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 Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 14 recites the limitation “at least one fire extinguishing robot conveys the fire extinguishing robot to another fire extinguishing robot.” It is unclear whether the limitation refers back to the plurality of fire extinguishing robots, or puts forth additional robots.
The remaining claims are rejected due to dependency from claim 14.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 and 11-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cummins (US 3169581).
Regarding claim 1, Cummins discloses a fire extinguishing robot comprising:
a traveling mechanism (43) configured to travel (the wheels are capable of traveling);
a frame (42) mounted on the traveling mechanism (Figure 1); and
a water receiving portion (12, 47) mounted on the periphery of the frame (Figure 1), and encircling the frame (Figure 1);
wherein the water receiving portion comprises a cavity for accommodating a fire extinguishing agent (Figure 4 depicts the agent conveying elements received in the cavity), and
the cavity is open (The cavity is open to receive the conveying elements).
Regarding claim 11, Cummins discloses a cluster of fire extinguishing robots, comprising at least two of the fire extinguishing robots (12, 13) according to claim 1 (Figure 1).
Regarding claim 12, Cummins discloses the cluster of fire extinguishing robots according to claim 11, wherein one group consists of at least two of the fire extinguishing robots (Figure 1, 12, 13), and the fire extinguishing robots in the same group are arranged in sequence (Figure 1), the fire extinguishing robot located downstream is at a spraying point of the fire extinguishing robot located upstream (Figure 1, fluid is conveyed from 13 to 12 to 10 for spraying), and the fire extinguishing robot located upstream sprays the fire extinguishing agent to the water receiving portion of the fire extinguishing robot located downstream (Column 7, lines 6-45).
Regarding claim 13, Cummins discloses the cluster of fire extinguishing robots according to claim 12, wherein the fire extinguishing robot located upstream sprays the fire extinguishing agent to the water receiving portion of the adjacent fire extinguishing robot located downstream (Column 7, lines 6-45).
Regarding claim 14, Cummins discloses a fire extinguishing method comprising a plurality of fire extinguishing robots with no fire extinguishing agent according to claim 1 all travel to set positions (Column 4, lines 25-29);
at least one fire extinguishing robot conveys the fire extinguishing agent to another fire extinguishing robot; and the another fire extinguishing robot conveys the fire extinguishing agent to an origin of fire to extinguish the fire (Column 7, lines 6-45 and Column 4, lines 25-44, The robot conveys agent to a rescue robot downstream that conveys agent to the origin of the fire).
Regarding claim 15, Cummins discloses the fire extinguishing method according to claim 14, wherein all the fire extinguishing robots participate in the fire extinguishment (Column 7, lines 6-45 and Column 4, lines 25-29).
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) 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fuller (US 6,289,995) in view of Kloeckner (GB 1191449).
Regarding claim 1, Fuller discloses a fire extinguishing robot comprising:
a traveling mechanism (Examiner’s Annotated Figure 1) configured to travel (the wheels are capable of traveling);
a frame (12) mounted on the traveling mechanism (Figure 1); and
a water receiving portion (Examiner’s Annotated Figure 1) mounted on the periphery of the frame (Figure 5, The side edges of the receiving portion protrude beyond the frame);
wherein the water receiving portion comprises a cavity for accommodating a fire extinguishing agent (Figure 2, the cavity is capable of accommodating an agent), and
the cavity is open (Figure 2), but fails to disclose the water receiving portion encircling the periphery of the frame.
Kloeckner discloses a device wherein a water receiving portion (3) encircles a frame (Based upon Applicant’s disclosure, the term encircle is interpreted to mean “surround.” Applicant does not put forth a structure that forms a circle, but does disclose a device that surrounds a frame; Figure 3 depicts the device with the frame and without the water receiving portion, and Figure 2 depicts the device with the added water receiving portion, and the frame surrounded).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Fuller with the disclosures of Kloeckner, providing the water receiving portion to encircles the frame, in order to provide for a known configures that ensures provision and discharge of fluid for fire-fighting operation. Examiner notes that indication of an element without an accompanying reference name should be interpreted as reference to Fuller.
PNG
media_image1.png
636
836
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Examiner’s Annotated Figure 1
Regarding claim 2, Fuller in view of Kloeckner discloses the fire extinguishing robot according to claim 1, further comprising:
a firefighting pipeline (64, 68, 70, 76) in fluid communication with the water receiving portion (Figure 2, the pipeline is in communication through a valve 60);
the firefighting pipeline being carried by the frame (Figure 2).
Regarding claim 3, Fuller in view of Kloeckner discloses the fire extinguishing robot according to claim 2, wherein the firefighting pipeline (64, 68, 70, 76) is in communication with a lowermost part of the water receiving portion (Column 5, lines 28-31 and Figure 2).
Regarding claim 4, Fuller in view of Kloeckner discloses the fire extinguishing robot according to claim 2, further comprising:
an arm support (98) mounted on the frame (Figure 2), at least one section of the firefighting pipeline (76) being mounted on the arm support (Figure 2) so as to vary the amplitude along with the arm support (The pipeline is capable of performing the claimed function.
Regarding claim 5, Fuller in view of Kloeckner discloses the fire extinguishing robot according to claim 1, wherein the water receiving portion comprises:
a plurality of first side plates (Front and rear plates of the tank) which enclose a closed annular shape (Figure 6);
a bottom plate (Examiner’s Annotated Figure 1) configured to be annular (The bottom plate includes a protruding annular portion);
and a plurality of second side plates enclosing a closed annular shape (The device includes a side plate on each side that encloses the annular tank shape);
the plurality of first side plates being mounted on an inner edge of the bottom plate (Figure 6, mounted configuration);
the plurality of second side plates mounted on an outer edge of the bottom plate (Figure 6, mounted configuration); and
the first side plates, the second side plates, and the bottom plate together enclosing the cavity (Figure 6, mounted configuration).
Regarding claim 6, Fuller in view of Kloeckner discloses the fire extinguishing robot according to claim 5, wherein an angle between the second side plates and the bottom plate is greater than 90◦ (Figure 6, the angle is obtuse).
Regarding claim 7, Fuller in view of Kloeckner discloses the fire extinguishing robot according to claim 5, wherein the water receiving portion further comprises:
a shielding member (Examiner’s Annotated Figure 1) mounted on the first side plates for shielding a top of the frame (The shielding member is capable of performing the claimed function).
Regarding claim 8, Fuller in view of Kloeckner discloses the fire extinguishing robot according to claim 1, wherein the fire extinguishing robot is configured to be at least one of an unmanned system and hose-free (Column 3, lines 56-58, The system is controlled by a remotely controlled robot).
Regarding claim 9, Fuller in view of Kloeckner discloses the fire extinguishing robot according to claim 1, further comprising:
a control system (robot, 56, and Column 4, lines 37-50, controls for driving in compartment 24) mounted on the frame (Figure 3) to control traveling and fire extinguishing parameters of the fire extinguishing robot (The controls are capable of performing the claimed function); and
a remote control system in communication connection with the control system, the remote control system being configured to transmit control parameters to the control system (Column 3, lines 56-58, The remote system provides control to the robot which controls the parameters of the system).
Regarding claim 10, Fuller in view of Kloeckner discloses the fire extinguishing robot according to claim 9, wherein the fire extinguishing parameters comprise at least one of a flow rate of the fire extinguishing agent, a spraying direction of the fire extinguishing agent, a spraying angle of the fire extinguishing agent, and a distance from a burning point (Column 4, lines 59-67, spraying angle).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER R. DANDRIDGE whose telephone number is (571)270-1505. The examiner can normally be reached M-T 9am-7pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Arthur O. Hall can be reached at (571)270-1814. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
CHRISTOPHER R. DANDRIDGE
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3752
/CHRISTOPHER R DANDRIDGE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752
Prosecution Insights