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 Status
This action is in response to the notice of withdraw from issue filed on 07/27/2026. Claims 1-20 are pending and examined below.
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.
Claims 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 12240341 B1
("Pathipati").
Regarding claim 19, Pathipati teaches an energy storage unit for storing electrical energy,- a
motor for moving the autonomous vehicle using energy from the energy storage unit,- a wireless
charging unit for charging the energy storage unit, the wireless charging unit being configured to
wirelessly receive energy from an external charging station (see at least Col. 1 line 56 - Col. 2 line 19),
and
a localizing unit configured to generate data to update the localization of the autonomous
vehicle based on the known location of the charging station (see at least Col. 2 lines 20-45)
the localizing unit is configured to derive a distance between the autonomous vehicle and the
charging station based on the amount of power received by the wireless charging unit (see at least Col.
2 lines 46-67).
Regarding claim 20, Pathipati teaches the localizing unit is configured to derive the distance
between the autonomous vehicle and the charging station from a value of a current flowing in a
charging coil of the wireless charging unit (see at least Col. 17 line 56 - Col. 18 line 13).
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.
Claims 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20230210069 A1 (“Kim”) in view of US 20170005523 A1 (“Widmer”).
Regarding claim 1, An autonomous vehicle for autonomous navigation in an agricultural indoor environment (in paragraphs [0001-0002], the invention relates to a plant growth management system for plants grown indoors), comprising: an energy storage unit for storing electrical energy (in at least paragraph [0111], the power part 330 may wirelessly receive power from the station device and may control charging of the battery),
a motor (340) for moving the autonomous vehicle through the agricultural indoor environment using energy from the energy storage unit (in at least paragraph [0091]),
- a wireless charging unit for charging the energy storage unit, the wireless charging unit configured to wirelessly receive energy from an external charging station (in at least paragraphs [0111], the power part 330 may wirelessly receive power from the station device and may control charging of the battery and [0113], the power part may include a receiving coil for wirelessly receiving power).
Kim further discloses a localizing unit (detection coil) generating data to update the localization of the autonomous vehicle within the agricultural indoor environment based on the known location of the charging station (in paragraph [0067-0068], the wireless charger 220 may include transmitting coil for wirelessly transmitting power to the receiving coil in the movable flowerpot device, and a detection coil for detecting misalignment between the transmitting coil and the receiving coil).
Kim however discloses the localizing unit (detection coil) as part of the wireless charger 220 rather than the on the flowerpot device 120.
Widmer however teaches an autonomous vehicle for autonomous navigation in an indoor environment comprising a localizing unit configured to generate data to update the localization of the autonomous vehicle within the agricultural indoor environment based on the known location of the charging station (in at least paragraphs [0067-0070], wherein the magnetic field for purposes of positioning assumes that the charging base generates an alternating magnetic field that can be sensed by a sensor system which may be installed on the vehicle, in order to align the vehicle and the known transmitting base charging unit which equates to the BRI of the 112(f) interpretation provided above)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide the autonomous vehicle for autonomous navigation in an agricultural indoor environment with the localizing unit on the charging station as disclosed by Kim with the localizing unit installed on the vehicle in order to localize a vehicle with a charging base as taught by Widmer in order to allow full integration of all system components into the base charging unit and the vehicle charging unit without requiring installation of additional components external to these units for the sake of minimizing infrastructure installation complexity and costs (in paragraph [0069]).
Regarding claim 2, Kim discloses the localizing unit is configured to receive information from the wireless charging unit related to the localization of the vehicle in the agricultural indoor environment with respect to the charging station (see at least [0013])
Regarding claim 3, Kim discloses the localizing unit comprises a power sensing unit configured to sense the amount of power received by the wireless charging unit and to generate, based on the sensed power, data related to the distance between the autonomous vehicle and the charging
station (see at least [0059]).
Regarding claim 4, Kim discloses the wireless charging unit comprises a coil and wherein
the power sensing unit is a current sensor, wherein when the sensed current flowing the coil exceeds a
predetermined threshold, a signal is generated indicating that the vehicle is precisely above the charging
station (see at least [0015]).
Regarding claim 5, Kim discloses at least one sensor for generating further localization
related data (see at least [0009]).
Regarding claim 6, Kim discloses the at least one sensor is configured to sense the passing
of fixed objects in the environment; and/or wherein the at least one sensor is a camera is configured to
sense the passing of a color mark on the ground, preferably a blue mark on the ground; and/or wherein
the at least one sensor is configured to sense the regular passing of regularly spaced objects in the
environment; and/or wherein the at least one sensor is selected among one or more of the following: a
LIDAR, a radar, an accelerometer, an inertial measurement unit, a speed sensor, a proximity sensor, a
camera (see at least [0021]).
Regarding claim 7, Kim discloses a network communication unit for communicating with a
network system, wherein the network communication unit is configured to receive at least the
localization related data of the localizing unit and/or the data from the at least one sensor to send said
data to the network system and to receive in return control data from the network system (see at least
[0097]).
Regarding claim 8, Kim discloses a control unit configured to receive control data from the
communication unit and/or localization related data from the localizing unit and/or from the at least
one sensor and to control the motor based thereon (see at least [0097]).
Regarding claim 9, Kim discloses a housing for housing at least the energy storage unit the
motor the wireless charging unit and the localization unit, and a clearing unit (see at least Fig. 1)
Regarding claim 10, Kim discloses the autonomous vehicle is an autonomous mobile robot
(see at least [0022]).
Regarding claim 11, Kim discloses one or more than one charging station (20) and one or
more than at least one autonomous vehicle (see at least [0022]).
Regarding claim 12, Kim discloses the agricultural indoor environment comprises
one or more rows of plants defining in between them navigation paths along which a vehicle navigates
and wherein a charging station is located along a navigation path (see at least [0095]).
Regarding claim 13, Kim discloses a central controller configured to receive data from the
one or more autonomous vehicles to process said data and send control data in return to the one or
more autonomous vehicles regarding at least how to navigate through the agricultural indoor
environment (see at least [0088]);
one or more local beacons located in the agricultural indoor environment at
known locations, with communication means to communicate with the one or more autonomous
vehicles (see at least [0039]).
Regarding claim 14, Kim discloses a housing configured to be adjustable at least in height to ensure wireless energy transfer in any environment (see at least [0135]).
Regarding claim 15, Kim discloses moving the vehicle through the indoor environment
using energy from the energy storage unit and when in range of an external charging station, wireless
charging the energy storage unit and/or generating data to update the localization of the vehicle within
the agricultural indoor environment based on the known location of the charging station (see at least [0015]).
Regarding claim 16, Kim discloses generating data to update the localization of the vehicle
comprises receiving information from the wireless charging unit related to the localization of the vehicle
in the environment with respect to the charging station (see at least [0015])
generating data to update the localization of the vehicle comprises sensing the amount of
power received by the wireless charging unit and generating, based on the sensed power, data related
to the distance between the autonomous vehicle and the charging station sending wirelessly power to
the autonomous vehicle (see at least [0070]).
Regarding claim 17, Kim discloses sending at least the localization related data of the
localizing unit and/or the data from the at least one sensor to a network system and receiving in return
control data from the network system (see at least [0113]).
Regarding claim 18, Kim discloses based on the pre-established knowledge of the location
of the charging station, the localization of the vehicle is updated when the vehicle is at the charging
station (see at least [0095]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATHEW FRANKLIN GORDON whose telephone number is (408)918-7612. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 7:00 - 5:00 PST.
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/MATHEW FRANKLIN GORDON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3665
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