and/or acceleration of the delivery box for monitoring the position and driver’s behavior. Jang et al. teaches that controller may determine an amount of power required to maintain temperature of each of the articles delivered by a robot. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would modify Ruth et al. to include Hartmann-Haqparwar’s the speed to determine the position of the delivery box and include Jang et al.’s controller for determining the amount of power to maintain the required temperature of each article. Further, in regards to teaching away, the Examiner respectfully disagrees and notes that "[t]he prior art's mere disclosure of more than one alternative does not constitute a teaching away from any of these alternatives because such disclosure does not criticize, discredit, or otherwise discourage the solution claimed .... " In re Fulton, 391 F.3d 1195, 1201, 73 USPQ2d 1141, 1146 (Fed. Cir. 2004). .
Applicant argues (in REMARKS, pages 21-22 of 26) that Applicant respectfully submits that Jang et al. is silent about
- the temperature adjustable time, in which the temperature adjustment of the delivery item at the predetermined temperature is possible, and
- the temperature adjustable time is based on the power supply information, i.e., calculated based on the power supply information.
Specifically, the description of Jang et al. as discussed above merely refers to determining the delivery order based on the amount of electric power required to maintain the temperature of the article, thereby to improve battery efficiency. Jang et al. does NOT disclose, teach or suggest, from the above description, calculation of a temperature adjustable time and a method to calculate a temperature adjustable time based on power supply information. As discussed above, Jang et al. is consistently directed to determining delivery order and improving battery efficiency. Jang et al., from the above description, i.e., delivery order and battery efficiency, cannot enable deriving Applicant's delivery possibility determination as recited in independent Claims 1, 3, 14 and 15 of Applicant's claimed disclosure. It is noted that, at paragraph [0126], Jang et al. further states: The amount of power per unit time and the amount of power per unit distance may be interchangeable based on the moving speed of the robot 200. (Emphasis added). See Office Action at page 11.
It is noted that, this statement does NOTenable one to clearly derive, as recited in independent Claims 1, 3, 14 and 15 of Applicant's claimed disclosure:
- the travel speed of the delivery box, which is based on the position information, and
- the delivery prediction time that is used for the delivery possibility determination.
It is further noted that, at paragraph [0069], Jang et al. states: Embodiments of the present disclosure are to provide means to determine an optimal delivery route for effectively using the battery of robot 110. (Emphasis added). Also in this aspect, this object of Jang et al. is irrelevant to the delivery possibility determination as recited in independent Claims 1, 3, 14 and 15 of Applicant's claimed disclosure. None of Ruth et al., Hartmann-Haqparwar or Jang et al. disclose, teach or suggest, as recited in independent Claims 1, 3, 14 and 15 of Applicant's claimed disclosure, a delivery possibility determination based on iii) a temperature adjustable time, in which a temperature adjustment of a delivery item at a predetermined temperature is possible, the temperature adjustable time being based on power supply information, or iv) a delivery prediction time, which is acquired based on a travel speed. Assuming even if the above-discussed description of Jang et al. is combined with the delivery system of Ruth et al. or Hartmann-Haqparwar, the above factors/features iii) and iv) cannot be derived by a person skilled in the art.
In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986).
In response to applicant’s argument that there is no teaching, suggestion, or motivation to combine the references, the examiner recognizes that obviousness may be established by combining or modifying the teachings of the prior art to produce the claimed invention where there is some teaching, suggestion, or motivation to do so found either in the references themselves or in the knowledge generally available to one of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Fine, 837 F.2d 1071, 5 USPQ2d 1596 (Fed. Cir. 1988), In re Jones, 958 F.2d 347, 21 USPQ2d 1941 (Fed. Cir. 1992), and KSR International Co. v. Teleflex, Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007). In this case, Ruth et al. is a powered climate controlled smartbox. Hartmann-Haqparwar teaches using the speed and/or acceleration of the delivery box for monitoring the position and driver’s behavior. Jang et al. teaches that controller may determine an amount of power required to maintain temperature of each of the articles delivered by a robot. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would modify Ruth et al. to include Hartmann-Haqparwar’s the speed to determine the position of the delivery box and include Jang et al.’s controller for determining the amount of power to maintain the required temperature of each article.
Applicant argues (in REMARKS, page 23-24 of 26) that Ruth et al., alone or in combination with Hartmann-Haqparwar, Jang et al., Official Notice, McHale et al., Lo et al., Oshima et al., Karsten et al. and Miros et al. or any of the other references cited, does not disclose, teach or suggest Applicant's unique and innovative delivery system as recited in independent Claims 1, 3, 14 and 15 of Applicant's claimed disclosure. The deficiencies found in Ruth et al. are not corrected by the combination of Hartmann-Haqparwar, Jang et al., Official Notice, McHale et al., Lo et al., Oshima et al., Karsten et al. and Miros et al. or any of the other references cited. Additionally, there is no motivation or incentive in Ruth et al., alone or in combination with Hartmann-Haqparwar, Jang et al., Official Notice, McHale et al., Lo et al., Oshima et al., Karsten et al. and Miros et al. or any of the other references cited, to arrive at Applicant's disclosure as claimed. Accordingly, it is respectfully submitted that independent Claims 1, 3, 14 and 15, and all claims depending directly or indirectly therefrom (Claims 2, 4-13 and 16-21), are not obvious in light of and are patentable over Ruth et al., alone or in combination with Hartmann-Haqparwar, Jang et al., Official Notice, McHale et al., Lo et al., Oshima et al., Karsten et al. and Miros et al. or any of the other references cited.
In response to Applicant’s argument, the Examiner respectfully disagrees for reasons stated above regarding the rejection of claim 1 .
Applicant argues (in REMARKS, page 23-24 of 26) that accordingly, it is respectfully submitted that in view of Applicant's arguments set forth above and previously, Ruth et al., alone or in combination with Hartmann- Haqparwar, Jang et al., Official Notice, McHale et al., Lo et al., Oshima et al., Karsten et al. and Miros et al. or any of the other references cited, fails to disclose, teach or suggest several features that are recited in Applicant's claimed disclosure. As such, Applicant's unique and innovative delivery system is not disclosed, taught or suggested by Ruth et al., alone or in combination with Hartmann-Haqparwar, Jang et al., Official Notice, McHaleSeria et al., Lo et al., Oshima et al., Karsten et al. and Miros et al. or any of the other references cited. Without conceding to the correctness of the Examiner's comments thereto, Applicant respectfully submits that Claims 2, 4-13 and 16-21 are allowable, at least, for the same reasons given above for independent Claims 1 and 3, because Claims 2, 4-13 and 16-21 are ultimately dependent on either independent Claim 1 or independent Claim
In response to Applicant’s argument, the Examiner respectfully disagrees for reasons stated above regarding the rejection of claim 1.
Applicant argues (in REMARKS, pages 224-25 of 26) that it is respectfully submitted that in view of Applicant's arguments stated above and previously, Ruth et al. is an improper primary reference, Hartmann-Haqparwar, Jang et al., Official Notice, McHale et al., Lo et al., Oshima et al., Karsten et al. and Miros et al. are improper secondary references, and Applicant's claims are patentably distinct with respect thereto, as well as no teaching in existence to suggest the combination of any of the cited references. As set forth in MPEP § 2142, "the key to supporting any rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 103 is the clear articulation of the reason(s) why the claimed invention would have been obvious." As the U.S. Supreme Court noted in KSR Intl. Co. v. Teleflex Inc., "the analysis supporting a rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 103 should be made explicit." 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1396 (2007). The Federal Circuit has stated that "rejections on obviousness cannot be sustained by mere conclusory statements; instead, there must be some articulated reasoning with some rational underpinning to support the legal conclusion of obviousness. “In re Kahn, 441 F.3d 977 at 988, 78 USPQ2d 1329 at 1336 (Fed. Cir. 2006). In the Office Action, the Examiner's conclusory statements are insufficient to establish a prima facie rejection because no articulated reasoning with rational underpinning was given, and no explanation as to exactly how the combination or modification could have been made was provided. As a result, Applicant respectfully submits that the Examiner has failed to identify any motivation by one of ordinary skill in the art to combine or modify the art to arrive at the claimed disclosure other than the impermissible use of hindsight.
In response to applicant's argument that the examiner's conclusion of obviousness is based upon improper hindsight reasoning, it must be recognized that any judgment on obviousness is in a sense necessarily a reconstruction based upon hindsight reasoning. But so long as it takes into account only knowledge which was within the level of ordinary skill at the time the claimed invention was made, and does not include knowledge gleaned only from the applicant's disclosure, such a reconstruction is proper. See In re McLaughlin, 443 F.2d 1392, 170 USPQ 209 (CCPA 1971).
Applicant argues (in REMARKS, page 25 of 26) that, it is Applicant's view that the claims as written are not obvious in light of the cited art and fully comply with Section 103. As such, independent Claims 1, 3, 14 and 15 should be in condition for allowance. Further, because Claims 2, 4-13 and 16-21 depend from either independent Claim 1 or independent Claim 3, directly or indirectly, they are at least as limited, are similarly not taught by Ruth et al., alone or in combination with Hartmann-Haqparwar, Jang et al., Official Notice, McHale et al., Lo et al., Oshima et al., Karsten et al. and Miros et al. or any of the other references cited, and should also be in condition for allowance. In view of these remarks, Applicant respectfully requests the Examiner to reconsider and withdraw the Section 103 rejections to Claims 1-16, 18, 19 and 21.
In response to Applicant’s argument, the Examiner respectfully disagrees for reasons stated above regarding the rejection of claim 1.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier.
Such claim limitation(s) is/are:
“a temperature adjustment unit,” “a transmission/reception unit,” and “a delivery possibility determination unit” in claim 1;
“a control unit” and “the temperature adjustment unit” in claim 2;
“a delivery possibility determination unit” “a temperature adjustment unit,” “a transmission/reception unit,” and “a control unit” in claim 3;
“the control unit” and “the transmission/reception unit” in claim 4;
“the delivery possibility determination unit” in claims 6, 7, and 8, respectively;
“the delivery possibility determination unit, ” “a delivery prediction time acquiring unit,” and “a temperature adjustable time acquiring unit” in claim 9;
“the delivery prediction time acquiring unit” in claim 10;
“the temperature adjustable time acquiring unit” in claim 11;
“the temperature adjustable time acquiring unit” and “the temperature adjustment unit” in claim 12; and
“the delivery possibility determination unit” and “the temperature adjustment unit” in claim 13.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Examiner’s Note:
With respect to the Official Notice taken in the previous office action, Examiner notes the following discussion of Official Notice taken from the MPEP: To adequately traverse such a finding, an applicant must specifically point out the
supposed errors in the examiner's action, which would include stating why the noticed fact is not considered to be common knowledge or well-known in the art. See 37 CFR 1.1 1 I(b).
See also Chevenard, 139 F.2dat 713, 60 USPQ at 241 ("[I]n the absence of any demand by appellant for the examiner to produce authority for his statement, we will not consider this contention.").
A general allegation that the claims define a patentable invention without any reference to the examiner's assertion of official notice would be inadequate. If applicant
adequately traverses the examiner's assertion of official notice, the examiner must
provide documentary evidence in the next Office action if the rejection is to be maintained. See 37 CFR 1.104(c)(2). See also Zurko, 258 F.3dat 1386, 59 USPQ2d at 1697 ("[T]he Board [or examiner] must point to some concrete evidence in the record in support of these findings" to satisfy the substantial evidence test).
If the examiner is relying on personal knowledge to support the finding of what is known in the art, the examiner must provide an affidavit or declaration setting forth specific factual statements and explanation to support the finding. See 37 CFR 1.104(d)(2). If applicant does not traverse the examiner's assertion of official notice or applicant's traverse is not adequate, the examiner should clearly indicate in the next Office action that the common knowledge or well-known in the art statement is taken to be admitted prior art because applicant either failed to traverse the examiner's assertion of official notice or that the traverse was inadequate. If the traverse was inadequate, the examiner should include an explanation as to why it was inadequate. (MPEP § 2144.03(C))
Applicant has not "specifically pointed out the supposed errors in the Examiner's action, which would include stating why the noticed fact is not considered to be common knowledge or well-known in the art." For these reasons, the limitations for which Official Notice was taken in claim 4 is considered to be admitted prior art because Applicant has not proffered an adequate traversal.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claims 1-3, 5, 8-9, and 11-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ruth et al. (US Patent No. 10,627,157 B1) in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar (DE 102021000737 B3) and Jang et al. (US PG Pub. 20210096572 A1).
As per claim 1, Ruth et al. discloses a delivery system comprising:
a delivery box configured to store a delivery item and to be moved to a delivery destination (Ruth et al., col. 5, lines 55-61; According to embodiments, smartboxes 100a and 100b are secure containers for transporting contents (e.g., perishables such as foods, or drugs/medications) in a climate controlled environment comprising a non-toxic fluid medium, such as air or water); also see FIG. 1 [100a], FIG. 5 [500]; FIG. 6 [600] Smartbox); and
a management server configured to manage delivery of the delivery item using the delivery box (Ruth et al., col. 17, lines 63- col. 18, line 2; FIG. 7, control server 700 is a management server, such as a Dell® PowerEdge server embodied on a single server rack….causes control server 700 to communicate through network interface 710 with one or more smartboxes (for example, smartbox 600 shown in FIG. 6),
wherein the delivery box includes a power supply (col. 13, lines 15-26; Referring to FIG. 5, smartbox 500 includes an electrochemical cell 505, which maintains a stored electric charge which is available for use by systems of the smartbox. According to embodiments, electrochemical cell 505 is a battery, such as a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. According to other embodiments, electrochemical cell 505 is a fuel cell. Electrochemical cell 505 powers components of the smartbox associated with maintaining a property (such as temperature or humidity) of a non-fluid medium contained within a resealable enclosure of smartbox 500, including temperature sensor 515, humidity sensor 520, climate control interface 525 and HVAC module 530; also see FIG. 6, [630] Electrochemical cell),
a temperature adjustment unit configured to adjust a temperature of the delivery item with a power supplied from the power supply (Ruth et al., col. 6, lines 19-22; the climate control interface 12G may be self-contained and further include a heater, refrigerator, humidifier, or other apparatus for adjusting a property of a fluid medium contained in smartbox 100a); col. 14, lines 53-61; FIG. 5 [525] and
a transmission/reception unit configured to, via a communication network,
transmit information to the management server and receive information from the management server (Ruth et al., col. 17, lines 63- col. 18, line 2; FIG. 7, control server 700 is a management server, such as a Dell® PowerEdge server embodied on a single server rack….causes control server 700 to communicate through network interface 710 with one or more smartboxes (for example, smartbox 600 shown in FIG. 6),
the transmission/reception unit is configured to transmit power supply information, which includes at least a suppliable power amount of the power supply, to the management server (Ruth et al., col. 10, lines 3-28, In embodiments, such as for, example, where the smartbox has sufficient power resources, monitoring the smartbox's status may be performed actively or continuously, so as to provide control logic at, for example, one or more of a control server or delivery system enterprise application suite 210 with up-to-the-minute information. In other embodiments, such as for example, where the power resources are low, or where the smartbox may be expected to operate for a long or indeterminate period of time under the power provided by its own electrochemical cell or cells (e.g., battery or batteries), the monitoring performed at operation 240 may be periodic or asynchronous, so as to minimize the computational or signaling load at the smartbox, thereby conserving power resources of the smartbox); also see col. 20, lines 30-43 and 52-59;
the management server includes a delivery possibility determination unit configured to execute delivery possibility determination to determine whether the temperature of the delivery item can be maintained at a predetermined temperature by the temperature adjustment unit until the delivery item is delivered to the delivery destination (Ruth et al., col. 11, lines 14-35r; In this example, delivery context 310 can present challenges from both a security and a climate control perspective to the integrity of the contents. For example, if the contents include valuable and climactically sensitive items (e.g., food such as sushi) or drugs/medications, it may be undesirable to leave the contents in an open or exposed location. Smartboxes according to embodiments may recognize a delivery location as presenting delivery context 310 and apply a predetermined rule to, for example, information regarding the current temperature of the contents and the smartbox's prediction as to how long it can maintain a suitable climate within the smartbox. Depending on the determination, the smartbox may transmit a signal to a server, such as control server 700 in FIG. 7, reminding a human customer to come retrieve the contents. According to other embodiments, the control logic of the smartbox (e.g., in conjunction with the delivery systems enterprise application suite 210) may determine an alternative delivery point, such as a community locking infrastructure, where the smartbox can ensure the security and climate requirements of its contents with its available power); also see col. 20, lines 30-43 and 52-59; FIGS. 8 and 9,
the delivery possibility determination unit is configured to execute the delivery possibility determination based on at least
i) the power supply information (Ruth et al., col. 11, lines 29-35 According to other embodiments, the control logic of the smartbox (e.g., in conjunction with the delivery systems enterprise application suite 210) may determine an alternative delivery point, such as a community locking infrastructure, where the smartbox can ensure the security and climate requirements of its contents with its available power).
Ruth et al. does not explicitly disclose, however, Hartmann-Haqparwar discloses:
transmit a position information of the delivery box (Hartmann-Haqparwar: page 4, 4th ¶, The device 8 for automatically determining the local position of the delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F can, for example, be a GNSS-based device, for example based on NAVSTAR GPS and/or GLONASS and/or Galileo and/or Beidou , and/or a local or regional land based electronic positioning system based device., and
ii) a travel speed of the delivery box, which is based on the position information (Hartmann-Haqparwar: page 8, 3rd ¶; Detecting the speed of delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and/or the acceleration of delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and/or the inclination of delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and/or the mechanical vibration of the delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and/or a loading condition of the delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and or of the locking status of the delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F can be carried out by the central control device 10 in purely technical terms to monitor the delivery box driver, for example his driving behavior and his work behavior, that goes beyond monitoring solely on the basis of the delivery box position data, be used). Therefore. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Ruth et al. to include position and speed of the delivery box as taught by
Hartmann-Haqparwar in to perform continuous monitoring (Hartmann-Haqparwar: page 7, 1st ¶).
Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar does not explicitly disclose, however, Jang et al. discloses the delivery possibility determination is:
further based on
iii) a temperature adjustable time, in which the temperature adjustment of the delivery item at the predetermined temperature is possible, the temperature adjustable time being based on the power supply information (Jang et al.: [0124] In another embodiment, when articles are not of the same type, the controller 270 may determine an amount of power required to maintain temperature of each of the articles, and determine an order in which the articles are delivered based on the determined amount of power. When the articles are not of the same type, an amount of power required to maintain the temperature of each of the articles will also be different. Therefore, it may be more favorable for battery efficiency to deliver an article requiring a larger amount of power to maintain temperature thereof earlier); or
iv) a delivery prediction time, which is acquired based on the travel speed (Jang et al.: [0126] In an embodiment, the controller 270 may determine an amount of power required to maintain temperature of each article within a target range. The amount of power may be an amount of power per unit time or an amount of power per unit distance. The amount of power per unit time may refer to an amount of power generally required to maintain the temperature of the corresponding article, for example, for one minute or for one hour. The amount of power per unit distance may refer to an amount of power generally required to travel a distance of, for example, one meter or one kilometer while maintaining the temperature of the corresponding article. The amount of power per unit time and the amount of power per unit distance may be interchangeable based on the moving speed of the robot 200. The amount of power per unit time and the amount of power per unit distance may be expressed as an absolute value but may also be expressed as a relative level). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar to include the temperature adjustable time or a delivery predicted time as taught by Jang et al. to determine an amount of power (amount of power per unit time or per unit distance) required to maintain the temperature of each of the articles (Jang et al.: [0174]).
As per claim 2, Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. discloses the delivery system according to claim 1. Ruth et al. further discloses, wherein the delivery box includes a control unit configured to perform control process of the temperature adjustment unit (Ruth et al., col. 11, lines 14-35; In this example, delivery context 310 can present challenges from both a security and a climate control perspective to the integrity of the contents. For example, if the contents include valuable and climactically sensitive items (e.g., food such as sushi) or drugs/medications, it may be undesirable to leave the contents in an open or exposed location. Smartboxes according to embodiments may recognize a delivery location as presenting delivery context 310 and apply a predetermined rule to, for example, information regarding the current temperature of the contents and the smartbox's prediction as to how long it can maintain a suitable climate within the smartbox. Depending on the determination, the smartbox may transmit a signal to a server, such as control server 700 in FIG. 7, reminding a human customer to come retrieve the contents. According to other embodiments, the control logic of the smartbox (e.g., in conjunction with the delivery systems enterprise application suite 210) may determine an alternative delivery point, such as a community locking infrastructure, where the smartbox can ensure the security and climate requirements of its contents with its available power); also see FIGS. 8 and 9,
the transmission/reception unit is configured to receive, from the management server, a result of the delivery possibility determination (Ruth et al. FIG. 3, col. 12, lines 16-30, Upon determining that a local delivery vehicle is not yet available, smartboxes according to embodiments may, by performing a determination based on the application of predetermined rules to at least one of a time stamped value of the available charge in an electrochemical cell of the smartbox, a utility window of the contents, information about the expected availability of local delivery vehicles, or a forecast of the expected power demands for climate control and signaling of the smartbox, perform a determination as to whether to wait at the local anchored structure for the arrival of a local delivery robot, or request that the delivery vehicle take the smartbox to a different location where the security and climactic requirements of its contents may be better met.), and
the control unit is configured to perform the control process of the temperature adjustment unit based on the result of the delivery possibility determination received by the transmission/reception unit (Ruth et al., col. 13, line 57- col. 14, line 6; efficient management of the charge held in electrochemical cell 505 poses a mission-critical technical problem to the successful operation of smartbox 500. As discussed above, smartbox 500 may be deployed in anticipation of future satisfaction of one or more conditions, such as an order for their contents or an order for their contents followed by a cooking or preparation operation. As such, the control logic of smartbox 505 must manage its use of power resources in a way that strikes an effective balance between the need to be “smart” (for example, by remaining networked and able to adjust its operation in response to current factors), while at the same time, ensuring its ability to maintain a parameter of a non-toxic medium in the storage enclosure (such as the air temperature of a refrigerated space), and if necessary, hold enough energy in reserve to perform a terminal operation (such as cooking or portioning contents) and signaling completion of its task).
As per claim 3, Ruth et al. discloses a delivery system comprising:
a delivery box configured to communicate with a management server (Ruth et al., col. 17, lines 63- col. 18, line 2; FIG. 7, control server 700 is a management server, such as a Dell® PowerEdge server embodied on a single server rack….causes control server 700 to communicate through network interface 710 with one or more smartboxes (for example, smartbox 600 shown in FIG. 6),
the management server including a delivery possibility determination unit configured to execute determination whether a delivery item can be delivered (Ruth et al.:, col. 11, lines 14-35r; In this example, delivery context 310 can present challenges from both a security and a climate control perspective to the integrity of the contents. For example, if the contents include valuable and climactically sensitive items (e.g., food such as sushi) or drugs/medications, it may be undesirable to leave the contents in an open or exposed location. Smartboxes according to embodiments may recognize a delivery location as presenting delivery context 310 and apply a predetermined rule to, for example, information regarding the current temperature of the contents and the smartbox's prediction as to how long it can maintain a suitable climate within the smartbox. Depending on the determination, the smartbox may transmit a signal to a server, such as control server 700 in FIG. 7, reminding a human customer to come retrieve the contents. According to other embodiments, the control logic of the smartbox (e.g., in conjunction with the delivery systems enterprise application suite 210) may determine an alternative delivery point, such as a community locking infrastructure, where the smartbox can ensure the security and climate requirements of its contents with its available power); also see col. 20, lines 30-43 and 52-59; FIGS. 8 and 9
the delivery box configured to store the delivery item and to be moved to a delivery destination (Ruth et al., col. 5, lines 55-61; According to embodiments, smartboxes 100a and 100b are secure containers for transporting contents (e.g., perishables such as foods, or drugs/medications) in a climate controlled environment comprising a non-toxic fluid medium, such as air or water); also see FIG. 1 [100a], FIG. 5 [500]; FIG. 6 [600] Smartbox);
wherein the delivery box includes a power supply (Ruth et al.: col. 13, lines 15-26; Referring to FIG. 5, smartbox 500 includes an electrochemical cell 505, which maintains a stored electric charge which is available for use by systems of the smartbox. According to embodiments, electrochemical cell 505 is a battery, such as a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. According to other embodiments, electrochemical cell 505 is a fuel cell. Electrochemical cell 505 powers components of the smartbox associated with maintaining a property (such as temperature or humidity) of a non-fluid medium contained within a resealable enclosure of smartbox 500, including temperature sensor 515, humidity sensor 520, climate control interface 525 and HVAC module 530; also see FIG. 6, [630] Electrochemical cell),
a temperature adjustment unit configured to adjust a temperature of the delivery item with a power supplied from the power supply (Ruth et al., col. 6, lines 19-22; the climate control interface 12G may be self-contained and further include a heater, refrigerator, humidifier, or other apparatus for adjusting a property of a fluid medium contained in smartbox 100a),
a transmission/reception unit configured to, via a communication network, transmit information to the management server and receive information from the management server (Ruth et al., col. 17, lines 63- col. 18, line 2; FIG. 7, control server 700 is a management server, such as a Dell® PowerEdge server embodied on a single server rack….causes control server 700 to communicate through network interface 710 with one or more smartboxes (for example, smartbox 600 shown in FIG. 6), and
a control unit configured to perform control process of the temperature adjustment unit (Ruth et al., col. 11, lines 14-35r; In this example, delivery context 310 can present challenges from both a security and a climate control perspective to the integrity of the contents. For example, if the contents include valuable and climactically sensitive items (e.g., food such as sushi) or drugs/medications, it may be undesirable to leave the contents in an open or exposed location. Smartboxes according to embodiments may recognize a delivery location as presenting delivery context 310 and apply a predetermined rule to, for example, information regarding the current temperature of the contents and the smartbox's prediction as to how long it can maintain a suitable climate within the smartbox. Depending on the determination, the smartbox may transmit a signal to a server, such as control server 700 in FIG. 7, reminding a human customer to come retrieve the contents. According to other embodiments, the control logic of the smartbox (e.g., in conjunction with the delivery systems enterprise application suite 210) may determine an alternative delivery point, such as a community locking infrastructure, where the smartbox can ensure the security and climate requirements of its contents with its available power); also see FIGS. 8 and 9,
the transmission/reception unit is configured to transmit power supply information, which includes at least a suppliable power amount of the power supply, to the management server (Ruth et al., FIG. 8, col. 19, line 54-col. 20, line 6; In embodiments, the parameter received by the control server at operation 805 may be a measured parameter of the smartbox, including a value of a charge stored in an electrochemical cell of the smartbox, a value or code corresponding to a state of network connectivity (for example, an indication as to which wireless or wired network connections are available to the smartbox), or a value corresponding to a condition of the non-toxic fluid medium stored in the resealable enclosure. According to embodiments, the parameter received by the control server is measured at the smartbox (for example, a coordinate value corresponding to the smartbox's location measured using a GPS sensor, an acceleration value exceeding a specified threshold, a value of a temperature measured inside a resealable enclosure of the smartbox, a value of a temperature measured outside the smartbox, a value of a light intensity (e.g., radiant energy from the sun on the exterior of the smartbox), a value of a content in the smartbox, or a value corresponding to control input received at the smartbox (for example, a command to release one or more locks of the smartbox),
the transmission/reception unit is configured to receive, from the management server, a result of delivery possibility determination, which is made by the delivery possibility determination unit, whether the temperature of the delivery item can be maintained at a predetermined temperature by the temperature adjustment unit until the delivery item is delivered to the delivery destination (Ruth et al., col. 11, lines 14-35r; In this example, delivery context 310 can present challenges from both a security and a climate control perspective to the integrity of the contents. For example, if the contents include valuable and climactically sensitive items (e.g., food such as sushi) or drugs/medications, it may be undesirable to leave the contents in an open or exposed location. Smartboxes according to embodiments may recognize a delivery location as presenting delivery context 310 and apply a predetermined rule to, for example, information regarding the current temperature of the contents and the smartbox's prediction as to how long it can maintain a suitable climate within the smartbox. Depending on the determination, the smartbox may transmit a signal to a server, such as control server 700 in FIG. 7, reminding a human customer to come retrieve the contents. According to other embodiments, the control logic of the smartbox (e.g., in conjunction with the delivery systems enterprise application suite 210) may determine an alternative delivery point, such as a community locking infrastructure, where the smartbox can ensure the security and climate requirements of its contents with its available power); also see FIGS. 8 and 9, and
the delivery possibility determination based on at least
i) the power supply information (Ruth et al., col. 11, lines 29-35 According to other embodiments, the control logic of the smartbox (e.g., in conjunction with the delivery systems enterprise application suite 210) may determine an alternative delivery point, such as a community locking infrastructure, where the smartbox can ensure the security and climate requirements of its contents with its available power); and
the processor of the delivery box is configured to perform control process of the temperature regulator based on the result of the delivery possibility determination received by the transceiver (Ruth et al., col. 13, line 57- col. 14, line 6; efficient management of the charge held in electrochemical cell 505 poses a mission-critical technical problem to the successful operation of smartbox 500. As discussed above, smartbox 500 may be deployed in anticipation of future satisfaction of one or more conditions, such as an order for their contents or an order for their contents followed by a cooking or preparation operation. As such, the control logic of smartbox 505 must manage its use of power resources in a way that strikes an effective balance between the need to be “smart” (for example, by remaining networked and able to adjust its operation in response to current factors), while at the same time, ensuring its ability to maintain a parameter of a non-toxic medium in the storage enclosure (such as the air temperature of a refrigerated space), and if necessary, hold enough energy in reserve to perform a terminal operation (such as cooking or portioning contents) and signaling completion of its task).
Ruth et al. does not explicitly disclose, however, Hartmann-Haqparwar discloses:
transmit a position information of the delivery box to the management server (Hartmann-Haqparwar: page 4, 4th ¶, The device 8 for automatically determining the local position of the delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F can, for example, be a GNSS-based device, for example based on NAVSTAR GPS and/or GLONASS and/or Galileo and/or Beidou , and/or a local or regional land based electronic positioning system based device., and
ii) a travel speed of the delivery box, which is based on the position information (Hartmann-Haqparwar: page 8, 3rd ¶; Detecting the speed of delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and/or the acceleration of delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and/or the inclination of delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and/or the mechanical vibration of the delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and/or a loading condition of the delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and or of the locking status of the delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F can be carried out by the central control device 10 in purely technical terms to monitor the delivery box driver, for example his driving behavior and his work behavior, that goes beyond monitoring solely on the basis of the delivery box position data, be used). Therefore. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Ruth et al. to include position and speed of the delivery box as taught by
Hartmann-Haqparwar in to perform continuous monitoring (Hartmann-Haqparwar: page 7, 1st ¶).
Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar does not explicitly disclose, however, Jang et al. discloses the delivery possibility determination is:
further based on
iii) a temperature adjustable time, in which the temperature adjustment of the delivery item at the predetermined temperature is possible, the temperature adjustable time being based on the power supply information (Jang et al.: [0124] In another embodiment, when articles are not of the same type, the controller 270 may determine an amount of power required to maintain temperature of each of the articles, and determine an order in which the articles are delivered based on the determined amount of power. When the articles are not of the same type, an amount of power required to maintain the temperature of each of the articles will also be different. Therefore, it may be more favorable for battery efficiency to deliver an article requiring a larger amount of power to maintain temperature thereof earlier); or
iv) a delivery prediction time, which is acquired based on the travel speed (Jang et al.: [0126] In an embodiment, the controller 270 may determine an amount of power required to maintain temperature of each article within a target range. The amount of power may be an amount of power per unit time or an amount of power per unit distance. The amount of power per unit time may refer to an amount of power generally required to maintain the temperature of the corresponding article, for example, for one minute or for one hour. The amount of power per unit distance may refer to an amount of power generally required to travel a distance of, for example, one meter or one kilometer while maintaining the temperature of the corresponding article. The amount of power per unit time and the amount of power per unit distance may be interchangeable based on the moving speed of the robot 200. The amount of power per unit time and the amount of power per unit distance may be expressed as an absolute value but may also be expressed as a relative level). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar to include the temperature adjustable time or a delivery predicted time as taught by Jang et al. to determine an amount of power (amount of power per unit time or per unit distance) required to maintain the temperature of each of the articles (Jang et al.: [0174]).
As per claim 5, Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. discloses the delivery system according to claim 1. Ruth et al. further discloses, wherein the delivery possibility determination unit is configured to execute the delivery possibility determination based on delivery item temperature information relating to the temperature of the delivery item (Ruth et al., col. 20, lines 35-43; According to embodiments, method 800 comprises operation 810, wherein the control server determines an estimate of the charge remaining in the smartbox. In embodiments, the estimate of the charge is determined based on the application of one or more predetermined rules to a value of a parameter received at operation 805. As discussed above, in embodiments, effective management of the charge stored in the electrochemical cell(s) is mission-critical to the intended operation of the smartbox (for example, when delivering temperature-dependent contents, such as food or organs for donation), and the operating parameters provided from the control server to the smartbox must be consistent with maintaining a requisite level of charge at the electrochemical cell for the duration of the smartbox's mission, also see FIG. 8).
As per claim 8, Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. discloses the delivery system according to claim 1. Ruth et al. further discloses, wherein the delivery possibility determination unit is configured to execute the delivery possibility determination in a period from start of delivery of the delivery item until completion of the delivery (Ruth et al., col. 10, lines 14-28, In embodiments, such as for, example, where the smartbox has sufficient power resources, monitoring the smartbox's status may be performed actively or continuously, so as to provide control logic at, for example, one or more of a control server or delivery system enterprise application suite 210 with up-to-the-minute information. In other embodiments, such as for example, where the power resources are low, or where the smartbox may be expected to operate for a long or indeterminate period of time under the power provided by its own electrochemical cell or cells (e.g., battery or batteries), the monitoring performed at operation 240 may be periodic or asynchronous, so as to minimize the computational or signaling load at the smartbox, thereby conserving power resources of the smartbox).
As per claim 9, Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. discloses the delivery system according to claim 1. Ruth et al. further discloses, wherein the delivery possibility determination unit includes a delivery prediction time acquiring unit configured to acquire a delivery prediction time required to deliver the delivery item to the delivery destination and
a temperature adjustable time acquiring unit configured to acquire the temperature adjustable time in which the temperature adjustment unit is capable of adjusting the temperature of the delivery item to the predetermined temperature with the power supplied from the power supply (Ruth et al. , col. 13, line 57- col. 14, line 6; efficient management of the charge held in electrochemical cell 505 poses a mission-critical technical problem to the successful operation of smartbox 500. As discussed above, smartbox 500 may be deployed in anticipation of future satisfaction of one or more conditions, such as an order for their contents or an order for their contents followed by a cooking or preparation operation. As such, the control logic of smartbox 505 must manage its use of power resources in a way that strikes an effective balance between the need to be “smart” (for example, by remaining networked and able to adjust its operation in response to current factors), while at the same time, ensuring its ability to maintain a parameter of a non-toxic medium in the storage enclosure (such as the air temperature of a refrigerated space), and if necessary, hold enough energy in reserve to perform a terminal operation (such as cooking or portioning contents) and signaling completion of its task).
As per claim 11, Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. discloses the delivery system according to claim 9. Ruth et al. further discloses, wherein the temperature adjustable time acquiring unit is configured to acquire the temperature adjustable time based on at least a suppliable power amount of the power supply (col. 19, line 54- col. 20 line 6; According to still other embodiments, the estimate of remaining charge in an electrochemical cell is expressed as an estimate of when the charge in the electrochemical cell will run out or fall below a threshold value. For example, the threshold value may indicate a battery run time or a battery life, either of which may correspond to how long the smartbox can maintain a preferred or acceptable container environment. Numerous embodiments are possible and within the intended scope of this disclosure… Specifically, in embodiments, the control server determines the value of the operating parameter based at least in part on the estimate of the remaining charge in the electrochemical cell generated at operation 810. According to embodiments, as discussed further herein, at operation 815, the control server may determine the operating parameter based on a combination of the estimated remaining charge in the electrochemical cell and a further parameter).
As per claim 12, Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. discloses the delivery system according to claim 11. Ruth et al. further discloses, wherein the temperature adjustable time acquiring unit is configured to acquire the temperature adjustable time based on, additionally, a power consumption per unit time of the temperature adjustment unit. (Ruth et al., col. 19, lines 33-50, FIG. 8 illustrates operations performed by a control server in a method 800 for power management in a climate controlled smartbox according to embodiments. Method 800 may performed at a control server (for example, control server 415 shown in FIG. 4 or control server 700 in FIG. 7) or on an application executing on a mobile terminal or other computing platform. According to embodiments in which, for example, a smartbox (for example, smartbox 100a shown in FIG. 1) is deployed for a long duration or under conditions in which power usage is mission-critical (including where the smartbox may be making heavy use of power resources for signaling, positioning, or satisfying a terminal condition (such as by heating a dish)), method 800 begins with operation 805. In operation 805, the control server receives a value of a parameter from the smartbox. According to embodiments, the parameter may be received by the control server via a network, such as network 405 shown in FIG. 4; col. 19, line 54- col. 20 line 6)).
As per claim 13, Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. discloses the delivery system according to claim 1. Ruth et al. further discloses, wherein the delivery possibility determination unit is configured to execute the delivery possibility determination based on operation information relating to an operation state of the temperature adjustment unit (Ruth et al., col. 11, lines 14-35r; In this example, delivery context 310 can present challenges from both a security and a climate control perspective to the integrity of the contents. For example, if the contents include valuable and climactically sensitive items (e.g., food such as sushi) or drugs/medications, it may be undesirable to leave the contents in an open or exposed location. Smartboxes according to embodiments may recognize a delivery location as presenting delivery context 310 and apply a predetermined rule to, for example, information regarding the current temperature of the contents and the smartbox's prediction as to how long it can maintain a suitable climate within the smartbox. Depending on the determination, the smartbox may transmit a signal to a server, such as control server 700 in FIG. 7, reminding a human customer to come retrieve the contents. According to other embodiments, the control logic of the smartbox (e.g., in conjunction with the delivery systems enterprise application suite 210) may determine an alternative delivery point, such as a community locking infrastructure, where the smartbox can ensure the security and climate requirements of its contents with its available power); also see FIGS. 8 and 9).
As per claim 14, Ruth et al. discloses a delivery system comprising:
a delivery box configured to store a delivery item and to be moved to a delivery destination (Ruth et al., col. 5, lines 55-61; According to embodiments, smartboxes 100a and 100b are secure containers for transporting contents (e.g., perishables such as foods, or drugs/medications) in a climate controlled environment comprising a non-toxic fluid medium, such as air or water); also see FIG. 1 [100a], FIG. 5 [500]; FIG. 6 [600] Smartbox); and
a management server configured to manage delivery of the delivery item using the delivery box (Ruth et al., col. 17, lines 63- col. 18, line 2; FIG. 7, control server 700 is a management server, such as a Dell® PowerEdge server embodied on a single server rack….causes control server 700 to communicate through network interface 710 with one or more smartboxes (for example, smartbox 600 shown in FIG. 6),
wherein the delivery box includes a power supply (Ruth et al.: col. 13, lines 15-26; Referring to FIG. 5, smartbox 500 includes an electrochemical cell 505, which maintains a stored electric charge which is available for use by systems of the smartbox. According to embodiments, electrochemical cell 505 is a battery, such as a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. According to other embodiments, electrochemical cell 505 is a fuel cell. Electrochemical cell 505 powers components of the smartbox associated with maintaining a property (such as temperature or humidity) of a non-fluid medium contained within a resealable enclosure of smartbox 500, including temperature sensor 515, humidity sensor 520, climate control interface 525 and HVAC module 530; also see FIG. 6, [630] Electrochemical cell),
a temperature regulator configured to regulate a temperature of the delivery item with a power supplied from the power supply (Ruth et al., col. 14, lines 53-65, According to embodiments, climate control interface 525 may comprise or be communicatively connected to one or more HVAC modules 530. In embodiments, HVAC module 530 can be a refrigerator operating under power provided by electrochemical cell 505. In other embodiments, HVAC module 530 can be a heater operating under power provided by electrochemical cell 505, the output of which is sufficient to maintain the contents of resealable enclosure 510 at a serving temperature. In other embodiments, HVAC module 530 includes a heater having thermal output sufficient to cook (for example, by slow cooking, sous-vide, braising, baking, or searing) the contents of resealable enclosure 510), and
a transceiver configured to, via a communication network, transmit information to the management server and receive information from the management server (Ruth et al., col. 17, lines 63- col. 18, line 2; FIG. 7, control server 700 is a management server, such as a Dell® PowerEdge server embodied on a single server rack….causes control server 700 to communicate through network interface 710 with one or more smartboxes (for example, smartbox 600 shown in FIG. 6),
the transceiver is configured to transmit power supply information, which includes at least a suppliable power amount of the power supply, to the management server (Ruth et al., col. 10, lines 3-28, In embodiments, such as for, example, where the smartbox has sufficient power resources, monitoring the smartbox's status may be performed actively or continuously, so as to provide control logic at, for example, one or more of a control server or delivery system enterprise application suite 210 with up-to-the-minute information. In other embodiments, such as for example, where the power resources are low, or where the smartbox may be expected to operate for a long or indeterminate period of time under the power provided by its own electrochemical cell or cells (e.g., battery or batteries), the monitoring performed at operation 240 may be periodic or asynchronous, so as to minimize the computational or signaling load at the smartbox, thereby conserving power resources of the smartbox), also see col. 19, line 54-col. 20, line 6, and
the management server includes a processor configured to execute delivery possibility determination to determine, whether the temperature of the delivery item can be maintained at a predetermined temperature by the temperature regulator until the delivery item is delivered to the delivery destination (Ruth et al., col. 11, lines 14-35; In this example, delivery context 310 can present challenges from both a security and a climate control perspective to the integrity of the contents. For example, if the contents include valuable and climactically sensitive items (e.g., food such as sushi) or drugs/medications, it may be undesirable to leave the contents in an open or exposed location. Smartboxes according to embodiments may recognize a delivery location as presenting delivery context 310 and apply a predetermined rule to, for example, information regarding the current temperature of the contents and the smartbox's prediction as to how long it can maintain a suitable climate within the smartbox. Depending on the determination, the smartbox may transmit a signal to a server, such as control server 700 in FIG. 7, reminding a human customer to come retrieve the contents. According to other embodiments, the control logic of the smartbox (e.g., in conjunction with the delivery systems enterprise application suite 210) may determine an alternative delivery point, such as a community locking infrastructure, where the smartbox can ensure the security and climate requirements of its contents with its available power); also see FIGS. 8 and 9); and
the delivery possibility determination, based on at least
i) the power supply information (Ruth et al., col. 11, lines 29-35 According to other embodiments, the control logic of the smartbox (e.g., in conjunction with the delivery systems enterprise application suite 210) may determine an alternative delivery point, such as a community locking infrastructure, where the smartbox can ensure the security and climate requirements of its contents with its available power).
Ruth et al. does not explicitly disclose, however, Hartmann-Haqparwar discloses:
transmit a position information of the delivery box (Hartmann-Haqparwar: page 4, 4th ¶, The device 8 for automatically determining the local position of the delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F can, for example, be a GNSS-based device, for example based on NAVSTAR GPS and/or GLONASS and/or Galileo and/or Beidou , and/or a local or regional land based electronic positioning system based device., and
ii) a travel speed of the delivery box, which is based on the position information (Hartmann-Haqparwar: page 8, 3rd ¶; Detecting the speed of delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and/or the acceleration of delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and/or the inclination of delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and/or the mechanical vibration of the delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and/or a loading condition of the delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and or of the locking status of the delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F can be carried out by the central control device 10 in purely technical terms to monitor the delivery box driver, for example his driving behavior and his work behavior, that goes beyond monitoring solely on the basis of the delivery box position data, be used). Therefore. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Ruth et al. to include position and speed of the delivery box as taught by
Hartmann-Haqparwar in to perform continuous monitoring (Hartmann-Haqparwar: page 7, 1st ¶).
Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar does not explicitly disclose, however, Jang et al. discloses the delivery possibility determination is:
further based on
iii) a temperature adjustable time, in which the temperature adjustment of the delivery item at the predetermined temperature is possible, the temperature adjustable time being based on the power supply information (Jang et al.: [0124] In another embodiment, when articles are not of the same type, the controller 270 may determine an amount of power required to maintain temperature of each of the articles, and determine an order in which the articles are delivered based on the determined amount of power. When the articles are not of the same type, an amount of power required to maintain the temperature of each of the articles will also be different. Therefore, it may be more favorable for battery efficiency to deliver an article requiring a larger amount of power to maintain temperature thereof earlier); or
iv) a delivery prediction time, which is acquired based on the travel speed (Jang et al.: [0126] In an embodiment, the controller 270 may determine an amount of power required to maintain temperature of each article within a target range. The amount of power may be an amount of power per unit time or an amount of power per unit distance. The amount of power per unit time may refer to an amount of power generally required to maintain the temperature of the corresponding article, for example, for one minute or for one hour. The amount of power per unit distance may refer to an amount of power generally required to travel a distance of, for example, one meter or one kilometer while maintaining the temperature of the corresponding article. The amount of power per unit time and the amount of power per unit distance may be interchangeable based on the moving speed of the robot 200. The amount of power per unit time and the amount of power per unit distance may be expressed as an absolute value but may also be expressed as a relative level). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar to include the temperature adjustable time or a delivery predicted time as taught by Jang et al. to determine an amount of power (amount of power per unit time or per unit distance) required to maintain the temperature of each of the articles (Jang et al.: [0174]).
As per claim 15, Ruth et al. discloses a delivery system comprising:
a delivery box configured to communicate with a management server (Ruth et al., col. 17, lines 63- col. 18, line 2; FIG. 7, control server 700 is a management server, such as a Dell® PowerEdge server embodied on a single server rack….causes control server 700 to communicate through network interface 710 with one or more smartboxes (for example, smartbox 600 shown in FIG. 6),,
the management server including a processor configured to execute determination whether a delivery item can be delivered (Ruth et al., col. 17, lines 63- col. 18, line 2; FIG. 7, control server 700 is a management server, such as a Dell® PowerEdge server embodied on a single server rack….causes control server 700 to communicate through network interface 710 with one or more smartboxes (for example, smartbox 600 shown in FIG. 6),
the delivery box configured to store the delivery item and to be moved to a delivery destination (Ruth et al., col. 5, lines 55-61; According to embodiments, smartboxes 100a and 100b are secure containers for transporting contents (e.g., perishables such as foods, or drugs/medications) in a climate controlled environment comprising a non-toxic fluid medium, such as air or water); also see FIG. 1 [100a], FIG. 5 [500]; FIG. 6 [600] Smartbox),
wherein the delivery box includes a power supply (col. 13, lines 15-26; Referring to FIG. 5, smartbox 500 includes an electrochemical cell 505, which maintains a stored electric charge which is available for use by systems of the smartbox. According to embodiments, electrochemical cell 505 is a battery, such as a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. According to other embodiments, electrochemical cell 505 is a fuel cell. Electrochemical cell 505 powers components of the smartbox associated with maintaining a property (such as temperature or humidity) of a non-fluid medium contained within a resealable enclosure of smartbox 500, including temperature sensor 515, humidity sensor 520, climate control interface 525 and HVAC module 530; also see FIG. 6, [630] Electrochemical cell),
a temperature regulator configured to regulate a temperature of the delivery item with a power supplied from the power supply (Ruth et al., col. 14, lines 53-65, According to embodiments, climate control interface 525 may comprise or be communicatively connected to one or more HVAC modules 530. In embodiments, HVAC module 530 can be a refrigerator operating under power provided by electrochemical cell 505. In other embodiments, HVAC module 530 can be a heater operating under power provided by electrochemical cell 505, the output of which is sufficient to maintain the contents of resealable enclosure 510 at a serving temperature. In other embodiments, HVAC module 530 includes a heater having thermal output sufficient to cook (for example, by slow cooking, sous-vide, braising, baking, or searing) the contents of resealable enclosure 510),
a transceiver configured to, via a communication network, transmit information to the management server and receive information from the management server (Ruth et al., col. 17, lines 63- col. 18, line 2; FIG. 7, control server 700 is a management server, such as a Dell® PowerEdge server embodied on a single server rack….causes control server 700 to communicate through network interface 710 with one or more smartboxes (for example, smartbox 600 shown in FIG. 6), and
a processor configured to perform control process of the temperature regulator (Ruth et al.; col. 14, lines 24-34, According to embodiments, climate control interface 525 comprises a processor (for example, processor 535) controlled system for adjusting a property (for example, temperature, humidity, or particulate content) of the non-toxic medium in resealable enclosure 510. In embodiments, climate control interface 525 comprises a computer controlled flapper valve controlling the passage of air into and out of resealable enclosure 510. In such embodiments, climate control interface 525 may, in response to a control input from processor 535, open the valve to allow the passage of air in and out of resealable enclosure 510),
the transceiver is configured to transmit power supply information, which includes at least a suppliable power amount of the power supply, to the management server (Ruth et al., col. 10, lines 3-28, In embodiments, such as for, example, where the smartbox has sufficient power resources, monitoring the smartbox's status may be performed actively or continuously, so as to provide control logic at, for example, one or more of a control server or delivery system enterprise application suite 210 with up-to-the-minute information. In other embodiments, such as for example, where the power resources are low, or where the smartbox may be expected to operate for a long or indeterminate period of time under the power provided by its own electrochemical cell or cells (e.g., battery or batteries), the monitoring performed at operation 240 may be periodic or asynchronous, so as to minimize the computational or signaling load at the smartbox, thereby conserving power resources of the smartbox); col. 20, lines 30-43 and 52-59;
the transceiver is configured to receive, from the management server, a result of delivery possibility determination, which is made by the processor of the management server (Ruth et al., col. 17, lines 63- col. 18, line 2; FIG. 7, control server 700 is a management server, such as a Dell® PowerEdge server embodied on a single server rack….causes control server 700 to communicate through network interface 710 with one or more smartboxes (for example, smartbox 600 shown in FIG. 6), also see col. 20, lines 30-59, the control server determines an estimate of the charge remaining in the smartbox. In embodiments, the estimate of the charge is determined based on the application of one or more predetermined rules to a value of a parameter received at operation 805. As discussed above, in embodiments, effective management of the charge stored in the electrochemical cell(s) is mission-critical to the intended operation of the smartbox (for example, when delivering temperature-dependent contents, such as food or organs for donation), and the operating parameters provided from the control server to the smartbox must be consistent with maintaining a requisite level of charge at the electrochemical cell for the duration of the smartbox's mission),
whether the temperature of the delivery item can be maintained at a predetermined temperature by the temperature regulator until the delivery item is delivered to the delivery destination, and the processor of the delivery box is configured to perform control process of the temperature regulator based on the result of the delivery possibility determination received by the transceiver (Ruth et al., col. 11, lines 14-35; In this example, delivery context 310 can present challenges from both a security and a climate control perspective to the integrity of the contents. For example, if the contents include valuable and climactically sensitive items (e.g., food such as sushi) or drugs/medications, it may be undesirable to leave the contents in an open or exposed location. Smartboxes according to embodiments may recognize a delivery location as presenting delivery context 310 and apply a predetermined rule to, for example, information regarding the current temperature of the contents and the smartbox's prediction as to how long it can maintain a suitable climate within the smartbox. Depending on the determination, the smartbox may transmit a signal to a server, such as control server 700 in FIG. 7, reminding a human customer to come retrieve the contents. According to other embodiments, the control logic of the smartbox (e.g., in conjunction with the delivery systems enterprise application suite 210) may determine an alternative delivery point, such as a community locking infrastructure, where the smartbox can ensure the security and climate requirements of its contents with its available power; also see FIGS. 8 and 9), and
the delivery possibility determination, based on at least
i) the power supply information (Ruth et al., col. 11, lines 29-35 According to other embodiments, the control logic of the smartbox (e.g., in conjunction with the delivery systems enterprise application suite 210) may determine an alternative delivery point, such as a community locking infrastructure, where the smartbox can ensure the security and climate requirements of its contents with its available power).
Ruth et al. does not explicitly disclose, however, Hartmann-Haqparwar discloses:
transmit a position information of the delivery box (Hartmann-Haqparwar: page 4, 4th ¶, The device 8 for automatically determining the local position of the delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F can, for example, be a GNSS-based device, for example based on NAVSTAR GPS and/or GLONASS and/or Galileo and/or Beidou , and/or a local or regional land based electronic positioning system based device., and
ii) a travel speed of the delivery box, which is based on the position information (Hartmann-Haqparwar: page 8, 3rd ¶; Detecting the speed of delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and/or the acceleration of delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and/or the inclination of delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and/or the mechanical vibration of the delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and/or a loading condition of the delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and or of the locking status of the delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F can be carried out by the central control device 10 in purely technical terms to monitor the delivery box driver, for example his driving behavior and his work behavior, that goes beyond monitoring solely on the basis of the delivery box position data, be used). Therefore. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Ruth et al. to include position and speed of the delivery box as taught by
Hartmann-Haqparwar in to perform continuous monitoring (Hartmann-Haqparwar: page 7, 1st ¶).
Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar does not explicitly disclose, however, Jang et al. discloses the delivery possibility determination is:
further based on
iii) a temperature adjustable time, in which the temperature adjustment of the delivery item at the predetermined temperature is possible, the temperature adjustable time being based on the power supply information (Jang et al.: [0124] In another embodiment, when articles are not of the same type, the controller 270 may determine an amount of power required to maintain temperature of each of the articles, and determine an order in which the articles are delivered based on the determined amount of power. When the articles are not of the same type, an amount of power required to maintain the temperature of each of the articles will also be different. Therefore, it may be more favorable for battery efficiency to deliver an article requiring a larger amount of power to maintain temperature thereof earlier); or
iv) a delivery prediction time, which is acquired based on the travel speed (Jang et al.: [0126] In an embodiment, the controller 270 may determine an amount of power required to maintain temperature of each article within a target range. The amount of power may be an amount of power per unit time or an amount of power per unit distance. The amount of power per unit time may refer to an amount of power generally required to maintain the temperature of the corresponding article, for example, for one minute or for one hour. The amount of power per unit distance may refer to an amount of power generally required to travel a distance of, for example, one meter or one kilometer while maintaining the temperature of the corresponding article. The amount of power per unit time and the amount of power per unit distance may be interchangeable based on the moving speed of the robot 200. The amount of power per unit time and the amount of power per unit distance may be expressed as an absolute value but may also be expressed as a relative level). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar to include the temperature adjustable time or a delivery predicted time as taught by Jang et al. to determine an amount of power (amount of power per unit time or per unit distance) required to maintain the temperature of each of the articles (Jang et al.: [0174]).
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ruth et al. (US Patent No. 10,627,157 B1) in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar (DE 102021000737 B3) and Jang et al. (US PG Pub. 20210096572 A1) as applied to claim 2 above and in further view of Official Notice.
As per claim 4, Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. discloses the delivery system according to claim 2. Ruth et al. does not explicitly disclose, wherein the control unit is configured to, when the transmission/reception unit cannot receive the result of the delivery possibility determination from the management server, execute the delivery possibility determination. However, the Examiner takes Official Notice that it is old and well known in the delivery art to execute deliveries/drop-offs when transmission/reception is lost based on training/machine learning models. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to execute the determination of a delivery based on predetermined analysis/rules.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ruth et al. (US Patent No. 10,627,157 B1) in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar (DE 102021000737 B3) and Jang et al. (US PG Pub. 20210096572 A1) as applied to claim 5 above and in further view of McHale et al. (US PG Pub. 2017/0363349 A1).
As per claim 6, Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. discloses the delivery system according to claim 5. Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. does not explicitly disclose, however, McHale et al. discloses:
wherein the delivery possibility determination unit is configured to acquire the delivery item temperature information based on a temperature of a portion of the delivery box in which the delivery item is stored (McHale et al.: [0034] At least one temperature sensor 320 may be positioned in the internal compartment 316 to detect in real time a temperature corresponding to a temperature of one or more products 302 within the internal compartment 316 while the one or more products are in being transported in the delivery container to a delivery location. In some instances, a temperature sensor 320 may be positioned in contact with a product 302 within the internal compartment 316. Additionally or alternatively, one or more temperature sensors 320 may be positioned at one or more locations within the internal compartment 316). The Examiner interprets the sensor being in contact with a product to be a portion of the box/container. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. to include detecting/sensing the temperature within a portion of the container (including the item) to get a more accurate temperature.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ruth et al. (US Patent No. 10,627,157 B1) in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar (DE 102021000737 B3) and Jang et al. (US PG Pub. 20210096572 A1) as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Lo et al. (US Patent No. 11,861,544 B2).
As per claim 7, Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. discloses the delivery system according to claim 1. Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. does not explicitly disclose, however, Lo et al. discloses:
wherein the delivery possibility determination unit is configured to execute the delivery possibility determination before delivery of the delivery item is started (Lo et al.: ”FIG. 3).
The delivery order further includes handling parameters for controlling one or more properties of the secure space. The condition detection interface is for receiving a notification related to the specified condition. The rules engine is configured to determine whether the specified condition is satisfied. The rules engine is also configured to, responsive to determining that the specified condition is satisfied, generate a command to execute the delivery operation. Therefore. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. to include determining whether delivery is possible before delivery of an item as taught by Lo et al. in order to save time and resources from an incomplete delivery.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ruth et al. (US Patent No. 10,627,157 B1) in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar (DE 102021000737 B3) and Jang et al. (US PG Pub. 20210096572 A1) as applied to claim 9 above and in further view of Oshima et al. (US PG Pub. 2023/0084439 A1).
As per claim 10, Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. discloses the delivery system according to claim 9. Ruth et al. further discloses monitoring the status of the delivery smartbox (FIG. 10 [Status 1055 SPEED, DESTINATION}; col. 7, lines 31-38).
Ruth et al. does not explicitly disclose, however, Oshima et al. discloses wherein the delivery prediction time acquiring unit is configured to acquire the delivery prediction time based on at least a distance between the delivery box and the delivery destination and the travel speed of the delivery box (Oshima et al.: [1853] As illustrated in FIG. 210 and FIG. 211, control processor 11 of unmanned aerial vehicle 10 obtains the destination position, which is the position of the receiver of the package carried by unmanned aerial vehicle (one example of the first obtainment step), and the current position of unmanned aerial vehicle 10 (one example of the second obtainment step). Control processor 11 of unmanned aerial vehicle 10 performs the following processes based on this obtained data. Control processor 11 of unmanned aerial vehicle 10 calculates the expected delivery time t.sub.x=t.sub.c+L.sub.cx/V based on average travel speed V, distance L.sub.cx from the current position of unmanned aerial vehicle 10 to the destination point of the receiver, and current time t.sub.c. Expected delivery time t.sub.x is one example of the point in time at which unmanned aerial vehicle 10 will reach the receiver from its current position, also see [0033]). Therefore. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. to include prediction a delivery time as taught by Oshima et al. in order to make sure a transported item requiring cold or heat retention can achieve a certain level of temperature retention by delivery time (Oshima et al.: [1695]).
Claims 16 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ruth et al. (US Patent No. 10,627,157 B1) in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar (DE 102021000737 B3) and Jang et al. (US PG Pub. 20210096572 A1) as applied to claims 1 and 3 above and in further view of Karsten et al. (US PG Pub. 2020/0229645 A1) and Oshima et al. (US PG Pub. 2023/0084439 A1).
As per claim 16, Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. discloses the delivery system according to claim 1.
Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. does not further disclose, however, Karsten et al. discloses:
wherein the management server is configured to acquire a delivery prediction time, which is required to deliver the delivery item to the delivery destination using the delivery box (Karsten et al.: [0180] One or more of the IFC, third-party user device 310a, restaurant user device 310b, point of sale module 312, or server 313 may communicate with the customer user device 314 to provide information regarding the delivery or order (e.g., updates on the order status, estimated delivery time, etc.),
determine that delivery is possible, when the delivery prediction time is equal to or less than a temperature adjustable time, in which the delivery box is capable of adjusting the temperature of the delivery item (Karsten et al.: [0141]The computing device may be configured to determine a current location of the IFC 30 based on position data received from the position sensor. Using the current location, the computing device may be configured to automatically generate a boost request or beacon request based on a proximity to a delivery location. The computing device may determine a delivery location, such as via a user input defining the delivery location, via a user interface, or via ebbing received from a POS device. The computing device may compare the current location to the delivery location, and generate a boost request in response to the current location being within a predetermined boost threshold distance from the delivery location. The boost threshold distance may be a predetermined distance or estimated time to arrival sufficient to raise the temperature of the food product to an optimal (e.g., second) temperature. For example, the boost threshold distance may be 5 miles, 10 miles, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or other suitable value. The computing device may cause the boost request to be transmitted to the IFC 30. The processing circuitry 42 of the IFC 30 may then cause control of the electrical power supplied to at least one of the fan 38 or heating/cooling element to maintain the temperature of the food chamber 34 at a boost temperature or within a boost temperature band that is higher than the first temperature or temperature band). Therefore. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. to include determining the delivery time as taught by Karten et al. in order to deliver food at certain temperature (Karsten et al.: [0141]).
Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar Oshima et al. in view of Jang et al. and Karsten et al. does not explicitly disclose, however, Oshima et al. discloses:
the delivery prediction time is based on a distance between the delivery box and the delivery destination and the travel speed of the delivery box (Oshima et al.: [1853] As illustrated in FIG. 210 and FIG. 211, control processor 11 of unmanned aerial vehicle 10 obtains the destination position, which is the position of the receiver of the package carried by unmanned aerial vehicle (one example of the first obtainment step), and the current position of unmanned aerial vehicle 10 (one example of the second obtainment step). Control processor 11 of unmanned aerial vehicle 10 performs the following processes based on this obtained data. Control processor 11 of unmanned aerial vehicle 10 calculates the expected delivery time t.sub.x=t.sub.c+L.sub.cx/V based on average travel speed V, distance L.sub.cx from the current position of unmanned aerial vehicle 10 to the destination point of the receiver, and current time t.sub.c. Expected delivery time t.sub.x is one example of the point in time at which unmanned aerial vehicle 10 will reach the receiver from its current position, also see [0033]). Therefore. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar in view of Jang et al. in view of Karten et al. to include prediction a delivery time as taught by Oshima et al. in order to make sure a transported item requiring cold or heat retention can achieve a certain level of temperature retention by delivery time (Oshima et al.: [1695]).
As per claim 19, Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. discloses the delivery system according to claim 3.
Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. do not explicitly disclose, however Karsten et al. discloses:
wherein the transmission/reception unit is configured to receive, from the management server, the result of delivery possibility determination that delivery is possible, when a delivery prediction time (Karsten et al.: [0141]The computing device may be configured to determine a current location of the IFC 30 based on position data received from the position sensor. Using the current location, the computing device may be configured to automatically generate a boost request or beacon request based on a proximity to a delivery location. The computing device may determine a delivery location, such as via a user input defining the delivery location, via a user interface, or via ebbing received from a POS device. The computing device may compare the current location to the delivery location, and generate a boost request in response to the current location being within a predetermined boost threshold distance from the delivery location. The boost threshold distance may be a predetermined distance or estimated time to arrival sufficient to raise the temperature of the food product to an optimal (e.g., second) temperature. For example, the boost threshold distance may be 5 miles, 10 miles, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or other suitable value. The computing device may cause the boost request to be transmitted to the IFC 30. The processing circuitry 42 of the IFC 30 may then cause control of the electrical power supplied to at least one of the fan 38 or heating/cooling element to maintain the temperature of the food chamber 34 at a boost temperature or within a boost temperature band that is higher than the first temperature or temperature band);
is equal to or less than a temperature adjustable time, in which the delivery box is capable of adjusting the temperature of the delivery item (Karsten et al. [0141]).
Therefore. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. to include determining the delivery time as taught by Karsten et al. in order to deliver food at certain temperature (Karsten et al.: [0141]).
Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar in view of Jang et al. and Karsten et al. does not explicitly disclose, however, Oshima et al. discloses:
a delivery prediction time, which is required to deliver the delivery item to the delivery destination using the delivery box and is based on a distance between the delivery box and the delivery destination and the travel speed of the delivery box (Oshima et al.: [1853] As illustrated in FIG. 210 and FIG. 211, control processor 11 of unmanned aerial vehicle 10 obtains the destination position, which is the position of the receiver of the package carried by unmanned aerial vehicle (one example of the first obtainment step), and the current position of unmanned aerial vehicle 10 (one example of the second obtainment step). Control processor 11 of unmanned aerial vehicle 10 performs the following processes based on this obtained data. Control processor 11 of unmanned aerial vehicle 10 calculates the expected delivery time t.sub.x=t.sub.c+L.sub.cx/V based on average travel speed V, distance L.sub.cx from the current position of unmanned aerial vehicle 10 to the destination point of the receiver, and current time t.sub.c. Expected delivery time t.sub.x is one example of the point in time at which unmanned aerial vehicle 10 will reach the receiver from its current position, also see [0033] for delivery boxes). Therefore. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar in view of -- Jang et al. in view of Karsten et al. to include prediction a delivery time as taught by Oshima et al. in order to make sure a transported item requiring cold or heat retention can achieve a certain level of temperature retention by delivery time (Oshima et al.: [1695]).
Claims 18 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ruth et al. (US Patent No. 10,627,157 B1) in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar (DE 102021000737 B3) and Jang et al. (US PG Pub. 20210096572 A1) as applied to claims 1 and 3 above and in further view of Miros et al. (US PG Pub. 20190003757 A1).
As per claim 18, Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. discloses the delivery system according to claim 3. Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. do not explicitly disclose, however Miros et al. discloses:
wherein the management server is configured to determine whether the suppliable power amount is sufficient to deliver the delivery item using the delivery box,
when determining that delivery is not possible, and transmit a power supply recovery instruction information to the delivery box, when determining that the suppliable power amount is insufficient, and the delivery box is configured to be performed with charging of the power supply from an external power supply or replacement of the power supply to a spare power supply, when receiving the power supply recovery instruction information (Miros et al.: [0077] The refrigeration unit and/or the remote computer can send a message to the runner computer to ask the runner to stop delivery to plug in the unit to a power source or expose the solar panels to the sun or another light source, for example when the remaining power in the batteries is below a level needed to reach the expected destination based on the current power load, speed of travel of the unit (based on the GPS readings), and length of travel remaining to destination, and also to alert the runner computer if there is a malfunction with the unit (e.g., from an unexpectedly high or low internal space temperature). Therefore. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. to include power supply recovery instructions as taught by Miros et al. in order to utilize projected ranges to inform the runner or other users on the possible desire for additional charging of the battery to extend the range to a particular desired destination (Miros et al.: [0085]).
As per claim 21, Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. discloses the delivery system according to claim 3. Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. do not explicitly disclose, however Miros et al. discloses:
the transmission/reception unit is configured to receive, from the management server, a power supply recovery instruction information, when the management server determines that delivery is not possible and that the suppliable power amount is insufficient, and the delivery box is configured to be performed with charging of the power supply from an external power supply or replacement of the power supply to a spare power supply, when receiving the power supply recovery instruction information (Miros et al.: [0077] The refrigeration unit and/or the remote computer can send a message to the runner computer to ask the runner to stop delivery to plug in the unit to a power source or expose the solar panels to the sun or another light source, for example when the remaining power in the batteries is below a level needed to reach the expected destination based on the current power load, speed of travel of the unit (based on the GPS readings), and length of travel remaining to destination, and also to alert the runner computer if there is a malfunction with the unit (e.g., from an unexpectedly high or low internal space temperature). Therefore. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. to include power supply recovery instructions as taught by Miros et al. in order to utilize projected ranges to inform the runner or other users on the possible desire for additional charging of the battery to extend the range to a particular desired destination (Miros et al.: [0085]).
Claim 22 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ruth et al. (US Patent No. 10,627,157 B1) in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar (DE 102021000737 B3) and Jang et al. (US PG Pub. 20210096572 A1) as applied to claim 1 and in further view of Koshiba et al. (JP 2017172913 A) and Young et al. (US PG Pub. 20210090020 A1).
As per claim 22, Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. discloses the delivery system according to claim 1.
Ruth et al. does not further disclose, however Hartmann-Haqparwar discloses:
determining a travel speed on (Page 8, 3rd ¶; Detecting the speed of delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and/or the acceleration of delivery box 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F).
Jang et al. discloses determining a distance in [0126] The amount of power per unit distance may refer to an amount of power generally required to travel a distance of, for example, one meter or one kilometer while maintaining the temperature of the corresponding article. The amount of power per unit time and the amount of power per unit distance may be interchangeable based on the moving speed of the robot 200. The amount of power per unit time and the amount of power per unit distance may be expressed as an absolute value but may also be expressed as a relative level).
Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar and Jang et al. does not explicitly disclose, however, Koshiba et al. discloses:
wherein the delivery possibility determination unit is configured to execute the delivery possibility determination to acquire the delivery prediction time, which is required for delivery of the delivery item using the delivery box, based on the travel speed of the delivery box and a distance between the delivery box and the delivery destination (Koshiba et al.: page 5, 4th paragraph; The information related to the operation plan includes, for example, an operation plan number, departure date and time, estimated arrival date and time, required cold insulation time, required number of vehicles, and the like. Here, the operation plan number is a management number unique to each operation plan in the operation plan of at least one day. The departure date and time is the scheduled date and time when the article should be accommodated in the cold storage 100 and leave the delivery source base for delivery. The scheduled arrival date and time is the scheduled date and time when the cold storage 100 containing the articles arrives at the delivery destination. The estimated arrival date and time may be calculated in advance based on, for example, the distance from the delivery source facility to the delivery destination facility, the average speed of the transport equipment that transports the cool box 100, and the like. The necessary cool time is the cool time required for delivery (the time required to be maintained at a predetermined temperature). The required number is the number of cold storages 100 necessary for delivery). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar’s delivery box position information and travel speed in view of Jang et al.’s temperature-adjustable time in view of an estimated delivery time based on speed and distance as taught by Koshiba et al. to provide the user with the possibility of calculating an estimated time of arrival in advance of the scheduled delivery (Koshiba et al.: page 5, 4th paragraph).
Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar in view of Jang et al. and Koshiba et al.: does not explicitly disclose, however, Young et al. discloses:
determine that delivery of the delivery item is possible, when the delivery prediction time is equal to or less than the temperature adjustable time (Young et al.: [0032] If the in-transit delivery program 110A, 110B, 110C determines the package dimensions satisfy the preconfigured conditions (step 202, “Yes” branch), the in-transit delivery process 200 may continue to step 206 to receive real-time location data and travel data for the user recipient and the courier transporting the package. If the in-transit delivery program 110A, 110B, 110C determines the package dimensions do not satisfy the preconfigured conditions (step 202, “No” branch), the in-transit delivery process 200 may continue to step 204 to transmit an undeliverable message to the user. In at least one other embodiment, the preconfigured conditions may also include the fragility of the package or the item within the package, the hazardous nature of the item within the package, and a storage temperature sensitivity of the item within the package. For example, an item with a high storage temperature sensitivity may include items that must remain cold during transport, such as refrigerated foodstuffs); and {The Examiner interprets this to mean that based on preconfigured conditions, an item with a high storage temperature sensitivity cannot remain cold during transport}
determine that delivery of the delivery item is not possible, when the delivery prediction time is greater than the temperature adjustable time (Young et al.: [0032] If the in-transit delivery program 110A, 110B, 110C determines the package dimensions satisfy the preconfigured conditions (step 202, “Yes” branch), the in-transit delivery process 200 may continue to step 206 to receive real-time location data and travel data for the user recipient and the courier transporting the package. If the in-transit delivery program 110A, 110B, 110C determines the package dimensions do not satisfy the preconfigured conditions (step 202, “No” branch), the in-transit delivery process 200 may continue to step 204 to transmit an undeliverable message to the user. In at least one other embodiment, the preconfigured conditions may also include the fragility of the package or the item within the package, the hazardous nature of the item within the package, and a storage temperature sensitivity of the item within the package. For example, an item with a high storage temperature sensitivity may include items that must remain cold during transport, such as refrigerated foodstuffs). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Ruth et al. in view of Hartmann-Haqparwar’s delivery box position information and travel speed in view of Jang et al.’s temperature-adjustable time in view of Koshiba’s estimated delivery time to include the preconfigured conditions to determine if the item is deliverable or undeliverable based on conditions as taught by Young et al. to ensure the item is capable of delivery (Young et al.: [0032]).
Prior Art Discussion
Claims 17 and 20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
1) Wilkinson (US PG Pub. 20160371642 A1) discloses remote temperature control of product storage unit methods and apparatuses in which a temperature activation system has information that defines or is used to calculate an adjustment duration of time adjustment duration of time to cause the temperature control system to adjust the temperature within a temperature controlled compartment of the product storage unit to a desired temperature, and typically the adjustment durations of time it takes to adjust the temperature within the compartment to each of multiple different temperatures.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/F.A.N/Examiner, Art Unit 3628
/DANIEL VETTER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3628