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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on Page 2, Para. 2-4 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant states that D’Andrea does not disclose that the vehicle transports the articles, but instead the vehicles transport the inventory holders holding the articles, and therefore does not meet the claimed limitation.
However, the disclosure of D’Andrea meets the limitation of the vehicles transporting the articles as claimed. As stated by the Applicant, the mobile drive units (20) transport the inventory holders (30) carrying the inventory items to an inventory station (50) for various tasks, including sorting (Para. 0037; 0047). Even though the mobile drive unit 20 carries the inventory holder 30 holding the items, the mobile drive unit 20 still transports the inventory items to the destination as claimed.
Applicant also states that the articles in D’Andrea are not sorted into a destination container. The mobile drive units 20 transport holders 30 holding items requested in an order to the station 50 for processing (Para. 0037); see Fig. 1). At the station 50, inventory items may be removed from the inventory holder 30 carried by the mobile drive unit 20, and sorted into another holder 30 at the station (Para. 0041). The task of removing items from one inventory holder 30 into another inventory holder 30, which is the destination holder, at the station 50 is a sorting task.
Therefore, D’Andrea discloses that the vehicles (mobile drive units, 20) transport the articles (inventory items) for sorting to the destination container, as claimed.
Applicant's arguments filed on Page 3, Para. 1 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant asserts that the D’Andrea does not disclose assigning, by the routing engine, a first count of nodes corresponding to a clearance area for avoiding collision for the first size vehicle as occupied”.
Applicant argues that in D’Andrea, the module 94 generates a path, the mobile drive unit 20 request a reservation of a segment of the path, and the segment reservation module determines whether the segment can be reserved. Applicant states that the path segment does not correspond to a first count of nodes N, and reserving a path segment does not correspond to assigning, by a routing engine, a count of nodes corresponding to a clearance area.
Examiner maintains that the disclosure meets the claimed limitations. The clearance area for avoiding collision is the reserved path segment 17 (Para. 0090). By reserving the path segment 17, the system ensures that no other mobile drive unit 20 or other device is or will be traversing the segment, is positioned in the segment, or otherwise impedes the movement of the requesting mobile drive unit 20 (Para. 0090). Since the reserved path segment represents as area that no other vehicle or device is travelling, or is positioned to impede the movement of the requesting mobile drive unit, the reserved path segment is a clearance area for avoiding collision as claimed. The goal of reserving segments by the system is to avoid collisions (Para. 0095; 0061).
The reserved path segment 17 is comprised of selected cells 14 in the workspace 70 (See Fig. 5). These selected cells 14 are a number of cells. The mobile drive unit 20 travels along the reserved segment 17 comprised of the selected cells 14. That is, when performing tasks, the management module 15, allocates specific individual cells 14 of a grid area for travelling by the mobile drive unit (Para. 0053). The mobile drive units 20 are tasked to move within the workspace 70 from the center of one cell to the center of another (Para. 0086). A path segment is defined by the appropriate cells 14 upon which the mobile drive unit 20 travel, as shown by the segments 17a-17e in Fig. 5).
The grid comprised of cells 14 in the workspace 70 upon which the mobile drive units 20 travel, corresponds to the grid comprising a plurality of nodes for a vehicle to travel as claimed (See Fig. 5, Para. 0085-0086).
A reserved path segment 17, as permitted by the management module 15, is comprised of specific cells 14 (Para. 0096). Each reserved segment 17 (such as segments 17a-17e) includes a specific number of cells 14. See Fig. 5, 7. Specifically the disclosure states,
“For example, in particular embodiments, reservation request 26 identifies the relevant segment 17 by identifying the starting and ending coordinates of that segment 17, by specifying a direction and distance from the current location of mobile drive unit 20,.” (Para. 0093).
Therefore, an assigned path segment 17 comprises a count of cells 14 or “nodes” corresponding to a clearance area, as claimed.
Paths 16 for the mobile drive units 20 are generated or assigned by the management module 15, or the route planning module of 94 the management module (see Para. 0091; 0060, the route planning module 94 is included in the management module 15, See Fig. 2). Mobile drive units 20 reserves a segment 17 of a path 16, which is granted or not granted by the segment reservation module 96 of the management module 15 (see Fig. 2, Para. 0061). Upon a successful reservation of a path segment, the mobile drive unit travels along the segment (Para. 0101).
The management module 15, (including the path planning and reservation modules 94, 96) functions as a routing engine that plans path segments and reserves them for the mobile drive unit 20, thereby assigning a number of nodes corresponding to the claimed clearance area (Para. 0102; 0110).
The path segment 17 or “clearance area” is considered occupied since a reserved path segment 17 is reserved solely for the use of the particular mobile drive unit 20, and is generally unavailable to other mobile drive units 20 travelling or positioned in the workspace (Para. 0090). If a requested path segment 17 includes cells that are unavailable because another mobile drive unit or device is occupying or has reserved the segment, then that segment reservation will not be granted because it is “occupied”.
For the reasons above, D’Andrea meets the claimed limitations of transporting articles by the vehicle for sorting to the destination container, as well as the assigning by the routing engine, a first count of nodes corresponding to a clearance area as claimed. The rejection is maintained.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 21-22, 27-28, 35-36, and 39-40 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by D’Andrea (US PG. Pub. 2013/0302132). Relative to claims 21-22, D’Andrea discloses:
Claim 21) A system (10)(Fig. 1) for use in directing an article sorting operation, the system comprising:
a server comprising a memory, a processor, and a routing engine (management module 15 inherently includes server, memory 91, processor 90, routing engine may include the route planning module 94 and segment reservation module 96; Para. 0056);
a grid comprising a plurality of nodes for a plurality of computer-controlled vehicles to travel thereon, each node allocating a grid cell area (see grid 12 associated with workspace, cells 14 may be considered nodes allocating a grid cell area, mdu’s 20 travel along cells 14 of grid; Para. 0044)(Fig. 5),
each node (14) assigned as occupied when a computer-controlled vehicle (20) is occupying at least a portion of the grid cell area allocated to the node (cells 14 of a workspace segment 17 are occupied or unavailable if another drive unit if a drive unit 20 is or will be traversing a segment or positioned on the segment 17, or will otherwise impede a segment 17; Para. 0090; 0177);
the plurality of computer-controlled vehicles (20) comprising a first size vehicle (Para. 0136; 0143);
a destination container (destination container may be inventory holder 30 in a station 50 that received items from another inventory holder 30 that was moved to the station 50; Para. 0041);
a plurality of articles (items) to be sorted to the destination container (30), the plurality of articles comprising a first article (Para. 0041);
the system is configured to:
receive, at the server (included with Ref. 15), article information corresponding to the first article (management module receives inventory requests involving inventory items to be retrieved or stored; 0046);
assign, by the server, the first article to be transported by the first size vehicle (20) for sorting to the destination container (management module assigns tasks to retrieve specific items based on an inventory request and assigns vehicles to transport the holders with the items Para. 0041; 0046-0047);
assign, by the routing engine (see Ref. 94, 96 of management module 15), a first count of nodes N corresponding to a clearance area for avoiding collision for the first size vehicle as occupied (route planning module 94 generates and assigns paths comprised of segments 17 of a number of count of cells 14 for the mobile drive unit 20 to travel along, Para. 0093; reservation module 96 identifies starting and ending coordinates of a segment and can grant a reservation of the segment 17 so that other drive units 20 cannot occupy or reserve it, thereby avoiding collision; 0093-0094; 0090);
claim 22) the system is further configured to: assign, by the routing engine, as unoccupied a plurality of nodes that are not assigned as occupied (cells 14 that do not or will not include a drive unit 20 are considered available or unoccupied and may be traversed; Para. 0090;0094);
Claim 27) the system is further configured to assign a node (14) as occupied when the first size vehicle (20) is about to occupy at least a portion of the grid cell area allocated to the node (segment of cells 14 that will be traversed by a mobile drive unit 20 are occupied and may not be available, Para. 0090; 0177);
Claim 28) the system is further configured to assign a node (14) as occupied when the first size vehicle (20) is heading towards at least a portion of the grid cell area allocated to the node (Para. 0090; 0176-0177).
Relative to claims 35-36, and 39-40, the disclosure of D’Andrea includes:
Claim 35) A method of directing an article sorting operation, the method comprising:
receiving, at a server (included in management module 15), article information corresponding to a first article to be sorted to a destination container (management module receives inventory requests involving inventory items to be processed, 0041; 0046);
assigning, by the server (included in management module 15), the first article to be transported by a first size vehicle to a destination container (30)(management module assigns tasks to retrieve specific items based on orders, assigns drive units 20 to transport the holders with the items to a station where items may be removed from one inventory holder to another inventory holder, Para. 0041; 0046-0047);
assigning, by a routing engine, a first count of nodes N corresponding to a clearance area for avoiding collision for the first size vehicle as occupied (route planning module 94 generates and assigns paths comprised of segments 17 of a number of count of cells 14 for the mobile drive unit 20 to travel along, Para. 0093; reservation module 96 identifies starting and ending coordinates of a segment and can grant a reservation of the segment 17 so that other drive units 20 cannot occupy or reserve it, thereby avoiding collision; 0093-0094; 0090),
the nodes (14) forming part of a grid for the first size vehicle (20) to travel thereon (Para. 0044), each node (14) allocating a grid cell area (Para. 0044)(Fig. 5),
each node (14) assigned as occupied when the first size vehicle (20) is occupying at least a portion of the grid cell area allocated to the node (Para. 0090; 0093, cell is occupied when a mobile drive unit is traversing or will traverse along, or will be positioned on a particular segment of cells);
claim 36) assigning, by the routing engine, as unoccupied a plurality of nodes that are not assigned as occupied (cells 14 that do not or will not include a drive unit 20 are considered available or unoccupied and may be traversed; Para. 0090;0094);
claim 39) assigning, by the routing engine, a node (14) as occupied when the first size vehicle (20) is about to occupy at least a portion of the grid cell area allocated to the node (if a mobile drive unit 20 will traverse a segment, then the segment is considered occupied, Para. 0090; 0094; 0102); and
claim 40) assigning, by the routing engine (included in Ref. 94, 96), a node (14) as occupied when the first size vehicle (20) is heading towards at least a portion of the grid cell area allocated to the node (if a cell 14 in a segment will be traversed by a mobile drive unit, then the cell of segment is unavailable or occupied; Para. 0090; 0102 0176).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D’Andrea ‘2132. Relative to claim 26, D’Andrea discloses all claim limitations mentioned above, but does not expressly disclose the node is circle shaped.
D’Andrea teaches: the node may be circle shaped as a matter of design choice based on the user’s preference since the cells 14 may be of any appropriate shape, including a square, rectangular, or polygons, and other shapes (Para. 0044). MPEP §2144.04 IV.(B)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art on or before the time of the filing to modify the system of D’Andrea so that the node is a circle as an obvious matter of design choice since the node may comprise any appropriate shape based on the needs of the system.
Claim(s) 23-25 and 37-38 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D’Andrea in view of Kawano (US PG. Pub. 2014/0058556). Relative to claims 23-24, and 37-38, D’Andrea discloses all claim limitation mentioned above, but does not expressly disclose:
Claim 23) the node comprises a fiducial marker;
Claim 24) the fiducial marker operates as a rotational center for the first size vehicle when turning to change direction or to divert;
Claim 25) the system is further configured to direct the first size vehicle to stop at or about the rotational center to commence deposition of the first article into the destination container;
Claim 37) the node comprises a fiducial marker;
Claim 38) directing, by the routing engine, each of the first size vehicle to stop at or about the fiducial marker to commence deposition of the first article into the destination container.
Kawano teaches:
Claim 23) the node comprises a fiducial marker (22)(Fig. 2)(Para. 0023);
Claim 24) the fiducial marker (22) operates as a rotational center for the first size vehicle (20) when turning to change direction or to divert (fiducial marker 22 is in center of cell, mobile drive unit 20 travels to center of cell with the marker and rotates to rotate an inventory holder 30 in a cell to face a station to transfer inventory items from the holder to another holder in the station or vice versa; Para. 0030; 0025-0026)(Fig. 4);
Claim 25) the system is further configured to direct the first size vehicle (20) to stop at or about the rotational center to commence deposition of the first article into the destination container (another inventory holder 30)(Para. 0030, mobile drive units 20 move to position of marker 22 of one cell to the position of the marker 22 of another cell, the markers 22 are in the center of the cells and also serves as a rotational center; Para. 0030; when mobile drive units 20 are moved to and rotated to face the inventory station 50, items can be transferred from the inventory holder 30 facing the inventory station 50 to another inventory holder 30 in the station 50 which is a destination container, the transferring the items is a task; Para. 0025-0026);
Claim 37) the node comprises a fiducial marker (22)(Fig. 2)(Para. 0023); and
Claim 38) directing, by the routing engine, each of the first size vehicle (20) to stop at or about the fiducial marker (22) to commence deposition of the first article into the destination container (mobile drive unit 20 travels to center of cell with the marker, and stops to rotate an inventory holder 30 in a cell to transfer items to another inventory holder; Para. 0030)(Fig. 4).
Kawano teaches: the node comprises a fiducial marker, fiducial marker operating as a rotational center, and directing each of the first size vehicle to stop at or about the fiducial marker to commence deposition of the first article as described above for the purpose of providing a modern inventory system that can fill multiple orders of diverse items at or near the same time that is efficient and less costly (Para. 0001).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art on or before the time of the filing to modify the system of D’Andrea so that the node comprises a fiducial marker, fiducial marker operating as a rotational center, and directing each of the first size vehicle to stop at or about the fiducial marker to commence deposition of the first article as taught in Kawano for the purpose of a modern inventory system that can fill multiple orders of diverse items at or near the same time that is efficient and less costly.
Claim(s) 29-34 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D’Andrea in view of Hoffman et al (US PG. Pub. 2013/0103552). Relative to claims 29-34, D’Andrea discloses all claim limitations mentioned above, but does not expressly disclose:
Claim 29) the system is further configured to assign a node as occupied based on at least one of a shape and size of the first article;
Claim 30) the system is further configured to assign a node as occupied based on a number of computer-controlled vehicles traveling on the grid;
Claim 31) the system is further configured to assign a node as occupied based on a distance between nodes;
Claim 32) the system is further configured to assign a node as occupied based on a geometry of the grid;
Claim 33) the system is further configured to calculate a route for the first sized vehicle such that there is no physical contact between: articles and the plurality of computer-controlled vehicles, between articles, and among the plurality of computer-controlled vehicles; or
Claim 34) the system is further configured to calculate a route for the first sized vehicle based on a number of computer-controlled vehicles on the grid.
Hoffman teaches:
Claim 29) the system is further configured to assign a node (76) as occupied based on at least one of a shape and size of the first article (Para. 0063-0064, system considers the total volume segment 17 to place a reservation of the space adjacent to the space that the mobile drive unit plans to rotate to ensure no collision, meaning the adjacent spaces, or nodes, are considered occupied based on the volume of the mobile robot with the inventory holder 30,32)(Fig. 4B);
Claim 30) the system is further configured to assign a node as occupied based on a number of computer-controlled vehicles (20, 22) traveling on the grid (48)(based on reservation policy, portions of a workspace or workspace region 78, that includes nodes 76 within the region, may limit the number of mobile drive units 20 in an area such that when the number of mobile drive units exceeds this number, the nodes 76 in the region 78 are restricted and considered occupied, Para. 0028; 0052);
Claim 31) the system is further configured to assign a node as occupied based on a distance between nodes 76 (system considers whether mobile drive units have sufficient space to move and therefore reserve nodes, sets minimum distances between stopping points Para. 0061; 0064);
Claim 32) the system is further configured to assign a node as occupied based on a geometry of the grid (system considers a given state of workspace volume 75 or cells 76, and footprints of objects, Para. 0050; 0051; 0054);
Claim 33) the system is further configured to calculate a route for the first sized vehicle such that there is no physical contact between: articles and the plurality of computer-controlled vehicles (20, 22), between articles (see items on holders or holders 30, 32), and among the plurality of computer-controlled vehicles (20, 22)(Para. 0041; 0063); and
Claim 34) the system is further configured to calculate a route for the first sized vehicle based on a number of computer-controlled vehicles on the grid (48)(reservation policies are used to generate paths, including considering the number of drive units on the grid or area of the grid; Para. 0051-0052; 0028).
Hoffman teaches: assigning a node as occupied based: on a shape or size of the first article; a number of computer-controlled vehicles traveling on the grid; geometry of the grid; calculating the first route such that there is no physical contact between articles and/or the plurality of vehicles described above, for the purpose of providing an improved modern inventory management system that is capable of processing complex and diverse inventories that efficiently utilizes resources of time, space, manpower, and equipment, increased throughput, and minimizes delays (Para. 0002).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art on or before the time of the filing to modify the system of D’Andrea with the assigning a node as occupied based: on a shape or size of the first article; a number of computer-controlled vehicles traveling on the grid; geometry of the grid; calculating the first route such that there is no physical contact between articles and/or the plurality of vehicles described above, as taught in Hoffman for the purpose of providing an improved modern inventory management system that is capable of processing complex and diverse inventories that efficiently utilizes resources of time, space, manpower, and equipment, increased throughput, and minimizes delays.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 YOLANDA RENEE CUMBESS whose telephone number is (571)270-5527. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10-6.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gene Crawford can be reached at 571-272-6911. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/YOLANDA R CUMBESS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651
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