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 .
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.
Joint Inventors
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 02/13/2024, 01/21/2025, 09/24/2025, and 11/11/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). A certified copy of this document has been placed in the file wrapper. As such, the effective filing date of the instant application is considered 05/28/2021, coinciding with the filing date of the Kingdom of Sweden application to which foreign priority was requested.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-6, 8, 10-11, 13, 16-19, 22, 24-28, 30, 32 and 34 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nishikawa et al. (WO2015040987A1, referred to as Nishikawa).
Regarding claim 1: Nishikawa discloses: A robotic lawn mower having a first end portion and a second end portion, the robotic lawn mower comprising a body, at least two drive wheels, at least one swivelable wheel, a control unit adapted to control the operation of the robotic lawn mower, a rotatable grass cutting disc having a rotation axis, and at least two electric motor arrangements, wherein the at least two drive wheels have a drive wheel axis with a center ([pg. 6-7, lines 44-12] The mower body 200 has a main body chassis 201 and a cover 202 that covers the opening of the main body chassis 201. The main body chassis 201 and the cover 202 are separately resin-molded. A housing 205 is formed by the main body chassis 201 and the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 are provided on the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 can be operated and visually checked by the user from the outside of the housing 205. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the grass cutter main body 200 has a front wheel 282 rotatably provided, a rear wheel as a drive wheel, and a rotary blade 244 rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 4. The rear wheels consist of left driven wheel 283 and right driven wheel 284 that are separately driven. Two front wheels 282 are provided side by side in the lateral direction of the mowing machine body 200. In this specification, the left-right direction is a direction along the center line B undefined 1. In addition, a traveling motor 230 for driving the left driving wheel 283 and a traveling motor 230 for driving the right driving wheel 284 are separately provided. The two running motors 230 are capable of forward rotation or reverse rotation, respectively. The rotation speed sensor 270 p separately detects the rotation speed of the two traveling motors 230. Both of the two traveling motors 230 are electric motors, both of which are supplied electric power from the power supply unit 210 to generate torque, and the two traveling motors 230 are both attached to the bottom 201 a of the main body chassis 201. That is, the two traveling motors 230 are arranged in the interior 203 of the housing 205. The bottom portion 201 a is, for example, a flat plate shape. A control board 248 is attached to the bottom part 201 a via a mount part 203 b, and a control part 220, a main body side communication part 250, and the like are attached to the control board 248. The control board 248 is disposed in front of the traveling motor 230 in a direction in which the grass cutter main body 200 travels forward. At least a part of the arrangement area of the control board 248 and at least a part of the arrangement area of the rotary blade motor 240 overlap in the bottom view of the grass cutter main body 200.) and are drivably connected to a first electric motor arrangement, wherein the at least one swivelable wheel has a corresponding swivel axis, wherein a swivel attachment axis, running through at least one swivel axis and being parallel to the drive wheel axis, is positioned between the second end portion and the drive wheel axis, and wherein the cutting disc is drivably connected to a second electric motor arrangement, wherein the cutting disc at least partly is positioned between the swivel attachment axis and the second end portion. ([pg. 7, lines 13-30] These two traveling motors 230 are independently controlled to rotate, stop, rotation speed, rotation direction and the like. Therefore, in the following description, the traveling motor 230 for driving the left driving wheel 283 will be referred to as "left wheel motor", the traveling motor 230 for driving the right driving wheel 284 will be referred to as "right wheel motor" There are cases to call. Further, the outer diameter of the left drive wheel 283 and the outer diameter of the right drive wheel 284 are the same. The two traveling motors 230 are connected to the axles 231 a of the left driving wheel 283 and the right driving wheel 284, respectively. The two axles 231 a are arranged concentrically on the center line B 1. When the grass cutter body 200 is viewed from the bottom, when the axle 231 a extends substantially at a right angle with respect to the direction in which the grass cutter main body 200 travels straight ahead Has been done. The traveling speed and traveling direction of the grass cutter main body 200 are determined by the rotational speed of the left driven wheel 283 and the rotational speed of the right driven wheel 284. For example, when the left driven wheel 283 and the right driven wheel 284 rotate at the same speed in the first direction, the grass cutter main body 200 moves straight ahead, that is, travels forward. On the other hand, when the left drive wheel 283 and the right drive wheel 284 rotate in the direction opposite to the first direction at the same speed, the grass cutter main body 200 runs backward. When the left drive wheel 283 and the right drive wheel 284 rotate in the first direction and the rotation speed of the left drive wheel 283 is higher than the rotation speed of the right drive wheel 284, the grass cutter main body 200 moves to the right Direction.)
Regarding claim 2: Nishikawa discloses: The robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein the rotation axis is positioned between the swivel attachment axis and the second end portion when the rotation axis passes through the cutting disc. ([Fig. 3] [pg. 6-7, lines 44-12] The mower body 200 has a main body chassis 201 and a cover 202 that covers the opening of the main body chassis 201. The main body chassis 201 and the cover 202 are separately resin-molded. A housing 205 is formed by the main body chassis 201 and the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 are provided on the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 can be operated and visually checked by the user from the outside of the housing 205. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the grass cutter main body 200 has a front wheel 282 rotatably provided, a rear wheel as a drive wheel, and a rotary blade 244 rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 4. The rear wheels consist of left driven wheel 283 and right driven wheel 284 that are separately driven. Two front wheels 282 are provided side by side in the lateral direction of the mowing machine body 200. In this specification, the left-right direction is a direction along the center line B undefined 1. In addition, a traveling motor 230 for driving the left driving wheel 283 and a traveling motor 230 for driving the right driving wheel 284 are separately provided. The two running motors 230 are capable of forward rotation or reverse rotation, respectively. The rotation speed sensor 270 p separately detects the rotation speed of the two traveling motors 230. Both of the two traveling motors 230 are electric motors, both of which are supplied electric power from the power supply unit 210 to generate torque, and the two traveling motors 230 are both attached to the bottom 201 a of the main body chassis 201. That is, the two traveling motors 230 are arranged in the interior 203 of the housing 205. The bottom portion 201 a is, for example, a flat plate shape. A control board 248 is attached to the bottom part 201 a via a mount part 203 b, and a control part 220, a main body side communication part 250, and the like are attached to the control board 248. The control board 248 is disposed in front of the traveling motor 230 in a direction in which the grass cutter main body 200 travels forward. At least a part of the arrangement area of the control board 248 and at least a part of the arrangement area of the rotary blade motor 240 overlap in the bottom view of the grass cutter main body 200.)
Regarding claim 3: Nishikawa discloses: The robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein the robotic lawn mower further comprises at least one protective wall that at least partly runs along, or adjacent, the second end portion, and extends from the body towards the ground G-during normal running. ([Fig. 3] [pg. 6-7, lines 44-12] The mower body 200 has a main body chassis 201 and a cover 202 that covers the opening of the main body chassis 201. The main body chassis 201 and the cover 202 are separately resin-molded. A housing 205 is formed by the main body chassis 201 and the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 are provided on the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 can be operated and visually checked by the user from the outside of the housing 205. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the grass cutter main body 200 has a front wheel 282 rotatably provided, a rear wheel as a drive wheel, and a rotary blade 244 rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 4. The rear wheels consist of left driven wheel 283 and right driven wheel 284 that are separately driven. Two front wheels 282 are provided side by side in the lateral direction of the mowing machine body 200. In this specification, the left-right direction is a direction along the center line B undefined 1. In addition, a traveling motor 230 for driving the left driving wheel 283 and a traveling motor 230 for driving the right driving wheel 284 are separately provided. The two running motors 230 are capable of forward rotation or reverse rotation, respectively. The rotation speed sensor 270 p separately detects the rotation speed of the two traveling motors 230. Both of the two traveling motors 230 are electric motors, both of which are supplied electric power from the power supply unit 210 to generate torque, and the two traveling motors 230 are both attached to the bottom 201 a of the main body chassis 201. That is, the two traveling motors 230 are arranged in the interior 203 of the housing 205. The bottom portion 201 a is, for example, a flat plate shape. A control board 248 is attached to the bottom part 201 a via a mount part 203 b, and a control part 220, a main body side communication part 250, and the like are attached to the control board 248. The control board 248 is disposed in front of the traveling motor 230 in a direction in which the grass cutter main body 200 travels forward. At least a part of the arrangement area of the control board 248 and at least a part of the arrangement area of the rotary blade motor 240 overlap in the bottom view of the grass cutter main body 200.)
Regarding claim 4: Nishikawa discloses: The robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein the robotic lawn mower further comprises a first arcuate protective wall that at least partly runs along the second end portion, and at least one further arcuate protective wall, the first arcuate protective wall and the further arcuate protective walls extending from the body towards the ground during normal running, the first arcuate protective wall and the further arcuate protective walls being radially separated. ([Fig. 3] [pg. 6-7, lines 44-12] The mower body 200 has a main body chassis 201 and a cover 202 that covers the opening of the main body chassis 201. The main body chassis 201 and the cover 202 are separately resin-molded. A housing 205 is formed by the main body chassis 201 and the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 are provided on the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 can be operated and visually checked by the user from the outside of the housing 205. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the grass cutter main body 200 has a front wheel 282 rotatably provided, a rear wheel as a drive wheel, and a rotary blade 244 rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 4. The rear wheels consist of left driven wheel 283 and right driven wheel 284 that are separately driven. Two front wheels 282 are provided side by side in the lateral direction of the mowing machine body 200. In this specification, the left-right direction is a direction along the center line B undefined 1. In addition, a traveling motor 230 for driving the left driving wheel 283 and a traveling motor 230 for driving the right driving wheel 284 are separately provided. The two running motors 230 are capable of forward rotation or reverse rotation, respectively. The rotation speed sensor 270 p separately detects the rotation speed of the two traveling motors 230. Both of the two traveling motors 230 are electric motors, both of which are supplied electric power from the power supply unit 210 to generate torque, and the two traveling motors 230 are both attached to the bottom 201 a of the main body chassis 201. That is, the two traveling motors 230 are arranged in the interior 203 of the housing 205. The bottom portion 201 a is, for example, a flat plate shape. A control board 248 is attached to the bottom part 201 a via a mount part 203 b, and a control part 220, a main body side communication part 250, and the like are attached to the control board 248. The control board 248 is disposed in front of the traveling motor 230 in a direction in which the grass cutter main body 200 travels forward. At least a part of the arrangement area of the control board 248 and at least a part of the arrangement area of the rotary blade motor 240 overlap in the bottom view of the grass cutter main body 200.)
Regarding claim 5: Nishikawa discloses: The robotic lawn mower according to claim 3,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein the first arcuate protective wall and the further arcuate protective walls partly are positioned between the cutting disc and the ground during normal running. ([Fig. 3] [pg. 6-7, lines 44-12] The mower body 200 has a main body chassis 201 and a cover 202 that covers the opening of the main body chassis 201. The main body chassis 201 and the cover 202 are separately resin-molded. A housing 205 is formed by the main body chassis 201 and the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 are provided on the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 can be operated and visually checked by the user from the outside of the housing 205. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the grass cutter main body 200 has a front wheel 282 rotatably provided, a rear wheel as a drive wheel, and a rotary blade 244 rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 4. The rear wheels consist of left driven wheel 283 and right driven wheel 284 that are separately driven. Two front wheels 282 are provided side by side in the lateral direction of the mowing machine body 200. In this specification, the left-right direction is a direction along the center line B undefined 1. In addition, a traveling motor 230 for driving the left driving wheel 283 and a traveling motor 230 for driving the right driving wheel 284 are separately provided. The two running motors 230 are capable of forward rotation or reverse rotation, respectively. The rotation speed sensor 270 p separately detects the rotation speed of the two traveling motors 230. Both of the two traveling motors 230 are electric motors, both of which are supplied electric power from the power supply unit 210 to generate torque, and the two traveling motors 230 are both attached to the bottom 201 a of the main body chassis 201. That is, the two traveling motors 230 are arranged in the interior 203 of the housing 205. The bottom portion 201 a is, for example, a flat plate shape. A control board 248 is attached to the bottom part 201 a via a mount part 203 b, and a control part 220, a main body side communication part 250, and the like are attached to the control board 248. The control board 248 is disposed in front of the traveling motor 230 in a direction in which the grass cutter main body 200 travels forward. At least a part of the arrangement area of the control board 248 and at least a part of the arrangement area of the rotary blade motor 240 overlap in the bottom view of the grass cutter main body 200.)
Regarding claim 6: Nishikawa discloses: The robotic lawn mower according to claim 3,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein the first arcuate protective wall and the further arcuate protective walls at least mainly follow respective protective wall arcs, wherein all protective wall arcs have a common center, and the common center is a center of the drive wheel axis. ([Fig. 3] [pg. 6-7, lines 44-12] The mower body 200 has a main body chassis 201 and a cover 202 that covers the opening of the main body chassis 201. The main body chassis 201 and the cover 202 are separately resin-molded. A housing 205 is formed by the main body chassis 201 and the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 are provided on the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 can be operated and visually checked by the user from the outside of the housing 205. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the grass cutter main body 200 has a front wheel 282 rotatably provided, a rear wheel as a drive wheel, and a rotary blade 244 rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 4. The rear wheels consist of left driven wheel 283 and right driven wheel 284 that are separately driven. Two front wheels 282 are provided side by side in the lateral direction of the mowing machine body 200. In this specification, the left-right direction is a direction along the center line B undefined 1. In addition, a traveling motor 230 for driving the left driving wheel 283 and a traveling motor 230 for driving the right driving wheel 284 are separately provided. The two running motors 230 are capable of forward rotation or reverse rotation, respectively. The rotation speed sensor 270 p separately detects the rotation speed of the two traveling motors 230. Both of the two traveling motors 230 are electric motors, both of which are supplied electric power from the power supply unit 210 to generate torque, and the two traveling motors 230 are both attached to the bottom 201 a of the main body chassis 201. That is, the two traveling motors 230 are arranged in the interior 203 of the housing 205. The bottom portion 201 a is, for example, a flat plate shape. A control board 248 is attached to the bottom part 201 a via a mount part 203 b, and a control part 220, a main body side communication part 250, and the like are attached to the control board 248. The control board 248 is disposed in front of the traveling motor 230 in a direction in which the grass cutter main body 200 travels forward. At least a part of the arrangement area of the control board 248 and at least a part of the arrangement area of the rotary blade motor 240 overlap in the bottom view of the grass cutter main body 200.)
Regarding claim 8: Nishikawa discloses: The robotic lawn mower according to claim 3,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein an arcuate extension of at least one protective wall, at least mainly following a respective protective wall arc, comprises tapered end portions, and wherein the second electric motor arrangement is positioned closer to the drive wheel axis than the rotation axis. ([Fig. 3] [pg. 6-7, lines 44-12] The mower body 200 has a main body chassis 201 and a cover 202 that covers the opening of the main body chassis 201. The main body chassis 201 and the cover 202 are separately resin-molded. A housing 205 is formed by the main body chassis 201 and the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 are provided on the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 can be operated and visually checked by the user from the outside of the housing 205. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the grass cutter main body 200 has a front wheel 282 rotatably provided, a rear wheel as a drive wheel, and a rotary blade 244 rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 4. The rear wheels consist of left driven wheel 283 and right driven wheel 284 that are separately driven. Two front wheels 282 are provided side by side in the lateral direction of the mowing machine body 200. In this specification, the left-right direction is a direction along the center line B undefined 1. In addition, a traveling motor 230 for driving the left driving wheel 283 and a traveling motor 230 for driving the right driving wheel 284 are separately provided. The two running motors 230 are capable of forward rotation or reverse rotation, respectively. The rotation speed sensor 270 p separately detects the rotation speed of the two traveling motors 230. Both of the two traveling motors 230 are electric motors, both of which are supplied electric power from the power supply unit 210 to generate torque, and the two traveling motors 230 are both attached to the bottom 201 a of the main body chassis 201. That is, the two traveling motors 230 are arranged in the interior 203 of the housing 205. The bottom portion 201 a is, for example, a flat plate shape. A control board 248 is attached to the bottom part 201 a via a mount part 203 b, and a control part 220, a main body side communication part 250, and the like are attached to the control board 248. The control board 248 is disposed in front of the traveling motor 230 in a direction in which the grass cutter main body 200 travels forward. At least a part of the arrangement area of the control board 248 and at least a part of the arrangement area of the rotary blade motor 240 overlap in the bottom view of the grass cutter main body 200.)
Regarding claim 10: Nishikawa discloses: The robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein the control unit is adapted to control the robotic lawn mower to move towards a boundary such that the first end portion approaches the boundary; determine if a distance to the boundary fulfills a condition; and if so, the control unit is adapted to stop the robotic lawn mower; and to control the drive wheels to turn in mutually different directions such that the second end portion of the robotic lawn mower performs an arcuate movement along a cutting arc, enabling the cutting disc to cut grass within the cutting arc. ([pg. 6, lines 26-35] As shown in FIG. 5, the sensor unit 270 includes, for example, a distance sensor 270 a for measuring the traveling distance of the mowing machine body 200, an acceleration sensor 270 b for measuring the acceleration of the mowing machine main body 200, an object contacting to the mower body 200 The pressure sensor 270 d, the load sensor 270 e, the contact switch 270 f, the ultrasonic sensor 270 g for detecting the approach of the object to the mower body 200, the infrared sensor 270 h, the laser distance sensor 270 i, the rotary blade 244 A voltage sensor 270 k for detecting the remaining battery charge, a gyro sensor 270 m for detecting the angular velocity, a general purpose sound collecting element (for example, a microphone) 270 n, a rotational speed sensor 270 p, a rotational speed sensor 270 q, etc. . The rotation speed sensor 270 p separately detects the rotation speed of the two traveling motors 230, and the rotation speed sensor 270 q detects the rotation speed of the rotation shaft 243 of the rotary blade motor 240. ([pg. 7, lines 13-30] These two traveling motors 230 are independently controlled to rotate, stop, rotation speed, rotation direction and the like. Therefore, in the following description, the traveling motor 230 for driving the left driving wheel 283 will be referred to as "left wheel motor", the traveling motor 230 for driving the right driving wheel 284 will be referred to as "right wheel motor" There are cases to call. Further, the outer diameter of the left drive wheel 283 and the outer diameter of the right drive wheel 284 are the same. The two traveling motors 230 are connected to the axles 231 a of the left driving wheel 283 and the right driving wheel 284, respectively. The two axles 231 a are arranged concentrically on the center line B 1. When the grass cutter body 200 is viewed from the bottom, when the axle 231 a extends substantially at a right angle with respect to the direction in which the grass cutter main body 200 travels straight ahead Has been done. The traveling speed and traveling direction of the grass cutter main body 200 are determined by the rotational speed of the left driven wheel 283 and the rotational speed of the right driven wheel 284. For example, when the left driven wheel 283 and the right driven wheel 284 rotate at the same speed in the first direction, the grass cutter main body 200 moves straight ahead, that is, travels forward. On the other hand, when the left drive wheel 283 and the right drive wheel 284 rotate in the direction opposite to the first direction at the same speed, the grass cutter main body 200 runs backward. When the left drive wheel 283 and the right drive wheel 284 rotate in the first direction and the rotation speed of the left drive wheel 283 is higher than the rotation speed of the right drive wheel 284, the grass cutter main body 200 moves to the right Direction.)
Regarding claim 11: Nishikawa discloses: The robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein the center of the cutting arc is positioned along the drive wheel axis, or wherein the center of the cutting arc is positioned in the center of the drive wheel axis. ([Fig. 3] [pg. 6-7, lines 44-12] The mower body 200 has a main body chassis 201 and a cover 202 that covers the opening of the main body chassis 201. The main body chassis 201 and the cover 202 are separately resin-molded. A housing 205 is formed by the main body chassis 201 and the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 are provided on the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 can be operated and visually checked by the user from the outside of the housing 205. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the grass cutter main body 200 has a front wheel 282 rotatably provided, a rear wheel as a drive wheel, and a rotary blade 244 rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 4. The rear wheels consist of left driven wheel 283 and right driven wheel 284 that are separately driven. Two front wheels 282 are provided side by side in the lateral direction of the mowing machine body 200. In this specification, the left-right direction is a direction along the center line B undefined 1. In addition, a traveling motor 230 for driving the left driving wheel 283 and a traveling motor 230 for driving the right driving wheel 284 are separately provided. The two running motors 230 are capable of forward rotation or reverse rotation, respectively. The rotation speed sensor 270 p separately detects the rotation speed of the two traveling motors 230. Both of the two traveling motors 230 are electric motors, both of which are supplied electric power from the power supply unit 210 to generate torque, and the two traveling motors 230 are both attached to the bottom 201 a of the main body chassis 201. That is, the two traveling motors 230 are arranged in the interior 203 of the housing 205. The bottom portion 201 a is, for example, a flat plate shape. A control board 248 is attached to the bottom part 201 a via a mount part 203 b, and a control part 220, a main body side communication part 250, and the like are attached to the control board 248. The control board 248 is disposed in front of the traveling motor 230 in a direction in which the grass cutter main body 200 travels forward. At least a part of the arrangement area of the control board 248 and at least a part of the arrangement area of the rotary blade motor 240 overlap in the bottom view of the grass cutter main body 200.)
Regarding claim 13: Nishikawa discloses: The robotic lawn mower according to claim 10,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein the boundary is in the form of a boundary wire defining an operation area for the robotic lawn mower, wherein the control unit is adapted to stop the robotic lawn mower when the robotic lawn mower is positioned on the boundary wire, wherein the condition relates to a determined distance between the boundary wire and the robotic lawn mower falling below a first threshold, or wherein the boundary is in the form of an object, wherein the cutting arc has a closest arc portion that is closest to the object, wherein the condition relates to a determined distance between the object and the robotic lawn mower falling below a second threshold or the robotic lawn mower coming into contact with the object. ([pg. 6, lines 26-35] As shown in FIG. 5, the sensor unit 270 includes, for example, a distance sensor 270 a for measuring the traveling distance of the mowing machine body 200, an acceleration sensor 270 b for measuring the acceleration of the mowing machine main body 200, an object contacting to the mower body 200 The pressure sensor 270 d, the load sensor 270 e, the contact switch 270 f, the ultrasonic sensor 270 g for detecting the approach of the object to the mower body 200, the infrared sensor 270 h, the laser distance sensor 270 i, the rotary blade 244 A voltage sensor 270 k for detecting the remaining battery charge, a gyro sensor 270 m for detecting the angular velocity, a general purpose sound collecting element (for example, a microphone) 270 n, a rotational speed sensor 270 p, a rotational speed sensor 270 q, etc. .)
Regarding claim 16: Nishikawa discloses: The robotic lawn mower according to claim 10,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein the cutting arc has an angular extension that exceeds 1800, wherein the control unit is adapted to control the robotic lawn mower to continue moving when a second end center that has followed the extension of the cutting arc has reached an end of the cutting arc. ([pg. 15, lines 1-9]
The cutting mode 3 and the cutting mode 4 illustrate circle and quadrangular spiral shapes, for example. On the other hand, the user operates the input unit 150 or the main body side operation unit 290 to move the spiral shape, which is the running locus of the grass cutter main body 200, to another polygonal shape, for example, a triangular shape, a hexagonal shape, an octagonal shape You can select another clipping mode to be set. In the other clipping mode, one side of the polygon is lengthened as the running distance of the mower body 200 increases. Also, other cutting modes are. The amount of movement of the drive wheels positioned outside when the grass cutter main body 200 is turning is set to be inward such that the grass cutter main body 200 is turned at a desired internal angle at the apex of the polygon in the traveling locus of the grass cutter main body 200 The amount of movement of the driving wheels positioned is made larger.)
Regarding claim 17: Nishikawa discloses: The robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein the robotic lawn mower comprises at least one wire sensor adapted to sense a boundary wire control signal and/or at least one environment detection device adapted to detect objects, and/or at least one navigation sensor arrangement. ([pg. 6, lines 26-35] As shown in FIG. 5, the sensor unit 270 includes, for example, a distance sensor 270 a for measuring the traveling distance of the mowing machine body 200, an acceleration sensor 270 b for measuring the acceleration of the mowing machine main body 200, an object contacting to the mower body 200 The pressure sensor 270 d, the load sensor 270 e, the contact switch 270 f, the ultrasonic sensor 270 g for detecting the approach of the object to the mower body 200, the infrared sensor 270 h, the laser distance sensor 270 i, the rotary blade 244 A voltage sensor 270 k for detecting the remaining battery charge, a gyro sensor 270 m for detecting the angular velocity, a general purpose sound collecting element (for example, a microphone) 270 n, a rotational speed sensor 270 p, a rotational speed sensor 270 q, etc. . The rotation speed sensor 270 p separately detects the rotation speed of the two traveling motors 230, and the rotation speed sensor 270 q detects the rotation speed of the rotation shaft 243 of the rotary blade motor 240.)
Regarding claim 18: Nishikawa discloses: The robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein the robotic lawn mower is adapted for a forward travelling direction and a reverse travelling direction, wherein the first end portion is facing the forward travelling direction and the second end portion is facing the reverse travelling direction. ([pg. 7, lines 13-30] These two traveling motors 230 are independently controlled to rotate, stop, rotation speed, rotation direction and the like. Therefore, in the following description, the traveling motor 230 for driving the left driving wheel 283 will be referred to as "left wheel motor", the traveling motor 230 for driving the right driving wheel 284 will be referred to as "right wheel motor" There are cases to call. Further, the outer diameter of the left drive wheel 283 and the outer diameter of the right drive wheel 284 are the same. The two traveling motors 230 are connected to the axles 231 a of the left driving wheel 283 and the right driving wheel 284, respectively. The two axles 231 a are arranged concentrically on the center line B 1. When the grass cutter body 200 is viewed from the bottom, when the axle 231 a extends substantially at a right angle with respect to the direction in which the grass cutter main body 200 travels straight ahead Has been done. The traveling speed and traveling direction of the grass cutter main body 200 are determined by the rotational speed of the left driven wheel 283 and the rotational speed of the right driven wheel 284. For example, when the left driven wheel 283 and the right driven wheel 284 rotate at the same speed in the first direction, the grass cutter main body 200 moves straight ahead, that is, travels forward. On the other hand, when the left drive wheel 283 and the right drive wheel 284 rotate in the direction opposite to the first direction at the same speed, the grass cutter main body 200 runs backward. When the left drive wheel 283 and the right drive wheel 284 rotate in the first direction and the rotation speed of the left drive wheel 283 is higher than the rotation speed of the right drive wheel 284, the grass cutter main body 200 moves to the right Direction.)
Regarding claim 19: Nishikawa discloses: The robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein the robotic lawn mower comprises a cutting disc arrangement, wherein the cutting disc arrangement comprises a cover part that in turn comprises cutting apertures, wherein the cover part is positioned between the cutting disc and the ground during normal running and at least mainly covers the side of the cutting disc that faces the ground during normal running, and wherein the cutting disc arrangement is displaceable such that a distance between the cutting disc and the ground can be adjusted, or the front part comprises housing walls that at least partly encompass the cutting disc. ([Fig. 3] [pg. 6-7, lines 44-12] The mower body 200 has a main body chassis 201 and a cover 202 that covers the opening of the main body chassis 201. The main body chassis 201 and the cover 202 are separately resin-molded. A housing 205 is formed by the main body chassis 201 and the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 are provided on the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 can be operated and visually checked by the user from the outside of the housing 205. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the grass cutter main body 200 has a front wheel 282 rotatably provided, a rear wheel as a drive wheel, and a rotary blade 244 rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 4. The rear wheels consist of left driven wheel 283 and right driven wheel 284 that are separately driven. Two front wheels 282 are provided side by side in the lateral direction of the mowing machine body 200. In this specification, the left-right direction is a direction along the center line B undefined 1. In addition, a traveling motor 230 for driving the left driving wheel 283 and a traveling motor 230 for driving the right driving wheel 284 are separately provided. The two running motors 230 are capable of forward rotation or reverse rotation, respectively. The rotation speed sensor 270 p separately detects the rotation speed of the two traveling motors 230. Both of the two traveling motors 230 are electric motors, both of which are supplied electric power from the power supply unit 210 to generate torque, and the two traveling motors 230 are both attached to the bottom 201 a of the main body chassis 201. That is, the two traveling motors 230 are arranged in the interior 203 of the housing 205. The bottom portion 201 a is, for example, a flat plate shape. A control board 248 is attached to the bottom part 201 a via a mount part 203 b, and a control part 220, a main body side communication part 250, and the like are attached to the control board 248. The control board 248 is disposed in front of the traveling motor 230 in a direction in which the grass cutter main body 200 travels forward. At least a part of the arrangement area of the control board 248 and at least a part of the arrangement area of the rotary blade motor 240 overlap in the bottom view of the grass cutter main body 200.)
Regarding claim 22: Nishikawa discloses: The robotic lawn mower according to claim 19,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein the cutting disc arrangement also comprises one or more protective walls that at least partly run along the second end portion, wherein the one or more protective walls extend from the body towards the ground during normal running and are radially separated, and wherein the one or more protective walls are divided into two parts that are separated by the cutting disc and the cover part. ([Fig. 3] [pg. 6-7, lines 44-12] The mower body 200 has a main body chassis 201 and a cover 202 that covers the opening of the main body chassis 201. The main body chassis 201 and the cover 202 are separately resin-molded. A housing 205 is formed by the main body chassis 201 and the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 are provided on the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 can be operated and visually checked by the user from the outside of the housing 205. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the grass cutter main body 200 has a front wheel 282 rotatably provided, a rear wheel as a drive wheel, and a rotary blade 244 rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 4. The rear wheels consist of left driven wheel 283 and right driven wheel 284 that are separately driven. Two front wheels 282 are provided side by side in the lateral direction of the mowing machine body 200. In this specification, the left-right direction is a direction along the center line B undefined 1. In addition, a traveling motor 230 for driving the left driving wheel 283 and a traveling motor 230 for driving the right driving wheel 284 are separately provided. The two running motors 230 are capable of forward rotation or reverse rotation, respectively. The rotation speed sensor 270 p separately detects the rotation speed of the two traveling motors 230. Both of the two traveling motors 230 are electric motors, both of which are supplied electric power from the power supply unit 210 to generate torque, and the two traveling motors 230 are both attached to the bottom 201 a of the main body chassis 201. That is, the two traveling motors 230 are arranged in the interior 203 of the housing 205. The bottom portion 201 a is, for example, a flat plate shape. A control board 248 is attached to the bottom part 201 a via a mount part 203 b, and a control part 220, a main body side communication part 250, and the like are attached to the control board 248. The control board 248 is disposed in front of the traveling motor 230 in a direction in which the grass cutter main body 200 travels forward. At least a part of the arrangement area of the control board 248 and at least a part of the arrangement area of the rotary blade motor 240 overlap in the bottom view of the grass cutter main body 200.)
Regarding claim 24: Nishikawa discloses: The robotic lawn mower according to claim 1,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein the control unit is adapted to control the second electric motor arrangement to rotate the cutting disc in a first rotation direction and a second rotation opposite the first rotation direction, wherein the control unit is adapted to control the second electric motor arrangement to rotate the cutting disc in that rotation direction which co-indices with a present mowing direction to a largest extent where the cutting disc is closest to the second end portion. ([pg. 15, lines 1-9]
The cutting mode 3 and the cutting mode 4 illustrate circle and quadrangular spiral shapes, for example. On the other hand, the user operates the input unit 150 or the main body side operation unit 290 to move the spiral shape, which is the running locus of the grass cutter main body 200, to another polygonal shape, for example, a triangular shape, a hexagonal shape, an octagonal shape You can select another clipping mode to be set. In the other clipping mode, one side of the polygon is lengthened as the running distance of the mower body 200 increases. Also, other cutting modes are. The amount of movement of the drive wheels positioned outside when the grass cutter main body 200 is turning is set to be inward such that the grass cutter main body 200 is turned at a desired internal angle at the apex of the polygon in the traveling locus of the grass cutter main body 200 The amount of movement of the driving wheels positioned is made larger.)
Regarding claim 25: Nishikawa discloses: A method for controlling a robotic lawn mower having a first end portion, a second end portion, at least two drive wheels having a drive wheel axis with a center and are drivably connected to a first electric motor arrangement, and at least one swivelable wheel that has a corresponding swivel axis, wherein a swivel attachment axis, running through at least one swivel axis and being parallel to the drive wheel axis, is positioned between the second end portion and the drive wheel axis, the robotic lawn mower further having a rotatable grass cutting disc that at least partly is positioned between the swivel attachment axis and the second end portion, wherein the method comprises: ([Fig. 3] [pg. 6-7, lines 44-12] The mower body 200 has a main body chassis 201 and a cover 202 that covers the opening of the main body chassis 201. The main body chassis 201 and the cover 202 are separately resin-molded. A housing 205 is formed by the main body chassis 201 and the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 are provided on the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 can be operated and visually checked by the user from the outside of the housing 205. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the grass cutter main body 200 has a front wheel 282 rotatably provided, a rear wheel as a drive wheel, and a rotary blade 244 rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 4. The rear wheels consist of left driven wheel 283 and right driven wheel 284 that are separately driven. Two front wheels 282 are provided side by side in the lateral direction of the mowing machine body 200. In this specification, the left-right direction is a direction along the center line B undefined 1. In addition, a traveling motor 230 for driving the left driving wheel 283 and a traveling motor 230 for driving the right driving wheel 284 are separately provided. The two running motors 230 are capable of forward rotation or reverse rotation, respectively. The rotation speed sensor 270 p separately detects the rotation speed of the two traveling motors 230. Both of the two traveling motors 230 are electric motors, both of which are supplied electric power from the power supply unit 210 to generate torque, and the two traveling motors 230 are both attached to the bottom 201 a of the main body chassis 201. That is, the two traveling motors 230 are arranged in the interior 203 of the housing 205. The bottom portion 201 a is, for example, a flat plate shape. A control board 248 is attached to the bottom part 201 a via a mount part 203 b, and a control part 220, a main body side communication part 250, and the like are attached to the control board 248. The control board 248 is disposed in front of the traveling motor 230 in a direction in which the grass cutter main body 200 travels forward. At least a part of the arrangement area of the control board 248 and at least a part of the arrangement area of the rotary blade motor 240 overlap in the bottom view of the grass cutter main body 200.) controlling the robotic lawn mower to move towards a boundary such that the first end portion approaches the boundary; determining if a distance to the boundary fulfills a condition; and when the condition is fulfilled, the method comprises stopping the robotic lawn mower; and controlling the drive wheels to turn in mutually different directions such that the second end portion of the robotic lawn mower performs an arcuate movement along a cutting arc, enabling the cutting disc to cut grass within the cutting arc. ([pg. 6, lines 26-35] As shown in FIG. 5, the sensor unit 270 includes, for example, a distance sensor 270 a for measuring the traveling distance of the mowing machine body 200, an acceleration sensor 270 b for measuring the acceleration of the mowing machine main body 200, an object contacting to the mower body 200 The pressure sensor 270 d, the load sensor 270 e, the contact switch 270 f, the ultrasonic sensor 270 g for detecting the approach of the object to the mower body 200, the infrared sensor 270 h, the laser distance sensor 270 i, the rotary blade 244 A voltage sensor 270 k for detecting the remaining battery charge, a gyro sensor 270 m for detecting the angular velocity, a general purpose sound collecting element (for example, a microphone) 270 n, a rotational speed sensor 270 p, a rotational speed sensor 270 q, etc. . The rotation speed sensor 270 p separately detects the rotation speed of the two traveling motors 230, and the rotation speed sensor 270 q detects the rotation speed of the rotation shaft 243 of the rotary blade motor 240.)
Regarding claim 26: Nishikawa discloses: The method according to claim 25,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein the rotation axis is positioned between the swivel attachment axis and the second end portion when the rotation axis passes through the cutting disc. ([Fig. 3] [pg. 6-7, lines 44-12] The mower body 200 has a main body chassis 201 and a cover 202 that covers the opening of the main body chassis 201. The main body chassis 201 and the cover 202 are separately resin-molded. A housing 205 is formed by the main body chassis 201 and the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 are provided on the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 can be operated and visually checked by the user from the outside of the housing 205. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the grass cutter main body 200 has a front wheel 282 rotatably provided, a rear wheel as a drive wheel, and a rotary blade 244 rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 4. The rear wheels consist of left driven wheel 283 and right driven wheel 284 that are separately driven. Two front wheels 282 are provided side by side in the lateral direction of the mowing machine body 200. In this specification, the left-right direction is a direction along the center line B undefined 1. In addition, a traveling motor 230 for driving the left driving wheel 283 and a traveling motor 230 for driving the right driving wheel 284 are separately provided. The two running motors 230 are capable of forward rotation or reverse rotation, respectively. The rotation speed sensor 270 p separately detects the rotation speed of the two traveling motors 230. Both of the two traveling motors 230 are electric motors, both of which are supplied electric power from the power supply unit 210 to generate torque, and the two traveling motors 230 are both attached to the bottom 201 a of the main body chassis 201. That is, the two traveling motors 230 are arranged in the interior 203 of the housing 205. The bottom portion 201 a is, for example, a flat plate shape. A control board 248 is attached to the bottom part 201 a via a mount part 203 b, and a control part 220, a main body side communication part 250, and the like are attached to the control board 248. The control board 248 is disposed in front of the traveling motor 230 in a direction in which the grass cutter main body 200 travels forward. At least a part of the arrangement area of the control board 248 and at least a part of the arrangement area of the rotary blade motor 240 overlap in the bottom view of the grass cutter main body 200.)
Regarding claim 27: Nishikawa discloses: The method according to claim 25,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein the cutting arc has an angular extension that exceeds 1800, wherein the method comprises controlling the robotic lawn mower to continue moving after a second end portion center following the extension of the cutting arc has reached an end of the cutting arc. ([pg. 15, lines 1-9]
The cutting mode 3 and the cutting mode 4 illustrate circle and quadrangular spiral shapes, for example. On the other hand, the user operates the input unit 150 or the main body side operation unit 290 to move the spiral shape, which is the running locus of the grass cutter main body 200, to another polygonal shape, for example, a triangular shape, a hexagonal shape, an octagonal shape You can select another clipping mode to be set. In the other clipping mode, one side of the polygon is lengthened as the running distance of the mower body 200 increases. Also, other cutting modes are. The amount of movement of the drive wheels positioned outside when the grass cutter main body 200 is turning is set to be inward such that the grass cutter main body 200 is turned at a desired internal angle at the apex of the polygon in the traveling locus of the grass cutter main body 200 The amount of movement of the driving wheels positioned is made larger.)
Regarding claim 28: Nishikawa discloses: The method according to claim 25,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein a center of the cutting arc is positioned along the drive wheel axis, or wherein the center of the cutting arc is positioned in the center of the drive wheel axis. ([Fig. 3] [pg. 6-7, lines 44-12] The mower body 200 has a main body chassis 201 and a cover 202 that covers the opening of the main body chassis 201. The main body chassis 201 and the cover 202 are separately resin-molded. A housing 205 is formed by the main body chassis 201 and the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 are provided on the cover 202. The main body side operation section 290 and the main body side display section 293 can be operated and visually checked by the user from the outside of the housing 205. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the grass cutter main body 200 has a front wheel 282 rotatably provided, a rear wheel as a drive wheel, and a rotary blade 244 rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 4. The rear wheels consist of left driven wheel 283 and right driven wheel 284 that are separately driven. Two front wheels 282 are provided side by side in the lateral direction of the mowing machine body 200. In this specification, the left-right direction is a direction along the center line B undefined 1. In addition, a traveling motor 230 for driving the left driving wheel 283 and a traveling motor 230 for driving the right driving wheel 284 are separately provided. The two running motors 230 are capable of forward rotation or reverse rotation, respectively. The rotation speed sensor 270 p separately detects the rotation speed of the two traveling motors 230. Both of the two traveling motors 230 are electric motors, both of which are supplied electric power from the power supply unit 210 to generate torque, and the two traveling motors 230 are both attached to the bottom 201 a of the main body chassis 201. That is, the two traveling motors 230 are arranged in the interior 203 of the housing 205. The bottom portion 201 a is, for example, a flat plate shape. A control board 248 is attached to the bottom part 201 a via a mount part 203 b, and a control part 220, a main body side communication part 250, and the like are attached to the control board 248. The control board 248 is disposed in front of the traveling motor 230 in a direction in which the grass cutter main body 200 travels forward. At least a part of the arrangement area of the control board 248 and at least a part of the arrangement area of the rotary blade motor 240 overlap in the bottom view of the grass cutter main body 200.)
Regarding claim 30: Nishikawa discloses: The method according to claim 25,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein the boundary is in the form of a boundary wire defining an operation area for the robotic lawn mower, wherein stopping of the robotic lawn mower takes place when the robotic lawn mower is positioned on the boundary wire, wherein the condition relates to a determined distance between the boundary wire and the robotic lawn mower falling below a first threshold or wherein the boundary is in the form of an object, wherein the cutting arc has a closest arc portion that is closest to the object, wherein the condition relates to a determined distance between the object and the robotic lawn mower falling below a second threshold. ([pg. 15, lines 1-9] The cutting mode 3 and the cutting mode 4 illustrate circle and quadrangular spiral shapes, for example. On the other hand, the user operates the input unit 150 or the main body side operation unit 290 to move the spiral shape, which is the running locus of the grass cutter main body 200, to another polygonal shape, for example, a triangular shape, a hexagonal shape, an octagonal shape You can select another clipping mode to be set. In the other clipping mode, one side of the polygon is lengthened as the running distance of the mower body 200 increases. Also, other cutting modes are. The amount of movement of the drive wheels positioned outside when the grass cutter main body 200 is turning is set to be inward such that the grass cutter main body 200 is turned at a desired internal angle at the apex of the polygon in the traveling locus of the grass cutter main body 200 The amount of movement of the driving wheels positioned is made larger.)
Regarding claim 32: Nishikawa discloses: The method according to claim 25,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein the method comprises using at least one wire sensor to sense a boundary wire control signal and/or using at least one environment detection device to detect objects and/or at least one navigation sensor arrangement, and wherein the robotic lawn mower is used for a forward travelling direction and a reverse travelling direction, wherein the first end portion is facing the forward travelling direction and the second end portion is facing the reverse travelling direction. ([pg. 7, lines 13-30] These two traveling motors 230 are independently controlled to rotate, stop, rotation speed, rotation direction and the like. Therefore, in the following description, the traveling motor 230 for driving the left driving wheel 283 will be referred to as "left wheel motor", the traveling motor 230 for driving the right driving wheel 284 will be referred to as "right wheel motor" There are cases to call. Further, the outer diameter of the left drive wheel 283 and the outer diameter of the right drive wheel 284 are the same. The two traveling motors 230 are connected to the axles 231 a of the left driving wheel 283 and the right driving wheel 284, respectively. The two axles 231 a are arranged concentrically on the center line B 1. When the grass cutter body 200 is viewed from the bottom, when the axle 231 a extends substantially at a right angle with respect to the direction in which the grass cutter main body 200 travels straight ahead Has been done. The traveling speed and traveling direction of the grass cutter main body 200 are determined by the rotational speed of the left driven wheel 283 and the rotational speed of the right driven wheel 284. For example, when the left driven wheel 283 and the right driven wheel 284 rotate at the same speed in the first direction, the grass cutter main body 200 moves straight ahead, that is, travels forward. On the other hand, when the left drive wheel 283 and the right drive wheel 284 rotate in the direction opposite to the first direction at the same speed, the grass cutter main body 200 runs backward. When the left drive wheel 283 and the right drive wheel 284 rotate in the first direction and the rotation speed of the left drive wheel 283 is higher than the rotation speed of the right drive wheel 284, the grass cutter main body 200 moves to the right Direction.)
Regarding claim 34: Nishikawa discloses: The method according to claim 25,
Nishikawa further discloses: wherein the method comprises controlling the second electric motor arrangement to rotate the cutting disc in a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction, opposite the first rotation and controlling the second electric motor arrangement to rotate the cutting disc in that rotation direction which coincides with a present mowing direction to a largest extent where the cutting disc is closest to the second end portion. ([pg. 7, lines 13-30] These two traveling motors 230 are independently controlled to rotate, stop, rotation speed, rotation direction and the like. Therefore, in the following description, the traveling motor 230 for driving the left driving wheel 283 will be referred to as "left wheel motor", the traveling motor 230 for driving the right driving wheel 284 will be referred to as "right wheel motor" There are cases to call. Further, the outer diameter of the left drive wheel 283 and the outer diameter of the right drive wheel 284 are the same. The two traveling motors 230 are connected to the axles 231 a of the left driving wheel 283 and the right driving wheel 284, respectively. The two axles 231 a are arranged concentrically on the center line B 1. When the grass cutter body 200 is viewed from the bottom, when the axle 231 a extends substantially at a right angle with respect to the direction in which the grass cutter main body 200 travels straight ahead Has been done. The traveling speed and traveling direction of the grass cutter main body 200 are determined by the rotational speed of the left driven wheel 283 and the rotational speed of the right driven wheel 284. For example, when the left driven wheel 283 and the right driven wheel 284 rotate at the same speed in the first direction, the grass cutter main body 200 moves straight ahead, that is, travels forward. On the other hand, when the left drive wheel 283 and the right drive wheel 284 rotate in the direction opposite to the first direction at the same speed, the grass cutter main body 200 runs backward. When the left drive wheel 283 and the right drive wheel 284 rotate in the first direction and the rotation speed of the left drive wheel 283 is higher than the rotation speed of the right drive wheel 284, the grass cutter main body 200 moves to the right Direction.)
Conclusion
The prior art made of record, and not relied upon, considered pertinent to applicant' s disclosure or directed to the state of art is listed on the enclosed PTO-892.
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/ATTICUS A CAMERON/ /JASON HOLLOWAY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3658 Examiner, Art Unit 3658A