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 .
This final action is in response to Applicant’s filing dated October 29, 2025. Claims 1-2 and 5-9 are currently pending and have been considered, as provided in more detail below. Claims 3-4 have been cancelled.
*Examiner Note: Claim language is bolded. Cited References and Applicant’s arguments are italicized. Examiner interpretations are preceded with an asterisk *.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed 10/29/25 have been considered but are moot because the arguments are directed toward subject matter that has not been previously considered and has necessitated a new ground of rejection as outlined below. While the new ground of rejection may rely on some of the previous references applied in the prior rejection of record, new additional references have been added to the combination and introduced for Applicant’s consideration given the amended independent claims as discussed in detail below.
Response to Amendment
Regarding the rejections under 35 USC 103, amendments made to the claims have necessitated a new grounds of rejection as outlined below.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 5-6 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Skaloud (US 11,001,443 B1) in view of Erlich (US 2016/0145884A1) in view of Letsky (US 2020/0121153 A1) and further in view of Bell (US 11,220,243 B1).
Regarding claim 1 as newly amended, Skaloud discloses A package-carrying robot (Fig. 1, 10
and see at least col. 2 ln. 30-31 of Skaloud which describes “An autonomous ground vehicle (AGV) is a category of robot“ and see at least col. 2 ln. 32-35 of Skaloud which discloses “delivery AGV is used for AGVs carrying a payload for delivery purposes“ and see at least col. 8 ln. 66-67 of Skaloud which discloses “Within AGV 10, beneath lid 40, cargo bay 30 holds packages or other payload“, *AGV 10 corresponds to the claimed package carrying robot) comprising: a storage room (Fig. 19, 30 and see at least col. 8 ln. 66-67 of Skaloud which discloses “cargo bay 30 holds packages or other payload”, *Cargo b ay 30 corresponds to the claimed storage room because it is an enclosed compartment configured to house packages during transport) configured to house a package (see at least col. 8 ln. 66-67 of Skaloud which discloses “cargo bay 30 holds packages or other payload”); a water storage part (see at least col. 7 ln. 12-16 of Skaloud which discloses “a hinge drain pan located below the hinge and adapted to catch water infiltrating around the hinge components. The hinge drain pan can have a drain pan outlet that is connected to the AGV main drain outlet”, *the drain pan corresponds to the claimed water storage part because it is configured to receive and temporarily hold water prior to drainage; and see at least col. 8 ln. 63-65 of Skaloud which discloses “letting the water flow or drip down inboard surfaces of the panels to a lowermost point on the AGV at barrel 245, at which drain 306 is located“, * barrel 245 is also considered to be a water storage part since water may sit in barrel 245 until the water is drained through drain 306) arranged below the storage room (see at least col. 5 ln. 9-11 of Skaloud which discloses “The rear portion of bottom panel and the lower and forward portion of rear panel 250 from a barrel 245 having a drain 306”) and configured to accumulate water generated in the storage room (see at least col. 7 ln. 9- 16 which discloses “a seal between the underside of a periphery of the lid and a peripheral flange of the cargo bay. The AGV can also include an actuated hinge for lifting the lid relative to the cargo bay, and a hinge drain pan located below the hinge and adapted to catch water infiltrating around the hinge components. The hinge drain pan can have a drain pan outlet that is connected to the AGV main drain outlet”, *Skaloud discloses that water infiltrating the cargo bay flows downward from the storage room and is collected by a hinge drain pan and/or barrel 245 prior to drainage thereby teaching a water storage part configured to accumulate water generated in the storage room); a drain part (Fig. 20, 36 and see at least col. 9 ln. 19-21 of Skaloud which discloses “a cargo bay drain 36. A tube or hose (not shown) is attached to cargo bay drain 36 and extends to or near main drain 306 to transport water from the cargo bay to the drain”) connected to the water storage part (see at least col. 7 ln. 10-16 which discloses “a hinge drain pan located below the hinge and adapted to catch water infiltrating around the hinge components. The hinge drain pan can have a drain pan outlet that is connected to the AGV main drain outlet”, *this discloses that water collected in a drain pan and/or barrel is transported via tubing to cargo bay drain 36 and main drain 306, thereby establishing fluid communication between the water storage part and the drain part) and configured to drain the water accumulated in the water storage part (see at least col. 9 ln. 20-21 which discloses “transport water from the cargo bay to the drain”, *thereby draining water accumulated in the water storage part); configured to detect (see at least col. 10 ln. 35-55 of Skaloud which discloses “An AGV, both in general and in the context of a delivery AGV disclosed herein, in an uncontrolled, unprotected environment may have the ability to: … detect people, obstacles (such as curbs, steps, bumps, slopes, and the like), objects (such as landscaping, gates, and the like), and surfaces (such as lawns, cobblestones, sidewalk cracks and discontinuities, and the like), and then evaluate and take action based on the detection; and travel under its own power to way points, usually by battery power and without human navigation assistance, taking into account the above information and detection. In some circumstances, an AGV's onboard control system may be able to autonomously learn, such as adjusting strategies based on input about the surroundings, adapt to surroundings without outside assistance, and the like”, * the onboard control system and sensors configured for navigation and guidance correspond to a traveling path state detection unit because they detect surface conditions, obstacles and environmental features indicative of the state of the path to be travelled; and see at least col. 11 ln. 24-37 of Skaloud which discloses “The control system includes sensors and other components and systems used for navigation and guidance, avoiding objects, image-capture and sensing, power management, communications, security, and other functions inherent in achieving the goals of a delivery AGV. Sensors can be mounted behind a forward facing panel and/or a rearward facing panel (not shown). Sensors can include cameras having images sensors including image signal processing, light sensors, and the like, with corresponding processing including image decoding, lens correction, geometrical transformation, video stream transcoding, video analytics, image capture, and compression to provide obstacle detection and obstacle identification. Sensors for determining speed may also be employed”, *Examiner interprets the sensors of the onboard control system used for navigation and guidance to be a traveling path state detection unit since the control system detects the state of the path to be travelled based on data detected from sensors) a state of a traveling path (see at least col. 10 ln. 47 of Skaloud which discloses “travel under its own power to way points”, *Examiner interprets the path to the way points to be the traveling path and see at least col. 10 ln. 67- col. 11 ln. 9 of Skaloud which discloses “The AGVs may travel out (e.g., from a user's residence, apartment building, etc.) to meet a transportation vehicle (e.g., a delivery truck on the street) to receive items, and may be joined by other AGVs that have traveled out to meet the transportation vehicle, and may line up in a particular order (e.g., according to delivery addresses, etc.). After the items are received, the AGVs may travel back (e.g., to the user residences) to deliver the items, and may be equipped to open and close access barriers (e.g., front doors, garage doors, etc.“).
Skaloud does disclose control electronics that typically include a processor (see at
least col. 4 ln. 31-34 of Skaloud which discloses “a hardware bay for holding batteries, power component (such as motor controllers, PCBs and the like) and other components as needed” and col. 7 ln. 46-49 of Skaloud which discloses “components of the AGV, such as motor controllers and other electronic components”, *Skaloud discloses an AGV including control electronics for controlling operation of the AGV, which naturally includes at least one processor).
Skaloud may not explicitly disclose a processor configured to detect a state of the
package-carrying robot, determine whether or not the package-carrying robot is in a predetermined drainage space based on the state of the traveling path, and in response to determining that the package-carrying robot is in the predetermined drainage space, determine a volume of the water accumulated in the water storage part, and in response to the volume of the water being equal to or larger than a predetermined volume, control the drain part into an opened state to drain the water accumulated in the water storage part to the predetermined drainage space.
However, Erlich discloses a processor configured to detect a state of the package-
carrying robot (see at least para. [0040] of Erlich which discloses “If the breach sensor detects that the pool cleaner has left the water, the computer processor initiates an attempt to return the device to the water”, *the computer processer described in Erlich corresponds to the processor configured to detect the state of the robot because Erlich’s processor detects a travel or operating condition of the robot indicative of whether the robot is in an appropriate operating environment. The processor of Erlich therefore corresponds to a processor configured to detect a travel or operating condition of the robot).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing
date of the claimed invention to modify the package carrying robot of Skaloud to explicitly include a processor to detect a state of the package-carrying robot as taught in Erlich with a reasonable expectation of success in order to enable the package-carrying robot to detect and respond to travel or operating conditions indicative of whether the robot is in an appropriate envionrment for performing certain tasks, thereby improving autonomous operation and preventing improper operation under improper conditions. See para. [0040] of Erlich for motivation.
Skaloud, as modified by Erlich may not explicitly disclose determining whether or not
the package-carrying robot is in a predetermined drainage space based on the state of the traveling path, and in response to determining that the package-carrying robot is in the predetermined drainage space, determine a volume of the water accumulated in the water storage part, and in response to the volume of the water being equal to or larger than a predetermined volume, control the drain part into an opened state to drain the water accumulated in the water storage part to the predetermined drainage space.
However in the same field of endeavor, Letsky discloses determining whether or not
the package-carrying robot is in a predetermined drainage space (see at least para. [0033] of Letsky which discloses “Robot floor cleaner 100 will autonomously find a wall and travel along the wall of the work area, recording a travel path, until the entire boundary of the work area has been defined. In another embodiment, the user may drive robot floor cleaner 100 around the outside perimeter of the work area. In yet another embodiment robot floor cleaner 100 performs mapping utilizing this simultaneous localization and mapping processing”, *For example, Letsky discloses that a robot autonomously records and utilizes a travel path to define a work area boundary and to navigate within the work area. Also, see at least para. [0038] of Letsky which discloses “robot floor cleaner 100 will return to the docking station 200 by following a path determined by the robot's path planning algorithm to be the shortest navigable path to the initial point 0, 0. Robot floor cleaner 100 will then work in parts of the work area that have not yet been visited by floor cleaner robot 100. In a preferred nonlimiting embodiment, robot floor cleaner information may be transmitted to docking station 200 in real-time or near real time for display to an end-user. The display may be by smart phone, tablet, computer or similar device”, *This corresponds to further disclosing that the robot returns to a docking station by following a path determined by a path-planning algorithm to be the shortest navigable path to a known location. Also, see at least para. [0021] of Letsky which discloses “A drain hole 208 is positioned to be in fluid communication with two-way dispensing port 124 when robot 100 is docked in docking station 200 and provides fluid communication between two way port 124 and platform drainage tank 206 for receiving dirty water from dirty water tank 116. As seen in FIG. 3 drain hole 208 is positioned a distance along platform 204 from contacts 218 corresponding to a distance from contacts 110 to two way port 124 of cleaning robot 100. Therefore, when cleaning robot 100 is in a docked position within docking station 200 two-way port 124, during dispensing, substantially overlies drain hole 208. In this way, alignment for draining is guaranteed”, * Finally, Letsky further discloses that the docking station includes a drain hole positioned to receive fluid from the robot when the robot is docked, thereby defining the docking station as a predetermined drainage space, *Letsky discloses determining that the robot is located in a predetermined drainage space based on the robot’s recorded travel path and path-planning determination indicating arrival at the known docking location, at which point drainage is enabled. This path-based arrival determination satisfies the limitation of determining whether the robot is in the predetermined drainage space) based on the state of the traveling path (Examiner notes that the traveling path state reasonably includes a navigation or arrival state of the robot as determined from its path-planning and recorded travel path. As disclosed by Letsky, the robot records and utilizes a travel path during autonomous operation (see at least para. [0033] of Letsky) and determines a navigable path to a known docking location using a path-planning algorithm (see at least para. [0038] of Letsky). The robot determines that it has reached the docking station based on completion of the planned travel path to the predefined location. This determination that the robot has arrived at the docking station corresponds to a state of the traveling path, namely that the robot has reached a predefined destination along the traveling path. In this connection, determining arrival at a predefined location via a planned path is at least an obvious implementation of determining whether the robot is in a predetermined space based on the state of the traveling path), and in response to determining that the package-carrying robot is in the predetermined drainage space (Letsky disclose that the robot navigates along a planned travel path to a known docking location and determines arrival at that location based on its path-planning and recorded travel path (see at least para. [0033] and [0038] of Letsky. Letsky further discloses that the fluid drainage is enabled when the robot is docked at the docking station, which constitutes a predetermined drainage space (see at least para. [00021] of Letsky). Therefore, the drainage operations occur in response to the determination that the robot has arrived at and is located within the docking station, thereby satisfying the claimed requirement that subsequent operations are performed in response to determining that the robot is in the predetermined drainage space).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing
date of the claimed invention to modify the package carrying robot of Skaloud, as modified by Erlich to include determining whether or not the package-carrying robot is in a predetermined drainage space based on the state of the traveling path, and in response to determining that the package-carrying robot is in the predetermined drainage space, as taught in Letsky with a reasonable expectation of success in order to enable the package carrying robot to autonomously recognize arrival at a predefined drainage location based on tits path-planning and recorded travel path and to condition fluid drainage operations on the robot being located in the appropriate drainage space, thereby preventing improper drainage during travel and improving autonomous operation. See para. [0021], [0033] and [0038] of Letsky for motivation.
Skaloud as modified by Erlich and Letsky may not explicitly disclose determining a
volume of the water accumulated in the water storage part, and in response to the volume of the water being equal to or larger than a predetermined volume, control the drain part into an opened state to drain the water accumulated in the water storage part to the predetermined drainage space.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Bell discloses determining a volume of the water
accumulated in the water storage part, and in response to the volume of the water being equal to or larger than a predetermined volume (see at least col. 3 ln. 57-67 of Bell which discloses “When the fluid level in the tank 22 reaches a predetermined “full” level the level sensor 28 sends a signal to the controller 32. This causes the system 20 to open the drain valve 30 on the tank 22. The system 20 will delay opening the rinse water valve 36 until the time delay (typically five seconds) has expired and the level sensor 28 indicates the fluid level has dropped. Opening the rinse water valve 36 begins the rinse cycle and sends water into the tank 22 to assist in removing solids. When the predetermined length of time for the rinse cycle has expired (typically five or ten minutes), the system 20 will close the rinse water valve 36”, *Bell discloses a controller coupled to a liquid storage tank and a level sensor configured to detect a level of liquid accumulated in the tank. The controller receives the signal from the level sensor and determines whether the detected liquid level has reached or exceeded a predetermined threshold corresponding to a predetermined volume. When the detected level is equal to or greater than the predetermined level, the controller controls a drain valve into an opened state to drain the liquid form the storage tank. Determining a liquid level relative to predetermined threshold naturally corresponds to determining a volume of liquid accumulated in the storage part and responding when the volume meets or exceeds a predetermined volume), control the drain part into an opened state to drain the water accumulated in the water storage part to the predetermined drainage space (see at least col. 3 ln. 57-60 of Bell which discloses “When the fluid level in the tank 22 reaches a predetermined “full” level the level sensor 28 sends a signal to the controller 32. This causes the system 20 to open the drain valve 30 on the tank 22”, *Bell discloses a controller configured to actuate a drain part into an opened sate to drain water accumulated in a water storage portion when predetermined conditions are met. As discussed above, Letsky discloses that drainage of water from a robot occurs when the robot is positioned in a docking station that includes a drain hole and drainage tank with the docking station corresponding to a predetermined drainage space. Therefore, in the combined system, opening the drain part as taught by Bell results in draining the accumulated water into the predetermined drainage space as taught by Letsky. Performing drainage only when the robot is located at the docking station ensures that water is discharged to the appropriate drainage space.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing
date of the claimed invention to modify the package carrying robot of Skaloud, as modified by Erlich and Letsky to include determining a volume of the water accumulated in the water storage part, and in response to the volume of the water being equal to or larger than a predetermined volume control the drain part into an opened state to drain the water accumulated in the water storage part to the predetermined drainage space, as taught in Bell with a reasonable expectation of success in order to enable the package carrying robot to monitor an amount of accumulated water and to automatically initiate drainage when the accumulated water reaches a predetermined threshold, thereby preventing overflow, avoiding unnecessary drainage and improving reliability and autonomous operation of the robot. See at least col. 3 ln. 50-67 of Bell for motivation.
Regarding claim 2, Skaloud, as modified by Erlich, Letsky and Bell discloses wherein the
processor is configured to open or close the drain part (see at least col. 2 ln. 10-12 of Bell which discloses “A microcontroller operates the system on each tank. When the system is turned on to automatic mode it verifies the drain valve is closed. This is done by operating the drain valve in the closed direction”) according to the state of the traveling path of the package-carrying robot and a state of the package or the water storage part (the combination of Letsky, which discloses enabling drainage based on the robot’s traveling path state (arrival and docking), and Bell, which disclose opening or closing a drain part based on a detected state of the water storage part (liquid level relative to a threshold) teaches these limitations, as broadly as recited).
Regarding claim 5 as newly amended, Skaloud discloses A method for controlling a package-
carrying robot, the package-carrying robot (Fig. 1, 10 and see at least col. 2 ln. 30-31 of Skaloud which describes “An autonomous ground vehicle (AGV) is a category of robot“ and see at least col. 2 ln. 32-35 of Skaloud which discloses “delivery AGV is used for AGVs carrying a payload for delivery purposes“ and see at least col. 8 ln. 66-67 of Skaloud which discloses “Within AGV 10, beneath lid 40, cargo bay 30 holds packages or other payload“, *AGV 10 corresponds to the claimed package carrying robot) comprising: a storage room (Fig. 19, 30 and see at least col. 8 ln. 66-67 of Skaloud which discloses “cargo bay 30 holds packages or other payload”, *Cargo b ay 30 corresponds to the claimed storage room because it is an enclosed compartment configured to house packages during transport) configured to house a package (see at least col. 8 ln. 66-67 of Skaloud which discloses “cargo bay 30 holds packages or other payload”); a water storage part (see at least col. 7 ln. 12-16 of Skaloud which discloses “a hinge drain pan located below the hinge and adapted to catch water infiltrating around the hinge components. The hinge drain pan can have a drain pan outlet that is connected to the AGV main drain outlet”, *the drain pan corresponds to the claimed water storage part because it is configured to receive and temporarily hold water prior to drainage; and see at least col. 8 ln. 63-65 of Skaloud which discloses “letting the water flow or drip down inboard surfaces of the panels to a lowermost point on the AGV at barrel 245, at which drain 306 is located“, * barrel 245 is also considered to be a water storage part since water may sit in barrel 245 until the water is drained through drain 306) arranged below the storage room (see at least col. 5 ln. 9-11 of Skaloud which discloses “The rear portion of bottom panel and the lower and forward portion of rear panel 250 form a barrel 245 having a drain 306”) and configured to accumulate water generated in the storage room (see at least col. 7 ln. 9- 16 which discloses “a seal between the underside of a periphery of the lid and a peripheral flange of the cargo bay. The AGV can also include an actuated hinge for lifting the lid relative to the cargo bay, and a hinge drain pan located below the hinge and adapted to catch water infiltrating around the hinge components. The hinge drain pan can have a drain pan outlet that is connected to the AGV main drain outlet”, *Skaloud discloses that water infiltrating the cargo bay flows downward from the storage room and is collected by a hinge drain pan and/or barrel 245 prior to drainage thereby teaching a water storage part configured to accumulate water generated in the storage room); a drain part (Fig. 20, 36 and see at least col. 9 ln. 19-21 of Skaloud which discloses “a cargo bay drain 36. A tube or hose (not shown) is attached to cargo bay drain 36 and extends to or near main drain 306 to transport water from the cargo bay to the drain”) connected to the water storage part (see at least col. 7 ln. 10-16 which discloses “a hinge drain pan located below the hinge and adapted to catch water infiltrating around the hinge components. The hinge drain pan can have a drain pan outlet that is connected to the AGV main drain outlet”, *this discloses that water collected in a drain pan and/or barrel is transported via tubing to cargo bay drain 36 and main drain 306, thereby establishing fluid communication between the water storage part and the drain part) and configured to drain the water accumulated in the water storage part (see at least col. 9 ln. 20-21 which discloses “transport water from the cargo bay to the drain”, *thereby draining water accumulated in the water storage part), the method comprising: detecting (see at least col. 10 ln. 35-55 of Skaloud which discloses “An AGV, both in general and in the context of a delivery AGV disclosed herein, in an uncontrolled, unprotected environment may have the ability to: … detect people, obstacles (such as curbs, steps, bumps, slopes, and the like), objects (such as landscaping, gates, and the like), and surfaces (such as lawns, cobblestones, sidewalk cracks and discontinuities, and the like), and then evaluate and take action based on the detection; and travel under its own power to way points, usually by battery power and without human navigation assistance, taking into account the above information and detection. In some circumstances, an AGV's onboard control system may be able to autonomously learn, such as adjusting strategies based on input about the surroundings, adapt to surroundings without outside assistance, and the like”, * the onboard control system and sensors configured for navigation and guidance correspond to a traveling path state detection unit because they detect surface conditions, obstacles and environmental features indicative of the state of the path to be travelled; and see at least col. 11 ln. 24-37 of Skaloud which discloses “The control system includes sensors and other components and systems used for navigation and guidance, avoiding objects, image-capture and sensing, power management, communications, security, and other functions inherent in achieving the goals of a delivery AGV. Sensors can be mounted behind a forward facing panel and/or a rearward facing panel (not shown). Sensors can include cameras having images sensors including image signal processing, light sensors, and the like, with corresponding processing including image decoding, lens correction, geometrical transformation, video stream transcoding, video analytics, image capture, and compression to provide obstacle detection and obstacle identification. Sensors for determining speed may also be employed”, *Examiner interprets the sensors of the onboard control system used for navigation and guidance to be a traveling path state detection unit since the control system detects the state of the path to be travelled based on data detected from sensors) a state of a traveling path (see at least col. 10 ln. 47 of Skaloud which discloses “travel under its own power to way points”, *Examiner interprets the path to the way points to be the traveling path and see at least col. 10 ln. 67- col. 11 ln. 9 of Skaloud which discloses “The AGVs may travel out (e.g., from a user's residence, apartment building, etc.) to meet a transportation vehicle (e.g., a delivery truck on the street) to receive items, and may be joined by other AGVs that have traveled out to meet the transportation vehicle, and may line up in a particular order (e.g., according to delivery addresses, etc.). After the items are received, the AGVs may travel back (e.g., to the user residences) to deliver the items, and may be equipped to open and close access barriers (e.g., front doors, garage doors, etc.“) of the package-carrying robot.
Skaloud may not explicitly disclose detecting a state of the package-carrying robot,
determining whether or not the package-carrying robot is in a predetermined drainage space based on the state of the traveling path; and in response to determining that the package-carrying robot is in the predetermined drainage space, determining a volume of the water accumulated in the water storage part, and in response to the volume of the water being equal to or larger than a predetermined volume, controlling the drain part into an opened state to drain the water accumulated in the water storage part to the predetermined drainage space.
However, Erlich discloses detecting a state of the package-carrying robot (see at
least para. [0040] of Erlich which discloses “If the breach sensor detects that the pool cleaner has left the water, the computer processor initiates an attempt to return the device to the water”, *the computer processer described in Erlich corresponds to the processor configured to detect the state of the robot because Erlich’s processor detects a travel or operating condition of the robot indicative of whether the robot is in an appropriate operating environment. The processor of Erlich therefore corresponds to a processor configured to detect a travel or operating condition of the robot).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing
date of the claimed invention to modify the package carrying robot of Skaloud to explicitly include detecting a state of the package-carrying robot as taught in Erlich with a reasonable expectation of success in order to enable the package-carrying robot to detect and respond to travel or operating conditions indicative of whether the robot is in an appropriate envionrment for performing certain tasks, thereby improving autonomous operation and preventing improper operation under improper conditions. See para. [0040] of Erlich for motivation.
Skaloud, as modified by Erlich may not explicitly disclose determining whether or not
the package-carrying robot is in a predetermined drainage space based on the state of the traveling path; and in response to determining that the package-carrying robot is in the predetermined drainage space, determining a volume of the water accumulated in the water storage part, and in response to the volume of the water being equal to or larger than a predetermined volume, controlling the drain part into an opened state to drain the water accumulated in the water storage part to the predetermined drainage space.
However in the same field of endeavor, Letsky discloses determining whether or not
the package-carrying robot is in a predetermined drainage space (see at least para. [0033] of Letsky which discloses “Robot floor cleaner 100 will autonomously find a wall and travel along the wall of the work area, recording a travel path, until the entire boundary of the work area has been defined. In another embodiment, the user may drive robot floor cleaner 100 around the outside perimeter of the work area. In yet another embodiment robot floor cleaner 100 performs mapping utilizing this simultaneous localization and mapping processing”, *For example, Letsky discloses that a robot autonomously records and utilizes a travel path to define a work area boundary and to navigate within the work area. Also, see at least para. [0038] of Letsky which discloses “robot floor cleaner 100 will return to the docking station 200 by following a path determined by the robot's path planning algorithm to be the shortest navigable path to the initial point 0, 0. Robot floor cleaner 100 will then work in parts of the work area that have not yet been visited by floor cleaner robot 100. In a preferred nonlimiting embodiment, robot floor cleaner information may be transmitted to docking station 200 in real-time or near real time for display to an end-user. The display may be by smart phone, tablet, computer or similar device”, *This corresponds to further disclosing that the robot returns to a docking station by following a path determined by a path-planning algorithm to be the shortest navigable path to a known location. Also, see at least para. [0021] of Letsky which discloses “A drain hole 208 is positioned to be in fluid communication with two-way dispensing port 124 when robot 100 is docked in docking station 200 and provides fluid communication between two way port 124 and platform drainage tank 206 for receiving dirty water from dirty water tank 116. As seen in FIG. 3 drain hole 208 is positioned a distance along platform 204 from contacts 218 corresponding to a distance from contacts 110 to two way port 124 of cleaning robot 100. Therefore, when cleaning robot 100 is in a docked position within docking station 200 two-way port 124, during dispensing, substantially overlies drain hole 208. In this way, alignment for draining is guaranteed”, * Finally, Letsky further discloses that the docking station includes a drain hole positioned to receive fluid from the robot when the robot id socked, thereby defining the docking station as a predetermined drainage space, *Letsky discloses determining that the robot is located in a predetermined drainage space based on the robot’s recorded travel path and path-planning determination indicating arrival at the known docking location, at which point drainage is enabled. This path-based arrival determination satisfies the limitation of determining whether the robot is in the predetermined drainage space) based on the state of the traveling path (Examiner notes that the traveling path state reasonably includes a navigation or arrival state of the robot as determined from its path-planning and recorded travel path. As disclosed by Letsky, the robot records and utilizes a travel path during autonomous operation (see at least para. [0033] of Letsky) and determines a navigable path to a known docking location using a path-planning algorithm (see at least para. [0038] of Letsky). The robot determines that it has reached the docking station based on completion of the planned travel path to the predefined location. This determination that the robot has arrived at the docking station corresponds to a state of the traveling path, namely that the robot has reached a predefined destination along the traveling path. In this connection, determining arrival at a predefined location via a planned path is at least an obvious implementation of determining whether the robot is in a predetermined space based on the state of the traveling path), and in response to determining that the package-carrying robot is in the predetermined drainage space (Letsky disclose that the robot navigates along a planned travel path to a known docking location and determines arrival at that location based on its path-planning and recorded travel path (see at least para. [0033] and [0038] of Letsky. Letsky further discloses that the fluid drainage is enabled when the robot is docked at the docking station, which constitutes a predetermined drainage space (see at least para. [00021] of Letsky). Therefore, the drainage operations occur in response to the determination that the robot has arrived at and is located within the docking station, thereby satisfying the claimed requirement that subsequent operations are performed in response to determining that the robot is in the predetermined drainage space),
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing
date of the claimed invention to modify the package carrying robot of Skaloud, as modified by Erlich to include determining whether or not the package-carrying robot is in a predetermined drainage space based on the state of the traveling path, and in response to determining that the package-carrying robot is in the predetermined drainage space, as taught in Letsky with a reasonable expectation of success in order to enable the package carrying robot to autonomously recognize arrival at a predefined drainage location based on tits path-planning and recorded travel path and to condition fluid drainage operations on the robot being located in the appropriate drainage space, thereby preventing improper drainage during travel and improving autonomous operation. See para. [0021], [0033] and [0038] of Letsky for motivation.
Skaloud as modified by Erlich and Letsky may not explicitly disclose determining a
volume of the water accumulated in the water storage part, and in response to the volume of the water being equal to or larger than a predetermined volume, control the drain part into an opened state to drain the water accumulated in the water storage part to the predetermined drainage space.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Bell discloses determining a volume of the water
accumulated in the water storage part, and in response to the volume of the water being equal to or larger than a predetermined volume (see at least col. 3 ln. 57-67 of Bell which discloses “When the fluid level in the tank 22 reaches a predetermined “full” level the level sensor 28 sends a signal to the controller 32. This causes the system 20 to open the drain valve 30 on the tank 22. The system 20 will delay opening the rinse water valve 36 until the time delay (typically five seconds) has expired and the level sensor 28 indicates the fluid level has dropped. Opening the rinse water valve 36 begins the rinse cycle and sends water into the tank 22 to assist in removing solids. When the predetermined length of time for the rinse cycle has expired (typically five or ten minutes), the system 20 will close the rinse water valve 36”, *Bell discloses a controller coupled to a liquid storage tank and a level sensor configured to detect a level of liquid accumulated in the tank. The controller receives the signal from the level sensor and determines whether the detected liquid level has reached or exceeded a predetermined threshold corresponding to a predetermined volume. When the detected level is equal to or greater than the predetermined level, the controller controls a drain valve into an opened state to drain the liquid form the storage tank. Determining a liquid level relative to predetermined threshold naturally corresponds to determining a volume of liquid accumulated in the storage part and responding when the volume meets or exceeds a predetermined volume), control the drain part into an opened state to drain the water accumulated in the water storage part to the predetermined drainage space (see at least col. 3 ln. 57-60 of Bell which discloses “When the fluid level in the tank 22 reaches a predetermined “full” level the level sensor 28 sends a signal to the controller 32. This causes the system 20 to open the drain valve 30 on the tank 22”, *Bell discloses a controller configured to actuate a drain part into an opened sate to drain water accumulated in a water storage portion when predetermined conditions are met. As discussed above, Letsky discloses that drainage of water from a robot occurs when the robot is positioned in a docking station that includes a drain hole and drainage tank with the docking station corresponding to a predetermined drainage space. Therefore, in the combined system, opening the drain part as taught by Bell results in draining the accumulated water into the predetermined drainage space as taught by Letsky. Performing drainage only when the robot is located at the docking station ensures that water is discharged to the appropriate drainage space.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing
date of the claimed invention to modify the package carrying robot of Skaloud, as modified by Erlich and Letsky to include determining a volume of the water accumulated in the water storage part, and in response to the volume of the water being equal to or larger than a predetermined volume control the drain part into an opened state to drain the water accumulated in the water storage part to the predetermined drainage space, as taught in Bell with a reasonable expectation of success in order to enable the package carrying robot to monitor an amount of accumulated water and to automatically initiate drainage when the accumulated water reaches a predetermined threshold, thereby preventing overflow, avoiding unnecessary drainage and improving reliability and autonomous operation of the robot. See at least col. 3 ln. 50-67 of Bell for motivation.
Regarding claim 6, Skaloud, as modified by Erlich, Letsky and Bell discloses wherein the
drain part includes: a drainpipe (see at least col. 9 ln. 19-21 of Skaloud which discloses “A tube or hose (not shown) is attached to cargo bay drain 36 and extends to or near main drain 306 to transport water from the cargo bay to the drain” and see at least para. [0022] of Letsky which discloses “Lastly tank 206 may be provided with a drainage conduit 210 as additional plumbing to convey dirty water from dirty water tank 206 to a remote dirty water removal plumbing”) connected to the water storage part (see at least col. 7 ln. 12-16 of Skaloud which discloses “a hinge drain pan located below the hinge and adapted to catch water infiltrating around the hinge components. The hinge drain pan can have a drain pan outlet that is connected to the AGV main drain outlet”, *the drain pan corresponds to the claimed water storage part because it is configured to receive and temporarily hold water prior to drainage; and see at least col. 8 ln. 63-65 of Skaloud which discloses “letting the water flow or drip down inboard surfaces of the panels to a lowermost point on the AGV at barrel 245, at which drain 306 is located“, * barrel 245 is also considered to be a water storage part since water may sit in barrel 245 until the water is drained through drain 306) and extending downward, and an open/close valve (see at least claim 1 of Bell which discloses “a drain valve and valve operator configured to open and close the drain valve, thereby draining the first wastewater tank” and see at least col. 3 ln. 50-60 of Bell which discloses opening “the drain valve 30 on the tank 22” and col. 4 ln. 7 which describes closing “the drain valve 30”) provided in the drainpipe; and the drainpipe is configured to communicate with outside to drain the water through a tip of the drainpipe (these limitations are taught by Skaloud in view of Bell, where Skaloud provides the drainpipe/downward external discharge structure and Bell provides the open/close valve in the drain conduit. Additionally, Letsky further discloses remote dirty water removal plumbing configured to transfer dirty water from the robot to a remote drainage location (see para. [0022]), thereby teaching a drainpipe connected to a water storage part and configured to communicate with the outside to drain water through an outlet of the pipe).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date
of the claimed invention to further modify the robot of Skaloud, as modified by Erlich, Letsky and Bell to include the external plumbing as taught in Letsky to include an open/close valve in the drainpipe as taught by Bell with a reasonable expectation of success in order to result in a drainpipe connected to the water storage part, extending downward, provided with an open/close valve and configured to drain water to the exterior though a tip of the drainpipe.
Regarding claim 8, Skaloud, as modified by Erlich, Letsky and Bell discloses wherein the
drain part includes: a drainpipe (see at least col. 9 ln. 19-21 of Skaloud which discloses “A tube or hose (not shown) is attached to cargo bay drain 36 and extends to or near main drain 306 to transport water from the cargo bay to the drain” and see at least para. [0022] of Letsky which discloses “Lastly tank 206 may be provided with a drainage conduit 210 as additional plumbing to convey dirty water from dirty water tank 206 to a remote dirty water removal plumbing”) connected to the water storage part (see at least col. 7 ln. 12-16 of Skaloud which discloses “a hinge drain pan located below the hinge and adapted to catch water infiltrating around the hinge components. The hinge drain pan can have a drain pan outlet that is connected to the AGV main drain outlet”, *the drain pan corresponds to the claimed water storage part because it is configured to receive and temporarily hold water prior to drainage; and see at least col. 8 ln. 63-65 of Skaloud which discloses “letting the water flow or drip down inboard surfaces of the panels to a lowermost point on the AGV at barrel 245, at which drain 306 is located“, * barrel 245 is also considered to be a water storage part since water may sit in barrel 245 until the water is drained through drain 306) and extending downward, and an open/close valve (see at least claim 1 of Bell which discloses “a drain valve and valve operator configured to open and close the drain valve, thereby draining the first wastewater tank” and see at least col. 3 ln. 50-60 of Bell which discloses opening “the drain valve 30 on the tank 22” and col. 4 ln. 7 which describes closing “the drain valve 30”) provided in the drainpipe; and the drainpipe communicates with outside to drain the water through a tip of the drainpipe (these limitations are taught by Skaloud in view of Bell, where Skaloud provides the drainpipe/downward external discharge structure and Bell provides the open/close valve in the drain conduit. Additionally, Letsky further discloses remote dirty water removal plumbing configured to transfer dirty water from the robot to a remote drainage location (see para. [0022]), thereby teaching a drainpipe connected to a water storage part and configured to communicate with the outside to drain water through an outlet of the pipe).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date
of the claimed invention to further modify the robot of Skaloud, as modified by Erlich, Letsky and Bell to include the external plumbing as taught in Letsky to include an open/close valve in the drainpipe as taught by Bell with a reasonable expectation of success in order to result in a drainpipe connected to the water storage part, extending downward, provided with an open/close valve and configured to drain water to the exterior though a tip of the drainpipe.
Claims 7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Skaloud (US 11,001,443 B1) in view of Erlich (US 2016/0145884A1) in view of Letsky (US 2020/0121153 A1) and further in view of Bell (US 11,220,243 B1) and further in view of Zhang (CN112267535A).
Regarding claim 7, Skaloud, as modified by Erlich, Letsky and Bell discloses a predetermined
drainage space (see at least para. [0021] of Letsky which discloses “Therefore, when cleaning robot 100 is in a docked position within docking station 200 two-way port 124, during dispensing, substantially overlies drain hole 208. In this way, alignment for draining is guaranteed”, * Letsky discloses that the docking station includes a drain hole positioned to receive fluid from the robot when the robot is docked, thereby defining the docking station as a predetermined drainage space).
Skaloud, as modified by Erlich, Letsky and Bell may not explicitly disclose the space includes
a side ditch and an outdoor area.
However, Zhang disclose a side ditch and an outdoor area (see at least page 2 the
translation of Zhang which discloses “The side ditch drainage system integrates the side ditch, the blind ditch and the water collecting well into a whole, and when the rainfall is small, the rainwater in the side ditch permeates underground or is drained into the water collecting well”, *Zhang discloses a side ditch drainage system in which a side ditch extends along one side of a road surface which is in an outdoor areas and is configured to collect and drain running water from the road surface, thereby teaching a side ditch as an outdoor drainage space. The side ditch and associated blind ditches and water collection walls form part of a roadside outdoor drainage arrangement for collecting and discharging surface water).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date
of the claimed invention to further modify the drainage space of Skaloud, as modified by Erlich, Letsky and Bell to include a side ditch and an outdoor area , as taught in Zhang with a reasonable expectation of success in order to provide a well known outdoor drainage structure for receiving discharged water, thereby facilitating effective removal of drained water from the robot in an outdoor envionrment and preventing accumulation of water near the robot during drainage operations.
Regarding claim 9, Skaloud, as modified by Erlich, Letsky and Bell discloses wherein the
predetermined drainage space (see at least para. [0021] of Letsky which discloses “Therefore, when cleaning robot 100 is in a docked position within docking station 200 two-way port 124, during dispensing, substantially overlies drain hole 208. In this way, alignment for draining is guaranteed”, * Letsky discloses that the docking station includes a drain hole positioned to receive fluid from the robot when the robot is docked, thereby defining the docking station as a predetermined drainage space).
Skaloud, as modified by Erlich, Letsky and Bell may not explicitly disclose the space includes
a side ditch and an outdoor area.
However, Zhang disclose a side ditch and an outdoor area (see at least page 2 the
translation of Zhang which discloses “The side ditch drainage system integrates the side ditch, the blind ditch and the water collecting well into a whole, and when the rainfall is small, the rainwater in the side ditch permeates underground or is drained into the water collecting well”, *Zhang discloses a side ditch drainage system in which a side ditch extends along one side of a road surface which is in an outdoor areas and is configured to collect and drain running water from the road surface, thereby teaching a side ditch as an outdoor drainage space. The side ditch and associated blind ditches and water collection walls form part of a roadside outdoor drainage arrangement for collecting and discharging surface water).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date
of the claimed invention to further modify the drainage space of Skaloud, as modified by Erlich, Letsky and Bell to include a side ditch and an outdoor area , as taught in Zhang with a reasonable expectation of success in order to provide a well known outdoor drainage structure for receiving discharged water, thereby facilitating effective removal of drained water from the robot in an outdoor envionrment and preventing accumulation of water near the robot during drainage operations.
Additional Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Peterson (US 11,200,532 B2) discloses a cargo sensor of the delivery robot functions to monitor the lumen of the compartment. The delivery robot preferably includes one cargo sensor for each sub compartment of the compartment, but can alternatively include a single cargo sensor for the entire compartment (e.g., a single camera that can simultaneously view the entire lumen) or any other suitable number of cargo sensors corresponding to the number of subcompartments with any suitable correspondence. The cargo sensor preferably has a binary output (e.g., the output indicates that an item is in the sub compartment or is not in the sub compartment) but can alternatively have a non-binary output (e.g., image data, weight data, etc.). In variations, the output of the cargo sensor can be processed to generate a binary output (e.g., image data can be analyzed to determine the presence or lack of presence of goods in a sub compartment, weight data can be compared to a threshold weight to determine whether specific goods of a known weight are in a sub compartment, etc.). Bacolas (US 2020/0221646A1) discloses a water collection reservoir 104 includes paddle member 108 configured to engage and disengage the flow control component, wherein a valve position goes from the open position to the closed position when the drawer is removed from the planter apparatus. As shown in FIG. 2 paddle member 108 includes a central channel to collect water and a relief slot at more distal location to allow the collected water to drain into water collection reservoir. Second flow control component generally comprises a flow control mechanism disposed on the bottom wall of the second planting compartment that prevents water from dripping when water collection reservoir 104 drawer is removed, as well as preventing soil/debris from clogging the drain component. Such a flow control mechanism may include a drain and a valve or stopper configured to stop water flow from the second planting compartment into the water collection reservoir by moving the valve, stopper or other like mechanical component from an open position to a closed position, and may assist in physically dislodging soil from within the drain, such as when moving into and out of the drain flow path during engagement and disengagement.
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.
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/DANA D IVEY/Examiner, Art Unit 3662
/D.D.I/January 29, 2026
/JELANI A SMITH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3662
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