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 application filed on 10/17/2024. 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 1-13, 15-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 12240341 B1 (“Pathipati”) in view of US 20210302973 A1 (“King”).
Regarding claim 1, Pathipati discloses an energy storage unit for storing electrical energy, a motor for moving the autonomous vehicle through the indoor environment using energy from the energy storage unit (see at least Col. 13 lines 18-41),
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. 13 line 66 – Col. 14 line 6), and
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 (see at least Col. 14 lines 6-33).
Pathipati is not explicit on an agricultural indoor environment, however
King discloses an agricultural indoor environment with methods and systems for automatically executing horticultural tasks using autonomous devices and analysis systems that automate the analysis, diagnosis, and feedback tasks (see at least [0023]).
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the system disclosed by Pathipati with the techniques and examples for servicing a horticultural operation disclosed by King because Growers and farmers in the horticultural industry strive to enhance crop yield to maximize production and revenue. In order to achieve these objectives, horticultural tasks or actions need to increase efficiencies in planting, cultivating, and harvesting of plants (King, [0001]).
Regarding claim 2, Pathipati discloses the localizing unit is configured to receive information from the wireless charging unit related to the localization of the vehicle in the indoor environment with respect to the charging station (see at least Col. 1 line 56 – Col. 2 line 19).
Regarding claim 3, Pathipati 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 Col. 1 line 56 – Col. 2 line 19).
Regarding claim 4, Pathipati 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 Col. 7 lines 25-51).
Regarding claim 5, Pathipati discloses at least one sensor for generating further localization related data (see at least Col. 7 lines 25-51).
Regarding claim 6, Pathipati 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 Col. 15 lines 21-43).
Regarding claim 7, Pathipati 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 Col. 32 lines 33-59).
Regarding claim 8, Pathipati 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 Col. 1 line 56 – Col. 2 line 19).
Regarding claim 9, Pathipati 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. 5)
Regarding claim 10, Pathipati discloses the autonomous vehicle is an autonomous mobile robot (see at least Col. 3 lines 9-28)
Regarding claim 11, Pathipati discloses one or more than one charging station (20) and one or more than at least one autonomous vehicle (see at least Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 12, Pathipati is not explicit on 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, however
King 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 Abstract and [0023]).
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the system disclosed by Pathipati with the techniques and examples for servicing a horticultural operation disclosed by King because Growers and farmers in the horticultural industry strive to enhance crop yield to maximize production and revenue. In order to achieve these objectives, horticultural tasks or actions need to increase efficiencies in planting, cultivating, and harvesting of plants (King, [0001]).
Regarding claim 13, Pathipati 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 Col. 3 lines 27-46); or
further comprising 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 Col. 20 lines 35-56).
Regarding claim 15, Pathipati 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 Col. 3 line 46 – Col. 4 line 3).
Regarding claim 16, Pathipati 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 Col. 3 line 46 – Col. 4 line 3) or
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 Col. 4 lines 3-39).
Regarding claim 17, Pathipati 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 Col. 32 lines 30-59).
Regarding claim 18, Pathipati 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 Fig. 5.).
Claims 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 12240341 B1 (“Pathipati”) in view of US 20210302973 A1 (“King”) in further view of US 20190193586 A1 (“Wu”).
Regarding claim 14, Pathipati in view of King is not explicit on a housing configured to be adjustable at least in height to ensure wireless energy transfer in any environment, however
Wu discloses a housing configured to be adjustable at least in height to ensure wireless energy transfer in any environment (see at least [0005]).
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the system disclosed by Pathipati in view of King with the wireless automatic charging system for electric vehicles disclosed by Wu in order to charge an electric vehicle by means of the wireless charging process and adjust the distance between the charging board and the discharging board and/or the charging power of the discharging board in accordance with various vehicle types and charging efficiency data thereby adjusting its charging efficiency (Wu, [0004]).
Conclusion
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/MATHEW FRANKLIN GORDON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3665