DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
2. Claims 1-20 are pending.
Drawings
3. Applicant’s Drawings submitted December 6, 2024 are acceptable.
Priority
4. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
6. Claims 1, 2, 5-8, 16 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Korean Document 10-2021-0025456 A issued to LG ELECTRONICS INC. (hereafter LGE) in view of Korean Document 10-2007-0072787 A issued to Samsung Electronics Co. LTD (hereafter SE).
LGE discloses a robot cleaner, e.g.100, comprising: a main body, e.g 10; a rotary
mop, e.g. 80, including a first rotating plate, e.g. 81, a second rotating plate, e.g. 82, having mop cloths, e.g. 90, able to be attached/detached thereto, the main body, e.g. 10, may move along a floor of a zone by means of rotation thereof; and a drive motor, e.g. 38, for rotating the rotary mop, e.g. 80, [0090-92, 0131, 0133], Figs. 2, 3, 5, a drive motor, e.g. 38, a motor sensor, e.g. 160, and a control part, e.g. 150, that receives output current.
LGE does not disclose a mop sensor for measuring the number of revolutions
of a mop motor; a current sensor for measuring the current value of the mop motor; and a control part for determining whether to output a cleaning mop replacement signal notifying the replacement of a cleaning cloth, on the basis of the current value of the mop motor measured by the current sensor determining an error state of a map cloth, e.g. 90.
SE compares a measurement value of load current flowing in a fan motor, e.g. 130, with a predetermined reference current value while driving the fan motor, e.g. 130, at a specific number of revolutions for a predetermined time; and determining that dust is accumulated on filters, e.g. 13, 15, 16, 20, when a measured current value is less than or equal to the reference current value, and outputting a message or a notification that notifies a filter replacement time, e.g. [0035], Figs. 1-3.
Regarding claims 16 and 17, LGE does not disclose a current sensor for measuring the current value of a mop motor; and a control part for determining whether to output a cleaning mop replacement signal notifying the replacement of a cleaning cloth, on the basis of the current value of the mop motor measured by the current sensor.
To have provided LGE a measurement value of load current flowing in a fan motor, e.g. 130, with a predetermined reference current value while driving the fan motor, e.g. 130, at a specific number of revolutions for a predetermined time; and determining that dust is accumulated on filters, e.g. 13, 15, 16, 20, when a measured current value is less than or equal to the reference current value, and outputting a message or a notification that notifies a filter replacement time, e.g. [0035], Figs. 1-3, along with current sensor for measuring the current value of a mop motor; and a control part for determining whether to output a cleaning mop replacement signal notifying the replacement of a cleaning cloth, on the basis of the current value of the mop motor measured by the current sensor would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, as to modify LGE to include these features of SE with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation for doing such is to provide an efficient and safe operation of an robotic cleaner when encountering various conditions.
7. Claims 3 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Korean Document 10-2021-0025456 A issued to LG ELECTRONICS INC. (hereafter LGE) in view of Korean Document 10-2007-0072787 A issued to Samsung Electronics Co. LTD (hereafter SE), and further in view of Korean Document 10-2019-0015930 issued to LG Electronics Inc (hereafter LGE2).
Regarding claims 3, 4 and 18, LGE2 discloses a floor detection unit, e.g. 120, and camera sensor, capable of determining the material of a floor by using the current sensing information of the motor that rubs against the floor, e.g. [0039], Fig. 5.
To have provided LGE, as modified by SE, a floor detection unit, e.g. 120, and camera sensor, capable of determining the material of a floor by using the current sensing information of the motor that rubs against the floor, e.g. [0039], Fig. 5.would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, as to modify LGE, as modified by SE, to include these features of LGE2,with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation for doing such is to provide an efficient and safe operation of a robotic cleaner when encountering various floor conditions.
8. Claims 9-15 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Korean Document 10-2021-0025456 A issued to LG ELECTRONICS INC. (hereafter LGE) in view of Korean Document 10-2007-0072787 A issued to Samsung Electronics Co. LTD (hereafter SE), and further in view of Korean Document 10-2021-0018459 issued to Positec Power Tools (hereafter PPT).
Regarding claims 9-11, PPT discloses a robot cleaner, e.g. 100, receiving a cleaning unit replacement command by the operation of a user, and continuously traveling until reaching a base station, e.g. 200, [0108, 0112], Figs. 1, 12a-12i. current sensing
Regarding claims 12-15, 18 and 19, the robot cleaner, e.g. 100 of PPT, receives a cleaning unit replacement command by the operation of a user, and continuously traveling until reaching a base station, e.g. 200, [0108, 0112], Figs. 1, 12a-12i, and information of the motor that rubs against the floor, e.g. [0039], Fig. 5.
To have provided LGE, as modified by SE, a floor detection unit, e.g. 120, and camera sensor, capable of determining the material of a floor by using the current sensing information of the motor that rubs against the floor, e.g. [0039], Fig. 5., would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, as to modify LGE, as modified by SE and PPT, to include these features of LGE2 and PPT,with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation for doing such is to provide an efficient and safe operation of a robotic cleaner when encountering various floor conditions.
9. Pertinent references of interest are noted on the attached PTO-892.
10. Applicant’s Information Disclosure Statements (IDS’s) submitted December 6, 2024 and March 6, 2025 have been reviewed. Note the attached IDS’s.
11. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW JOSEPH RUDY whose telephone number is
571-272-6789. The examiner can generally be reached on Monday thru Friday from about 10am-6pm EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful the examiner’s supervisor, Fadey Jabr, can be reached on 571-272-1516. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANDREW JOSEPH RUDY/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3668
571-272-6789
Prosecution Insights