DETAILED ACTION
Status of Claims
This action is in response to the application No. 18/838391 filed on 8/14/2024. Claims 1-10 are pending for examination.
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 Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are:
-“an obtaining module”;
-“a planning unit”; and
-“a processing unit” in claim 8.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea of a mental process without significantly more.
Independent claims 1, 8, 9, and 10 (although not verbatim, but contain the same concept) recite the following:
A grid map-based robot pathfinding method, comprising the steps of:
obtaining a first grid map and a second grid map, wherein the second grid map is generated by merging grids in the first grid map, and the resolution of the second grid map is lower than that of the first grid map;
planning a travel path of a robot from a current position to a preset target point according to the second grid map; and
determining an obstacle position if the travel path is impassable, determining a first path of the robot from the current position to the obstacle position based on the second grid map, and determining a second path of the robot from the preset target point to the obstacle position based on the second grid map;
planning a transition path from an endpoint of the first path to an endpoint of the second path according to the first grid map; and
obtaining a target path of the robot according to the first path, the second path, and the transition path.
The aforementioned bolded steps have been determined to be an abstract idea of a mental process that obtains and generates multiple grid maps and further plans a travel path of a robot from a current position to a target point by utilizing a combination of the first and second grid maps. This is similar to the concepts deemed by the courts to be abstract such as collecting, analyzing, and displaying available data in Electric Power Group.
Each of the steps can be performed in the mental realm or particularly by using pen and paper to utilize two grid maps of an area to be traversed and plan out a travel path from a current position to a target position. One could readily use the grid maps to plan a generic path from point A to point B just as a cartographer can use multiple maps of an area to plan a path for a vehicle. The claims are absent any details regarding the complexity of the maps being used, so broadly planning a path for a vehicle from an origin to a target can be performed in the mental realm.
The claims do contain the additional elements of a robot or a processing unit to perform the planning. However, each of the additional elements are claimed at such a high generality that they merely function as tools to apply the abstract idea, or more particularly, as insignificant extra-solution activity.
The courts have determined that additional elements merely using a computer to implement an abstract idea, adding insignificant extra solution activity, or generally linking use of a judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field do not integrate a judicial exception into a practical application. For at least the reasons above, the additional elements, in combination with the abstract idea of itself, are not integrated into a practical application.
Furthermore, dependent claims 2-7 do not recite and further limitations that cause the claims to be patent eligible. The limitations of the dependent claims are directed towards additional aspects of the judicial exception and/or well-understood, routine, and convention additional elements that do not integrate the judicial exception into a practical application.
Therefore, claims 1-10 are ineligible under §101.
Allowable Subject Matter
While claims 1-10 are currently rejected under 101 for being directed to an abstract idea of itself, the subject matter of claims 1-10 is not covered by any of the prior art of record. Therefore, if the present 101 rejection were to be overcome by persuasive argument or amendment, then the claims would be otherwise indicated as allowable.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS P INGRAM whose telephone number is (571)272-7864. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10-6 ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Fadey Jabr can be reached at 571-272-1516. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Thomas Ingram/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3668