DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of Claims
This action is in reply to the application filed on 03/26/2024 and the amendments and response filed 1/21/2026.
Claims 1, 7, 8, 14-16, and 19 have been amended.
No claims have been added.
No claims have been cancelled.
Claims 1-20 are currently pending and have been examined.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS(s)) submitted on 3/26/2024 has been received and considered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 9-13, filed 1/21/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of amended independent claim(s) 1, 8, and 14 under 35 USC 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive regarding the argument that Balasubramanian’s (US 11628556) node-by-node method is different from the claimed real-time route computation, the argument that Baldini’s (EP 3931655) navigation in an unconstrained environment does not present sufficient motivation to combine with the route planning in constrained tracked environments for Balasubramanian and Huang (US 20190393813), and the argument with respect to amended claim 7 that Balasubramanian does not teach an expected volume of traffic. Therefore, the rejections have been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made as necessitated by amendment in view of Balasubramanian, Kono (US 20220342423), and Huang.
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) 1-3, 5-10, 12-16, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Balasubramanian et al (US 11628556, hereinafter “Balasubramanian”) in view of Kono et al (US 20220342423, hereinafter “Kono”) and Huang et al (US 20190393813, hereinafter “Huang”).
Regarding Claim 1, Balasubramanian teaches:
A method for real-time path planning in an independent cart system, wherein the independent cart system includes a track having a plurality of paths and a plurality of track segments connected together to define the plurality of paths, (Balasubramanian Col 2 lines 27-38 “The multi-level transport system includes a plurality of magnetic tracks configured to allow movement of the mobile robot in at least one direction in the xy-plane. The multi-level transport system further includes a plurality of transfer mechanisms configured to change the direction of the mobile robot in the xy-plane, and to allow the movement of the mobile robot in a direction along the z-axis, each transfer mechanism of the plurality of transfer mechanisms mechanically coupled to an end of a magnetic track of the plurality of magnetic tracks thereby defining a transfer node in the multi-level transport system,” the transport system shown in Fig 1-A)
the method comprising the steps of: generating a first route for a mover to travel along the plurality of paths (Balasubramanian Col 10 lines 10-14 “The optimization module 550 is configured to generate a sequence of magnetic tracks and transfer mechanisms that need to be activated for movement of the mobile robot 10 between two transfer nodes in a shortest duration of time,”)
in the independent cart system in a first controller for the independent cart system; (Balasubramanian Col 2 lines 14-21 “The robotic system further includes a control system configured to dynamically control the movement of the mobile robot in the x,y,z direction at one or more transfer nodes of the multi-level transport system, by dynamically activating a corresponding magnetic track of the plurality of magnetic tracks or a corresponding transfer mechanism of the plurality of transfer mechanisms.,”)
transmitting the first route to a […] controller in the independent cart system, […] (Balasubramanian Col 10 lines 10-19 “The optimization module 550 is configured to generate a sequence of magnetic tracks and transfer mechanisms that need to be activated for movement of the mobile robot 10 between two transfer nodes in a shortest duration of time. In such instances, the track activation module 520 and the transfer activation module 530 are further configured to activate the corresponding magnetic tracks and the corresponding transfer mechanisms, based on the sequence generated by the optimization module 550,” teaching a transference of the route from the optimization module to the track and transfer activation modules)
[…] controlling operation of the mover along a portion of the plurality of track segments in the first route […] (Balasubramanian Col 5 lines 61-67 “these blocks of electromagnetic motors may be dynamically activated and deactivated by a control system to selectively activate and deactivate these blocks. This selective activation of the blocks of electromagnetic motors propels the mobile robots with magnetic bases running on these tracks to move in the direction of activation,”)
Balasubramanian does not teach:
[to a ] first segment [controller…]
[…] wherein each of the plurality of track segments includes a segment controller; […]
[…] with the corresponding segment controller for each of the plurality of track segments;
generating at least one additional route for the mover to travel along the plurality of paths in the independent cart system in the first controller as the mover is travelling along the first route;
continually determining a first weighting value for a remainder of the first route in real-time as the mover is travelling along the first route;
continually determining a second weighting value for each of the at least one additional routes in real-time as the mover is travelling along the first route;
when the first weighting value is less than the second weighting value for each of the at least one additional routes, continue controlling operation of the mover along the remainder of the first route;
and when the first weighting value is greater than the second weighting value for a different route, selected from the at least one additional routes, controlling operation of the mover along the different route.
Within the same field of endeavor as Balasubramanian, Kono teaches:
generating at least one additional route for the mover to travel along the plurality of paths in the independent cart system in the first controller as the mover is travelling along the first route; continually determining a first weighting value for a remainder of the first route in real-time as the mover is travelling along the first route; continually determining a second weighting value for each of the at least one additional routes in real-time as the mover is travelling along the first route; (Kono ¶ 0044-0045 “In the present embodiment, as shown in the flowchart of the route setting control #10 in FIG. 7, based on current position information of a setting vehicle 3C, destination information, and the map information, the controller H sets one or more candidate routes 1B as routes that enable traveling from the current position to the destination (#11). […] If two or more candidate routes 1B were set, […] the controller H determines the link cost LC for each of all of the links L that belong to the candidate routes 1B based on the reference cost ST and the variable cost DY that corresponds to the number of vehicles value n (#14). Then, for each of the candidate routes 1B, the controller H obtains a route cost TC, which is the total cost of the candidate route 1B, based on the link costs LC of the links L that belong to the candidate route 1B (#15), and sets one set route 1A from among the two or more candidate routes 1B based on the route costs TC of the candidate routes 1B (#16). The controller H repeatedly executes the route setting control #10 at least at a regular time interval. As the setting vehicle 3C approaches a target link LA, the actual influence of other vehicles 3B approaches the actual state. For this reason, if the route setting control #10 is repeatedly executed at a regular time interval, the route setting can be reviewed while the setting vehicle 3C is moving, and the route setting can be performed more precisely based on the influence of other vehicles 3B,” and ¶ 0055 lines x-x “Further, even after the start of operation, which is after the start of transportation of the article W in the article transport facility, the controller H obtains the time increase per vehicle ΔTn for the links L that belong to the travelable route 1,” emphasis added, teaching continual (repeatedly at a regular time interval) performance of route setting control, that is route determination including a plurality of routes, including updating of cost parameters for the links, equivalent to weighting values, while the vehicle is moving on the first route)
when the first weighting value is less than the second weighting value for each of the at least one additional routes, continue controlling operation of the mover along the remainder of the first route; and when the first weighting value is greater than the second weighting value for a different route, selected from the at least one additional routes, controlling operation of the mover along the different route. (Kono ¶ 0044 lines 19-25 “Then, for each of the candidate routes 1B, the controller H obtains a route cost TC, which is the total cost of the candidate route 1B, based on the link costs LC of the links L that belong to the candidate route 1B (#15), and sets one set route 1A from among the two or more candidate routes 1B based on the route costs TC of the candidate routes 1B (#16),” teaching use of the weighting values to determine the continued route, and ¶ 0096 lines “Based on the link cost LC determined as described above, the controller H determines the route cost TC of each candidate route 1B. The route cost TC is a cost representing an estimated value of the time required for the setting vehicle 3C to travel on the candidate route 1B. In the present embodiment, the controller H determines the route cost TC for the candidate route 1B by adding the link costs LC for each of all of the links L that belong to the candidate route 1B and the node cost for each of all of the nodes N that belong to the candidate route 1B. The controller H then compares the route costs TC determined for the candidate routes 1B, and sets the candidate route 1B having the lowest route cost TC among the candidate routes 1B as the set route 1A. As a result, it is possible to appropriately consider the influence of other vehicles 3B present in the travelable route 1 and increase the likelihood that the route with the shortest time to reach the destination can be set as the set route 1A in the actual traveling situation,” teaching selection of the route with the lowest route cost (weight))
Balasubramanian and Kono are considered analogous because they both relate to autonomous routing of moving elements within tracked mover systems. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the optimized path generation based on path distance, journey time, and current loading pattern along the path of Balasubramanian with the addition of the repeated regular intervals of candidate path selection while the vehicle travels and the selection of the route based on the lowest route cost of Kono. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success as motivated by more precisely setting the optimal route based on current influence of other vehicles (Kono ¶ 0045 lines 5-8), and furthermore by increasing the likelihood that the route with the shortest time to reach the destination can be set by considering the influence of other vehicles present in the route (Kono ¶ 0096 lines 14-18).
The combination of Balasubramanian and Kono does not teach:
[to a first ] segment [controller…]
[…] wherein each of the plurality of track segments includes a segment controller; […]
[…] with the corresponding segment controller for each of the plurality of track segments; […]
Within the same field of endeavor as Balasubramanian and Kono, Huang teaches:
[to a first ] segment [controller…] (Huang ¶ 0009 lines 8-11 “Each of the distributed controllers receives a motion command corresponding to desired operation of each mover located on the segment of track controlled by the distributed controller,”)
[…] wherein each of the plurality of track segments includes a segment controller; […] (Huang ¶ 0006 lines 13-15 “In these applications, it may be desirable to distribute control of the movers to segment controllers located on each segment of the track,”)
[…] with the corresponding segment controller for each of the plurality of track segments; […] (Huang ¶ 0009 lines 11-14 “ The distributed controller generates commands to drive multiple coils spaced along the segment of the track, where each mover is driven along the track segment responsive to an electromagnetic field generated by the coils,”)
Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang are all considered analogous because they all relate to autonomous control of moving elements in tracked mover systems. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the multi-level transport and system including a plurality of magnetic tracks configured to allow movement of the mobile robot and controller for the system of Balasubramanian with the addition of the distributed segment controllers of Huang. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success as motivated by minimizing the amount of communication in the system by distributing control to local controllers (Huang 0032 lines 14-17).
Regarding Claim 2, the combination of Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang teaches the elements of Claim 1 as described above. Balasubramanian further teaches:
[…] the method further comprising the steps of: writing the first route […] (Balasubramanian Col 10 lines 10-19 “The optimization module 550 is configured to generate a sequence of magnetic tracks and transfer mechanisms that need to be activated for movement of the mobile robot 10 between two transfer nodes in a shortest duration of time. In such instances, the track activation module 520 and the transfer activation module 530 are further configured to activate the corresponding magnetic tracks and the corresponding transfer mechanisms, based on the sequence generated by the optimization module 550,” teaching a transference of the route from the optimization module to the track and transfer activation modules)
Balasubramanian does not teach:
wherein the mover includes a vehicle worksheet
stored in the first segment controller, […]
[…]to the vehicle worksheet
after transmitting the first route to the first segment controller;
and transmitting the vehicle worksheet to the corresponding segment controller as the mover travels along the portion of the plurality of track segments.
Within the same field of endeavor as Balasubramanian, Huang teaches:
wherein the mover includes a vehicle worksheet stored in the first segment controller, […] (Huang ¶ 0040 lines 7-10 “The segment controller 50 of the first track segment generates a data packet 80 in which the operating characteristic(s) 55 are included as data 84,” teaching the generation and storage of data packets of operating characteristics of the mover, as applies to the route information of Balasubramanian)
[…] to the vehicle worksheet after transmitting the first route to the first segment controller; (Huang ¶ 0037 lines 1-18 “In operation, the central controller 170 receives a command from an external controller, such as the industrial controller 200 shown in FIG. 1, corresponding to a desired location, trajectory or motion for each mover 100. The command identifies one of the movers 100 and provides a desired operation of the mover 100. According to one embodiment of the invention, the desired operation may include a start location and a destination location between which the mover 100 is to travel. Optionally, the desired operation may simply include a destination location where the start location is the current location of the mover 100. […] Optionally, the desired velocity or the desired acceleration may be stored […] in the memory 54 of the segment controller 50.,” teaching that the segment controller saving a desired route trajectory, start location, and destination location, defining a route)
and transmitting the vehicle worksheet to the corresponding segment controller as the mover travels along the portion of the plurality of track segments. (Huang ¶ 0038 lines 1-5 “If the track 10 is arranged with distributed control, the central controller 170 may generate motion profiles for each mover 100 along the track segment on which they are presently located and transmit the motion profiles to the corresponding segment controllers 50,” teaching motion profiles being transferred to subsequent segment controllers as the movers move and ¶ 0043 lines 1-8 “When a second segment controller 50b receives a data packet 80 from an adjacent segment controller 50a, the second segment controller continues maintaining the record started by the first segment controller. The second segment controller stores either the starting position or the distance traveled during a move command and continues to monitor the distance from the start of the second track segment that the mover 100 has travelled,” teaching transmission of route information within the data packet to subsequent segment controllers, as applied to the route information of Balasubramanian)
Balasubramanian and Huang are both considered analogous because they both relate to autonomous control of moving elements. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the multi-level transport and system including a plurality of magnetic tracks configured to allow movement of the mobile robot and controller for the system of Balasubramanian with the addition of the distributed segment controllers and saved information including trajectory, start location, destination, and data packet of Huang, storing the route information of Balasubramanian along with Huang’s analogous data in the data packet being an obvious combination to one of ordinary skill in the art. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success as motivated by reducing the bandwidth of communications within the transport network by distributing control to local controllers (Huang 0009 lines 34-39 and 0032 lines 14-17).
Regarding Claim 3, the combination of Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang teaches the elements of Claim 2 as described above. Balasubramanian further teaches:
the step of dynamically changing the route in the vehicle worksheet (Balasubramanian Col 8 lines 47-59 “The computation module 510 is configured to dynamically determine the magnetic track or the transfer mechanism that needs to be activated, thus allowing for dynamic activation of the determined magnetic track or the transfer mechanism and dynamic control of the movement of the mobile robot. The term “dynamic activation” as used herein means that the magnetic track or the transfer mechanism is only activated if the computation module 510 determines that the path of the mobile robot includes that particular magnetic track or the transfer mechanism. The term “dynamic control” as used herein means that the movement of the mobile robot is constantly controlled and changed (if required) in the multi-level transport system 200,” teaching dynamic control of the route, as applies to the route information of Balasubramanian and the segment controller record of Huang)
with either the segment controller or a node controller in communication with the segment controller. (Balasubramanian Col 10 lines 29-34 “As mentioned earlier, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present description, the path taken by the mobile robot 10 is not pre-determined and is instead dynamically determined and controlled by the control system 500 at each transfer node of the multi-level transport system 200,” teaching control at the transfer node)
Regarding Claim 5, the combination of Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang teaches the elements of Claim 3 as described above. Balasubramanian further teaches:
the step of detecting a fault with one of the plurality of track segments in the first route with either the segment controller or the node controller, wherein the segment controller or the node controller changes the first route as a function of detecting the fault. (Balasubramanian Col 5 lines 12-20 “In some embodiments, the mobile robot is configured for inspection and/or for troubleshooting, e.g., in manufacturing sites. In such instances, the mobile robot may move via the multi-level transport system 200 to the inspection location. In some embodiments, the mobile robot is configured for error recovery, and for rectifying the error before recommencing operation e.g., in manufacturing sites. In such instances, the mobile robot may move via the multi-level transport system 200 to the location reporting an error,” teaching a location reporting an error (segment or node controller detecting a fault) and moving via the multi-level transport system to the location reporting an error (changing the route as a function of detecting the fault))
Regarding Claim 6, the combination of Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang teaches the elements of Claim 1 as described above. Balasubramanian further teaches:
the first route includes a plurality of track segments; (Balasubramanian Col 10 lines 10-14 “The optimization module 550 is configured to generate a sequence of magnetic tracks and transfer mechanisms that need to be activated for movement of the mobile robot 10 between two transfer nodes in a shortest duration of time,”)
the at least one additional route includes a plurality of track segments; […] (Balasubramanian col 10 lines 19-26 “In some embodiments, the optimization module 540 is configured to optimize the path of the mobile robot 10 at each transfer node in the multi-level transport system 200. The optimization module 550 may be further configured to compare and select the shortest path based on the path distance and journey time from source to destination, based on the current loading pattern along the path,” teaching a determination of at least a second path (shortest path) based on weighting by path distance, journey time, and current loading pattern along the path)
Balasubramanian does not teach:
[…] each of the plurality of track segments has a weighting value;
the first weighting value is determined as a sum of the weighting values for the plurality of track segments along the remainder of the first route;
and the second weighting value is determined as a sum of the weighting values for the plurality of track segments along the at least one additional route.
Within the same field of endeavor as Balasubramanian, Kono teaches:
[…] each of the plurality of track segments has a weighting value; (Kono ¶ 0044 lines 15-19 “Next, the controller H determines the link cost LC for each of all of the links L that belong to the candidate routes 1B based on the reference cost ST and the variable cost DY that corresponds to the number of vehicles value n (#14)” teaching a cost, equivalent to a weighting value, for each link, equivalent to a route segment)
the first weighting value is determined as a sum of the weighting values for the plurality of track segments along the remainder of the first route; and the second weighting value is determined as a sum of the weighting values for the plurality of track segments along the at least one additional route. (Kono ¶ 0044 lines 19-25 “Then, for each of the candidate routes 1B, the controller H obtains a route cost TC, which is the total cost of the candidate route 1B, based on the link costs LC of the links L that belong to the candidate route 1B (#15), and sets one set route 1A from among the two or more candidate routes 1B based on the route costs TC of the candidate routes 1B (#16),” teaching that each route’s cost is determined as a sum of the total link costs of the route)
Balasubramanian and Kono are considered analogous because they both relate to autonomous routing of moving elements within tracked mover systems. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the optimized path generation based on path distance, journey time, and current loading pattern along the path of Balasubramanian with the addition of the link costs and and the selection of the route based on total link costs of each route of Kono. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success as motivated by more precisely setting the optimal route based on influence of other vehicles (Kono ¶ 0045 lines 5-8).
Regarding Claim 7, the combination of Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang teaches the elements of Claim 1 as described above. Balasubramanian further teaches:
wherein the first and second weighting values are determined as a function of […] volume of traffic along a corresponding route. (Balasubramanian col 10 lines 19-26 “In some embodiments, the optimization module 540 is configured to optimize the path of the mobile robot 10 at each transfer node in the multi-level transport system 200. The optimization module 550 may be further configured to compare and select the shortest path based on the path distance and journey time from source to destination, based on the current loading pattern along the path,” teaching a determination of at least a second path (shortest path) based on weighting by path distance, journey time, (a trend determined for the corresponding track segment) and current loading pattern along the path (volume of traffic along a corresponding route))
Balasubramanian does not teach:
[…] an expected [volume of traffic…]
Within the same field of endeavor as Balasubramanian, Kono teaches:
[…] an expected [volume of traffic…] (Kono ¶ 0059 “For example, if the number of vehicles value n of the target link LA is 4 and the time increase per vehicle ΔTn is 5 seconds, 20 is set as the variable cost DY. In this way, the variable cost DY is an index showing the amount of increase in the actual transit time of the target link LA, which is expected to increase as the number of other vehicles 3B considered to be present in the target link LA increases. When executing the route setting control, the controller H sets the variable cost DY for all of the links L belonging to the candidate route 1B that are candidates for the set route 1A from the current position of the setting vehicle 3C to the destination,” and ¶ 0096 “Based on the link cost LC determined as described above, the controller H determines the route cost TC of each candidate route 1B. The route cost TC is a cost representing an estimated value of the time required for the setting vehicle 3C to travel on the candidate route 1B. […] As a result, it is possible to appropriately consider the influence of other vehicles 3B present in the travelable route 1 and increase the likelihood that the route with the shortest time to reach the destination can be set as the set route 1A in the actual traveling situation,” in combination teaching that a variable increase in expected transit time is calculated, factoring into an estimated time to travel on the route considering the influence of other vehicles)
Balasubramanian and Kono are considered analogous because they both relate to autonomous routing of moving elements within tracked mover systems. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the optimized path generation based on path distance, journey time, and current loading pattern along the path of Balasubramanian with the addition of the variable link costs taking into account increased traffic and total link cost considering the estimated influence of other vehicles of Kono. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success as motivated by more precisely setting the optimal route based on current influence of other vehicles (Kono ¶ 0045 lines 5-8), and furthermore by increasing the likelihood that the route with the shortest time to reach the destination can be set by considering the influence of other vehicles present in the route (Kono ¶ 0096 lines 14-18).
Regarding Claim 8, Balasubramanian teaches:
A system for real-time path planning in an independent cart system, comprising: a track including a plurality of track segments, wherein the plurality of track segments are connected together to define a plurality of paths along the track; […] (Balasubramanian Col 2 lines 27-38 “The multi-level transport system includes a plurality of magnetic tracks configured to allow movement of the mobile robot in at least one direction in the xy-plane. The multi-level transport system further includes a plurality of transfer mechanisms configured to change the direction of the mobile robot in the xy-plane, and to allow the movement of the mobile robot in a direction along the z-axis, each transfer mechanism of the plurality of transfer mechanisms mechanically coupled to an end of a magnetic track of the plurality of magnetic tracks thereby defining a transfer node in the multi-level transport system,” the transport system shown in Fig 1-A)
[…] a plurality of movers loaded on the track and configured to travel along the track; and a fleet controller (Balasubramanian Col 11 lines 15-18 “The robotic system 100, as described herein, may provide for dynamically controlling the movement of a plurality of mobile robots. The mobile robots of the plurality of robots may follow the same path or a different path. The path of each mobile robot is dynamically controlled by the control system 500,” the control system for multiple mobile robots being equivalent to a fleet controller)
configured to: maintain a record of a present location for each of the plurality of movers, (Balasubramanian Col 9 lines 4-14 “Referring back to FIG. 2, for movement of the mobile robot from the transfer mechanism 402 to the transfer mechanism 404, the electromagnetic motor block 330 closest to the transfer mechanism 402 may be first activated such that the mobile robot 10 is transferred from the transfer mechanism 402 to the magnetic track 302. Furthermore, as the mobile robot 10 moves along the x-axis from left to right, the electromagnetic motor blocks 330 may be selectively activated to propel the movement of the mobile robot 10 along the x-direction until it reaches the transfer mechanism 404,” and Col 9 line 66 – Col 10 line 6 “Therefore, the robotic system 100, in accordance with embodiments of the present description, provides for dynamic mapping of the process path as well as dynamic control of the movement of the mobile robot. The dynamic mapping of the process path and the dynamic control of the movement of the mobile robot enable a high degree of operational flexibility, as well as flexibility to have different workflows based on the items being handled,” together teaching that the system mechanisms are selectively controlled based on dynamic mapping of the robot locations, equivalent to present locations of movers)
generate a first route for a first mover, selected from the plurality of movers, to travel along the plurality of paths, (Balasubramanian Col 10 lines 10-14 “The optimization module 550 is configured to generate a sequence of magnetic tracks and transfer mechanisms that need to be activated for movement of the mobile robot 10 between two transfer nodes in a shortest duration of time,”)
assign a first weighting value to the first route, (Balasubramanian col 10 lines 19-26 “In some embodiments, the optimization module 540 is configured to optimize the path of the mobile robot 10 at each transfer node in the multi-level transport system 200. The optimization module 550 may be further configured to compare and select the shortest path based on the path distance and journey time from source to destination, based on the current loading pattern along the path,” teaching a determination of at least a second path (shortest path) based on weighting by path distance, journey time, and current loading pattern along the path)
transmit the first route to a […] controller, […] (Balasubramanian Col 10 lines 10-19 “The optimization module 550 is configured to generate a sequence of magnetic tracks and transfer mechanisms that need to be activated for movement of the mobile robot 10 between two transfer nodes in a shortest duration of time. In such instances, the track activation module 520 and the transfer activation module 530 are further configured to activate the corresponding magnetic tracks and the corresponding transfer mechanisms, based on the sequence generated by the optimization module 550,” teaching a transference of the route from the optimization module to the track and transfer activation modules)
Balasubramanian does not teach:
[…] a plurality of segment controllers, wherein each of the plurality of track segments includes a segment controller; […]
[to a ] first segment [controller…]
[…] wherein the first segment controller is located in one of the plurality of track segments on which the first mover is located,
and as the first mover is travelling along the first route: continually recalculate the first weighting value in real-time for a remainder of the first route, generate at least one additional route for the mover to travel along the plurality of paths, continually determine a second weighting value for the at least one additional route as the mover travels along the first route,
when the first weighting value is less than the second weighting value for each of the at least one additional routes, continue commanding the first mover along the remainder of the first route; and when the first weighting value is greater than the second weighting value for a different route, selected from the at least one additional routes, commanding the mover along the different route.
Within the same field of endeavor as Balasubramanian, Kono teaches:
and as the first mover is travelling along the first route: continually recalculate the first weighting value in real-time for a remainder of the first route, generate at least one additional route for the mover to travel along the plurality of paths, continually determine a second weighting value for the at least one additional route as the mover travels along the first route, (Kono ¶ 0044-0045 “In the present embodiment, as shown in the flowchart of the route setting control #10 in FIG. 7, based on current position information of a setting vehicle 3C, destination information, and the map information, the controller H sets one or more candidate routes 1B as routes that enable traveling from the current position to the destination (#11). […] If two or more candidate routes 1B were set, […] the controller H determines the link cost LC for each of all of the links L that belong to the candidate routes 1B based on the reference cost ST and the variable cost DY that corresponds to the number of vehicles value n (#14). Then, for each of the candidate routes 1B, the controller H obtains a route cost TC, which is the total cost of the candidate route 1B, based on the link costs LC of the links L that belong to the candidate route 1B (#15), and sets one set route 1A from among the two or more candidate routes 1B based on the route costs TC of the candidate routes 1B (#16). The controller H repeatedly executes the route setting control #10 at least at a regular time interval. As the setting vehicle 3C approaches a target link LA, the actual influence of other vehicles 3B approaches the actual state. For this reason, if the route setting control #10 is repeatedly executed at a regular time interval, the route setting can be reviewed while the setting vehicle 3C is moving, and the route setting can be performed more precisely based on the influence of other vehicles 3B,” and ¶ 0055 lines x-x “Further, even after the start of operation, which is after the start of transportation of the article W in the article transport facility, the controller H obtains the time increase per vehicle ΔTn for the links L that belong to the travelable route 1,” emphasis added, teaching continual (repeatedly at a regular time interval) performance of route setting control, that is route determination including a plurality of routes, including updating of cost parameters for the links, equivalent to weighting values, while the vehicle is moving on the first route)
when the first weighting value is less than the second weighting value for each of the at least one additional routes, continue commanding the first mover along the remainder of the first route; and when the first weighting value is greater than the second weighting value for a different route, selected from the at least one additional routes, commanding the mover along the different route. (Kono ¶ 0044 lines 19-25 “Then, for each of the candidate routes 1B, the controller H obtains a route cost TC, which is the total cost of the candidate route 1B, based on the link costs LC of the links L that belong to the candidate route 1B (#15), and sets one set route 1A from among the two or more candidate routes 1B based on the route costs TC of the candidate routes 1B (#16),” teaching use of the weighting values to determine the continued route, and ¶ 0096 lines “Based on the link cost LC determined as described above, the controller H determines the route cost TC of each candidate route 1B. The route cost TC is a cost representing an estimated value of the time required for the setting vehicle 3C to travel on the candidate route 1B. In the present embodiment, the controller H determines the route cost TC for the candidate route 1B by adding the link costs LC for each of all of the links L that belong to the candidate route 1B and the node cost for each of all of the nodes N that belong to the candidate route 1B. The controller H then compares the route costs TC determined for the candidate routes 1B, and sets the candidate route 1B having the lowest route cost TC among the candidate routes 1B as the set route 1A. As a result, it is possible to appropriately consider the influence of other vehicles 3B present in the travelable route 1 and increase the likelihood that the route with the shortest time to reach the destination can be set as the set route 1A in the actual traveling situation,” teaching selection of the route with the lowest route cost (weight))
Balasubramanian and Kono are considered analogous because they both relate to autonomous routing of moving elements within tracked mover systems. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the optimized path generation based on path distance, journey time, and current loading pattern along the path of Balasubramanian with the addition of the repeated regular intervals of candidate path selection while the vehicle travels and the selection of the route based on the lowest route cost of Kono. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success as motivated by more precisely setting the optimal route based on current influence of other vehicles (Kono ¶ 0045 lines 5-8), and furthermore by increasing the likelihood that the route with the shortest time to reach the destination can be set by considering the influence of other vehicles present in the route (Kono ¶ 0096 lines 14-18).
The combination of Balasubramanian and Kono does not teach:
[…] a plurality of segment controllers, wherein each of the plurality of track segments includes a segment controller; […]
[to a ] first segment [controller…]
[…] wherein the first segment controller is located in one of the plurality of track segments on which the first mover is located,
Within the same field of endeavor as Balasubramanian and Kono, Huang teaches:
[…] a plurality of segment controllers, wherein each of the plurality of track segments includes a segment controller; […] (Huang ¶ 0006 lines 13-15 “In these applications, it may be desirable to distribute control of the movers to segment controllers located on each segment of the track,”)
[to a ] first segment [controller…] (Huang ¶ 0009 lines 8-11 “Each of the distributed controllers receives a motion command corresponding to desired operation of each mover located on the segment of track controlled by the distributed controller,”)
[…] wherein the first segment controller is located in one of the plurality of track segments on which the first mover is located, […] (Huang ¶ 0009 lines 11-14 “ The distributed controller generates commands to drive multiple coils spaced along the segment of the track, where each mover is driven along the track segment responsive to an electromagnetic field generated by the coils,”)
Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang are all considered analogous because they all relate to autonomous control of moving elements. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the multi-level transport and system including a plurality of magnetic tracks configured to allow movement of the mobile robot and controller for the system of Balasubramanian with the addition of the distributed segment controllers of Huang. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success as motivated by minimizing the amount of communication in the system by distributing control to local controllers (Huang 0032 lines 14-17).
Regarding Claim 9, the combination of Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang teaches the elements of Claim 8 as described above. Balasubramanian further teaches:
[…] the first route is written to […] (Balasubramanian Col 10 lines 10-19 “The optimization module 550 is configured to generate a sequence of magnetic tracks and transfer mechanisms that need to be activated for movement of the mobile robot 10 between two transfer nodes in a shortest duration of time. In such instances, the track activation module 520 and the transfer activation module 530 are further configured to activate the corresponding magnetic tracks and the corresponding transfer mechanisms, based on the sequence generated by the optimization module 550,” teaching a transference of the route from the optimization module to the track and transfer activation modules)
Balasubramanian does not teach:
wherein: each of the plurality of movers includes a corresponding vehicle worksheet, each of the plurality of vehicle worksheets is stored in memory for the segment controller corresponding to the track segment on which the mover is located, […]
[…] the vehicle worksheet corresponding to the first mover,
and the vehicle worksheet is transmitted to the corresponding segment controller for each of the plurality of track segments as the first mover travels along the first route.
Within the same field of endeavor as Balasubramanian, Huang teaches:
wherein: each of the plurality of movers includes a corresponding vehicle worksheet, each of the plurality of vehicle worksheets is stored in memory for the segment controller corresponding to the track segment on which the mover is located, […] (Huang ¶ 0010 lines 1-17 “In one embodiment of the invention, a linear drive system includes multiple movers and a track having multiple track segments. Each track segment has […] a segment controller. Each segment controller includes a communication interface operative to communicate with at least one other segment controller located in an adjacent track segment, at least one position sensor operative to generate a position feedback signal corresponding to the presence of one of the plurality of movers along the length of the track segment, and a processor. […] The processor determines an operating characteristic of the mover driven along the track segment and generates a data packet corresponding to the mover,” and ¶ 0040 lines 7-10 “The segment controller 50 of the first track segment generates a data packet 80 in which the operating characteristic(s) 55 are included as data 84,” teaching the generation and storage of data packets of operating characteristics of a plurality of movers, as applies to the route information of Balasubramanian)
[…] the vehicle worksheet corresponding to the first mover, (Huang ¶ 0037 lines 1-18 “In operation, the central controller 170 receives a command from an external controller, such as the industrial controller 200 shown in FIG. 1, corresponding to a desired location, trajectory or motion for each mover 100. The command identifies one of the movers 100 and provides a desired operation of the mover 100. According to one embodiment of the invention, the desired operation may include a start location and a destination location between which the mover 100 is to travel. Optionally, the desired operation may simply include a destination location where the start location is the current location of the mover 100. […] Optionally, the desired velocity or the desired acceleration may be stored […] in the memory 54 of the segment controller 50.,” teaching that the segment controller saving a desired route trajectory, start location, and destination location, defining a route)
and the vehicle worksheet is transmitted to the corresponding segment controller for each of the plurality of track segments as the first mover travels along the first route. (Huang ¶ 0038 lines 1-5 “If the track 10 is arranged with distributed control, the central controller 170 may generate motion profiles for each mover 100 along the track segment on which they are presently located and transmit the motion profiles to the corresponding segment controllers 50,” teaching motion profiles being transferred to subsequent segment controllers as the movers move and ¶ 0043 lines 1-8 “When a second segment controller 50b receives a data packet 80 from an adjacent segment controller 50a, the second segment controller continues maintaining the record started by the first segment controller. The second segment controller stores either the starting position or the distance traveled during a move command and continues to monitor the distance from the start of the second track segment that the mover 100 has travelled,” teaching transmission of route information within the data packet to subsequent segment controllers, as applied to the route information of Balasubramanian)
Balasubramanian and Huang are both considered analogous because they both relate to autonomous control of moving elements. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the multi-level transport and system including a plurality of magnetic tracks configured to allow movement of the mobile robot and controller for the system of Balasubramanian with the addition of the distributed segment controllers and saved information including trajectory, start location, destination, and data packet of Huang, storing the route information of Balasubramanian along with Huang’s analogous data in the data packet being an obvious combination to one of ordinary skill in the art. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success as motivated by reducing the bandwidth of communications within the transport network by distributing control to local controllers (Huang 0009 lines 34-39 and 0032 lines 14-17).
Regarding Claim 10, the combination of Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang teaches the elements of Claim 9 as described above. Balasubramanian further teaches:
wherein either the fleet controller or the segment controller corresponding to the track segment on which the first mover is located (Balasubramanian Col 10 lines 29-34 “As mentioned earlier, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present description, the path taken by the mobile robot 10 is not pre-determined and is instead dynamically determined and controlled by the control system 500 at each transfer node of the multi-level transport system 200,” teaching control at the transfer node)
dynamically changes the route in the vehicle worksheet. (Balasubramanian Col 8 lines 47-59 “The computation module 510 is configured to dynamically determine the magnetic track or the transfer mechanism that needs to be activated, thus allowing for dynamic activation of the determined magnetic track or the transfer mechanism and dynamic control of the movement of the mobile robot. The term “dynamic activation” as used herein means that the magnetic track or the transfer mechanism is only activated if the computation module 510 determines that the path of the mobile robot includes that particular magnetic track or the transfer mechanism. The term “dynamic control” as used herein means that the movement of the mobile robot is constantly controlled and changed (if required) in the multi-level transport system 200,” teaching dynamic control of the route, as applies to the route information of Balasubramanian and the segment controller record of Huang)
Regarding Claim 12, the combination of Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang teaches the elements of Claim 8 as described above. Balasubramanian further teaches:
wherein the fleet controller is further configured to: detect a fault with one of the plurality of track segments in the first route, and modify the first route as a function of the fault. (Balasubramanian Col 5 lines 12-20 “In some embodiments, the mobile robot is configured for inspection and/or for troubleshooting, e.g., in manufacturing sites. In such instances, the mobile robot may move via the multi-level transport system 200 to the inspection location. In some embodiments, the mobile robot is configured for error recovery, and for rectifying the error before recommencing operation e.g., in manufacturing sites. In such instances, the mobile robot may move via the multi-level transport system 200 to the location reporting an error,” teaching a location reporting an error (segment or node controller detecting a fault) and moving via the multi-level transport system to the location reporting an error (changing the route as a function of detecting the fault))
Regarding Claim 13, the combination of Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang teaches the elements of Claim 8 as described above. Balasubramanian further teaches:
the first route includes a plurality of track segments; (Balasubramanian Col 10 lines 10-14 “The optimization module 550 is configured to generate a sequence of magnetic tracks and transfer mechanisms that need to be activated for movement of the mobile robot 10 between two transfer nodes in a shortest duration of time,”)
the at least one additional route includes a plurality of track segments; […] (Balasubramanian col 10 lines 19-26 “In some embodiments, the optimization module 540 is configured to optimize the path of the mobile robot 10 at each transfer node in the multi-level transport system 200. The optimization module 550 may be further configured to compare and select the shortest path based on the path distance and journey time from source to destination, based on the current loading pattern along the path,” teaching a determination of at least a second path (shortest path) based on weighting by path distance, journey time, and current loading pattern along the path)
Balasubramanian does not teach:
[…] each of the plurality of track segments has a weighting value;
the first weighting value is determined as a sum of the weighting values for the plurality of track segments along the remainder of the first route;
and the second weighting value is determined as a sum of the weighting values for the plurality of track segments along the at least one additional route.
Within the same field of endeavor as Balasubramanian, Kono teaches:
[…] each of the plurality of track segments has a weighting value; (Kono ¶ 0044 lines 15-19 “Next, the controller H determines the link cost LC for each of all of the links L that belong to the candidate routes 1B based on the reference cost ST and the variable cost DY that corresponds to the number of vehicles value n (#14)” teaching a cost, equivalent to a weighting value, for each link, equivalent to a route segment)
the first weighting value is determined as a sum of the weighting values for the plurality of track segments along the remainder of the first route; and the second weighting value is determined as a sum of the weighting values for the plurality of track segments along the at least one additional route. (Kono ¶ 0044 lines 19-25 “Then, for each of the candidate routes 1B, the controller H obtains a route cost TC, which is the total cost of the candidate route 1B, based on the link costs LC of the links L that belong to the candidate route 1B (#15), and sets one set route 1A from among the two or more candidate routes 1B based on the route costs TC of the candidate routes 1B (#16),” teaching that each route’s cost is determined as a sum of the total link costs of the route)
Balasubramanian and Kono are considered analogous because they both relate to autonomous routing of moving elements within tracked mover systems. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the optimized path generation based on path distance, journey time, and current loading pattern along the path of Balasubramanian with the addition of the link costs and and the selection of the route based on total link costs of each route of Kono. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success as motivated by more precisely setting the optimal route based on influence of other vehicles (Kono ¶ 0045 lines 5-8).
Regarding Claim 14, the combination of Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang teaches the elements of Claim 8 as described above. Balasubramanian further teaches:
The system of claim 8, wherein the first and second weighting values are determined as a function of […] volume of traffic along a corresponding route, a time of day, and a trend determined for the corresponding track segment. (Balasubramanian col 10 lines 19-26 “In some embodiments, the optimization module 540 is configured to optimize the path of the mobile robot 10 at each transfer node in the multi-level transport system 200. The optimization module 550 may be further configured to compare and select the shortest path based on the path distance and journey time from source to destination, based on the current loading pattern along the path,” teaching a determination of at least a second path (shortest path) based on weighting by path distance, journey time, (a trend determined for the corresponding track segment) and current loading pattern along the path (volume of traffic along a corresponding route))
Balasubramanian does not teach:
[…] an expected [volume of traffic…]
Within the same field of endeavor as Balasubramanian, Kono teaches:
[…] an expected [volume of traffic…] (Kono ¶ 0059 “For example, if the number of vehicles value n of the target link LA is 4 and the time increase per vehicle ΔTn is 5 seconds, 20 is set as the variable cost DY. In this way, the variable cost DY is an index showing the amount of increase in the actual transit time of the target link LA, which is expected to increase as the number of other vehicles 3B considered to be present in the target link LA increases. When executing the route setting control, the controller H sets the variable cost DY for all of the links L belonging to the candidate route 1B that are candidates for the set route 1A from the current position of the setting vehicle 3C to the destination,” and ¶ 0096 “Based on the link cost LC determined as described above, the controller H determines the route cost TC of each candidate route 1B. The route cost TC is a cost representing an estimated value of the time required for the setting vehicle 3C to travel on the candidate route 1B. […] As a result, it is possible to appropriately consider the influence of other vehicles 3B present in the travelable route 1 and increase the likelihood that the route with the shortest time to reach the destination can be set as the set route 1A in the actual traveling situation,” in combination teaching that a variable increase in expected transit time is calculated, factoring into an estimated time to travel on the route considering the influence of other vehicles)
Balasubramanian and Kono are considered analogous because they both relate to autonomous routing of moving elements within tracked mover systems. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the optimized path generation based on path distance, journey time, and current loading pattern along the path of Balasubramanian with the addition of the variable link costs taking into account increased traffic and total link cost considering the estimated influence of other vehicles of Kono. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success as motivated by more precisely setting the optimal route based on current influence of other vehicles (Kono ¶ 0045 lines 5-8), and furthermore by increasing the likelihood that the route with the shortest time to reach the destination can be set by considering the influence of other vehicles present in the route (Kono ¶ 0096 lines 14-18).
Regarding Claim 15, Balasubramanian teaches:
A method for real-time traffic management in an independent cart system, wherein the independent cart system includes a track having a plurality of paths and a plurality of track segments connected together to define the plurality of paths, (Balasubramanian Col 2 lines 27-38 “The multi-level transport system includes a plurality of magnetic tracks configured to allow movement of the mobile robot in at least one direction in the xy-plane. The multi-level transport system further includes a plurality of transfer mechanisms configured to change the direction of the mobile robot in the xy-plane, and to allow the movement of the mobile robot in a direction along the z-axis, each transfer mechanism of the plurality of transfer mechanisms mechanically coupled to an end of a magnetic track of the plurality of magnetic tracks thereby defining a transfer node in the multi-level transport system,” the transport system shown in Fig 1-A)
the method comprising the steps of: receiving a commanded task for a mover (Balasubramanian Col 12 lines 45-53 “The inventory handling system 100 further includes a control system 500 configured to dynamically control the movement of the mobile robot 10 […] The control system 500 may be configured to execute a storage algorithm and a pick-up algorithm,” teaching a commanded storage or pick-up task)
at a fleet controller for the independent cart system, (Balasubramanian Col 11 lines 15-18 “The robotic system 100, as described herein, may provide for dynamically controlling the movement of a plurality of mobile robots. The mobile robots of the plurality of robots may follow the same path or a different path. The path of each mobile robot is dynamically controlled by the control system 500,” the control system for multiple mobile robots being equivalent to a fleet controller)
wherein the commanded task identifies a desired destination and at least one item of payload to be loaded on the mover; (Balasubramanian Col 4 line 64 – Col 5 line 2 “In some embodiments, the mobile robot is a vehicle that provides for movement of material inside the multi-level transport system 200. The mobile robot in some such instances may be further configured to pick up the material e.g., from storage or pick-up locations in a warehouse context or other processing sites in a manufacturing context,”)
generating a […] for the mover as a function of the task, wherein the […] includes the commanded task and a first route for the mover to travel along the plurality of paths; […] (Balasubramanian Col 10 lines 10-14 “The optimization module 550 is configured to generate a sequence of magnetic tracks and transfer mechanisms that need to be activated for movement of the mobile robot 10 between two transfer nodes in a shortest duration of time,” teaching the generation of route data to execute the task)
[…] controlling operation of the mover with the […] controller […] (Balasubramanian Col 5 lines 61-67 “these blocks of electromagnetic motors may be dynamically activated and deactivated by a control system to selectively activate and deactivate these blocks. This selective activation of the blocks of electromagnetic motors propels the mobile robots with magnetic bases running on these tracks to move in the direction of activation,”)
Balasubramanian does not teach:
[…] generating a vehicle worksheet […]
[…] wherein the vehicle worksheet includes […]
[…] transmitting the vehicle worksheet from the fleet controller to a first segment controller in the independent cart system, wherein the first segment controller corresponds to one of the plurality of track segments on which the mover is located; […]
[…] segment […]
[…] as a function of the first vehicle worksheet;
successively transmitting the vehicle worksheet to another segment controller corresponding to each of the plurality of track segments along which the mover travels as the mover travels along the first route;
continually determining a first weighting value for a remainder of the first route with the first segment controller and with each of the other segment controllers in real- time as the mover is travelling along the first route; continually determining a second weighting value for at least one additional routes with the first segment controller and with each of the other segment controllers in real-time as the mover is travelling along the first route; and dynamically adapting operation of the mover as the mover travels along the first route as a function of the first weighting value and of the second weighting value.
Within the same field of endeavor as Balasubramanian, Kono teaches:
continually determining a first weighting value for a remainder of the first route […] in real- time as the mover is travelling along the first route; continually determining a second weighting value for at least one additional routes […] in real-time as the mover is travelling along the first route; (Kono ¶ 0044-0045 “In the present embodiment, as shown in the flowchart of the route setting control #10 in FIG. 7, based on current position information of a setting vehicle 3C, destination information, and the map information, the controller H sets one or more candidate routes 1B as routes that enable traveling from the current position to the destination (#11). […] If two or more candidate routes 1B were set, […] the controller H determines the link cost LC for each of all of the links L that belong to the candidate routes 1B based on the reference cost ST and the variable cost DY that corresponds to the number of vehicles value n (#14). Then, for each of the candidate routes 1B, the controller H obtains a route cost TC, which is the total cost of the candidate route 1B, based on the link costs LC of the links L that belong to the candidate route 1B (#15), and sets one set route 1A from among the two or more candidate routes 1B based on the route costs TC of the candidate routes 1B (#16). The controller H repeatedly executes the route setting control #10 at least at a regular time interval. As the setting vehicle 3C approaches a target link LA, the actual influence of other vehicles 3B approaches the actual state. For this reason, if the route setting control #10 is repeatedly executed at a regular time interval, the route setting can be reviewed while the setting vehicle 3C is moving, and the route setting can be performed more precisely based on the influence of other vehicles 3B,” and ¶ 0055 lines x-x “Further, even after the start of operation, which is after the start of transportation of the article W in the article transport facility, the controller H obtains the time increase per vehicle ΔTn for the links L that belong to the travelable route 1,” emphasis added, teaching continual (repeatedly at a regular time interval) performance of route setting control, that is route determination including a plurality of routes, including updating of cost parameters for the links, equivalent to weighting values, while the vehicle is moving on the first route)
and dynamically adapting operation of the mover as the mover travels along the first route as a function of the first weighting value and of the second weighting value. (Kono ¶ 0044 lines 19-25 “Then, for each of the candidate routes 1B, the controller H obtains a route cost TC, which is the total cost of the candidate route 1B, based on the link costs LC of the links L that belong to the candidate route 1B (#15), and sets one set route 1A from among the two or more candidate routes 1B based on the route costs TC of the candidate routes 1B (#16),” teaching use of the weighting values to determine the continued route, and ¶ 0096 lines “Based on the link cost LC determined as described above, the controller H determines the route cost TC of each candidate route 1B. The route cost TC is a cost representing an estimated value of the time required for the setting vehicle 3C to travel on the candidate route 1B. In the present embodiment, the controller H determines the route cost TC for the candidate route 1B by adding the link costs LC for each of all of the links L that belong to the candidate route 1B and the node cost for each of all of the nodes N that belong to the candidate route 1B. The controller H then compares the route costs TC determined for the candidate routes 1B, and sets the candidate route 1B having the lowest route cost TC among the candidate routes 1B as the set route 1A. As a result, it is possible to appropriately consider the influence of other vehicles 3B present in the travelable route 1 and increase the likelihood that the route with the shortest time to reach the destination can be set as the set route 1A in the actual traveling situation,” teaching selection of the route with the lowest route cost (weight))
Balasubramanian and Kono are considered analogous because they both relate to autonomous routing of moving elements within tracked mover systems. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the optimized path generation based on path distance, journey time, and current loading pattern along the path of Balasubramanian with the addition of the repeated regular intervals of candidate path selection while the vehicle travels and the selection of the route based on the lowest route cost of Kono. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success as motivated by more precisely setting the optimal route based on current influence of other vehicles (Kono ¶ 0045 lines 5-8), and furthermore by increasing the likelihood that the route with the shortest time to reach the destination can be set by considering the influence of other vehicles present in the route (Kono ¶ 0096 lines 14-18).
The combination of Balasubramanian and Kono does not teach:
[…] generating a vehicle worksheet […]
[…] wherein the vehicle worksheet includes […]
[…] transmitting the vehicle worksheet from the fleet controller to a first segment controller in the independent cart system, wherein the first segment controller corresponds to one of the plurality of track segments on which the mover is located; […]
[…] segment […]
[…] as a function of the first vehicle worksheet;
successively transmitting the vehicle worksheet to another segment controller corresponding to each of the plurality of track segments along which the mover travels as the mover travels along the first route;
[…] with the first segment controller and with each of the other segment controllers […] with the first segment controller and with each of the other segment controllers […]
Within the same field of endeavor as Balasubramanian and Kono, Huang teaches:
[…] generating a vehicle worksheet […] wherein the vehicle worksheet includes […] transmitting the vehicle worksheet from the fleet controller to a first segment controller in the independent cart system, wherein the first segment controller corresponds to one of the plurality of track segments on which the mover is located; […] (Huang ¶ 0010 lines 1-17 “In one embodiment of the invention, a linear drive system includes multiple movers and a track having multiple track segments. Each track segment has […] a segment controller. Each segment controller includes a communication interface operative to communicate with at least one other segment controller located in an adjacent track segment, at least one position sensor operative to generate a position feedback signal corresponding to the presence of one of the plurality of movers along the length of the track segment, and a processor. […] The processor determines an operating characteristic of the mover driven along the track segment and generates a data packet corresponding to the mover,” and ¶ 0040 lines 7-10 “The segment controller 50 of the first track segment generates a data packet 80 in which the operating characteristic(s) 55 are included as data 84,” teaching the generation and storage of data packets of operating characteristics of a plurality of movers in the segment controller, as applies to the route and task information of Balasubramanian)
[…] segment [controller …] (Huang ¶ 0006 lines 13-15 “In these applications, it may be desirable to distribute control of the movers to segment controllers located on each segment of the track,”)
[…] as a function of the first vehicle worksheet; (Huang ¶ 0037 lines 1-18 “In operation, the central controller 170 receives a command from an external controller, such as the industrial controller 200 shown in FIG. 1, corresponding to a desired location, trajectory or motion for each mover 100. The command identifies one of the movers 100 and provides a desired operation of the mover 100. According to one embodiment of the invention, the desired operation may include a start location and a destination location between which the mover 100 is to travel. Optionally, the desired operation may simply include a destination location where the start location is the current location of the mover 100. […] Optionally, the desired velocity or the desired acceleration may be stored […] in the memory 54 of the segment controller 50.,” teaching that the segment controller saving a desired route trajectory, start location, and destination location, defining a route)
successively transmitting the vehicle worksheet to another segment controller corresponding to each of the plurality of track segments along which the mover travels as the mover travels along the first route; […] (Huang ¶ 0038 lines 1-5 “If the track 10 is arranged with distributed control, the central controller 170 may generate motion profiles for each mover 100 along the track segment on which they are presently located and transmit the motion profiles to the corresponding segment controllers 50,” teaching motion profiles being transferred to subsequent segment controllers as the movers move and ¶ 0043 lines 1-8 “When a second segment controller 50b receives a data packet 80 from an adjacent segment controller 50a, the second segment controller continues maintaining the record started by the first segment controller. The second segment controller stores either the starting position or the distance traveled during a move command and continues to monitor the distance from the start of the second track segment that the mover 100 has travelled,” teaching transmission of route information within the data packet to subsequent segment controllers, as applied to the route information of Balasubramanian)
[…] with the first segment controller and with each of the other segment controllers […] (Huang ¶ 0006 lines 13-15 as above)
Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang are all considered analogous because they all relate to autonomous control of moving elements. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the multi-level transport and system including a plurality of magnetic tracks configured to allow movement of the mobile robot and controller for the system of Balasubramanian with the addition of the distributed segment controllers and saved information including trajectory, start location, destination, and data packet of Huang, storing the route information of Balasubramanian along with Huang’s analogous data in the data packet being an obvious combination to one of ordinary skill in the art. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success as motivated by reducing the bandwidth of communications within the transport network by distributing control to local controllers (Huang 0009 lines 34-39 and 0032 lines 14-17).
Regarding Claim 16, the combination of Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang teaches the elements of Claim 15 as described above. Balasubramanian further teaches:
determining an initial first weighting value for the first route with the fleet controller; […] (Balasubramanian col 10 lines 19-26 “In some embodiments, the optimization module 540 is configured to optimize the path of the mobile robot 10 at each transfer node in the multi-level transport system 200. The optimization module 550 may be further configured to compare and select the shortest path based on the path distance and journey time from source to destination, based on the current loading pattern along the path,” teaching a determination of at least a second path (shortest path) based on weighting by path distance, journey time, and current loading pattern along the path)
[…] at least one additional route for the mover to travel along the plurality of paths in the independent cart system […] (Balasubramanian col 10 lines 19-26 “In some embodiments, the optimization module 540 is configured to optimize the path of the mobile robot 10 at each transfer node in the multi-level transport system 200. The optimization module 550 may be further configured to compare and select the shortest path based on the path distance and journey time from source to destination, based on the current loading pattern along the path,” teaching a determination of at least a second path (shortest path) based on weighting by path distance, journey time, and current loading pattern along the path, at each transfer node (as the first mover is travelling))
Balasubramanian does not teach:
[…] storing the initial weighting value in the vehicle worksheet before transmitting the vehicle worksheet to the first segment controller;
determining the second weighting value for […]
[…] at one of the other segment controllers;
when the first weighting value is less than the second weighting value for each of the at least one additional routes, continue controlling operation of the mover along the remainder of the first route; and when the first weighting value is greater than the second weighting value for a different route, selected from the at least one additional routes, controlling operation of the mover along the different route.
Within the same field of endeavor as Balasubramanian, Kono teaches:
determining the second weighting value for [at least one additional route for the mover to travel along … when the first weighting value is less than the second weighting value for each of the at least one additional routes, continue controlling operation of the mover along the remainder of the first route; and when the first weighting value is greater than the second weighting value for a different route, selected from the at least one additional routes, controlling operation of the mover along the different route. (Kono ¶ 0044 lines 19-25 “Then, for each of the candidate routes 1B, the controller H obtains a route cost TC, which is the total cost of the candidate route 1B, based on the link costs LC of the links L that belong to the candidate route 1B (#15), and sets one set route 1A from among the two or more candidate routes 1B based on the route costs TC of the candidate routes 1B (#16),” teaching use of the weighting values to determine the continued route, and ¶ 0096 lines “Based on the link cost LC determined as described above, the controller H determines the route cost TC of each candidate route 1B. The route cost TC is a cost representing an estimated value of the time required for the setting vehicle 3C to travel on the candidate route 1B. In the present embodiment, the controller H determines the route cost TC for the candidate route 1B by adding the link costs LC for each of all of the links L that belong to the candidate route 1B and the node cost for each of all of the nodes N that belong to the candidate route 1B. The controller H then compares the route costs TC determined for the candidate routes 1B, and sets the candidate route 1B having the lowest route cost TC among the candidate routes 1B as the set route 1A. As a result, it is possible to appropriately consider the influence of other vehicles 3B present in the travelable route 1 and increase the likelihood that the route with the shortest time to reach the destination can be set as the set route 1A in the actual traveling situation,” teaching selection of the route with the lowest route cost (weight))
Balasubramanian and Kono are considered analogous because they both relate to autonomous routing of moving elements within tracked mover systems. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the optimized path generation based on path distance, journey time, and current loading pattern along the path of Balasubramanian with the addition of the repeated regular intervals of candidate path selection while the vehicle travels and the selection of the route based on the lowest route cost of Kono. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success as motivated by more precisely setting the optimal route based on current influence of other vehicles (Kono ¶ 0045 lines 5-8), and furthermore by increasing the likelihood that the route with the shortest time to reach the destination can be set by considering the influence of other vehicles present in the route (Kono ¶ 0096 lines 14-18).
The combination of Balasubramanian and Kono does not teach:
[…] storing the initial weighting value in the vehicle worksheet before transmitting the vehicle worksheet to the first segment controller; […] at one of the other segment controllers;
Within the same field of endeavor as Balasubramanian and Kono, Huang teaches:
[…] storing the initial weighting value in the vehicle worksheet before transmitting the vehicle worksheet to the first segment controller; […] at one of the other segment controllers;
(Huang ¶ 0041 lines 1-4 “According to one aspect of the invention, it is contemplated that one of the operating characteristics 55 being stored is total distance traveled during a move command,” the segment controller storing a total distance traveled being a directly analogous property to the path distance weighting value used by Balasubramanian)
Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang are all considered analogous because they all relate to autonomous control of moving elements. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the multi-level transport and system including a plurality of magnetic tracks configured to allow movement of the mobile robot and controller for the system of Balasubramanian with the addition of the distributed segment controllers and saved information including trajectory, start location, destination, and data packet of total distance traveled of Huang, storing the route information and path distance weighting value of Balasubramanian along with Huang’s analogous total distance data in the data packet being an obvious combination to one of ordinary skill in the art. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success as motivated by reducing the bandwidth of communications within the transport network by distributing control to local controllers (Huang 0009 lines 34-39 and 0032 lines 14-17).
Regarding Claim 20, the combination of Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang teaches the elements of Claim 15 as described above. Balasubramanian further teaches:
wherein the step of dynamically adapting operation of the mover includes detecting at least one of a change in traffic along the first route, a change in a weighting value for the first route, and a change in payload. (Balasubramanian col 10 lines 19-26 “In some embodiments, the optimization module 540 is configured to optimize the path of the mobile robot 10 at each transfer node in the multi-level transport system 200. The optimization module 550 may be further configured to compare and select the shortest path based on the path distance and journey time from source to destination, based on the current loading pattern along the path,” teaching a determination the path based on weighting by the current loading pattern along the path (analogous to a change in traffic along the route))
Claim(s) 4, 11, and 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Balasubramanian in view of Huang and Kono and further in view of Hewett et al (WO 2018183571, hereinafter “Hewett”).
Regarding Claim 4, the combination of Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang teaches the elements of Claim 3 as described above. Balasubramanian further teaches:
the vehicle worksheet includes at least one payload to load on to the mover, (Balasubramanian Col 4 line 64 – Col 5 line 2 “In some embodiments, the mobile robot is a vehicle that provides for movement of material inside the multi-level transport system 200. The mobile robot in some such instances may be further configured to pick up the material e.g., from storage or pick-up locations in a warehouse context or other processing sites in a manufacturing context” teaching the mobile robot (mover) picking up (loading) inventory (payload) as applies to the destination data of Huang)
and the segment controller or the node controller dynamically changes the first route […] (Balasubramanian Col 10 lines 29-34 “As mentioned earlier, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present description, the path taken by the mobile robot 10 is not pre-determined and is instead dynamically determined and controlled by the control system 500 at each transfer node of the multi-level transport system 200,” teaching control at the transfer node)
Balasubramanian does not teach:
[…] as a function of the at least one payload.
Within the same field of endeavor as Balasubramanian, Hewett teaches:
[…] changes the first route as a function of the at least one payload. (Hewett ¶ 0194 lines 1-4 “Since the RFID tag location system can track […] the locations of all products in the pick list, an optimized pick path (OPP) can be generated, based on the shortest time or distance for an employee to pick up all products,” teaching the use of product (load) pick locations for generating an optimized (weighted) pick path (route), as applies to the dynamic routing data controlled at the node of Balasubramanian and the segment controller record of Huang)
Balasubramanian and Hewett are both considered analogous because they both relate to inventory management pathing. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the multi-level transport including a plurality of magnetic tracks configured to dynamically control movement of the mobile robot to pick up and move inventory of Balasubramanian with the addition of the optimized pick path using the locations of all products in a pick list of Hewett. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success as motivated by increasing efficiency of inventory management, as would be obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding Claim 11, the combination of Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang teaches the elements of Claim 9 as described above. Balasubramanian further teaches:
the vehicle worksheet includes at least one payload to load on to the first mover, (Balasubramanian Col 4 line 64 – Col 5 line 2 “In some embodiments, the mobile robot is a vehicle that provides for movement of material inside the multi-level transport system 200. The mobile robot in some such instances may be further configured to pick up the material e.g., from storage or pick-up locations in a warehouse context or other processing sites in a manufacturing context” teaching the mobile robot (mover) picking up (loading) inventory (payload) as applies to the destination data of Huang)
and the fleet controller or the segment controller corresponding to the track segment on which the first mover is located dynamically changes the first route […] (Balasubramanian Col 10 lines 29-34 “As mentioned earlier, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present description, the path taken by the mobile robot 10 is not pre-determined and is instead dynamically determined and controlled by the control system 500 at each transfer node of the multi-level transport system 200,” teaching control at the transfer node)
Balasubramanian does not teach:
[…] as a function of the at least one payload.
Within the same field of endeavor as Balasubramanian, Hewett teaches:
[…] changes the first route as a function of the at least one payload. (Hewett ¶ 0194 lines 1-4 “Since the RFID tag location system can track […] the locations of all products in the pick list, an optimized pick path (OPP) can be generated, based on the shortest time or distance for an employee to pick up all products,” teaching the use of product (load) pick locations for generating an optimized (weighted) pick path (route), as applies to the dynamic routing data controlled at the node of Balasubramanian and the segment controller record of Huang)
Balasubramanian and Hewett are both considered analogous because they both relate to inventory management pathing. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the multi-level transport including a plurality of magnetic tracks configured to dynamically control movement of the mobile robot to pick up and move inventory of Balasubramanian with the addition of the optimized pick path using the locations of all products in a pick list of Hewett. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success as motivated by increasing efficiency of inventory management, as would be obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding Claim 17, the combination of Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang teaches the elements of Claim 15 as described above. Balasubramanian further teaches:
the vehicle worksheet includes a […] payload, […] (Balasubramanian Col 4 line 64 – Col 5 line 2 “In some embodiments, the mobile robot is a vehicle that provides for movement of material inside the multi-level transport system 200. The mobile robot in some such instances may be further configured to pick up the material e.g., from storage or pick-up locations in a warehouse context or other processing sites in a manufacturing context” teaching the mobile robot (mover) picking up (loading) inventory (payload) ) as applies to the destination data of Huang)
[…] and dynamically adapting operation of the mover includes determining a best route to a next item of payload, […] (Balasubramanian Col 10 lines 29-34 “As mentioned earlier, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present description, the path taken by the mobile robot 10 is not pre-determined and is instead dynamically determined and controlled by the control system 500 at each transfer node of the multi-level transport system 200,” teaching control at the transfer node)
Balasubramanian does not teach:
[…]plurality of items of […]
[…] and the vehicle worksheet includes at least one route between each of the plurality of items of payload,
the method further comprising the steps of: determining when the mover receives each of the plurality of items of payload with one of the segment controllers; […]
[…] selected from the plurality of items, when one of the plurality of items is received on the mover.
Within the same field of endeavor as Balasubramanian, Hewett teaches:
[…]plurality of items of […] and the vehicle worksheet includes at least one route between each of the plurality of items of payload, the method further comprising the steps of: determining when the mover receives each of the plurality of items of payload with one of the segment controllers; […] (Hewett ¶ 0194 lines 1-4 “Since the RFID tag location system can track […] the locations of all products in the pick list, an optimized pick path (OPP) can be generated, based on the shortest time or distance for an employee to pick up all products,” teaching the use of multiple product (load) pick locations for generating an optimized (weighted) pick path (route) between all products in a list, as applies to the dynamic routing data controlled at the node of Balasubramanian and the segment controller record of Huang)
[…] selected from the plurality of items, when one of the plurality of items is received on the mover. (Hewett ¶ 0195 “In the event a product on the pick list of a first user is picked up and delivered to the sales floor by second user and the first user is still in the process of fulfilling the request and before picking up said product, the RFID tag location system will specially mark the product on the first user's pick list to notify the first user that the product is no longer needed. This notification process can be performed in real-time using the RFID tag location system.,” teaching that the pick list mapping is dynamically adapted based on changes to the items in the list)
Balasubramanian and Hewett are both considered analogous because they both relate to inventory management pathing. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the multi-level transport including a plurality of magnetic tracks configured to dynamically control movement of the mobile robot to pick up and move inventory of Balasubramanian with the addition of the optimized pick path using the locations of all products in a pick list of Hewett. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success as motivated by increasing efficiency of inventory management, as would be obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding Claim 18, the combination of Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang teaches the elements of Claim 15 as described above. Balasubramanian further teaches:
the vehicle worksheet includes a […] payload, […] (Balasubramanian Col 4 line 64 – Col 5 line 2 “In some embodiments, the mobile robot is a vehicle that provides for movement of material inside the multi-level transport system 200. The mobile robot in some such instances may be further configured to pick up the material e.g., from storage or pick-up locations in a warehouse context or other processing sites in a manufacturing context” teaching the mobile robot (mover) picking up (loading) inventory (payload) ) as applies to the destination data of Huang)
Balasubramanian does not teach:
[…] plurality of items of […]
[…] the data in the vehicle worksheet includes at least one operating condition which varies as a function of each of the plurality of items of payload, and dynamically adapting operation of the mover includes varying the at least one operating condition as each of the plurality of items of payload are loaded onto the mover.
Within the same field of endeavor as Balasubramanian, Hewett teaches:
[…] plurality of items of […] (Hewett ¶ 0194 lines 1-4 “Since the RFID tag location system can track […] the locations of all products in the pick list, an optimized pick path (OPP) can be generated, based on the shortest time or distance for an employee to pick up all products,” teaching the use of multiple product (load) pick locations for generating an optimized (weighted) pick path (route) between all products in a list, as applies to the dynamic routing data controlled at the node of Balasubramanian and the segment controller record of Huang)
[…] the data in the vehicle worksheet includes at least one operating condition which varies as a function of each of the plurality of items of payload, and dynamically adapting operation of the mover includes varying the at least one operating condition as each of the plurality of items of payload are loaded onto the mover. (Hewett ¶ 0195 “In the event a product on the pick list of a first user is picked up and delivered to the sales floor by second user and the first user is still in the process of fulfilling the request and before picking up said product, the RFID tag location system will specially mark the product on the first user's pick list to notify the first user that the product is no longer needed. This notification process can be performed in real-time using the RFID tag location system.,” teaching that the pick list mapping is dynamically adapted based on the operating condition of the availability of the items on the list)
Balasubramanian and Hewett are both considered analogous because they both relate to inventory management pathing. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the multi-level transport including a plurality of magnetic tracks configured to dynamically control movement of the mobile robot to pick up and move inventory of Balasubramanian with the addition of the optimized pick path using the locations and availability of all products in a pick list of Hewett. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success as motivated by increasing efficiency of inventory management, as would be obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding Claim 19, the combination of Balasubramanian, Kono, and Huang teaches the elements of Claim 15 as described above. Balasubramanian further teaches:
wherein the commanded task includes a […] payload […] (Balasubramanian Col 4 line 64 – Col 5 line 2 “In some embodiments, the mobile robot is a vehicle that provides for movement of material inside the multi-level transport system 200. The mobile robot in some such instances may be further configured to pick up the material e.g., from storage or pick-up locations in a warehouse context or other processing sites in a manufacturing context” teaching the mobile robot (mover) picking up (loading) inventory (payload) and ¶ Col 12 lines 45-53 “ The inventory handling system 100 further includes a control system 500 configured to dynamically control the movement of the mobile robot 10 in the x,y,z direction at one or more transfer nodes of the multi-level transport system 200, by dynamically activating a corresponding magnetic track or a corresponding transfer mechanism. The configuration and operation of the control system 500 has been described earlier. The control system 500 may be configured to execute a storage algorithm and a pick-up algorithm,” teaching the operation (routing) determined based on the inventory control)
Balasubramanian does not teach:
[…] plurality of items of […] and the first weighting value and the second weighting value are determined as a function of the plurality of items of payload.
Within the same field of endeavor as Balasubramanian, Hewett teaches:
[…] plurality of items of […] and the first weighting value and the second weighting value are determined as a function of the plurality of items of payload. (Hewett ¶ 0194 lines 1-4 “Since the RFID tag location system can track […] the locations of all products in the pick list, an optimized pick path (OPP) can be generated, based on the shortest time or distance for an employee to pick up all products,” teaching the use of multiple product (load) pick locations for generating an optimized (weighted) pick path (route) between all products in a list, as applies to the dynamic routing data controlled at the node of Balasubramanian and the segment controller record of Huang)
Balasubramanian and Hewett are both considered analogous because they both relate to inventory management pathing. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the multi-level transport including a plurality of magnetic tracks configured to dynamically control movement of the mobile robot to pick up and move inventory of Balasubramanian with the addition of the optimized pick path using the locations of all products in a pick list of Hewett. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success as motivated by increasing efficiency of inventory management, as would be obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art.
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 mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZACHARY E GLADE whose telephone number is (703)756-1502. The examiner can normally be reached 4-5-9 7:30-16:30.
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/ZACHARY E. F. GLADE/Examiner, Art Unit 3664
/KITO R ROBINSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3664