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 .
This action is in response to the amendments filed 8/29/2025 in which claims 1, 7-8, 11-14 have been amended. Claims 6 and 10 have been canceled.
Claims 1-5, 7-9, 11-15 are rejected.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 8/29/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant primarily argues that the Zhou publication does not disclose or suggest a robotic working apparatus in which route setting within an enclosed area is automatically performed for a set small district, "wherein the enclosed area includes an area set to be outside the working area, and an overlap part of the working area and the enclosed area set as a small district in the working area" as recited in amended independent claim 1.
The Examiner respectfully disagrees because as defined in the instant specification:
A small district is a sub-area within the overall working area (“Wa”) that is created when a user sets an “enclosed area” (“Ea”) on the map interface of the robotic working apparatus. The small district is specifically the overlap part between the working area and the enclosed area. (see instant [0049] and [0056] of the instant disclosure). This means: a user can draw or define an enclosed area (Ea) using the screen interface (e.g., by drawing a rectangle, circle, or arbitrary shape, or by specifying coordinate points). The system then determines which portion of the enclosed area actually lies within the working area (Wa). The portion that overlaps—i.e., the intersection between Wa and Ea—is designated as the small district (Sd).
This small district can be assigned specific work instructions, such as different work frequency, intensity, or sequence, and the robot will automatically plan its route and actions for that area. Similarly, Zhou [0177] describes dividing a working region into multiple sub-working regions (sub-areas) based on the region’s boundaries, obstacles, passages, and other features. The paragraph explains that after division, the autonomous device (e.g., lawn mower) plans its path for each sub-region, and that an overlapping portion is provided between adjacent sub-regions, to ensure coverage on the portion between the adjacent sub-regions. Zhou’s disclosure of creating overlapping portions between sub-regions is functionally equivalent because both approaches result in a defined area that is the intersection or overlap of two (or more) regions. In Zhou, this overlap ensures that no area is left unworked due to division errors or navigation inaccuracies.
Accordingly, the Zhou publication teaches a robotic working apparatus in which route setting within an enclosed area is automatically performed for a set small district, "wherein the enclosed area includes an area set to be outside the working area, and an overlap part of the working area and the enclosed area set as a small district in the working area" as recited in amended independent claim 1.
The rejection is maintained.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-5, 7-9, 11-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being unpatentable by Zhou et al. (USPBPUB No. US 20190346848 A1) hereinafter referred to as “Zhou”.
Zhou teaches:
1. A robotic working apparatus comprising:
a working robot configured to perform work while autonomously traveling in a set working area; ([0028] “The dividing method for a working region of a self-moving device according to the above, further comprising: in a process of controlling the self-moving device to move in the working region”) and
a processor configured to control motion of the working robot and configured to partition and set the working area, ([0027] “The dividing method for a working region of a self-moving device according to the above, further comprising: detecting a vegetation growth condition in the working region; and dividing the working region based on the vegetation growth condition”; [0028] “The dividing method for a working region of a self-moving device according to the above, further comprising: in a process of controlling the self-moving device to move in the working region, obtaining map information of a path covered by the self-moving device; and updating a dividing strategy of the working region based on the map information; [0030] “a dividing unit, configured to divide the working region into a plurality of sub-working regions based on the boundary condition of the working region and the contour condition of the shaded region, a part of the shaded region in any sub-working region being a sub-shaded region”)
wherein the processor is configured to partition and set the working area, and to set a traveling route of the working robot, wherein partitioning and setting the working area includes setting an individual enclosed area overlapping with an existing working area. ([0038] “The dividing apparatus according to the above, wherein the dividing unit is configured to: divide the plurality of sub-working regions so that adjacent working regions of the plurality of sub-working regions have an overlapping portion.”; Also see [0222]-[0223],[0259])
wherein the enclosed area includes an area set to be outside the working area, and an overlap part of the working area and the enclosed area set as a small district in the working area, and wherein the setting of the traveling route includes automatically setting the traveling route for performing work within the small district. (Fig. 5, [0176], [0177] “In this embodiment, an overlapping portion is provided between adjacent sub-regions, to ensure coverage on the portion between the adjacent sub-regions. In this embodiment, the area of a region in which the autonomous lawn mower can work one time is estimated according to the capacity of a battery pack to determine the size of a section. In this embodiment, the working region may further be divided according to the growth of plants, so that the autonomous lawn mower works at higher cutting power for a longer cutting time in a region with dense plants and works at lower cutting power for a shorter cutting time in a region with sparse plants. In this embodiment, the working region may further be divided according to the priorities of regions. For example, a front yard and a back yard of a user are different sub-regions, so that the autonomous lawn mower works in the front yard and the backyard by using different working strategies. Certainly, the working region may further be divided according to comprehensive factors such as a quantity of obstacles.”)
2. The robotic working apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the enclosed area is set by a plurality of point coordinates inputted on a plane coordinate encompassing the working area. ([0159], [0161], [0162])
3. The robotic working apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the enclosed area is set by a plane figure which is drawn by an input to a screen corresponding to a plane coordinate encompassing the working area. ([0159], [0161], [0162])
4. The robotic working apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the enclosed area includes a first area and a second area adjacent to the first area which is set after the first area is set. ([0177], “In this embodiment, an overlapping portion is provided between adjacent sub-regions, to ensure coverage on the portion between the adjacent sub-regions. In this embodiment, the area of a region in which the autonomous lawn mower can work one time is estimated according to the capacity of a battery pack to determine the size of a section. “)
5. The robotic working apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the enclosed area includes a first area and a second area which is set after the first area is set and partially overlaps with the first area. ([0259] “In an example, in the dividing apparatus 600, the dividing unit 640 is configured to divide the plurality of sub-working regions so that adjacent working regions of the plurality of sub-working regions have an overlapping portion.”)
7. The robotic working apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the partitioning and setting the working area includes setting part of the working area other than the overlap part as a non-working district. ([0177], “In this embodiment, the working region may further be divided according to the priorities of regions. For example, a front yard and a back yard of a user are different sub-regions, so that the autonomous lawn mower works in the front yard and the backyard by using different working strategies. Certainly, the working region may further be divided according to comprehensive factors such as a quantity of obstacles.”;
8. The robotic working apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the partitioning and setting of the working area is performed by an external device which can communicate with the processor and can be operated by a user. ([0152], [154])
9. The robotic working apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the enclosed area on a screen can be identified by a color and/or a pattern, depending on a motion of the working robot in the enclosed area.([0152], “The mobile station 15 includes a first interface (not shown) for connecting to the housing of the autonomous lawn mower 1. When the autonomous lawn mower 1 is working, the mobile station 15 is installed at the housing 3 of the autonomous lawn mower 1.”; [0159], “To record the map, the intelligent terminal is installed on the mobile station and displays in real time information recorded by the mobile station.”; [0177] “According to the shape of the boundary, the boundary may further be divided into different sub-regions based on a portion with a regular shape and a portion with an irregular shape.”)
11. The robotic working apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the setting of the traveling route includes setting the traveling route to perform the work in the small district. ([0213] “FIG. 15(a) to FIG. 15(c) are schematic diagrams of performing division based on a shaded region according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 15(a) and FIG. 15(b), when a building is rectangular, a shaded region is also rectangular. Therefore, a direction of a narrow side of the shaded region is selected to perform division, so that the self-moving device walks in the direction of the narrow side of the shaded region.”)
12. The robotic working apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the setting of the traveling route includes setting the traveling route between a base and the small district. ([0170] “In the first embodiment of the present invention, DGPS positioning is implemented by using communication between the base station and the mobile station. The base station is disposed in several manners to enable the base station and the mobile station to reliably and efficiently provide navigation data to the autonomous working system. In this embodiment, the base station is disposed at the charging station and is powered by the charging station.” and [0172])
13. The robotic working apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the setting of the traveling route includes setting the traveling route such that the at least part of the traveling route is different from the traveling route set previously. ([0178] “After region division is completed, a path of the autonomous lawn mower in each sub-region is planned. A preset path of the autonomous lawn mower in each sub-region may be a regular path such as parallel paths and a spiral path or may be a random path.”)
14. The robotic working apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the processor is configured to set a work content in a set working area; and setting the work content includes setting of the work content such that the work content of the enclosed area is different from the work content of an area other than the enclosed area. ([0045] “The dividing apparatus according to the above, further comprising: a vegetation detection unit, configured to detect a vegetation growth condition in the working region, wherein the dividing unit is configured to divide the working region based on the vegetation growth condition.”)
15. The robotic working apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the work content includes at least one of a work time, a work frequency, a work sequence, and a work load. ([0190] “In the first embodiment of the present invention, the autonomous lawn mower may further autonomously determine a work schedule according to properties such as an area and a shape of a map. The work schedule includes a working time for each sub-region, a work order for the sub-regions, a quantity of times of covering each sub-region, and the like.”)
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANISS CHAD whose telephone number is (571)270-3832. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-4:00pm EST.
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/ANISS CHAD/
Supervisory Patent Examiner
Art Unit 3662