Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of claims
The following claims have been rejected or allowed for the following reasons:
Claim(s)1-20 is rejected under 35 USC § 102
Claim 1-20 is rejected under 35 USC § 101
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. KR10-2023-0050341, filed on 4/17/23.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement/statements (IDS) were filed on 2/20/24, 8/26/24, 7/9/25 and 2/9/26. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101.
Claims 1,16 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
On January 7, 2019, the USPTO released new examination guidelines setting forth a two-step inquiry for determining whether a claim is directed to non-statutory subject matter. According to the guidelines, a claim is directed to non-statutory subject matter if:
STEP 1: the claim does not fall within one of the four statutory categories of
invention (process, machine, manufacture or composition of matter), or
STEP 2: the claim recites a judicial exception, e.g. an abstract idea, without
reciting additional elements that amount to significantly more than the judicial
exception, as determined using the following analysis:
STEP 2A (PRONG 1): Does the claim recite an abstract idea, law of nature, or natural phenomenon?
STEP 2A (PRONG 2): Does the claim recite additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application?
STEP 2B: Does the claim recite additional elements that amount to significantly more than the judicial exception?
Using the two-step inquiry, it is clear that claim 1 is directed toward non-statutory subject matter, as shown below:
STEP 1: Do the claims fall within one of the statutory categories?
Yes claims 1,16 and 19 are directed towards a cleaner, method and system respectively.
With regard to STEP 2A (PRONG 1 ), the guidelines provide three groupings of subject matter that are considered abstract ideas:
Mathematical concepts - mathematical relationships, mathematical formulas or equations, mathematical calculations;
Certain methods of organizing human activity - fundamental economic principles or practices (including hedging, insurance, mitigating risk); commercial or legal interactions (including agreements in the form of contracts; legal obligations; advertising, marketing or sales activities or behaviors; business relations); managing personal behavior or relationships or interactions between people (including social activities, teaching, and following rules or instructions); and
Mental processes - concepts that are practicably performed in the human mind (including an observation, evaluation, judgment, opinion).
The control methods in claims 1,16 and 19 include mental processes that can practically be performed in the human mind, or with the aid of pen and paper and as such is directed
toward an abstract idea. The claim consists of identifying a location or area within a home or business which has yet to be or remains uncleaned. The application then works to guide the individual to that location.
STEP 2A (PRONG 2): Does the claim recite additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application?
No, the claims do not recite additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application.
With regard to STEP 2A (prong 2), whether the claim recites additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application, the guidelines provide the following exemplary considerations that are indicative that an additional element (or combination of elements) may have integrated the judicial exception into a practical application:
an additional element reflects an improvement in the functioning of a computer, or an improvement to other technology or technical field;
an additional element that applies or uses a judicial exception to effect a particular treatment or prophylaxis for a disease or medical condition;
an additional element implements a judicial exception with, or uses a judicial exception in conjunction with, a particular machine or manufacture that is integral to the claim;
an additional element effects a transformation or reduction of a particular article to a different state or thing; and
an additional element applies or uses the judicial exception in some other meaningful way beyond generally linking the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment, such that the claim as a whole is more than a drafting effort designed to monopolize the exception.
While the guidelines further state that the exemplary considerations are not an exhaustive list and that there may be other examples of integrating the exception into a practical application, the guidelines also list examples in which a judicial exception has not been integrated into a practical application:
an additional element merely recites the words "apply it" (or an equivalent) with the judicial exception, or merely includes instructions to implement an abstract idea on a computer, or merely uses a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea;
an additional element adds insignificant extra-solution activity to the judicial exception; and
An additional element does no more than generally link the use of a judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use.
Claims 1, 16 and 19 do not recite any of the exemplary considerations that are indicative of an abstract idea having been integrated into a practical application. The additional limitations include recording cleaning information in a given location and transmitting that cleaning information to another location. Gathering cleaning information are considered insignificant pre-solution data gathering. Transmitting cleaning data is considered to be implemented on the computer which is considered apply it level.
Thus, it is clear that the abstract idea is merely implemented on a computer at the "apply it level", which is indicative of the abstract solution having not been integrated into a practical application.
STEP 2B: Does the claim recite additional elements that amount to significantly more than the judicial exception?
No, the claims do not recite additional elements that amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With regard to STEP 2B, whether the claims recite additional elements that provide significantly more than the recited judicial exception, the guidelines specify that the pre-guideline procedure is still in effect. Specifically, that examiners should continue to consider whether an additional element or combination of elements:
adds a specific limitation or combination of limitations that are not well understood, routine, conventional activity in the field, which is indicative that an inventive concept may be present; or
simply appends well-understood, routine, conventional activities previously known to the industry, specified at a high level of generality, to the judicial exception, which is indicative that an inventive concept may not be present.
Claims 1, 16 and 19 do not recite any specific limitation or combination of limitations that are not well-understood, routine, conventional activity in the field. The additional limitations include different sensors or device on the cleaning unit to allow for additional data to be gathered and other methods for locating the current location of one of the cleaners. The addition of these sensor would be considered apply it level. While the other methods for locating the current location of one of the cleaners would be implemented on a computer, Which is also considered apply it level.
Conclusion
Thus, since 1, 16 and 19: (a) directed toward an abstract idea, (b) does not recite additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application, and (c) does not recite additional elements that amount to significantly more than the judicial exception, it is clear that the claims are directed towards non-statutory subject matter.
Claim 2: The inclusion of understanding the current operation of the cleaner Is considered apply it Level.
Claim 3: The inclusion of understanding the current operation of the cleaner Is considered apply it Level.
Claim 4: The inclusion of additional elements for guidance commands Is considered part of the abstract idea of claim 1.
Claim 5: Identifying the current location of the clean Is considered apply it Level.
Claim 6: The inclusion of additional sensors Is considered apply it Level.
Claim 7: The inclusion of additional sensors Is considered apply it Level.
Claim 8: The inclusion of additional sensors Is considered apply it Level.
Claim 9: The inclusion of a map for guidance information Is considered part of the abstract idea of claim 1.
Claim 10: The inclusion of additional guidance information Is considered part of the abstract idea of claim 1.
Claim 11: The transmission of cleaning information Is considered part of the abstract idea of claim 1.
Claim 12: Allowing the system to update its information Is considered part of the abstract idea of claim 1.
Claim 13: The inclusion of room names is considered Is considered part of the abstract idea of claim 1.
Claim 14: The inclusion of additional output device Is considered apply it Level.
Claim 15: The inclusion of additional sensors Is considered apply it Level.
Claim 17: The control of an external display Is considered apply it Level.
Claim 18: The inclusion of additional sensors Is considered apply it Level.
Claim 20: The inclusion of additional sensors Is considered apply it Level.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4-7, 14-17 and 19-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as applied to Kokeun (US 20210121035 A1), in further view of Wu (US 20220022718 A1), in further view of Krisp (2014 | Visualization and Communication of Indoor Routing Information).
Regarding claim 1 Kokeun teaches A cleaner comprising: (Kokeun [0202] reads “The external cleaner 300 may include a cleaner capable of being moved by a person or an external force.”);
an output interface; (Kokeun column 6 lines 30-35 reads “At this time, the output unit 150 may include a display unit for outputting time information, a speaker for outputting auditory information, and a haptic module for outputting haptic information.”);
communication circuitry; memory, comprising one or more storage media, storing instructions; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the output interface, the communication circuitry and the memory; (Kokeun abstract reads “Disclosed herein is a robot cleaner including a driving motor, a communication interface configured to receive, from an external cleaner, first cleaning record information including cleaning path information generated based on location information of the external cleaner, a memory configured to store second cleaning record information including the cleaning path information generated based on location information of the robot cleaner, and a processor configured to generate a cleaning plan of the robot cleaner based on the first cleaning record information and the second cleaning record information and control the driving motor such that the driving motor travels according to the cleaning plan.”);
and wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the cleaner to: receive, via the communication circuitry from an autonomous robot cleaner remote from the cleaner, (Kokeun [0272] reads “Meanwhile, the communication unit 110 may transmit the second cleaning record information generated after the robot cleaner 110 is controlled according to the cleaning plan and cleaning is then completed, to the external cleaner 300.”);
and control the output interface to output guidance information to guide the cleaner to the non-cleaned zone based on the information about the non- cleaned zone, (Kokeun [0273] reads “The external cleaner 300 may output a notification for the area previously cleaned by the robot cleaner 100 based on the received second cleaning record information, and output a message guiding cleaning for an area which have not cleaned by the robot cleaner 100.”);
Kokeun does not teach information about a non-cleaned zone obtained by the autonomous robot cleaner, and wherein the guidance information includes information about a route to reach a location of the non-cleaned zone from the location of the cleaner.
Wu in analogous art, teaches information about a non-cleaned zone obtained by the autonomous robot cleaner, (Wu [0242] reads “For a fifth implementation manner, the server stores the first space map of the space to be cleaned, and the cleaning robot 100 acquires the first space map of the space to be cleaned from the server. Accordingly, the step of acquiring, by a cleaning robot 100, a map of the space to be cleaned as a first space map may be: sending, by the cleaning robot 100, an acquisition request to the server, where the acquisition request carries an area identifier of the space to be cleaned; receiving, by the server, the acquisition request, acquiring, by the server, the first space map of the space to be cleaned according to the area identifier, and sending, by the server, the first space map of the space to be cleaned to the cleaning robot 100; and receiving, by the cleaning robot 100, the first space map of the space to be cleaned.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined the teachings of Kokeun with that of Wu to include a feature that would allow the system to understand when its connected to a docking station. This would allow for the system to provide a method for improving the path taken by a cleaner as to prevent contamination and improve efficiency. (Wu [0005] reads “On condition that the cleaning robot has cleaned a cleaning area including the entrance/exit, when repeatedly moving through the entrance/exit to the area where the base station is located for charging or cleaning, it is prone for the cleaning robot to contaminate the cleaned area including the entrance/exit, resulting in poor cleaning effect and low cleaning efficiency.”);
Kokeun/Wu does not teach and wherein the guidance information includes information about a route to reach a location of the non-cleaned zone from the location of the cleaner.
and wherein the guidance information includes information about a route to reach a location of the non-cleaned zone from the location of the cleaner. (Krisp page 7 second paragraph reads “ The navigations service provides the user a route from an origin to a destination using the before mentioned small maps, map-like graphics and the interior information. The routing and building information are displayed together on a smart phone.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Kokeun/Wu with that of Krisp to include a method that would allow for exact routing and guidance information for an interior space. This would allow the system to better convey where the uncleaned indoor location is. (Krisp abstract reads “In this paper we investigate the display and communication of indoor routing instructions via small maps, map-like graphics and non-photorealistic presentations of interior spaces. Our goal is to elaborate on questions like, “how can we provide an optimal depiction of the navigation information so that the user is able to find the destination within an indoor environment? The destination could be for example a classroom or a particular office in a university environment. We provide a case study for indoor routing maps within the Technical University Munich’s main building. Currently available data on floor footprints, points of interests (POIs), indoor-landmarks and the routing graph for the building are used to implement a routing service. The routing information is displayed on a smart phone implemented in the Windows 7.8 operating system. Designs of different ways to display routing instructions on smart phone displays are investigated. Experiences for building up the map design for this particular indoor routing system can be transferred to other buildings and provide a basis for the design ideas of indoor routing maps.”);
Regarding claim 2 Kokeun/Wu/Krisp teaches The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the individually or collectively, cause the cleaner to control the output interface to output the guidance information (Kokeun [0273] reads “The external cleaner 300 may output a notification for the area previously cleaned by the robot cleaner 100 based on the received second cleaning record information, and output a message guiding cleaning for an area which have not cleaned by the robot cleaner 100.”);
based on the cleaner separated from a docking station. (Wu [0153] reads “At this time, the charging component 111 on the cleaning robot 100 is in contact with the power supply component on the base station 200, and the base station 200 obtains power from the mains and charges the battery 105 of the cleaning robot 100 through the power supply component and the charging component 111. After the cleaning robot 100 is fully charged, it drives away from the base station 200 and continues to clean the ground of the room.” One with ordinary skill in the art would be able to understand that a robotic cleaner beginning its cleaning process after its removal from a docking station would be analogous to a handheld cleaner starting its cleaning process after being removed from a docking station.);
Regarding claim 4 Kokeun/Wu/Krisp teaches The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer programs further comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the cleaner to control the output interface to output the guidance information (Kokeun [0273] reads “The external cleaner 300 may output a notification for the area previously cleaned by the robot cleaner 100 based on the received second cleaning record information, and output a message guiding cleaning for an area which have not cleaned by the robot cleaner 100.”);
based on reception of a guidance command from an external device through the communicator communication circuitry. (Kokeun column 5 lines 43-49 reads “The communication unit 110 may transmit and receive data to and from external devices such as other AI devices 100a to 100e and the AI server 200 by using wire/wireless communication technology. For example, the communication unit 110 may transmit and receive sensor information, a user input, a learning model, and a control signal to and from external devices.”);
Regarding claim 5 Kokeun/Wu/Krisp teaches The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising: at least one sensor configured to obtain information relating to a location of the cleaner, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the cleaner to: identify the location of the cleaner based on the information obtained from the at least one sensor, (Kokeun [0101] reads “The robot 100 a may acquire state information about the robot 100 a by using sensor information acquired from various kinds of sensors, may detect (recognize) surrounding environment and objects, may generate map data, may determine the route and the travel plan, may determine the response to user interaction, or may determine the operation.”);
and control the output interface to output information about identify the a route to reach a location of the non-cleaned zone from the location of the cleaner as the guidance information(Krisp page 7 second paragraph reads “ The navigations service provides the user a route from an origin to a destination using the before mentioned small maps, map-like graphics and the interior information. The routing and building information are displayed together on a smart phone.”);
based on the location of the cleaner and the location of the non- cleaned zone. (Kokeun [0273] reads “The external cleaner 300 may output a notification for the area previously cleaned by the robot cleaner 100 based on the received second cleaning record information, and output a message guiding cleaning for an area which have not cleaned by the robot cleaner 100.” And [0208] reads “The location information of the external cleaner 300 may have the same format as the location information on an SLAM map of the robot cleaner 100.” It would be appreciated by one with ordinary skill in the art that guiding cleaning with an external cleaning device would include information about a route to reach the uncleaned area.);
Regarding claim 6 Kokeun/Wu/Krisp teaches The cleaner of claim 5 wherein the at least one sensor comprises a camera, and wherein the individually or collectively, cause the cleaner to identify a location of the cleaner based on image information obtained from the camera. (Kokeun [0102 – 0103] reads “The robot 100 a may use the sensor information acquired from at least one sensor among the lidar, the radar, and the camera so as to determine the travel route and the travel plan. … For example, the robot 100 a may recognize the surrounding environment and the objects by using the learning model, and may determine the operation by using the recognized surrounding information or object information.” And [0221] reads “In addition, the processor 180 may obtain location information on an SLAM map of the robot cleaner 100 (S902).”);
Regarding claim 7 Kokeun/Wu/Krisp teaches The cleaner of The cleaner of wherein the at least one sensor comprises an inertial measurement unit (IMU), (Kokeun [0068] reads “Examples of the sensors included in the sensing unit 140 may include a proximity sensor, an illuminance sensor, an acceleration sensor, a magnetic sensor, a gyro sensor, an inertial sensor”);
and wherein the individually or collectively, cause the cleaner to identify a location of the cleaner based on inertial information obtained from the IMU. (Kokeun [0101] reads “The robot 100 a may acquire state information about the robot 100 a by using sensor information acquired from various kinds of sensors, may detect (recognize) surrounding environment and objects, may generate map data, may determine the route and the travel plan, may determine the response to user interaction, or may determine the operation.”);
Regarding claim 14 Kokeun/Wu/Krisp teaches The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the output interface comprises at least one of an emitter, a display, a speaker, a piezo-electric element or a variable element. (Kokeun [0164] reads “The output unit 150 may include at least one of a display unit 151, a sound output unit 152, a haptic module 153, and an optical output unit 154.”);
Regarding claim 15 Kokeun/Wu/Krisp teaches The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the information about the non-cleaned zone is received by the cleaner from an external device through thecommunication circuitry. (Kokeun [0253] reads “The processor 180 may determine an area which is on the cleaning path of the external cleaner 300 as the cleaned area, and an area which is out of the cleaning path as the uncleaned area based on the cleaning path information of the external cleaner 300 included in the first cleaning record information.”);
Regarding claim 16 Kokeun teaches A method of controlling a cleaner, the method including: receiving, from an autonomous robot cleaner remote from the cleaner, (Kokeun [0272] reads “Meanwhile, the communication unit 110 may transmit the second cleaning record information generated after the robot cleaner 110 is controlled according to the cleaning plan and cleaning is then completed, to the external cleaner 300.”);
and outputting guidance information to guide the cleaner to the non-cleaned zone based on the information about the non-cleaned zone, (Kokeun [0273] reads “The external cleaner 300 may output a notification for the area previously cleaned by the robot cleaner 100 based on the received second cleaning record information, and output a message guiding cleaning for an area which have not cleaned by the robot cleaner 100.” And [0208] reads “The location information of the external cleaner 300 may have the same format as the location information on an SLAM map of the robot cleaner 100.” It would be appreciated by one with ordinary skill in the art that guiding cleaning with an external cleaning device would include information about a route to reach the uncleaned area.);
Kokeun does not teach information about a non-cleaned zone; wherein the guidance information includes information about a route to reach a location of the non-cleaned zone from the location of the cleaner.
Wu in analogous art, teaches information about a non-cleaned zone; (Wu [0242] reads “For a fifth implementation manner, the server stores the first space map of the space to be cleaned, and the cleaning robot 100 acquires the first space map of the space to be cleaned from the server. Accordingly, the step of acquiring, by a cleaning robot 100, a map of the space to be cleaned as a first space map may be: sending, by the cleaning robot 100, an acquisition request to the server, where the acquisition request carries an area identifier of the space to be cleaned; receiving, by the server, the acquisition request, acquiring, by the server, the first space map of the space to be cleaned according to the area identifier, and sending, by the server, the first space map of the space to be cleaned to the cleaning robot 100; and receiving, by the cleaning robot 100, the first space map of the space to be cleaned.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined the teachings of Kokeun with that of Wu to include a feature that would allow the system to understand when its connected to a docking station. This would allow for the system to provide a method for improving the path taken by a cleaner as to prevent contamination and improve efficiency. (Wu [0005] reads “On condition that the cleaning robot has cleaned a cleaning area including the entrance/exit, when repeatedly moving through the entrance/exit to the area where the base station is located for charging or cleaning, it is prone for the cleaning robot to contaminate the cleaned area including the entrance/exit, resulting in poor cleaning effect and low cleaning efficiency.”);
Kokeun/Wu does not teach wherein the guidance information includes information about a route to reach a location of the non-cleaned zone from the location of the cleaner.
wherein the guidance information includes information about a route to reach a location of the non-cleaned zone from the location of the cleaner. (Krisp page 7 second paragraph reads “ The navigations service provides the user a route from an origin to a destination using the before mentioned small maps, map-like graphics and the interior information. The routing and building information are displayed together on a smart phone.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Kokeun/Wu with that of Krisp to include a method that would allow for exact routing and guidance information for an interior space. This would allow the system to better convey where the uncleaned indoor location is. (Krisp abstract reads “In this paper we investigate the display and communication of indoor routing instructions via small maps, map-like graphics and non-photorealistic presentations of interior spaces. Our goal is to elaborate on questions like, “how can we provide an optimal depiction of the navigation information so that the user is able to find the destination within an indoor environment? The destination could be for example a classroom or a particular office in a university environment. We provide a case study for indoor routing maps within the Technical University Munich’s main building. Currently available data on floor footprints, points of interests (POIs), indoor-landmarks and the routing graph for the building are used to implement a routing service. The routing information is displayed on a smart phone implemented in the Windows 7.8 operating system. Designs of different ways to display routing instructions on smart phone displays are investigated. Experiences for building up the map design for this particular indoor routing system can be transferred to other buildings and provide a basis for the design ideas of indoor routing maps.”);
Regarding claim 17 Kokeun/Wu/Krisp teaches The method of claim 16, further comprising: controlling an output interface to output the guidance information (Kokeun [0273] reads “The external cleaner 300 may output a notification for the area previously cleaned by the robot cleaner 100 based on the received second cleaning record information, and output a message guiding cleaning for an area which have not cleaned by the robot cleaner 100.”);
based on the cleaner separated from a docking station. (Wu [0153] reads “At this time, the charging component 111 on the cleaning robot 100 is in contact with the power supply component on the base station 200, and the base station 200 obtains power from the mains and charges the battery 105 of the cleaning robot 100 through the power supply component and the charging component 111. After the cleaning robot 100 is fully charged, it drives away from the base station 200 and continues to clean the ground of the room.” One with ordinary skill in the art would be able to understand that a robotic cleaner beginning its cleaning process after its removal from a docking station would be analogous to a handheld cleaner starting its cleaning process after being removed from a docking station.);
Regarding claim 19 Kokeun teaches One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a cleaner, cause the cleaner to perform operations, the operations comprising: receiving, from an autonomous robot cleaner remote from the cleaner, (Kokeun [0272] reads “Meanwhile, the communication unit 110 may transmit the second cleaning record information generated after the robot cleaner 110 is controlled according to the cleaning plan and cleaning is then completed, to the external cleaner 300.”);
and outputting guidance information to guide the cleaner to the non-cleaned zone based on the information about the non-cleaned zone, (Kokeun [0273] reads “The external cleaner 300 may output a notification for the area previously cleaned by the robot cleaner 100 based on the received second cleaning record information, and output a message guiding cleaning for an area which have not cleaned by the robot cleaner 100.” And [0208] reads “The location information of the external cleaner 300 may have the same format as the location information on an SLAM map of the robot cleaner 100.” It would be appreciated by one with ordinary skill in the art that guiding cleaning with an external cleaning device would include information about a route to reach the uncleaned area.);
Kokeun does not teach information about a non-cleaned zone; wherein the guidance information includes information about a route to reach a location of the non-cleaned zone from the location of the cleaner.
Wu in analogous art, teaches information about a non-cleaned zone; (Wu [0242] reads “For a fifth implementation manner, the server stores the first space map of the space to be cleaned, and the cleaning robot 100 acquires the first space map of the space to be cleaned from the server. Accordingly, the step of acquiring, by a cleaning robot 100, a map of the space to be cleaned as a first space map may be: sending, by the cleaning robot 100, an acquisition request to the server, where the acquisition request carries an area identifier of the space to be cleaned; receiving, by the server, the acquisition request, acquiring, by the server, the first space map of the space to be cleaned according to the area identifier, and sending, by the server, the first space map of the space to be cleaned to the cleaning robot 100; and receiving, by the cleaning robot 100, the first space map of the space to be cleaned.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined the teachings of Kokeun with that of Wu to include a feature that would allow the system to understand when its connected to a docking station. This would allow for the system to provide a method for improving the path taken by a cleaner as to prevent contamination and improve efficiency. (Wu [0005] reads “On condition that the cleaning robot has cleaned a cleaning area including the entrance/exit, when repeatedly moving through the entrance/exit to the area where the base station is located for charging or cleaning, it is prone for the cleaning robot to contaminate the cleaned area including the entrance/exit, resulting in poor cleaning effect and low cleaning efficiency.”);
Kokeun/Wu does not teach wherein the guidance information includes information about a route to reach a location of the non-cleaned zone from the location of the cleaner.
wherein the guidance information includes information about a route to reach a location of the non-cleaned zone from the location of the cleaner. (Krisp page 7 second paragraph reads “ The navigations service provides the user a route from an origin to a destination using the before mentioned small maps, map-like graphics and the interior information. The routing and building information are displayed together on a smart phone.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Kokeun/Wu with that of Krisp to include a method that would allow for exact routing and guidance information for an interior space. This would allow the system to better convey where the uncleaned indoor location is. (Krisp abstract reads “In this paper we investigate the display and communication of indoor routing instructions via small maps, map-like graphics and non-photorealistic presentations of interior spaces. Our goal is to elaborate on questions like, “how can we provide an optimal depiction of the navigation information so that the user is able to find the destination within an indoor environment? The destination could be for example a classroom or a particular office in a university environment. We provide a case study for indoor routing maps within the Technical University Munich’s main building. Currently available data on floor footprints, points of interests (POIs), indoor-landmarks and the routing graph for the building are used to implement a routing service. The routing information is displayed on a smart phone implemented in the Windows 7.8 operating system. Designs of different ways to display routing instructions on smart phone displays are investigated. Experiences for building up the map design for this particular indoor routing system can be transferred to other buildings and provide a basis for the design ideas of indoor routing maps.”);
Regarding claim 20 Kokeun/Wu/Krisp teaches The one or more non-transitory computer- readable storage media of claim 19, the operations further comprising: controlling an output interface to output the guidance information (Kokeun [0273] reads “The external cleaner 300 may output a notification for the area previously cleaned by the robot cleaner 100 based on the received second cleaning record information, and output a message guiding cleaning for an area which have not cleaned by the robot cleaner 100.”);
based on the cleaner separated from a docking station. (Wu [0153] reads “At this time, the charging component 111 on the cleaning robot 100 is in contact with the power supply component on the base station 200, and the base station 200 obtains power from the mains and charges the battery 105 of the cleaning robot 100 through the power supply component and the charging component 111. After the cleaning robot 100 is fully charged, it drives away from the base station 200 and continues to clean the ground of the room.” One with ordinary skill in the art would be able to understand that a robotic cleaner beginning its cleaning process after its removal from a docking station would be analogous to a handheld cleaner starting its cleaning process after being removed from a docking station.);
Regarding claim 21 Kokeun/Wu/Krisp teaches The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cleaner is a manual cleaner incapable of autonomous traveling information received, via the communication circuitry from an autonomous robot cleaner remote from the cleaner, about the non-cleaned zone is not transmitted with information about a cleaned zone. (Wu [0242] reads “For a fifth implementation manner, the server stores the first space map of the space to be cleaned, and the cleaning robot 100 acquires the first space map of the space to be cleaned from the server. Accordingly, the step of acquiring, by a cleaning robot 100, a map of the space to be cleaned as a first space map may be: sending, by the cleaning robot 100, an acquisition request to the server, where the acquisition request carries an area identifier of the space to be cleaned; receiving, by the server, the acquisition request, acquiring, by the server, the first space map of the space to be cleaned according to the area identifier, and sending, by the server, the first space map of the space to be cleaned to the cleaning robot 100; and receiving, by the cleaning robot 100, the first space map of the space to be cleaned.” It would be appreciated by one with ordinary skill in the art that in this embodiment for the signal transmission between cleaning devices that only the area to be cleaned has been transmitted.);
Claim(s) 3, 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as applied to Kokeun/Wu/Krisp in further view of Kwak (US 20230030384 A1).
Regarding claim 3 Kokeun teaches The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the individually or collectively, cause the cleaner to control the output interface to output the guidance information (Kokeun [0273] reads “The external cleaner 300 may output a notification for the area previously cleaned by the robot cleaner 100 based on the received second cleaning record information, and output a message guiding cleaning for an area which have not cleaned by the robot cleaner 100.”);
Kokeun/Wu/Krisp does not teach based on the cleaner powered on.
Kwak in analogous art, teaches based on the cleaner powered on. (Kwak [0105] reads “Because the robot cleaner 100 and the manual cleaner 600 may communicate with each other through the UWB module, the robot cleaner 100 may identify that the manual cleaner 600 is turned on and operated by a signal received through the communication unit 175 of the robot cleaner 100.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Kokeun/Wu/Krisp with that of Kwak to include a method for the system to understand when it is powered on or activated. This would allow for the cleaning method to be improved based on how the user interacts with the cleaner. (Kwak [0005] – [0006] reads “the robot cleaner does not perform cleaning in consideration of a user's cleaning pattern or user characteristics. The user adjusts a suction level and performs the cleaning while moving the manual cleaner based on a propensity. However, the robot cleaner does not perform the cleaning by reflecting the user's cleaning propensity, so that there is a need for improvement of the robot cleaner.”);
Regarding claim 18 Kokeun/Wu/Krisp teaches The method of claim 16, further comprising: controlling an output interface to output the guidance information (Kokeun [0273] reads “The external cleaner 300 may output a notification for the area previously cleaned by the robot cleaner 100 based on the received second cleaning record information, and output a message guiding cleaning for an area which have not cleaned by the robot cleaner 100.”);
Kokeun/Wu/Krisp does not teach based on the cleaner powered on.
Kwak in analogous art, teaches based on the cleaner powered on. (Kwak [0105] reads “Because the robot cleaner 100 and the manual cleaner 600 may communicate with each other through the UWB module, the robot cleaner 100 may identify that the manual cleaner 600 is turned on and operated by a signal received through the communication unit 175 of the robot cleaner 100.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Kokeun/Wu/Krisp with that of Kwak to include a method for the system to understand when it is powered on or activated. This would allow for the cleaning method to be improved based on how the user interacts with the cleaner. (Kwak [0005] – [0006] reads “the robot cleaner does not perform cleaning in consideration of a user's cleaning pattern or user characteristics. The user adjusts a suction level and performs the cleaning while moving the manual cleaner based on a propensity. However, the robot cleaner does not perform the cleaning by reflecting the user's cleaning propensity, so that there is a need for improvement of the robot cleaner.”);
Claim(s) 8-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as applied to Kokeun/Wu/Krisp, in further view of Scholten (US 20180344114 A1).
Regarding claim 8 Kokeun/Wu/Krisp teaches The cleaner of claim 1 wherein the individually or collectively, cause the cleaner to control the output interface to output information about a route to reach a location of the non-cleaned zone from a location of the cleaner as the guidance information based on the location of the cleaner identified (Kokeun [0273] reads “The external cleaner 300 may output a notification for the area previously cleaned by the robot cleaner 100 based on the received second cleaning record information, and output a message guiding cleaning for an area which have not cleaned by the robot cleaner 100.”);
Kokeun/Wu/Krisp does not teach further comprising: a radio communication tag capable of communicating with a plurality of wireless communication anchors placed at preset locations. And based on a signal output from the radio communication tag and received through each of the plurality of wireless communication anchors.
Scholten in analogous art, teaches further comprising: a radio communication tag capable of communicating with a plurality of wireless communication anchors placed at preset locations, (Scholten [0051] reads “The dry vacuuming robot 100 can further include one or more wireless radio(s) 190 operably coupled with the controller 128 and configured to communicate with other devices over a global, local, and/or personal area network, for example. In one example, the dry vacuuming robot 100 can share data, such as a room map or a stain waypoint with the deep cleaning robot 200 through the wireless radio 190.”);
based on a signal output from the radio communication tag and received through each of the plurality of wireless communication anchors. (Scholten [0051] reads “For instance, the wireless radio 190 can connect to a cloud server, and the cloud server can contact the deep cleaning robot 200 and transfer the room map or stain waypoint data via a global WiFi network.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Kokeun/Wu/Krisp with that of Scholten to include a system of communication and locating with the use of radio tags. This would allow for efficiency improvements and is lower cost than other similar systems. (Scholten [0109] reads “This offers an advantageous autonomous floor cleaning system with a greater range of cleaning capabilities, while avoiding duplication of certain components, and therefore provides a lower cost solution compared to two full-feature robots.”);
Regarding claim 9 Kokeun/Wu/Krisp/Scholten teaches The cleaner of claim 8, wherein the route information comprises location information of the cleaner on a cleaning map and location information of the non-cleaned zone on the cleaning map. (Kokeun [0116] reads “The self-driving vehicle 100b may use at least one of the map data, the object information detected from the sensor information, or the object information acquired from the external apparatus to determine the travel route and the travel plan, and may control the driving unit such that the self-driving vehicle 100b travels along the determined travel route and travel plan.” And Column 16 lines 66-67 reads “In addition, the processor 180 may obtain location information on an SLAM map of the robot cleaner 100 (S902).”);
Regarding claim 10 Kokeun/Wu/Krisp/Scholten teaches The cleaner of claim 8, wherein the route information comprises turn-by-turn (TBT) information for the cleaner to reach the non-cleaned zone. (Krisp page 10 last paragraph reads “After starting the application the start screen (Fig. 4a) is shown and the user starts routing by entering the start (START) and destination (ZIEL) the particular route are displayed on an overview base map of the specific floor (Fig. 4b). Figure 4a shows a routing from the main entrance (Haupteingang) to the library (Bibliothek) while Fig. 4b shows the route (red line) from the main entrance to the stairs. In this case, the stairs connect the basement with the first floor on which the library is located.” Figure 4 shown below depicts what the user may see which includes turn by turn navigation.);
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Regarding claim 11 Kokeun/Wu/Krisp/Scholten teaches The cleaner of claim 8, wherein the individually or collectively, cause the cleaner to control the communication circuitry to transmit a signal for notifying an external device that cleaning on the non-cleaned zone is completed based on the cleaner completing cleaning on the non-cleaned zone. (Kokeun [0272] reads “Meanwhile, the communication unit 110 may transmit the second cleaning record information generated after the robot cleaner 110 is controlled according to the cleaning plan and cleaning is then completed, to the external cleaner 300.” And [0249] reads “The second cleaning record information may include coordinate information in the SLAM map for the cleaning space. The cleaning record information may include cleaning path information generated based on coordinate information in the SLAM map of the robot cleaner 100. The second cleaning record information may include information about at least one of a cleaning date and time, a cleaning degree, and a cleaning mode of the robot cleaner 100. The second cleaning record information may include information about a cleaning start date and time and a cleaning end date and time for each cleaning each time the robot cleaner 100 performs the cleaning. The second cleaning record information may include information about the cleaning degree such as a vacuum suction strength at which the robot cleaner 100 sucks dust, a rotation speed of a motor, and the like. The second cleaning record information may include information about the cleaning mode of the robot cleaner 300.”);
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as applied to Kokeun/Wu/Krisp/Scholten in further view of Asahi (JP 2020192171 A).
Regarding claim 12 Kokeun/Wu/Krisp/Scholten teaches The cleaner of claim 8.
Kokeun/Wu/Krisp/Scholten does not teach wherein the individually or collectively, cause the cleaner to update information about the non-cleaned zone based on the location of the cleaner.
Asahi in analogous art, teaches wherein the individually or collectively, cause the cleaner to update information about the non-cleaned zone based on the location of the cleaner. (Asahi page 16 paragraph 9 reads “The various operations in the image creating unit 12 described above may be executed in combination. For example, the image creation unit 12 creates and displays an image that changes the color to be filled or erased according to the number of times the position of the head unit 2 has passed, and has cleaned the cleaning target area such as "more ○%". An image showing the ratio of the area may be created and displayed. Further, when the image is an image that completely fills the area to be cleaned, the image creation unit 12 may display a predetermined picture of a character or the like on the display device 7.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Kokeun/Wu/Krisp with that of Asahi to include a method for disguising between cleaned and uncleaned areas. This would allow for greater efficiency in the cleaning system. (Asahi page 2 paragraph 5-6 reads “the cleaned area is repeatedly cleaned or the uncleaned area remains, which causes a problem of deterioration in cleaning efficiency and cleaning quality. The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is a cleaning support device, a cleaning support system, and electric cleaning that can distinguish between a cleaned area and an uncleaned area and present them to the user in an easy-to-understand manner. The purpose is to provide a machine and a cleaning support method.”);
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as applied to Kokeun/Wu/Krisp, in further view of Kim (US 12226067 B2).
Regarding claim 13 Kokeun teaches The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the guidance information comprises at least one of a location of the non-cleaned zone, (Kokeun [0207] reads “The communication unit 110 may receive first cleaning record information including cleaning path information generated based on location information of the external cleaner 300 from the external cleaner 300 (S801).” And [0252] reads “The processor 180 may determine a cleaned area on which the external cleaner 300 has performed cleaning and an uncleaned area on which the external cleaner 300 have not performed cleaning, based on the first cleaning record information.”);
or a cause of occurrence of the non-cleaned zone. (Kokeun [0254] reads “The processor 180 may generate a cleaning plan for the uncleaned area that the external cleaner 300 have not performed cleaning. Also, when it is determined based on the second cleaning record information that the uncleaned area on which the external cleaner 300 have not performed cleaning is cleaned by the robot cleaner 100 within a predetermined time period, the processor 180 may generate a cleaning plan that excludes cleaning of uncleaned areas on which the external cleaner 300 have not performed.”);
Kokeun/Wu/Krisp does not teach a name of a room in which the non-cleaned zone is located.
Kim in analogous art, teaches a name of a room in which the non-cleaned zone is located (Kim column 3 lines 8-10 reads “The generating of the room name may include generating a room name based on at least one of a type of the recognized object located at each of the plurality of rooms.”);
Kim teaches (i) that the robot cleaner transmits second cleaning record information, including the cleaned path on a SLAM map, to an external cleaner, and that the external cleaner outputs guidance to clean areas “not cleaned by the robot cleaner” ([Kim ¶¶0245, 0249–0251, 0272–0273]); and (ii) that the external cleaner can determine its own current location on the same map via a trained location determination model ([Kim ¶¶0217–0241]). Wu, in the same technical field of robotic cleaning, teaches computing navigation paths within a mapped environment and moving between areas “based on a navigation path,” as well as setting directions and executing trajectories ([Wu ¶¶0156–0166, 0170, 0281–0282]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Kim’s external cleaner guidance to include route information by incorporating Wu’s known navigation/path-planning technique. Applying Wu’s known path-planning to Kim’s external cleaner to compute and present a route from the cleaner’s current location to the identified non-cleaned zone would improve Kim’s guidance in the same way Wu improves navigation—by providing a path between locations—yielding predictable results. Given Kim already provides both endpoints (current location and target zone) and an existing guidance output mechanism, a person of ordinary skill would have had a reasonable expectation of success in generating and outputting the route, and neither reference teaches away from such a combination.
Response to arguments
Applicant argues < Furthermore, in Kokeun, the determination of uncleaned areas is always performed by the receiving side, which analyzes the cleaning path information and independently calculates it. In contrast, the present claims have a configuration in which the autonomous robot cleaner acquires non-cleaned zone information and directly transmits it, and the cleaner receives the already-determined non-cleaned zone information. Therefore, we believe the Office Action's assertion that Kokeun discloses the features of the present claims is not well-founded. > [page 10 second paragraph]. The examiner respectfully disagrees. In the current office action of record, Kokeun is no longer relied upon to teach that the uncleaned, or has not yet been cleaned, area be transmitted to the cleaning device. The limitation of sending information regarding the uncleaned, or has not yet been cleaned, area to a cleaning device is taught by Wu. (Wu [0242] reads “For a fifth implementation manner, the server stores the first space map of the space to be cleaned, and the cleaning robot 100 acquires the first space map of the space to be cleaned from the server. Accordingly, the step of acquiring, by a cleaning robot 100, a map of the space to be cleaned as a first space map may be: sending, by the cleaning robot 100, an acquisition request to the server, where the acquisition request carries an area identifier of the space to be cleaned; receiving, by the server, the acquisition request, acquiring, by the server, the first space map of the space to be cleaned according to the area identifier, and sending, by the server, the first space map of the space to be cleaned to the cleaning robot 100; and receiving, by the cleaning robot 100, the first space map of the space to be cleaned.”); Furthermore, the current Broadest reasonable interpretation of the claimed invention does not limit the claimed invention to forcing the robotic cleaner to only send the uncleaned zone location information. Kim discloses that, after the robot cleaner completes cleaning, “the communication unit 110 may transmit the second cleaning record information … to the external cleaner 300” ([0272]). The “second cleaning record information” includes cleaning path information (coordinates on the SLAM map), and optionally date/time, cleaning degree, and cleaning mode of the robot cleaner ([0245], [0249]-[0251]). Upon receiving that information, “the external cleaner 300 may output a notification for the area previously cleaned by the robot cleaner 100 … and output a message guiding cleaning for an area which have not cleaned by the robot cleaner 100” ([0273]). This shows the received data is sufficient for the external cleaner to identify uncleaned areas. Therefore, Kim clearly show that the data received clearly has "information about non-cleaned zones". Therefore, the combination teaches the claimed invention.
Applicant argues <However, the "cleaning plan" of Kokeun is merely a plan for the robot cleaner to perform cleaning through autonomous navigation and is fundamentally different from guiding the user with "a route to reach the non-cleaned zone from the current location of the cleaner." In other words, Kokeun is premised on the robot cleaner autonomously traveling to perform cleaning, and does not disclose or suggest the feature of the present claims in which a route is provided to guide the user so that the user can carry the cleaner (e.g., a cordless handheld cleaner or a cordless stick-type cleaner) and move to the noncleaned zone. > [page 11 spanning paragraph]. The examiner respectfully disagrees. Kokeun clearly teaches that it may produce outputs that can guide the cleaning of an area. (Kokeun [0273] reads “The external cleaner 300 may … and output a message guiding cleaning for an area which have not cleaned by the robot cleaner 100.”); The current office action of record does not rely upon Kokeun for specific route information for guiding the external cleaner to a specific location. For this the office action relies upon Krisp, which teaches the use of indoor navigation between locations. (Krisp page 7 second paragraph reads “ The navigations service provides the user a route from an origin to a destination using the before mentioned small maps, map-like graphics and the interior information. The routing and building information are displayed together on a smart phone.”); The examiner also wanted to make note that the currently claimed invention limited to a cleaner that “that the user can carry the cleaner (e.g., a cordless handheld cleaner or a cordless stick-type cleaner)”, though the current art of record does teach this limitation. (Kokeun figure 12 clearly depicts the external cleaner 300 as a portable, handheld, stick-type cleaner.);
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Therefore, the combination teaches the claimed invention.
Applicant argues < A non-cleaned zone refers to a zone where cleaning has not been performed even after cleaning is completed according to a predetermined cleaning schedule, or a zone that the robot cleaner could not enter due to obstacles or other obstructing factors (see paragraph [0165]).> [page 8 4th paragraph]. The examiner respectfully disagrees. The current broadest reasonable interpretation of the claimed invention is not limited to the information layout in this argument. The current interpretation of an uncleaned zone refers to any zone or area that has not yet been cleaned. Therefore, the combination teaches the claimed invention.
Applicant argues < Additionally, the claims as amended specify that the guidance information includes "information about a route to reach the non-cleaned zone from the current location of the cleaner." > [Page 10 fifth paragraph]. The examiner respectfully disagrees. The examiner has added the source Krisp to further cover the limitation of guiding the user throughout the area. Krisp’s inclusion of indoor guidance information is relied upon to teach the limitation of instructing and guiding the user to an uncleaned area. Krisp clearly teaches a method for routing a user through an indoor space and this technology would be easily applicable to the current invention, as shown in the current office action. (Krisp page 7 second paragraph reads “ The navigations service provides the user a route from an origin to a destination using the before mentioned small maps, map-like graphics and the interior information. The routing and building information are displayed together on a smart phone.”); Therefore, the combination teaches the claimed invention.
Other references not Cited
Throughout examination other references were found that could read onto the prior art. Though these references were not used in this examination they could be used in future examination and could read on the contents of the current disclosure. These references are, Arnold (US 20200229669 A1), Tae Kim (US 11571817 B2).
Conclusion
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/JOHN MARTIN O'MALLEY/Examiner, Art Unit 3658
/Ramon A. Mercado/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3658