DETAILED ACTION
Claims 18, 20-27, 29-33, 35-36 and 38-39 are pending. Claims 1-17, 19, 28, 34 and 37 are cancelled and claims 38-39 are new.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
Acknowledgement is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d) to Chinese Patent Application No. 202310071880.0, filed on 1/30/2023.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 6/26/26, have been fully considered but are not persuasive, except where noted below.
Applicant’s arguments regarding the rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 112 (page 12) are persuasive and the claims are no longer rejected under that statute.
Applicant’s arguments regarding the rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 102 (pages 12-14) are moot because the claims are no longer rejected under that statute.
Applicant’s arguments regarding the rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 103 (pages 12-14) are moot in view of the newly cited reference, Kim.
For at least these reasons, the rejection of the claims is maintained.
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 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 of this title, 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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 18, 20-21, 23, 27, 29-31, 33, 35-36 and 38-39 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee U.S. Patent Publication No. 20220347862 (hereinafter Lee) in view of Kim et al. U.S. Patent Publication No. 20210164145 (hereinafter Kim).
Regarding claim 18, Lee teaches an electric appliance [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000; 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine, a dryer, a clothes care apparatus, a TV, a dishwasher, an oven, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and an automatic feeder for pets, a water purifier, a lighting device, a bidet, and the like] configured to:
acquire a user instruction for a second device [0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command. Here, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cleaning operation of the cleaning robot 1000 may be matched to an input related to an idle button of a home appliance; 0087-0103, Figs. 2-3 — In operation S210, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may receive a first user input related to the cleaning robot through a first home appliance. For example, when the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000, the first home appliance may notify the server device 2000 that the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000. In this case, the server device 2000 may receive information about the first user input (e.g., an input type, an input time, etc.) from the first home appliance, thereby receiving the first user input through the first home appliance… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a first scenario corresponding to the first user input from a scenario list… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a control command including movement position information indicating a destination of the cleaning robot 1000, based on the first scenario… In operation S240, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit the control command to the cleaning robot 1000… When the control command is received from the server device 2000, the cleaning robot 1000 may move to the vicinity of the first home appliance to complete cleaning of the first area];
generate an operation instruction for the second device based on the user instruction [0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command. Here, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cleaning operation of the cleaning robot 1000 may be matched to an input related to an idle button of a home appliance; 0087-0103, Figs. 2-3 — In operation S210, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may receive a first user input related to the cleaning robot through a first home appliance. For example, when the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000, the first home appliance may notify the server device 2000 that the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000. In this case, the server device 2000 may receive information about the first user input (e.g., an input type, an input time, etc.) from the first home appliance, thereby receiving the first user input through the first home appliance… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a first scenario corresponding to the first user input from a scenario list… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a control command including movement position information indicating a destination of the cleaning robot 1000, based on the first scenario… In operation S240, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit the control command to the cleaning robot 1000… When the control command is received from the server device 2000, the cleaning robot 1000 may move to the vicinity of the first home appliance to complete cleaning of the first area];
send the operation instruction to the second device to control the second device to perform a corresponding target operation [0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command. Here, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cleaning operation of the cleaning robot 1000 may be matched to an input related to an idle button of a home appliance; 0084 — the home appliances of the second group 4200 may directly transmit a call command to the cleaning robot 1000; 0087-0103, Figs. 2-3 — In operation S210, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may receive a first user input related to the cleaning robot through a first home appliance. For example, when the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000, the first home appliance may notify the server device 2000 that the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000. In this case, the server device 2000 may receive information about the first user input (e.g., an input type, an input time, etc.) from the first home appliance, thereby receiving the first user input through the first home appliance… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a first scenario corresponding to the first user input from a scenario list… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a control command including movement position information indicating a destination of the cleaning robot 1000, based on the first scenario… In operation S240, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit the control command to the cleaning robot 1000… When the control command is received from the server device 2000, the cleaning robot 1000 may move to the vicinity of the first home appliance to complete cleaning of the first area];
acquire current status data sent by the second device; generate information to be communicated based on the current status data [0236-0258, Fig. 16 — the cleaning robot 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit an operation execution result to the intermediate terminal 1610… In operation S1611, the intermediate terminal 1610 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit the operation execution result of the cleaning robot 1000 to the fourth home appliance 4004… home appliance 4004 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may store the operation execution result of the cleaning robot 1000. For example, the fourth home appliance 4004 may have information such as whether the cleaning of the vicinity of the fourth home appliance 4004 is completed or whether the cleaning is stopped due to an obstacle or the like].
wherein the first device is one of a clothes treatment device and a floor cleaning device, and the second device is another one of the clothes treatment device and the floor cleaning device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000… cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device); 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus, a TV, a dishwasher, an oven, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and an automatic feeder for pets, a water purifier, a lighting device, a bidet, and the like; 0140 — when the user watching the TV 700 discovers dust on the floor of the living room, the user may press the home key of the TV remote controller 710 for 3 seconds or longer to call the cleaning robot 1000 cleaning around an air conditioner in a master bedroom to the living room].
But Lee does not clearly specify an appliance comprising: a memory storing instructions; and a processor configured to call and execute the instructions to control a first device; and present, on a display screen of the first device, the information to be communicated, the information to be communicated being used for notifying a user of a current status of the second device;
However, Lee teaches that an appliance comprises: a memory storing instructions; and a processor configured to call and execute the instructions to control a first device [0398-0401, Fig. 30 — the cleaning robot 1000 (an appliance) may include a sensing unit 1100, a processor 1200, a memory 1300… processor 1200 may generally control the overall operation of the cleaning robot 1000. The processor 1200 may control the sensing unit 1100, the output interface 1400, the communication interface 1500, the driving unit 1600, and the power supply unit 1700 by executing programs stored in a storage unit 160.].
Therefore at the time the invention was made, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to simply substitute the known appliance with a processor/memory control system of Lee for the known electric appliance of Lee for the predictable result of an electric appliance with a processor/memory control system configured to perform the claimed process.
But Lee does not clearly specify present, on a display screen of the first device, the information to be communicated, the information to be communicated being used for notifying a user of a current status of the second device.
However, Kim teaches presenting, on a display screen of the first device, the information to be communicated, the information to be communicated being used for notifying a user of a current status of the second device [0238-0245, Fig. 22 — In response to the connection between the washing machine 1 and the dryer 2 in a wired or wireless manner, a message regarding a state of receiving a control command for the dryer 2 may be displayed on the display window 52a of the washing machine 1... the communication circuitry 700 may receive information on the operating state of an external device, that is, the dryer 2 (1500), and the display 52 of the washing machine 1 may display the operating state of the dryer 2 (1510).].
Lee and Kim are analogous art. They relate to appliance control and communication systems.
Therefore at the time the invention was made, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the above appliance, as taught by Lee, by incorporating the above limitations, as taught by Kim.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do this modification in order to enable a user to more easily control and determine a state of an appliance that is difficult to access, e.g. a remote appliance, as suggested by Kim [0238-0245].
Regarding claim 20, the combination of Lee and Kim teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Further, Lee teaches the second device is the floor cleaning device, and the current status data includes at least one of an alarm status, a cleaning progress [0107, Fig. 16 — The user may also select a notification icon 413 to receive a notification related to the execution of scenario A 410. For example, the cleaning robot 1000 or the display device 3000 (e.g., a mobile terminal of the user) may be set to output a voice guide of ‘The cleaning robot 1000 is moving to the vicinity of the air conditioner’, when scenario A 410 is performed; 0102 — server device 2000 may output a message indicating that the cleaning of the first area is completed, to the user through the display device 3000], a dust cup status, or a water volume status; or the second device is the clothes treatment device, and the current status data includes at least one of a clothes treatment progress, remaining treatment time, or an alarm status.
Regarding claim 21, the combination of Lee and Kim teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Further, Lee teaches the first device is the clothes treatment device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000; 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus, a TV, a dishwasher, an oven, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and an automatic feeder for pets, a water purifier, a lighting device, a bidet, and the like; 0140 — when the user watching the TV 700 discovers dust on the floor of the living room, the user may press the home key of the TV remote controller 710 for 3 seconds or longer to call the cleaning robot 1000 cleaning around an air conditioner in a master bedroom to the living room], and the second device is the floor cleaning device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000… cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device); 0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command; 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus, a TV, a dishwasher, an oven, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and an automatic feeder for pets, a water purifier, a lighting device, a bidet, and the like; 0140 — when the user watching the TV 700 discovers dust on the floor of the living room, the user may press the home key of the TV remote controller 710 for 3 seconds or longer to call the cleaning robot 1000 cleaning around an air conditioner in a master bedroom to the living room]; and
the processor [98-0401, Fig. 30 — the cleaning robot 1000 (an appliance) may include a sensing unit 1100, a processor 1200] is further configured to control the first device to: acquire feedback information of the floor cleaning device after receiving the operation instruction; and present, based on the feedback information, a status that the floor cleaning device has received the operation instruction [0107, Fig. 16 — The user may also select a notification icon 413 to receive a notification related to the execution of scenario A 410. For example, the cleaning robot 1000 or the display device 3000 (e.g., a mobile terminal of the user) may be set to output a voice guide of ‘The cleaning robot 1000 is moving to the vicinity of the air conditioner’, when scenario A 410 is performed; 0102 — server device 2000 may output a message indicating that the cleaning of the first area is completed, to the user through the display device 3000].
Regarding claim 23, the combination of Lee and Kim teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Further, Lee teaches the first device is the floor cleaning device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000… cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device)] and the second device is the clothes treatment device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000; 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus], and the floor cleaning device moves within a predetermined spatial range [0100 — the control command transmitted to the cleaning robot 1000 may include a command to clean a first area within a preset distance from the first home appliance]; and the processor [98-0401, Fig. 30 — the cleaning robot 1000 (an appliance) may include a sensing unit 1100, a processor 1200] is further configured to control the first device to: send the operation instruction to the clothes treatment device and/or acquire the current status data sent by the clothes treatment device [0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command. Here, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cleaning operation of the cleaning robot 1000 may be matched to an input related to an idle button of a home appliance; 0084 — the home appliances of the second group 4200 may directly transmit a call command to the cleaning robot 1000; 0087-0103, Figs. 2-3 — In operation S210, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may receive a first user input related to the cleaning robot through a first home appliance. For example, when the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000, the first home appliance may notify the server device 2000 that the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000. In this case, the server device 2000 may receive information about the first user input (e.g., an input type, an input time, etc.) from the first home appliance, thereby receiving the first user input through the first home appliance… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a first scenario corresponding to the first user input from a scenario list… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a control command including movement position information indicating a destination of the cleaning robot 1000, based on the first scenario… In operation S240, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit the control command to the cleaning robot 1000 — It would be obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to simply substitute the known cleaning robot appliance for the known washing machine appliance and substitute the known washing machine appliance for the known cleaning robot appliance, as taught by Lee, for the predictable result of a washing machine appliance control method utilizing a cleaning robot appliance as input.].
Further, Kim teaches acquiring a communication status between the device and the other device; and in response to a communication connection being established between the device and the other device, send the operation instruction to the other device and/or acquire the current status data sent by the other device [0238-0245, Fig. 22 — In response to the connection between the washing machine 1 and the dryer 2 in a wired or wireless manner, a message regarding a state of receiving a control command for the dryer 2 may be displayed on the display window 52a of the washing machine 1... the communication circuitry 700 may receive information on the operating state of an external device, that is, the dryer 2 (1500), and the display 52 of the washing machine 1 may display the operating state of the dryer 2 (1510)… A user may input a control command for the washing machine 1 or the dryer 2 by selecting at least one of the washing machine selection icon 51W or the external device selection icon 51D that are displayed on the control panel 50 of the washing machine 1].
Therefore at the time the invention was made, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the above appliance, as taught by Lee, by incorporating the above limitations, as taught by Kim.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do this modification in order to only communicate in response to the connection between appliances, as taught by Kim [0238-0245], thus ensuring the appliances are being controlled/monitored as intended.
Regarding claim 27, Lee teaches an electric appliance [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000; 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine, a dryer, a clothes care apparatus, a TV, a dishwasher, an oven, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and an automatic feeder for pets, a water purifier, a lighting device, a bidet, and the like] configured to:
acquire an operation instruction sent by a first device, the operation instruction being generated by the first device based on an acquired user instruction for the second device [0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command. Here, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cleaning operation of the cleaning robot 1000 may be matched to an input related to an idle button of a home appliance; 0087-0103, Figs. 2-3 — In operation S210, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may receive a first user input related to the cleaning robot through a first home appliance. For example, when the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000, the first home appliance may notify the server device 2000 that the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000. In this case, the server device 2000 may receive information about the first user input (e.g., an input type, an input time, etc.) from the first home appliance, thereby receiving the first user input through the first home appliance… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a first scenario corresponding to the first user input from a scenario list… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a control command including movement position information indicating a destination of the cleaning robot 1000, based on the first scenario… In operation S240, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit the control command to the cleaning robot 1000… When the control command is received from the server device 2000, the cleaning robot 1000 may move to the vicinity of the first home appliance to complete cleaning of the first area];
perform a corresponding target operation based on the operation instruction [0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command. Here, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cleaning operation of the cleaning robot 1000 may be matched to an input related to an idle button of a home appliance; 0084 — the home appliances of the second group 4200 may directly transmit a call command to the cleaning robot 1000; 0087-0103, Figs. 2-3 — In operation S210, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may receive a first user input related to the cleaning robot through a first home appliance. For example, when the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000, the first home appliance may notify the server device 2000 that the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000. In this case, the server device 2000 may receive information about the first user input (e.g., an input type, an input time, etc.) from the first home appliance, thereby receiving the first user input through the first home appliance… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a first scenario corresponding to the first user input from a scenario list… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a control command including movement position information indicating a destination of the cleaning robot 1000, based on the first scenario… In operation S240, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit the control command to the cleaning robot 1000… When the control command is received from the server device 2000, the cleaning robot 1000 may move to the vicinity of the first home appliance to complete cleaning of the first area]; and
send current status data to the first device for the first device to generate information to be communicated [0236-0258, Fig. 16 — the cleaning robot 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit an operation execution result to the intermediate terminal 1610… In operation S1611, the intermediate terminal 1610 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit the operation execution result of the cleaning robot 1000 to the fourth home appliance 4004… home appliance 4004 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may store the operation execution result of the cleaning robot 1000. For example, the fourth home appliance 4004 may have information such as whether the cleaning of the vicinity of the fourth home appliance 4004 is completed or whether the cleaning is stopped due to an obstacle or the like];
wherein the first device is one of a clothes treatment device and a floor cleaning device, and the second device is another one of the clothes treatment device and the floor cleaning device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000… cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device); 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus, a TV, a dishwasher, an oven, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and an automatic feeder for pets, a water purifier, a lighting device, a bidet, and the like; 0140 — when the user watching the TV 700 discovers dust on the floor of the living room, the user may press the home key of the TV remote controller 710 for 3 seconds or longer to call the cleaning robot 1000 cleaning around an air conditioner in a master bedroom to the living room].
Lee does not clearly specify an appliance comprising: a memory storing instructions; and a processor configured to call and execute the instructions to control a first device; and present the information to be communicated on a display screen of the first device, the information to be communicated being used for notifying the user of a current status of the second device.
However, Lee teaches that an appliance comprises: a memory storing instructions; and a processor configured to call and execute the instructions to control a first device [0398-0401, Fig. 30 — the cleaning robot 1000 (an appliance) may include a sensing unit 1100, a processor 1200, a memory 1300… processor 1200 may generally control the overall operation of the cleaning robot 1000. The processor 1200 may control the sensing unit 1100, the output interface 1400, the communication interface 1500, the driving unit 1600, and the power supply unit 1700 by executing programs stored in a storage unit 160.].
Therefore at the time the invention was made, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to simply substitute the known appliance with a processor/memory control system of Lee for the known electric appliance of Lee for the predictable result of an electric appliance with a processor/memory control system configured to perform the claimed process.
But Lee does not clearly specify present the information to be communicated on a display screen of the first device, the information to be communicated being used for notifying the user of a current status of the second device.
However, Kim teaches present the information to be communicated on a display screen of the first device, the information to be communicated being used for notifying the user of a current status of the second device [0238-0245, Fig. 22 — In response to the connection between the washing machine 1 and the dryer 2 in a wired or wireless manner, a message regarding a state of receiving a control command for the dryer 2 may be displayed on the display window 52a of the washing machine 1... the communication circuitry 700 may receive information on the operating state of an external device, that is, the dryer 2 (1500), and the display 52 of the washing machine 1 may display the operating state of the dryer 2 (1510).].
Lee and Kim are analogous art. They relate to appliance control and communication systems.
Therefore at the time the invention was made, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the above appliance, as taught by Lee, by incorporating the above limitations, as taught by Kim.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do this modification in order to enable a user to more easily control and determine a state of an appliance that is difficult to access, e.g. a remote appliance, as suggested by Kim [0238-0245].
Regarding claim 29, the combination of Lee and Kim teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Further, Lee teaches the second device is the floor cleaning device, and the current status data includes at least one of an alarm status, a cleaning progress [0107, Fig. 16 — The user may also select a notification icon 413 to receive a notification related to the execution of scenario A 410. For example, the cleaning robot 1000 or the display device 3000 (e.g., a mobile terminal of the user) may be set to output a voice guide of ‘The cleaning robot 1000 is moving to the vicinity of the air conditioner’, when scenario A 410 is performed; 0102 — server device 2000 may output a message indicating that the cleaning of the first area is completed, to the user through the display device 3000], a dust cup status, or a water volume status; or the second device is the clothes treatment device, and the current status data includes at least one of a clothes treatment progress, remaining treatment time, or an alarm status; or the second device is the clothes treatment device, and the current status data includes at least one of a clothes treatment progress, remaining treatment time, or an alarm status.
Regarding claim 30, the combination of Lee and Kim teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Further, Lee teaches the second device is the floor cleaning device, and the target operation includes at least one of sweeping, vacuuming, water spraying, brushing, blotting, or polishing [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000… cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device); 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus, a TV, a dishwasher, an oven, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and an automatic feeder for pets, a water purifier, a lighting device, a bidet, and the like; 0140 — when the user watching the TV 700 discovers dust on the floor of the living room, the user may press the home key of the TV remote controller 710 for 3 seconds or longer to call the cleaning robot 1000 cleaning around an air conditioner in a master bedroom to the living room; 0418 — driving unit 1600 may include component used for driving (operating) of the cleaning robot 1000 and operations of devices inside the cleaning robot 1000… a brush capable of sweeping out dust from a corner ]; or the second device is the clothes treatment device, and the target operation includes at least one of washing, rinsing, spin-drying, drying, or self-cleaning.
Regarding claim 31, the combination of Lee and Kim teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Further, Lee teaches the first device is the clothes treatment device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000; 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus, a TV, a dishwasher, an oven, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and an automatic feeder for pets, a water purifier, a lighting device, a bidet, and the like; 0140 — when the user watching the TV 700 discovers dust on the floor of the living room, the user may press the home key of the TV remote controller 710 for 3 seconds or longer to call the cleaning robot 1000 cleaning around an air conditioner in a master bedroom to the living room] and the second device is the floor cleaning device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000… cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device); 0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command; 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus, a TV, a dishwasher, an oven, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and an automatic feeder for pets, a water purifier, a lighting device, a bidet, and the like; 0140 — when the user watching the TV 700 discovers dust on the floor of the living room, the user may press the home key of the TV remote controller 710 for 3 seconds or longer to call the cleaning robot 1000 cleaning around an air conditioner in a master bedroom to the living room]; and
the processor [98-0401, Fig. 30 — the cleaning robot 1000 (an appliance) may include a sensing unit 1100, a processor 1200] is further configured to control the second device to: send, in response to acquiring the operation instruction, feedback information to the clothes treatment device for the clothes treatment device to present a status that the operation instruction has been received by the floor treatment device [0107, Fig. 16 — The user may also select a notification icon 413 to receive a notification related to the execution of scenario A 410. For example, the cleaning robot 1000 or the display device 3000 (e.g., a mobile terminal of the user) may be set to output a voice guide of ‘The cleaning robot 1000 is moving to the vicinity of the air conditioner’, when scenario A 410 is performed; 0102 — server device 2000 may output a message indicating that the cleaning of the first area is completed, to the user through the display device 3000].
Regarding claim 33, Lee teaches a cleaning and treatment apparatus [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000… cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device); 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus, a TV, a dishwasher, an oven, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and an automatic feeder for pets, a water purifier, a lighting device, a bidet, and the like; 0140 — when the user watching the TV 700 discovers dust on the floor of the living room, the user may press the home key of the TV remote controller 710 for 3 seconds or longer to call the cleaning robot 1000 cleaning around an air conditioner in a master bedroom to the living room] comprising:
a first device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000]; and a second device communicatively connected to the first device [0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command. Here, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cleaning operation of the cleaning robot 1000 may be matched to an input related to an idle button of a home appliance; 0084 — the home appliances of the second group 4200 may directly transmit a call command to the cleaning robot 1000; 0087-0103, Figs. 2-3 — In operation S210, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may receive a first user input related to the cleaning robot through a first home appliance. For example, when the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000, the first home appliance may notify the server device 2000 that the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000. In this case, the server device 2000 may receive information about the first user input (e.g., an input type, an input time, etc.) from the first home appliance, thereby receiving the first user input through the first home appliance… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a first scenario corresponding to the first user input from a scenario list… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a control command including movement position information indicating a destination of the cleaning robot 1000, based on the first scenario… In operation S240, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit the control command to the cleaning robot 1000… When the control command is received from the server device 2000, the cleaning robot 1000 (second device) may move to the vicinity of the first home appliance to complete cleaning of the first area];
wherein: the first device is configured to: acquire a user instruction for a second device [0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command. Here, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cleaning operation of the cleaning robot 1000 may be matched to an input related to an idle button of a home appliance; 0087-0103, Figs. 2-3 — In operation S210, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may receive a first user input related to the cleaning robot through a first home appliance. For example, when the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000, the first home appliance may notify the server device 2000 that the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000. In this case, the server device 2000 may receive information about the first user input (e.g., an input type, an input time, etc.) from the first home appliance, thereby receiving the first user input through the first home appliance… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a first scenario corresponding to the first user input from a scenario list… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a control command including movement position information indicating a destination of the cleaning robot 1000, based on the first scenario… In operation S240, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit the control command to the cleaning robot 1000… When the control command is received from the server device 2000, the cleaning robot 1000 may move to the vicinity of the first home appliance to complete cleaning of the first area];
generate an operation instruction for the second device based on the user instruction [0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command. Here, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cleaning operation of the cleaning robot 1000 may be matched to an input related to an idle button of a home appliance; 0087-0103, Figs. 2-3 — In operation S210, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may receive a first user input related to the cleaning robot through a first home appliance. For example, when the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000, the first home appliance may notify the server device 2000 that the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000. In this case, the server device 2000 may receive information about the first user input (e.g., an input type, an input time, etc.) from the first home appliance, thereby receiving the first user input through the first home appliance… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a first scenario corresponding to the first user input from a scenario list… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a control command including movement position information indicating a destination of the cleaning robot 1000, based on the first scenario… In operation S240, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit the control command to the cleaning robot 1000… When the control command is received from the server device 2000, the cleaning robot 1000 may move to the vicinity of the first home appliance to complete cleaning of the first area]; send the operation instruction to the second device [0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command. Here, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cleaning operation of the cleaning robot 1000 may be matched to an input related to an idle button of a home appliance; 0084 — the home appliances of the second group 4200 may directly transmit a call command to the cleaning robot 1000; 0087-0103, Figs. 2-3 — In operation S210, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may receive a first user input related to the cleaning robot through a first home appliance. For example, when the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000, the first home appliance may notify the server device 2000 that the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000. In this case, the server device 2000 may receive information about the first user input (e.g., an input type, an input time, etc.) from the first home appliance, thereby receiving the first user input through the first home appliance… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a first scenario corresponding to the first user input from a scenario list… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a control command including movement position information indicating a destination of the cleaning robot 1000, based on the first scenario… In operation S240, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit the control command to the cleaning robot 1000… When the control command is received from the server device 2000, the cleaning robot 1000 may move to the vicinity of the first home appliance to complete cleaning of the first area]; and
acquire current status data sent by the second device; generate information to be communicated based on the current status data [0236-0258, Fig. 16 — the cleaning robot 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit an operation execution result to the intermediate terminal 1610… In operation S1611, the intermediate terminal 1610 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit the operation execution result of the cleaning robot 1000 to the fourth home appliance 4004… home appliance 4004 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may store the operation execution result of the cleaning robot 1000. For example, the fourth home appliance 4004 may have information such as whether the cleaning of the vicinity of the fourth home appliance 4004 is completed or whether the cleaning is stopped due to an obstacle or the like];
the second device is configured to: acquire the operation instruction sent by the first device; perform a corresponding target operation based on the operation instruction [0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command. Here, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cleaning operation of the cleaning robot 1000 may be matched to an input related to an idle button of a home appliance; 0084 — the home appliances of the second group 4200 may directly transmit a call command to the cleaning robot 1000; 0087-0103, Figs. 2-3 — In operation S210, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may receive a first user input related to the cleaning robot through a first home appliance. For example, when the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000, the first home appliance may notify the server device 2000 that the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000. In this case, the server device 2000 may receive information about the first user input (e.g., an input type, an input time, etc.) from the first home appliance, thereby receiving the first user input through the first home appliance… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a first scenario corresponding to the first user input from a scenario list… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a control command including movement position information indicating a destination of the cleaning robot 1000, based on the first scenario… In operation S240, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit the control command to the cleaning robot 1000… When the control command is received from the server device 2000, the cleaning robot 1000 may move to the vicinity of the first home appliance to complete cleaning of the first area]; and
send the current status data to the first device [0236-0258, Fig. 16 — the cleaning robot 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit an operation execution result to the intermediate terminal 1610… In operation S1611, the intermediate terminal 1610 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit the operation execution result of the cleaning robot 1000 to the fourth home appliance 4004… home appliance 4004 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may store the operation execution result of the cleaning robot 1000. For example, the fourth home appliance 4004 may have information such as whether the cleaning of the vicinity of the fourth home appliance 4004 is completed or whether the cleaning is stopped due to an obstacle or the like];
wherein the first device is one of a clothes treatment device and a floor cleaning device, and the second device is another one of the clothes treatment device and the floor cleaning device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000… cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device); 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus, a TV, a dishwasher, an oven, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and an automatic feeder for pets, a water purifier, a lighting device, a bidet, and the like; 0140 — when the user watching the TV 700 discovers dust on the floor of the living room, the user may press the home key of the TV remote controller 710 for 3 seconds or longer to call the cleaning robot 1000 cleaning around an air conditioner in a master bedroom to the living room].
But Lee fails to clearly specify present, on a display screen of the first device, the information to be communicated, the information to be communicated being used for notifying a user of a current status of the second device.
However, Kim teaches presenting, on a display screen of the first device, the information to be communicated, the information to be communicated being used for notifying a user of a current status of the second device [0238-0245, Fig. 22 — In response to the connection between the washing machine 1 and the dryer 2 in a wired or wireless manner, a message regarding a state of receiving a control command for the dryer 2 may be displayed on the display window 52a of the washing machine 1... the communication circuitry 700 may receive information on the operating state of an external device, that is, the dryer 2 (1500), and the display 52 of the washing machine 1 may display the operating state of the dryer 2 (1510).].
Lee and Kim are analogous art. They relate to appliance control and communication systems.
Therefore at the time the invention was made, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the above apparatus, as taught by Lee, by incorporating the above limitations, as taught by Kim.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do this modification in order to enable a user to more easily control and determine a state of an appliance that is difficult to access, e.g. a remote appliance, as suggested by Kim [0238-0245].
Regarding claim 35, the combination of Lee and Kim teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Further, Lee teaches the second device is the floor cleaning device, and the current status data includes at least one of an alarm status, a cleaning progress [0107, Fig. 16 — The user may also select a notification icon 413 to receive a notification related to the execution of scenario A 410. For example, the cleaning robot 1000 or the display device 3000 (e.g., a mobile terminal of the user) may be set to output a voice guide of ‘The cleaning robot 1000 is moving to the vicinity of the air conditioner’, when scenario A 410 is performed; 0102 — server device 2000 may output a message indicating that the cleaning of the first area is completed, to the user through the display device 3000], a dust cup status, or a water volume status; or the second device is the clothes treatment device, and the current status data includes at least one of a clothes treatment progress, remaining treatment time, or an alarm status.
Regarding claim 36, the combination of Lee and Kim teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Further, Lee teaches the first device is the clothes treatment device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000; 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus, a TV, a dishwasher, an oven, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and an automatic feeder for pets, a water purifier, a lighting device, a bidet, and the like; 0140 — when the user watching the TV 700 discovers dust on the floor of the living room, the user may press the home key of the TV remote controller 710 for 3 seconds or longer to call the cleaning robot 1000 cleaning around an air conditioner in a master bedroom to the living room] and the second device is the floor cleaning device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000… cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device); 0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command; 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus, a TV, a dishwasher, an oven, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and an automatic feeder for pets, a water purifier, a lighting device, a bidet, and the like; 0140 — when the user watching the TV 700 discovers dust on the floor of the living room, the user may press the home key of the TV remote controller 710 for 3 seconds or longer to call the cleaning robot 1000 cleaning around an air conditioner in a master bedroom to the living room]; and
the first device is further configured to: acquire feedback information of the floor cleaning device after receiving the operation instruction; and present, based on the feedback information, a status that the floor cleaning device has received the operation instruction [0107, Fig. 16 — The user may also select a notification icon 413 to receive a notification related to the execution of scenario A 410. For example, the cleaning robot 1000 or the display device 3000 (e.g., a mobile terminal of the user) may be set to output a voice guide of ‘The cleaning robot 1000 is moving to the vicinity of the air conditioner’, when scenario A 410 is performed; 0102 — server device 2000 may output a message indicating that the cleaning of the first area is completed, to the user through the display device 3000].
Regarding claim 38, the combination of Lee and Kim teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Further, Lee teaches the first device is the clothes treatment device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000… cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device); 0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command; 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus, a TV, a dishwasher, an oven, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and an automatic feeder for pets, a water purifier, a lighting device, a bidet, and the like; 0140 — when the user watching the TV 700 discovers dust on the floor of the living room, the user may press the home key of the TV remote controller 710 for 3 seconds or longer to call the cleaning robot 1000 cleaning around an air conditioner in a master bedroom to the living room], and the second device is the floor cleaning device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000… cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device); 0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command; 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus, a TV, a dishwasher, an oven, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and an automatic feeder for pets, a water purifier, a lighting device, a bidet, and the like; 0140 — when the user watching the TV 700 discovers dust on the floor of the living room, the user may press the home key of the TV remote controller 710 for 3 seconds or longer to call the cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device) cleaning around an air conditioner in a master bedroom to the living room]; and
the processor is further configured to control the first device to: control a voice interaction module in the clothes treatment device to acquire and parse a user voice instruction for the floor cleaning device [0073 — the cleaning robot 1000 or the display device 3000 may receive a voice signal, which is an analog signal, through a microphone, and convert a voice part into computer-readable text by using an automatic speech recognition (ASR) model. The cleaning robot 1000 or the display device 3000 may interpret the converted text by using a natural language understanding (NLU) model to obtain an utterance intention of the user.]; and generate the operation instruction for the floor cleaning device based on the parsed user voice instruction [0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command. Here, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cleaning operation of the cleaning robot 1000 may be matched to an input related to an idle button of a home appliance; 0087-0103, Figs. 2-3 — In operation S210, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may receive a first user input related to the cleaning robot through a first home appliance. For example, when the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000, the first home appliance may notify the server device 2000 that the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000. In this case, the server device 2000 may receive information about the first user input (e.g., an input type, an input time, etc.) from the first home appliance, thereby receiving the first user input through the first home appliance… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a first scenario corresponding to the first user input from a scenario list… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a control command including movement position information indicating a destination of the cleaning robot 1000, based on the first scenario… In operation S240, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit the control command to the cleaning robot 1000… When the control command is received from the server device 2000, the cleaning robot 1000 may move to the vicinity of the first home appliance to complete cleaning of the first area].
Regarding claim 39, the combination of Lee and Kim teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Further, Lee teaches the first device is the clothes treatment device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000… cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device); 0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command; 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus, a TV, a dishwasher, an oven, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and an automatic feeder for pets, a water purifier, a lighting device, a bidet, and the like; 0140 — when the user watching the TV 700 discovers dust on the floor of the living room, the user may press the home key of the TV remote controller 710 for 3 seconds or longer to call the cleaning robot 1000 cleaning around an air conditioner in a master bedroom to the living room], and the second device is the floor cleaning device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000… cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device); 0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command; 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus, a TV, a dishwasher, an oven, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and an automatic feeder for pets, a water purifier, a lighting device, a bidet, and the like; 0140 — when the user watching the TV 700 discovers dust on the floor of the living room, the user may press the home key of the TV remote controller 710 for 3 seconds or longer to call the cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device) cleaning around an air conditioner in a master bedroom to the living room]; and
the processor is further configured to control the clothes treatment device to present the information to be communicated in a voice present manner to notify the user of the current status of the floor cleaning device [0107 — The user may also select a notification icon 413 to receive a notification related to the execution of scenario A 410. For example, the cleaning robot 1000 or the display device 3000 (e.g., a mobile terminal of the user) may be set to output a voice guide of ‘The cleaning robot 1000 is moving to the vicinity of the air conditioner’, when scenario A 410 is performed].
Claim(s) 22 and 32 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Lee and Kim in view of Haldavnekar et al. U.S. Patent Publication No. 20050071879 (hereinafter Haldavnekar).
Regarding claim 22, the combination of Lee and Kim teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Further, Lee teaches the processor [98-0401, Fig. 30 — the cleaning robot 1000 (an appliance) may include a sensing unit 1100, a processor 1200] and the floor cleaning device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000… cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device)].
But the combination of Lee and Kim fails to clearly specify prior to acquiring the current status data sent by the second device: acquire an inquiry instruction of the user regarding the current status of the device; and send a request to the device for the current status based on the inquiry instruction.
However, Haldavnekar teaches prior to acquiring the current status data sent by the second device: acquire an inquiry instruction of the user regarding the current status of the device; and send a request to the device for the current status based on the inquiry instruction [0071-0073, Fig. 6 — In step 610, the mobile computing device can receive a user input for a user status inquiry about the controlled appliance… In step 625, the appliance signal can be conveyed to the controlled appliance].
Lee, Kim and Haldavnekar are analogous art. They relate to appliance control and communication systems.
Therefore at the time the invention was made, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the above appliance, as taught by the combination of Lee and Kim, by incorporating the above limitations, as taught by Haldavnekar.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do this modification in order to enable a user to determine a state of a remote appliance, as suggested by Haldavnekar [0071-0073].
Regarding claim 32, the combination of Lee and Kim teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Further, Lee teaches the processor [98-0401, Fig. 30 — the cleaning robot 1000 (an appliance) may include a sensing unit 1100, a processor 1200] and the second device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000… cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device)] and receive a request sent by the clothes treatment device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000; 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus] for feedback of a current status; and generate the current status data [0107, Fig. 16 — The user may also select a notification icon 413 to receive a notification related to the execution of scenario A 410. For example, the cleaning robot 1000 or the display device 3000 (e.g., a mobile terminal of the user) may be set to output a voice guide of ‘The cleaning robot 1000 is moving to the vicinity of the air conditioner’, when scenario A 410 is performed; 0102 — server device 2000 may output a message indicating that the cleaning of the first area is completed, to the user through the display device 3000].
But the combination of Lee and Kim fails to clearly specify control the second device to, prior to sending the current status data to the first device: receive a request sent by the device for feedback of a current status; and generate the current status data in response to the request.
However, Haldavnekar teaches control the second device to, prior to sending the current status data to the first device: receive a request sent by the device for feedback of a current status; and generate the current status data in response to the request [0071-0073, Fig. 6 — In step 610, the mobile computing device can receive a user input for a user status inquiry about the controlled appliance… In step 625, the appliance signal can be conveyed to the controlled appliance].
Lee, Kim and Haldavnekar are analogous art. They relate to appliance control and communication systems.
Therefore at the time the invention was made, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the above appliance, as taught by Lee, by incorporating the above limitations, as taught by Haldavnekar.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do this modification in order to enable a user to determine a state of a remote appliance, as suggested by Haldavnekar [0071-0073].
Claim(s) 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Lee and Kim in view of Bae et al. U.S. Patent Publication No. 20030076240 (hereinafter Bae).
Regarding claim 24, the combination of Lee and Kim teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Further, Lee teaches the processor [98-0401, Fig. 30 — the cleaning robot 1000 (an appliance) may include a sensing unit 1100, a processor 1200] is further configured to control the first device [98-0401, Fig. 30 — the cleaning robot 1000 (an appliance) may include a sensing unit 1100, a processor 1200] and the first device is the floor cleaning device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000… cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device)] and the second device is the clothes treatment device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000; 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus].
But the combination of Lee and Kim fails to clearly specify the first device to acquire a distance between a current position of the first device and the second device; and the communication connection between the first device and the second device is established in response to the distance being shorter than or equal to a predetermined distance threshold.
Further, Bae teaches the first device to acquire a distance between a current position of the first device and the second device; and the communication connection between the first device and the second device is established in response to the distance being shorter than or equal to a predetermined distance threshold [0012 — a method of remotely controlling a plurality of home appliances using one mobile terminal, the method comprising the steps of: setting a network connection between the appliance and the terminal, when the terminal approaches within a certain distance from the appliance; 0087-0098, Fig. 6 — It is determined whether the terminal approaches the appliance (step S203). If the terminal approaches the appliance, the terminal downloads the information related to the appliance transmitted from the appliance (step S204). In other words, it is determined whether the terminal normally receives the information related to the appliance transmitted from the appliance (step S205).].
Lee, Kim and Bae are analogous art. They relate to appliance control and communication systems.
Therefore at the time the invention was made, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the above appliance, as taught by the combination of Lee and Kim, by incorporating the above limitations, as taught by Bae.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do this modification in order to communicate with a specific appliance that the user wants to control, as suggested by Bae [0087-0098], and also to reduce power consumption and improve communication accuracy by only communicating with appliances within a reasonable communication range.
Claim(s) 25 and 26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Lee and Kim in view of the English translation of Deng et al. Chinese Patent Publication No. 107219417A, published 2017, from Google Patents (hereinafter Deng).
Regarding claim 25, the combination of Lee and Kim teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Further, Lee teaches the processor [98-0401, Fig. 30 — the cleaning robot 1000 (an appliance) may include a sensing unit 1100, a processor 1200] is further configured to control the first device [98-0401, Fig. 30 — the cleaning robot 1000 (an appliance) may include a sensing unit 1100, a processor 1200] and the first device is the floor cleaning device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000… cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device)] and the second device is the clothes treatment device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000; 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus].
But the combination of Lee and Kim fails to clearly specify acquire a distance between a current position of the first device and the user; and present the information to be communicated in response to the distance being shorter than or equal to a predetermined distance threshold.
However, Deng teaches acquire a distance between a current position of the first device and the user; and present the information to be communicated in response to the distance being shorter than or equal to a predetermined distance threshold [pages 4-5 — Between current distance be less than default triggering distance threshold, then light the display screen of current electrical equipment, make the display screen display use Family operation interface, and current electrical equipment is sent into the prompt message of operable state in the form of voice broadcast…. The default triggering distance threshold less than distance threshold stated range minimum, such as it is 0.5m to preset triggering distance threshold, As user as triggering object close to current electrical equipment, and current distance between current electrical equipment is when being less than triggering distance threshold, The display screen of current electrical equipment is lit to show user interface, and the current electrical equipment of voice broadcast comes into operable state Prompt message, the user interface that user can show according to current electrical equipment display screen operates to current electrical equipment].
Lee, Kim and Deng are analogous art. They relate to appliance control and communication systems.
Therefore at the time the invention was made, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the above appliance, as taught by the combination of Lee and Kim, by incorporating the above limitations, as taught by Deng.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do this modification in order to only activate a user interface when a user is nearby, as suggested by Deng [pages 4-5], thus reducing the energy required to power the interface.
Regarding claim 26, the combination of Lee and Kim teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Further, Lee teaches the first device is the floor cleaning device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000… cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device); 0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command; 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus, a TV, a dishwasher, an oven, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and an automatic feeder for pets, a water purifier, a lighting device, a bidet, and the like; 0140 — when the user watching the TV 700 discovers dust on the floor of the living room, the user may press the home key of the TV remote controller 710 for 3 seconds or longer to call the cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device) cleaning around an air conditioner in a master bedroom to the living room], and the second device is the clothes treatment device [0059-0064, Fig. 1 — plurality of home appliances 4000… cleaning robot 1000 (floor cleaning device); 0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command; 0076 — the plurality of home appliances 4000 may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, an air purifier, an air conditioner, an audio device, an induction range, a washing machine (clothes treatment device), a dryer (clothes treatment device), a clothes care apparatus, a TV, a dishwasher, an oven, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and an automatic feeder for pets, a water purifier, a lighting device, a bidet, and the like; 0140 — when the user watching the TV 700 discovers dust on the floor of the living room, the user may press the home key of the TV remote controller 710 for 3 seconds or longer to call the cleaning robot 1000 cleaning around an air conditioner in a master bedroom to the living room]; and
the processor [98-0401, Fig. 30 — the cleaning robot 1000 (an appliance) may include a sensing unit 1100, a processor 1200] is further configured to control the first device [98-0401, Fig. 30 — the cleaning robot 1000 (an appliance) may include a sensing unit 1100, a processor 1200] and issue the user instruction for the second device [0064 — the cleaning robot 1000 may receive a control command from the server device 2000 and perform a cleaning operation according to the control command. Here, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cleaning operation of the cleaning robot 1000 may be matched to an input related to an idle button of a home appliance; 0084 — the home appliances of the second group 4200 may directly transmit a call command to the cleaning robot 1000; 0087-0103, Figs. 2-3 — In operation S210, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may receive a first user input related to the cleaning robot through a first home appliance. For example, when the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000, the first home appliance may notify the server device 2000 that the first home appliance has received the first user input related to the cleaning robot 1000. In this case, the server device 2000 may receive information about the first user input (e.g., an input type, an input time, etc.) from the first home appliance, thereby receiving the first user input through the first home appliance… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a first scenario corresponding to the first user input from a scenario list… server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may identify a control command including movement position information indicating a destination of the cleaning robot 1000, based on the first scenario… In operation S240, the server device 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit the control command to the cleaning robot 1000… When the control command is received from the server device 2000, the cleaning robot 1000 may move to the vicinity of the first home appliance to complete cleaning of the first area].
But the combination of Lee and Kim fails to clearly specify acquire a distance between a current position of the first device and the user; and in response to the distance being shorter than or equal to a predetermined distance threshold, present prompt information to prompt the user.
However, Deng teaches acquire a distance between a current position of the first device and the user; and in response to the distance being shorter than or equal to a predetermined distance threshold, present prompt information to prompt the user [pages 4-5 — Between current distance be less than default triggering distance threshold, then light the display screen of current electrical equipment, make the display screen display use Family operation interface, and current electrical equipment is sent into the prompt message of operable state in the form of voice broadcast…. The default triggering distance threshold less than distance threshold stated range minimum, such as it is 0.5m to preset triggering distance threshold, As user as triggering object close to current electrical equipment, and current distance between current electrical equipment is when being less than triggering distance threshold, The display screen of current electrical equipment is lit to show user interface, and the current electrical equipment of voice broadcast comes into operable state Prompt message, the user interface that user can show according to current electrical equipment display screen operates to current electrical equipment].
Lee, Kim and Deng are analogous art. They relate to appliance control and communication systems.
Therefore at the time the invention was made, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the above appliance, as taught by the combination of Lee and Kim, by incorporating the above limitations, as taught by Deng.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do this modification in order to only activate a user interface when a user is nearby, as suggested by Deng [pages 4-5], thus reducing the energy required to power the interface.
Note that any citations to specific, pages, columns, lines, or figures in the prior art references and any interpretation of the reference should not be considered to be limiting in any way. A reference is relevant for all it contains and may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill in the art. See MPEP 2123.
Conclusion
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 date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BERNARD G. LINDSAY whose telephone number is (571)270-0665. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mohammad Ali can be reached on (571)272-4105. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BERNARD G LINDSAY/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2119
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