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
This office action is in response to amendments filed 04/15/2026. Claims 1-2, 4-7, 21-23, 25-35 are pending.
Applicant' s arguments and amendments to the claims with respect to prior art rejections of Claims 1-2, 4-7, 21-23, 25-32 under 35 USC 102/103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejections of Claims 1-2, 4-7, 21-23, 25-32 under 35 USC 102/103 have been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new rejection is made in view of Jha et al (US 20220332350, hereinafter Jha)
With respect to applicant’s arguments that Hurd fails to teach the working machines sending machine characteristics to the server system, examiner respectfully disagrees.
Hurd discloses the machines reporting information like the current heading and position as well as the turning radius capability to the cloud applications configuring the machines to automatically till and plant (see par. 0044-0049). This example falls within the scope of the claim limitation. Examiner is in agreement that Hurd does not explicitly teach “wherein the mission plan also includes a proximity threshold configured to trigger a communication change from the communication network to the short-range communication network when the first working machine is within the proximity threshold to the second working machine” added to the independent claims. Jha is relied upon to teach this limitation.
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) 1-7, 21-23, 25-27, 32, 35 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hurd et al (US 20200159220, hereinafter Hurd) in view of Jha et al (US 20220332350, hereinafter Jha)
Regarding Claim 1, Hurd teaches:
a management system for a plurality of working machines to coordinate automated interactive operations (see at least "As noted above with respect to FIG. 1, the various components of the common software structural architecture 100 enable several operational outputs and specific use cases in one or more applications 170, and these may be managed via the user interface 180. One such use case, referred to above as “AutoCart™”, is an application 172 that relies on all elements of the technology stack comprising the present invention. FIG. 3 is a system diagram of a basic grain cart operation 300 according to one exemplary implementation of the common software structural architecture 100 for performing the AutoCart™ application 172." in par. 0044) , comprising:
a networked server system (see at least "This includes communicating messages between machines and between machines and the cloud-based network within the common software structural architecture 100 is implemented, and occurs using a plurality of messaging protocols, the use of which may be selected by network availability. As noted above, an available network may include one or more of radio (RF), Wi-Fi, broadband, or cellular networks such as 4G LTE or 5G." in par. 0051) , comprising:
a server memory drive, and a server controller configured to manage the server memory drive (see at least "A cloud-based protocol 220 (using for example the MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) protocol, is used to communicate data between agricultural machinery and vehicles 102 and the cloud-side elements of the common software structural architecture 100, such as the AAVI component subsystem 150 and machine control elements 250, such as a controller and a server, responsible for managing configuration and performance of equipment within the common software structural architecture 100. The AAVI subsystem 150 may include one or more APIs 230, through which additional elements may provide and store data within the communications framework 200 and the common software structural architecture 100, such as a database 240." in par. 0033) ;
a first working machine (see at least " tractor” in par. 0037) , comprising:
a first application gateway configured to communicate over a communication network with the networked server system and a short-range communication network, which is different from the communication network, (see at least " In such a framework 200, agricultural machinery and vehicles include receiver hardware 210 and telemetry hardware 290, which are installed on such machinery and vehicles 102 to effectively turn any piece of agricultural equipment into one capable of autonomous operation. The receiver hardware 210 and telemetry hardware 290 are configured to communicate, either over a cloud-based protocol 220 or a localized protocol 222, with the components of the common software structural architecture 100 responsible for such account, data, and configuration management aspects of the present invention." in par. 0031) ,
a first machine control unit comprising a first processor and a first memory, which stores first machine characteristics and first machine operations (see at least "This hardware 210 executes those commands by translating the information therein for the specific piece of equipment on which the receiver hardware 210 is installed, and communicates with controller hardware 260." in par. 0032 and “In FIG. 3, the components 310 communicate with hardware equipment 320 configured with equipment such as a tractor or combine 102.” In par. 0045 and “common software structural architecture 100 enables such an AutoTill application 174 by configuring and initializing tilling machinery. This may include identifying heading and position for tilling equipment in a particular field, and configuring operational characteristics such as turning radius capability, and controlling mechanical characteristics such as gear shifting, speed, and braking.” In par. 0046 and “The common software structural architecture 100 enables such an AutoPlant application 176 by configuring and initializing this specific equipment, which may include identifying heading and position in a particular field, and again configuring operational characteristics such as turning radius capability, and controlling mechanical characteristics such as gear shifting, speed, and braking.” In par. 0047) ,
a first machine actuator system having a first machine control actuator (see at least "For example, one subsystem may need to control actuators or receive feedback from sensors" in par. 0024 ) , and
a first automation sensor (see at least "The perception system 160 is responsible for intake and analysis of data (such as images and reflected signals) from an array of sensors (such as cameras, radar systems and Lidar systems), and may include one or more machine learning and artificial intelligence subsystems configured to fuse data collected from multiple sensors together to provide the autonomously-operated machinery and vehicles 102 with situational awareness to avoid obstacles and other terrain characteristics during the performance of agricultural activities 104." in par. 0040);
a second working machine (see at least "combine" in par. 0045) , comprising:
a second application gateway configured to communicate over the communication network with the networked server system and a short-range communication network, which is different from the communication network (see at least " In such a framework 200, agricultural machinery and vehicles include receiver hardware 210 and telemetry hardware 290, which are installed on such machinery and vehicles 102 to effectively turn any piece of agricultural equipment into one capable of autonomous operation. The receiver hardware 210 and telemetry hardware 290 are configured to communicate, either over a cloud-based protocol 220 or a localized protocol 222, with the components of the common software structural architecture 100 responsible for such account, data, and configuration management aspects of the present invention." in par. 0031),
a second machine control unit comprising a second processor and a second memory, which stores second machine characteristics and second machine operations (see at least "This hardware 210 executes those commands by translating the information therein for the specific piece of equipment on which the receiver hardware 210 is installed, and communicates with controller hardware 260." in par. 0032 and “In FIG. 3, the components 310 communicate with hardware equipment 320 configured with equipment such as a tractor or combine 102.” In par. 0045 and “common software structural architecture 100 enables such an AutoTill application 174 by configuring and initializing tilling machinery. This may include identifying heading and position for tilling equipment in a particular field, and configuring operational characteristics such as turning radius capability, and controlling mechanical characteristics such as gear shifting, speed, and braking.” In par. 0046 and “The common software structural architecture 100 enables such an AutoPlant application 176 by configuring and initializing this specific equipment, which may include identifying heading and position in a particular field, and again configuring operational characteristics such as turning radius capability, and controlling mechanical characteristics such as gear shifting, speed, and braking.” In par. 0047),
a second machine actuator system having a second machine control actuator (see at least "a combine harvester via specific hardware 280 installed thereon." in par. 0032 and “At step 440, the process 200 continues by integrating physical interfaces for additional operational functions for the one or more machines 102, such as controlling movement and speed, within the common operating system. This is accomplished within the vehicle interface system 120. These additional operational functions include steering, braking, changing a speed, changing a gear, and other characteristics of movement and speed of the one or more machines 102.” In par. 0050) , and
a second automation sensor (see at least "The perception system 160 is responsible for intake and analysis of data (such as images and reflected signals) from an array of sensors (such as cameras, radar systems and Lidar systems), and may include one or more machine learning and artificial intelligence subsystems configured to fuse data collected from multiple sensors together to provide the autonomously-operated machinery and vehicles 102 with situational awareness to avoid obstacles and other terrain characteristics during the performance of agricultural activities 104." in par. 0040); ; and
wherein the first working machine sends the first machine characteristics to the networked server system (see at least "For example, this component enables the “AutoCart™” application 172 to operate by configuring and initializing tractor-to-grain cart integration. The AAVI system 150 performs field, location, and machine setup functions, and enables users to configure performance elements such as selecting maximum and minimum gears, turn angle, combine head selection, and row width." in par. 0038 and “common software structural architecture 100 enables such an AutoTill application 174 by configuring and initializing tilling machinery. This may include identifying heading and position for tilling equipment in a particular field, and configuring operational characteristics such as turning radius capability, and controlling mechanical characteristics such as gear shifting, speed, and braking.” In par. 0046 and “The common software structural architecture 100 enables such an AutoPlant application 176 by configuring and initializing this specific equipment, which may include identifying heading and position in a particular field, and again configuring operational characteristics such as turning radius capability, and controlling mechanical characteristics such as gear shifting, speed, and braking.” In par. 0047 ) ;
wherein the server controller analyzes the first machine characteristics to determine attributes of the first working machine and creates a first machine profile, wherein the first machine profile is created by the server controller converting the first machine characteristics into a standard framework for a mission planning system of the networked server; (see at least "The executive control layer 140 is a software subsystem that coordinates control of autonomously-operated equipment, and is responsible for micro-services that may include command messaging, safety supervision, in-field mission control, path planning, and machine configuration." In par. 0026 and “The executive control layer 140 sits on top of the vehicle interface system 120 and enables any software in the autonomous operating environment to which the format is applied to work with any piece of hardware. The executive control layer 140 enables the common software structural architecture 100 to effectively act as a common operating system as noted above for all autonomous operation of machines and vehicles 102 in an off-road or in-field setting, providing a secure format between all equipment and protocols.” In par. 0027 and “common software structural architecture 100 enables such an AutoTill application 174 by configuring and initializing tilling machinery. This may include identifying heading and position for tilling equipment in a particular field, and configuring operational characteristics such as turning radius capability, and controlling mechanical characteristics such as gear shifting, speed, and braking.” In par. 0046 and “The common software structural architecture 100 enables such an AutoPlant application 176 by configuring and initializing this specific equipment, which may include identifying heading and position in a particular field, and again configuring operational characteristics such as turning radius capability, and controlling mechanical characteristics such as gear shifting, speed, and braking.” In par. 0047)
wherein the mission planning system generates a mission plan for the first working machine and the second working machine, using the standard framework, and wherein the mission plan includes operation instructions for the first working machine and the second working machine ( see at least “The executive control layer 140 is a software subsystem that coordinates control of autonomously-operated equipment, and is responsible for micro-services that may include command messaging, safety supervision, in-field mission control, path planning, and machine configuration.” in par. 0026 ) ;
wherein the server controller translates the operation instructions for the first working machine from the standard framework into the first machine operations and translates the operation instructions for the second working machine from the standard framework into the second machine operations. (see at least "The executive control layer 140 sits on top of the vehicle interface system 120 and enables any software in the autonomous operating environment to which the format is applied to work with any piece of hardware. The executive control layer 140 enables the common software structural architecture 100 to effectively act as a common operating system as noted above for all autonomous operation of machines and vehicles 102 in an off-road or in-field setting, providing a secure format between all equipment and protocols.” In par. 0027)
Hurd does not appear to explicitly teach all of the following, but Jha does teach:
wherein the mission plan also includes a proximity threshold configured to trigger a communication change from the communication network to the short-range communication network when the first working machine is within the proximity threshold to the second working machine (see at least "The wireless network transceiver 2166 (or multiple transceivers) may communicate using multiple standards or radios for communications at a different range. For example, the edge computing node 2150 may communicate with close devices, e.g., within about 10 meters, using a local transceiver based on BLE, or another low power radio, to save power. More distant connected edge devices 2162, e.g., within about 50 meters, may be reached over ZigBee® or other intermediate power radios. Both communications techniques may take place over a single radio at different power levels or may take place over separate transceivers, for example, a local transceiver using BLE and a separate mesh transceiver using ZigBee®." in par. 0305)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Hurd to incorporate the teachings of Jha wherein the vehicles use local transceivers to communicate over short range networks when they are within a predetermined proximity. The motivation to incorporate the teachings of Jha would be to save power (see par. 0305)
Regarding Claim 2, Hurd as modified by Jha teaches:
2. The management system according to claim 1,
Hurd further teaches: wherein the first working machine further comprises an obstacle safety system to keep the first working machine a safe distance from a detected obstacle, wherein the first machine control unit manages operations of the first working machine to maintain the safe distance from the detected obstacle. (see at least " The common software structural architecture 100 also includes a safety system 160 which is responsible for analyzing specific operational parameters of autonomous vehicle activity. This module, referred to in FIG. 1 as a “perception” system 160, recognizes and distinguishes terrain to be covered by autonomously-operated equipment, and performs tasks such as identification of obstacles and other characteristics that enable safe, efficient, and confident performance of machines and vehicles 102 in such an operating environment. The perception system 160 is responsible for intake and analysis of data (such as images and reflected signals) from an array of sensors (such as cameras, radar systems and Lidar systems), and may include one or more machine learning and artificial intelligence subsystems configured to fuse data collected from multiple sensors together to provide the autonomously-operated machinery and vehicles 102 with situational awareness to avoid obstacles and other terrain characteristics during the performance of agricultural activities 104." in par. 0040)
Regarding Claim 4, Hurd as modified by Jha teaches:
4. The management system according to claim 1,
Hurd further teaches: wherein the first machine control unit controls the first working machine to interact with the second working machine within a distance based on a real-time information exchange with the second working machine over the short-range communication network (see at least " A more localized approach may also be used via a local protocol 222, which is capable of enabling communications between the agricultural machinery and vehicles 102 and the machine control elements 250 directly." in par. 0033 and “The AutoCart™ application 172 is, for example, capable of safely moving a tractor between waypoints in a field, and syncing with a combine during harvest operation, to fill and empty grain carts as the equipment moves through a field to be harvested.” In par. 0045).
Regarding Claim 5, Hurd as modified by Jha teaches:
the management system according to claim 4,
Hurd further teaches: wherein the mission plan instructs the first machine control unit to interact with the second working machine, and the first machine control unit uses the real-time information exchange to manage the interaction (see at least " A more localized approach may also be used via a local protocol 222, which is capable of enabling communications between the agricultural machinery and vehicles 102 and the machine control elements 250 directly." in par. 0033 and “For example, this aspect of the present invention creates a configuration file during the syncing operation which may be updated as the performance of the agricultural activity progress, which enables the various functions to be implemented.” In par. 0036 “The AutoCart™ application 172 is, for example, capable of safely moving a tractor between waypoints in a field, and syncing with a combine during harvest operation, to fill and empty grain carts as the equipment moves through a field to be harvested.” In par. 0045).
Regarding Claim 6, Hurd as modified by Jha teaches:
6. The management system according to claim 1,
Hurd further teaches: wherein the first application gateway is further configured to communicate over an intermediate-range communication network, which is different from the communication network and the short-range communication network, and wherein the intermediate-range communication network operates on a lower bandwidth than the communication network and the short-range communication network. (see at least " This data processing module 112 includes telematics hardware, such as an embedded server, and enables multi-channel capabilities that permit transmission using radio (RF), Wi-Fi, broadband, and cellular networks such as 4G LTE or 5G, as well as a host of input/output (I/O) options allowing for autonomous vehicle operations and expandability and scaling of the common operating system as a whole." in par. 0029 and “rules for prioritizing messages and a filtering system for managing duplicate messages such as those sent over both Wi-Fi and the local/nearest cellular network. The communications system 130 may utilize many different protocols, such as for example the MQTT protocol, which is a lightweight messaging protocol for small sensors and mobile devices, optimized for high-latency or unreliable networks. This is especially useful for rural areas (such as where agricultural activity often takes place), where cellular and/or Wi-Fi or broadband coverage is not as robust or reliable as in urbanized areas. Nonetheless, it is to be understood that any other messaging protocol may also be incorporated into the present invention, including but not limited to Advanced Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP), Streaming Text Oriented Messaging Protocol (STOMP), Web Application Messaging Protocol (WAMP), and any other protocol now known or to be developed.” and “The communications system 130 is therefore a hardware and software subsystem which enables reliable in-field communications through cell-denied operations and other challenging operating environments. The hardware portion of the communications system 130 may comprise, in one embodiment thereof, a ruggedized server with 4G LTE/5G cellular capabilities, and a ruggedized pseudo-mesh long range radio system. It is to be understood however that many other physical implementations of hardware within the communications system 130 may be utilized.” In par. 0035)
Regarding Claim 7, Hurd as modified by Jha teaches:
7. The management system according to claim 1,
wherein the mission plan instructs the first machine control unit to interact with the plurality of working machines using real-time information from each of the plurality of working machines. (see at least "A more localized approach may also be used via a local protocol 222, which is capable of enabling communications between the agricultural machinery and vehicles 102 and the machine control elements 250 directly." in par. 0033 and “For example, this aspect of the present invention creates a configuration file during the syncing operation which may be updated as the performance of the agricultural activity progress, which enables the various functions to be implemented.” In par. 0036)
Hurd does not appear to explicitly teach all of the following, but Jha does teach:
wherein communication with an other working machine of the plurality of working machines changes from the communication network to the short-range communication network when the first working machine is within the proximity threshold to the other working machine. (see at least " The wireless network transceiver 2166 (or multiple transceivers) may communicate using multiple standards or radios for communications at a different range. For example, the edge computing node 2150 may communicate with close devices, e.g., within about 10 meters, using a local transceiver based on BLE, or another low power radio, to save power. More distant connected edge devices 2162, e.g., within about 50 meters, may be reached over ZigBee® or other intermediate power radios. Both communications techniques may take place over a single radio at different power levels or may take place over separate transceivers, for example, a local transceiver using BLE and a separate mesh transceiver using ZigBee®." in par. 0305)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Hurd as modified by Jha to incorporate the teachings of Jha wherein the vehicles use local transceivers to communicate over short range networks when they are within a predetermined proximity. The motivation to incorporate the teachings of Jha would be to save power (see par. 0305)
Regarding Claim 21, Hurd as modified by Jha teaches:
the management system according to claim 1,
Hurd further teaches: wherein the first machine operations are different from the second machine operations, and the server controller develops compatible machine profiles for the first working machine and the second working machine. (see at least “The executive control layer 140 is a software subsystem that coordinates control of autonomously-operated equipment, and is responsible for micro-services that may include command messaging, safety supervision, in-field mission control, path planning, and machine configuration.” In par. 0026 and "The executive control layer 140 sits on top of the vehicle interface system 120 and enables any software in the autonomous operating environment to which the format is applied to work with any piece of hardware. The executive control layer 140 enables the common software structural architecture 100 to effectively act as a common operating system as noted above for all autonomous operation of machines and vehicles 102 in an off-road or in-field setting, providing a secure format between all equipment and protocols.” In par. 0027)
Regarding Claim 22, Hurd as modified by Jha teaches:
the management system according to claim 1,
Hurd further teaches: wherein the first working machine and the second working machine are autonomous machines. (see at least "The executive control layer 140 is a software subsystem that coordinates control of autonomously-operated equipment, and is responsible for micro-services that may include command messaging, safety supervision, in-field mission control, path planning, and machine configuration." in par. 0026)
Regarding Claim 23, Hurd as modified by Jha teaches:
the management system according to claim 2,
Hurd further teaches: wherein the first working machine is configured to interact with the second working machine within the safe distance based on a real-time information exchange. (see at least " A more localized approach may also be used via a local protocol 222, which is capable of enabling communications between the agricultural machinery and vehicles 102 and the machine control elements 250 directly." in par. 0033 and “For example, this aspect of the present invention creates a configuration file during the syncing operation which may be updated as the performance of the agricultural activity progress, which enables the various functions to be implemented.” In par. 0036 “The AutoCart™ application 172 is, for example, capable of safely moving a tractor between waypoints in a field, and syncing with a combine during harvest operation, to fill and empty grain carts as the equipment moves through a field to be harvested.” In par. 0045).
Regarding Claim 25, Hurd as modified by Jha teaches:
25. The management system according to claim 35,
Hurd further teaches: wherein the communication network is a cellular communication network. (see at least "This data processing module 112 includes telematics hardware, such as an embedded server, and enables multi-channel capabilities that permit transmission using radio (RF), Wi-Fi, broadband, and cellular networks such as 4G LTE or 5G, as well as a host of input/output (I/O) options allowing for autonomous vehicle operations and expandability and scaling of the common operating system as a whole." in par. 0029)
Regarding Claim 26, Hurd as modified by Jha teaches:
the management system according to claim 35,
Hurd further teaches: wherein the first communication device is configured to transmit first machine status information of the first working machine, receive operation instructions for mission plans from the mission planning system, and receive second machine status information from the second working machine. (see at least " The receiver hardware 210 is configured to enable receipt of commands from cloud-side elements of the common software structural architecture 100, or from an operator. This hardware 210 executes those commands by translating the information therein for the specific piece of equipment on which the receiver hardware 210 is installed, and communicates with controller hardware 260. This in turn executes the commands via equipment hardware 270. The telemetry hardware 290 is a telemetry device that is configured to collect and transmit data from equipment, such as for example a combine harvester via specific hardware 280 installed thereon." in par. 0032 and "A more localized approach may also be used via a local protocol 222, which is capable of enabling communications between the agricultural machinery and vehicles 102 and the machine control elements 250 directly." in par. 0033)
Regarding Claim 27, Hurd as modified by Jha teaches:
27. The management system according to claim 26,
Hurd further teaches: wherein the second machine status information is received by the first working machine during non-interactive operations and collaborative operations. (see at least "A more localized approach may also be used via a local protocol 222, which is capable of enabling communications between the agricultural machinery and vehicles 102 and the machine control elements 250 directly." in par. 0033 and “In this step, the common software structural architecture 100 is configured to perform several high-level system functions, such as one account management, arrange for centralized data storage for information such as field data and sensor data collected by the plurality of sensors coupled to the one or more machines 102, a pairing of the one or more machines 102 to be used in the autonomous performance of the agricultural activity 104, and machine configuration management” in par. 0049)
Regarding Claim 32, Hurd as modified by Jha teaches:
32. The management system according to claim 35,
wherein the short-range communication network is utilized by the first working machine and the second working machine to find and initiate direct communication with each other and other machines within an area. (see at least "A more localized approach may also be used via a local protocol 222, which is capable of enabling communications between the agricultural machinery and vehicles 102 and the machine control elements 250 directly." in par. 0033 and “For example, this aspect of the present invention creates a configuration file during the syncing operation which may be updated as the performance of the agricultural activity progress, which enables the various functions to be implemented.” In par. 0036)
Regarding Claim 35, Hurd teaches:
35. (New) A management system for a plurality of working machines to coordinate automated interactive operations (see at least "As noted above with respect to FIG. 1, the various components of the common software structural architecture 100 enable several operational outputs and specific use cases in one or more applications 170, and these may be managed via the user interface 180. One such use case, referred to above as “AutoCart™”, is an application 172 that relies on all elements of the technology stack comprising the present invention. FIG. 3 is a system diagram of a basic grain cart operation 300 according to one exemplary implementation of the common software structural architecture 100 for performing the AutoCart™ application 172." in par. 0044), comprising:
a networked server system (see at least "This includes communicating messages between machines and between machines and the cloud-based network within the common software structural architecture 100 is implemented, and occurs using a plurality of messaging protocols, the use of which may be selected by network availability. As noted above, an available network may include one or more of radio (RF), Wi-Fi, broadband, or cellular networks such as 4G LTE or 5G." in par. 0051), comprising:
a server memory drive, and a server controller configured to manage the server memory drive; (see at least "A cloud-based protocol 220 (using for example the MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) protocol, is used to communicate data between agricultural machinery and vehicles 102 and the cloud-side elements of the common software structural architecture 100, such as the AAVI component subsystem 150 and machine control elements 250, such as a controller and a server, responsible for managing configuration and performance of equipment within the common software structural architecture 100. The AAVI subsystem 150 may include one or more APIs 230, through which additional elements may provide and store data within the communications framework 200 and the common software structural architecture 100, such as a database 240." in par. 0033)
a first working machine (see at least "tractor” in par. 0037), comprising:
a first communication device configured to provide multi-channel communication, including communication over a communication network with the networked server system and a short-range communication network, which is different from the communication network, (see at least " In such a framework 200, agricultural machinery and vehicles include receiver hardware 210 and telemetry hardware 290, which are installed on such machinery and vehicles 102 to effectively turn any piece of agricultural equipment into one capable of autonomous operation. The receiver hardware 210 and telemetry hardware 290 are configured to communicate, either over a cloud-based protocol 220 or a localized protocol 222, with the components of the common software structural architecture 100 responsible for such account, data, and configuration management aspects of the present invention." in par. 0031)
a first machine control unit comprising a first processor and a first memory, which stores first machine characteristics and first machine operations (see at least "This hardware 210 executes those commands by translating the information therein for the specific piece of equipment on which the receiver hardware 210 is installed, and communicates with controller hardware 260." in par. 0032 and “In FIG. 3, the components 310 communicate with hardware equipment 320 configured with equipment such as a tractor or combine 102.” In par. 0045 and “common software structural architecture 100 enables such an AutoTill application 174 by configuring and initializing tilling machinery. This may include identifying heading and position for tilling equipment in a particular field, and configuring operational characteristics such as turning radius capability, and controlling mechanical characteristics such as gear shifting, speed, and braking.” In par. 0046 and “The common software structural architecture 100 enables such an AutoPlant application 176 by configuring and initializing this specific equipment, which may include identifying heading and position in a particular field, and again configuring operational characteristics such as turning radius capability, and controlling mechanical characteristics such as gear shifting, speed, and braking.” In par. 0047),
a first machine actuator system having a first machine control actuator (see at least "For example, one subsystem may need to control actuators or receive feedback from sensors" in par. 0024 ), and
a first automation sensor (see at least "The perception system 160 is responsible for intake and analysis of data (such as images and reflected signals) from an array of sensors (such as cameras, radar systems and Lidar systems), and may include one or more machine learning and artificial intelligence subsystems configured to fuse data collected from multiple sensors together to provide the autonomously-operated machinery and vehicles 102 with situational awareness to avoid obstacles and other terrain characteristics during the performance of agricultural activities 104." in par. 0040);
a second working machine (see at least "combine" in par. 0045), comprising:
a second communication device configured to provide multi-channel communication, including communication over the communication network with the networked server system and the short-range communication network, , (see at least " In such a framework 200, agricultural machinery and vehicles include receiver hardware 210 and telemetry hardware 290, which are installed on such machinery and vehicles 102 to effectively turn any piece of agricultural equipment into one capable of autonomous operation. The receiver hardware 210 and telemetry hardware 290 are configured to communicate, either over a cloud-based protocol 220 or a localized protocol 222, with the components of the common software structural architecture 100 responsible for such account, data, and configuration management aspects of the present invention." in par. 0031),
a second machine control unit comprising a second processor and a second memory, which stores second machine characteristics and second machine operations, (see at least "This hardware 210 executes those commands by translating the information therein for the specific piece of equipment on which the receiver hardware 210 is installed, and communicates with controller hardware 260." in par. 0032 and “In FIG. 3, the components 310 communicate with hardware equipment 320 configured with equipment such as a tractor or combine 102.” In par. 0045 and “common software structural architecture 100 enables such an AutoTill application 174 by configuring and initializing tilling machinery. This may include identifying heading and position for tilling equipment in a particular field, and configuring operational characteristics such as turning radius capability, and controlling mechanical characteristics such as gear shifting, speed, and braking.” In par. 0046 and “The common software structural architecture 100 enables such an AutoPlant application 176 by configuring and initializing this specific equipment, which may include identifying heading and position in a particular field, and again configuring operational characteristics such as turning radius capability, and controlling mechanical characteristics such as gear shifting, speed, and braking.” In par. 0047)
a second machine actuator system having a second machine control actuator, (see at least "a combine harvester via specific hardware 280 installed thereon." in par. 0032 and “At step 440, the process 200 continues by integrating physical interfaces for additional operational functions for the one or more machines 102, such as controlling movement and speed, within the common operating system. This is accomplished within the vehicle interface system 120. These additional operational functions include steering, braking, changing a speed, changing a gear, and other characteristics of movement and speed of the one or more machines 102.” In par. 0050)and
a second automation sensor (see at least "The perception system 160 is responsible for intake and analysis of data (such as images and reflected signals) from an array of sensors (such as cameras, radar systems and Lidar systems), and may include one or more machine learning and artificial intelligence subsystems configured to fuse data collected from multiple sensors together to provide the autonomously-operated machinery and vehicles 102 with situational awareness to avoid obstacles and other terrain characteristics during the performance of agricultural activities 104." in par. 0040); and
wherein the server controller creates a first machine profile by converting the first machine characteristics into a standard framework for a mission planning system of the networked server; (see at least "The executive control layer 140 is a software subsystem that coordinates control of autonomously-operated equipment, and is responsible for micro-services that may include command messaging, safety supervision, in-field mission control, path planning, and machine configuration." In par. 0026 and “The executive control layer 140 sits on top of the vehicle interface system 120 and enables any software in the autonomous operating environment to which the format is applied to work with any piece of hardware. The executive control layer 140 enables the common software structural architecture 100 to effectively act as a common operating system as noted above for all autonomous operation of machines and vehicles 102 in an off-road or in-field setting, providing a secure format between all equipment and protocols.” In par. 0027 and “common software structural architecture 100 enables such an AutoTill application 174 by configuring and initializing tilling machinery. This may include identifying heading and position for tilling equipment in a particular field, and configuring operational characteristics such as turning radius capability, and controlling mechanical characteristics such as gear shifting, speed, and braking.” In par. 0046 and “The common software structural architecture 100 enables such an AutoPlant application 176 by configuring and initializing this specific equipment, which may include identifying heading and position in a particular field, and again configuring operational characteristics such as turning radius capability, and controlling mechanical characteristics such as gear shifting, speed, and braking.” In par. 0047)
wherein the mission planning system generates a mission plan for the first working machine and the second working machine, using the standard framework, and
wherein the mission plan includes operation instructions for the first working machine and the second working machine and ( see at least “The executive control layer 140 is a software subsystem that coordinates control of autonomously-operated equipment, and is responsible for micro-services that may include command messaging, safety supervision, in-field mission control, path planning, and machine configuration.” in par. 0026 ) ;
wherein the server controller translates the operation instructions for the first working machine from the standard framework into the first machine operations and translates the operation instructions for the second working machine from the standard framework into the second machine operations. (see at least "The executive control layer 140 sits on top of the vehicle interface system 120 and enables any software in the autonomous operating environment to which the format is applied to work with any piece of hardware. The executive control layer 140 enables the common software structural architecture 100 to effectively act as a common operating system as noted above for all autonomous operation of machines and vehicles 102 in an off-road or in-field setting, providing a secure format between all equipment and protocols.” In par. 0027)
Hurd does not appear to explicitly teach all of the following, but Jha does teach:
wherein the mission plan also includes a proximity threshold configured to trigger a communication change from the communication network to the short-range communication network when the first working machine is within the proximity threshold to the second working machine; (see at least "The wireless network transceiver 2166 (or multiple transceivers) may communicate using multiple standards or radios for communications at a different range. For example, the edge computing node 2150 may communicate with close devices, e.g., within about 10 meters, using a local transceiver based on BLE, or another low power radio, to save power. More distant connected edge devices 2162, e.g., within about 50 meters, may be reached over ZigBee® or other intermediate power radios. Both communications techniques may take place over a single radio at different power levels or may take place over separate transceivers, for example, a local transceiver using BLE and a separate mesh transceiver using ZigBee®." in par. 0305)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Hurd to incorporate the teachings of Jha wherein the vehicles use local transceivers to communicate over short range networks when they are within a predetermined proximity. The motivation to incorporate the teachings of Jha would be to save power (see par. 0305)
Claim(s) 28-29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hurd et al (US 20200159220, hereinafter Hurd) in view of Jha et al (US 20220332350, hereinafter Jha) and Natarajan et al (US 20220114301, hereinafter Natarajan).
Regarding Claim 28, Hurd as modified by Jha teaches:
the management system according to claim 35,
Hurd and Jha do not appear to explicitly teach all of the following, but Natarajan does teach:
wherein, when the first working machine receives a ping from the second working machine in an area, the first working machine is configured to determine if the second working machine is an interactive machine identified in the operation instructions. (see at least “The automated machine may be configured to broadcast the message to all members of the group, and/or a member identifier or topical filter may route the message to individual members of the group. For example, the autonomous machine may be configured to manage the task performance in accordance with the task management protocol, e.g., synchronizing task data and/or the status (e.g., the progress and/or accomplishment) of one or more tasks.” In par. 0046 and " Such data transmissions (e.g., exchange) may also include communications (e.g., one-way or two-way) between the machine 150 and one or more other (target) machines in an environment of the machine 150 (e.g., to facilitate coordination of the task performance by, e.g., including the navigation of, the machine 150 in view of or together with other (e.g., target) machines in the environment of the machine 150), or even a broadcast transmission to unspecified recipients in a vicinity of the transmitting machine 150." in par. 0077)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Hurd as modified by Jha to incorporate the teachings of Natarajan wherein an automated machine broadcasts a message to specific nearby automated machines to start a coordinated group task. The motivation to incorporate the teachings of Natarajan would be to improve coordination between groups of autonomous machines (see par. 0182-0183)
Regarding Claim 29, Hurd as modified by Jha and Natarajan teaches:
29. The management system according to claim 28,
Hurd and Jha do not appear to explicitly teach all of the following, but Natarajan does teach:
wherein, if the first working machine determines that the second working machine is the interactive machine, the first working machines confirms that a time for interaction is appropriate before entering an interaction protocol defined in the operation instructions. (see at least " Exemplary components of managing task may include: managing one or more physical tasks (also referred to as task management), planning the task performance, organizing the task performance, scheduling the task performance, switching between two tasks, competing for one or more task, assigning one or more tasks, completing one or more tasks, reporting about completion of the one or more tasks, negotiation of the allocation of one or more tasks (e.g., between multiple autonomous machines), monitoring the progress of one or more tasks, navigate the autonomous machine to one or more positions of one or more tasks (e.g., at which the one or more task require a physical manipulation), etc." in par. 0035 and “Generally, a protocol may define rules that indicate the format, syntax, semantics and/or synchronization of information, e.g., of information transfer (e.g., exchange), information storage, information processing, and the like. For example, the autonomous machine may form, join and/or leave a group in accordance with the group management protocol.” In par. 0045 and “One of the aspects that inter-cluster coordination may target is scheduling between each autonomous machine cluster, and also between groups of autonomous machines working cooperatively in autonomous machine clusters (i.e. inter-cluster group). For example, a task for an autonomous machine of an autonomous machine cluster may include bringing the workpiece to a designated point so that another autonomous machine of another autonomous machine cluster may take the workpiece to perform its task. In other words, an output of a task of an autonomous machine of a first autonomous machine cluster may be an input of a task of another autonomous machine of a second autonomous machine cluster.” In par. 0183)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Hurd as modified by Jha to incorporate the teachings of Natarajan wherein automated machines join and leave task groups based on a schedule for when the specific tasks should be performed in groups defined by a protocol. The motivation to incorporate the teachings of Natarajan would be to improve coordination between groups of autonomous machines (see par. 0182-0183)
Claim(s) 30-31 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hurd et al (US 20200159220, hereinafter Hurd) in view of Jha et al (US 20220332350, hereinafter Jha), Natarajan et al (US 20220114301, hereinafter Natarajan) and Rusciolelli et al (US 20170311534, hereinafter Rusciolelli)
Regarding Claim 30, Hurd as modified by Jha and Natarajan teaches:
30. The management system according to claim 29,
Hurd, Jha, and Natarajan do not appear to explicitly teach all of the following, but Rusciolelli does teach:
wherein, if the first working machine determines that the time for interaction is not appropriate, the second working machine is considered an obstacle. (see at least "As the mission is updated and re-optimized due to deviations, the collision avoidance process may be executed again. To avoid a collision, the collision avoidance process may analyze a current pass of each vehicle and a next planned pass of each vehicle, and may compare this analysis to the current pass and next planned passes of all vehicles performing operations in the same field. If it discovers that any vehicles may pass in opposite directions on the same or adjacent paths, the collision avoidance process may re-plan the path for one of the vehicles involved in the potential collision." in par. 0011)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Hurd as modified by Jha and Natarajan to incorporate the teachings of Rusciolelli wherein agricultural vehicle routes are modified to avoid each other, in order to arrive at vehicles avoiding each other when they are not scheduled to perform a group task. The motivation to incorporate the teachings of Rusciolelli would be to improve coordination between groups of autonomous machines (see par. 0182-0183)
Regarding Claim 31, Hurd as modified by Jha and Natarajan teaches:
31. The management system according to claim 28,
Hurd, Jha and Natarajan do not appear to explicitly teach all of the following, but Rusciolelli does teach:
wherein, if the first working machine determines that the second working machine is not the interactive machine, the second machine is considered an obstacle, and the first working machine and the second working machine communicate over the short-range communication channel to coordinate operations to avoid interfering with each other's operation. (see at least “If there are multiple vehicles in the system, they may also be interconnected via a short range communication system (which may allow communication<1 mile). A localized base station might also be located in the field which could also connect to the short range communication system.” In par. 0005 and "As the mission is updated and re-optimized due to deviations, the collision avoidance process may be executed again. To avoid a collision, the collision avoidance process may analyze a current pass of each vehicle and a next planned pass of each vehicle, and may compare this analysis to the current pass and next planned passes of all vehicles performing operations in the same field. If it discovers that any vehicles may pass in opposite directions on the same or adjacent paths, the collision avoidance process may re-plan the path for one of the vehicles involved in the potential collision." in par. 0011)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Hurd as modified by Jha and Natarajan to incorporate the teachings of Rusciolelli wherein agricultural vehicles communicate over a short range communication network and routes are modified to avoid each other, in order to arrive at vehicles avoiding each other when they are not scheduled to perform a group task. The motivation to incorporate the teachings of Rusciolelli would be to improve coordination between groups of autonomous machines (see par. 0182-0183).
Claim(s) 33-34 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hurd et al (US 20200159220, hereinafter Hurd) in view of Jha et al (US 20220332350, hereinafter Jha) and Rusciolelli et al (US 20170311534, hereinafter Rusciolelli)
Regarding Claim 33, Hurd as modified by Jha teaches:
the management system according to claim 1,
Hurd and Jha do not appear to explicitly teach all of the following, but Rusciolelli does teach:
wherein prior to generating the mission plan, the mission planning system evaluates a plurality of machine profiles associated with the plurality of working machines, wherein the plurality of machine profiles includes the first machine profile and a second machine profile associated with the second working machine to determine a set of working machines from the plurality of working machines that meet a project requirement for a project request comprising a plurality of project requirements. (see at least "an inventory record 124 of the vehicles 10 and/or other equipment available in the system, which may include for each vehicle 10 an equipment break-down, such as a unique identifier 126, a selected agricultural operation 128, an equipment type 130, a relative hierarchy or rank 132 with respect to other vehicles 10, and/or a maintenance status 134 or service schedule; an equipment library 136, including information providing equipment geometries and/or specifications for each type of vehicle 10 in the inventory record 124 corresponding to the equipment type 130;” In par. 0038 and “Data from the data structures 110, including the maps 120, the weather maps 122, the inventory record 124, the equipment library 136, the historical data 138, the operation selection field 140, the weights 142 and the constraints 144, may be simulated by the computer processing system 100 in block 200. Next, in block 202, options for multiple mission plans may be presented to a user via graphic display of the I/O terminal 106. Options may include a highest probability mission plan based on the operations, weights and constraints provided, followed by lower probability mission plans which may apply greater emphasis to other factors such as historical data.” In par. 0053)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Hurd as modified by Jha to incorporate the teachings of Rusciolelli wherein agricultural vehicles and equipment are selected for a mission based on their geometries and specification data stored in a inventory record/equipment library and mission plans with combinations of vehicles and equipment with high probability of success are presented to a user for confirmation. The motivation to incorporate the teachings of Rusciolelli would be to improve the probability of mission success (see par. 0053)
Regarding Claim 34, Hurd as modified by Jha and Rusciolelli teaches:
34. (New) The management system according to claim 33,
Hurd and Jha do not appear to explicitly teach all of the following, but Rusciolelli does teach:
wherein the mission planning system identifies a missing capability for an unmet project requirement from the plurality of project requirements and evaluates the plurality of machine profiles to determine a project limitation and an alternative solution for addressing the missing capability (see at least “During execution of a mission, there may be events which cause deviations from the initial mission plan, such as equipment break down, an obstacle detected that stops a vehicle, a grain tank being full on harvester, and so forth. When such a deviation from the current mission plan occur the current mission may need to be re-constructed and re-optimized with an updated set of constraints, such as an area already covered, a particular piece of equipment unavailable due to a break-down, and so forth. Event conditions may typically be reported by vehicles 10, though other mechanisms may be provided for reporting event conditions, such as the local base station 72, or a weather update via the gateway 104 and the weather map 122." in par. 0049) , and
wherein the mission planning system generates a report including the project limitation and the alternative solution. (see at least “Next, in block 202, options for multiple mission plans may be presented to a user via graphic display of the I/O terminal 106. Options may include a highest probability mission plan based on the operations, weights and constraints provided, followed by lower probability mission plans which may apply greater emphasis to other factors such as historical data. Next, in block 204, the user may select a mission plan for execution via the I/O terminal 106. Next, in block 206, the user may make manual adjustments to the selected mission plan as desired.” In par. 0053 and "Multiple mission revisions may be presented as options and/or adjustments may be made before communicating to vehicles 10 for execution, similar to providing a mission plan as described above with respect to FIG. 6." in par. 0055 )
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Hurd as modified by Jha to incorporate the teachings of Rusciolelli wherein the system identifies problems with the current mission plan like potential machine collisions or equipment breakdown and reports the issue and multiple options for revised mission plans to a user for selection. The motivation to incorporate the teachings of Rusciolelli would be to improve the probability of mission success (see par. 0053)
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DYLAN M KATZ whose telephone number is (571)272-2776. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs. 8:00-6:00.
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/DYLAN M KATZ/Examiner, Art Unit 3657
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