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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-4 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D’Angelo et al., U.S. Patent No. 3,785,358, in view of Shi et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,737,732, and in further view of Yeager, U.S. Patent Application No. 2016/0310817, and Abdelmoneum et al., U.S. Patent Application No. 2020/0197782. As to Claim 1- 4, D’Angelo shows a tennis training machine, which includes a housing; ball entry area (60) at the top of the housing; a ball serving area at a lower part of the housing, with a rotating disk (65) with multiple ball ports, a track; an upper serving wheel (32); a lower serving wheel (25): the rotating disk below a ball entry opening, driven by a central motor; the track below the rotating disk; the housing has a ball serving opening. The track has a transition section (61) and a slope section (62), with the upper serving wheel above the track, and the lower serving wheel in line with the track. D’Angelo shows wheels at the bottom of the housing, but it does not appear that the wheels are driven. Driving wheels would be desired so the machine can travel and change direction in a playing area. For example Shi shows a tennis ball serving machine with a housing, and drive wheels (13) with a motor (12) to simulate a moving player. These driven wheels would be an obvious addition to the tennis training machine of D’Angelo. D’Angelo, as modified, does not disclose that the robot may control ball serving through a control system comprising main controller. Yeager teaches a tennis training robot (sports simulation robot) comprising a control system (robot systems) comprising a main controller (computational system for running robot services), a gyroscope and a Hall effect sensor (digital compass) paragraphs 0060, 0091, and 0100. Yeager teaches an image recognition system (23), paragraph 0070, suggesting a dual camera image recognition system. The main controller may drive a ball entry motor (36), a ball serving motor (62), and driving wheel motor (70), paragraphs 0063, 0067, 0077, and 0088. Given that the main controller drives the motors, it is inherent that a connection to driving circuits is present. The gyroscope, the Hall effect sensor, and image recognition system may all be connected to the main controller, paragraph 0060. D’Angelo, as modified, does not specify that the image recognition system may be a dual-camera and that remote control may be provided by a mobile phone app. Abdelmoneum teaches a tennis training robot (smart ball machine), paragraph 0015, configured to track the trajectory of a tennis ball by an image recognition system comprising a dual-camera (stereo camera), paragraph 0047. Further, Abdelmoneum teaches that remote control may be provided by a mobile phone app (smart device) electrically connected to a main controller, paragraph 0017. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before he effective filing date to provide D’Angelo, as modified, with the image recognition system comprising dual-camera and remote control provided by mobile phone app, as taught by Abdelmoneum, to provide D’Angelo, as modified, with known substitute system components. As to Claim 6, Yeager teaches selecting a designated mode suitable for an athlete’s level of play, paragraphs 0055 and 0056, noting a random mode of simulating games and drills and intelligent mode of moving on the court to simulate a player of particular skill level. Yeager teaches performing movement positioning to serve and return, paragraphs 0058 and 0070, noting that the robot moves about the court simulating a player, tracks ball returned by a player and responds with an appropriate return shot. Yeager is further applied as in Claim 1 regarding the presence of the gyroscope and Hall effect sensor connected to the main controller. It follows that the connected components are active to provide real-time feedback signal to keep movement direction stable. Yeager teaches predicting a trajectory and placement of an incoming tennis ball according to a ball returning from a player, paragraph 0070. The robot movement positioning to simulate returning wherein the image recognition system captures multi-point three-dimensional coordinates, a speed and speed direction of a running tennis ball and an algorithm model is used to calculation a direction of an incoming tennis ball and predict placement, paragraph 0070, noting that the robot moves to a predicted landing point of an incoming ball and catches the ball. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide D’Angelo, as modified, with training method steps 1-3, as taught by Yeager to provide D’Angelo, as modified, with an active robot configured to challenge a player in tennis training to yield the predictable result of facilitating more effective tennis practice. Abdelmoneum, is applied as in Claim 1 with regard to a dual-camera serving as the image recognition system, with the same obviousness rationale being found applicable. D’Angelo, as modified, discloses the claimed invention, except for disclosing the step of obtaining hitting data of an athlete. Abdelmoneum teaches downloading a complete profile of a player, submitting the data to a main controller (downloading) and identifying a player level so as to simulate training at a corresponding level, paragraphs 0015 and 0018. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide D’Angelo, as modified, with a player data profile submitted to the main controller to customize a training session conducted by the robot to correspond to the player skill level, as taught by Abdelmoneum, to yield the predictable result of providing challenging but achievable practice sessions.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments submitted 21 April 2026 have been considered but are moot because of the new ground of rejection.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN ELLIOTT SIMMS JR whose telephone number is (571)270-7474. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30 am - 5:00 pm - M-F.
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/JOHN E SIMMS JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3711 21 August 2026
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