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 .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Background
The Amendments to the Specification and the Amendments to the Claims in the Applicant’s Preliminary Amendment, filed on 09/25/24, have been entered.
According to the Amendment, claims 1-6 were pending but have been canceled. Claims 7-12 are newly added.
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 1-4 and 6-8 are rejected under § 103 as being unpatentable over US Pub. No. 2024/0378894 to Kamimoto et al. (Kamimoto) in view of US Pub. No. 2022/0097718 to Vas et al. (Vas). For claim 1, Kamimoto discloses a cargo loading guidance system (100/109) that guides loading of a cargo (101) in a cargo compartment (103), the cargo loading guidance system comprising:
a depth sensor (107/116) that is installed in the cargo compartment and measures depth data of the cargo compartment (see ¶¶ [0057-0058] & [0083-0084] for providing a second imaging unit configured to capture an image of the loading space inside the cargo bed of a delivery truck; see also ¶ [0091] for providing that the second imaging unit is a 3D camera);
a cargo compartment state estimation section (107/116) that estimates a cargo compartment state from the depth data that has been measured (see ¶¶ [0057-0058] & [0083-0084]);
a specification section (117 & 118) that specifies a placing location of the cargo in the cargo compartment by referring to a size of the cargo, based on the cargo compartment state that has been estimated (see ¶ [0085-0086] for providing a deciding unit configured to decide a cargo loading position by using the cargo and loading information, and an output control unit configured to display cargo specification information for specifying the loading position of the cargo); and
.
Although Kamimoto does not explicitly disclose the claimed guidance apparatus, such a feature is found in the prior art. In fact, Vas teaches a commercial cargo vehicle for transporting large amounts of cargo, the vehicle comprising a guidance apparatus (8) that is installed inside the cargo compartment and indicates the placing location specified by the specification section (see ¶¶ [0056-0059] for providing an optical signaling unit arranged in the vehicle cargo space, the unit having multiple light sources configured to indicate the optimum position of a cargo being loaded into the cargo space).
Thus, it would have been obvious at the time of filing to modify the output control unit of Kamimoto with the optical signaling unit of Vas as Kamimoto had explicitly contemplated. See ¶ [0167].
In regards to claim 2, Vas further discloses that the guidance apparatus indicates a direction from a side of an entrance of the cargo compartment toward the placing location. See Fig. 1 (showing optical signaling unit having multiple light sources for specifying loading position).
In regards to claim 3, Vas further discloses that the guidance apparatus indicates the direction by using light or sound. See Fig. 1; see also ¶ [0056].
In regards to claim 4, Vas further discloses that the guidance apparatus includes a plurality of light-emitting diodes (9) disposed on a ceiling of the cargo compartment, and the guidance apparatus causes two or more light-emitting diodes of the plurality of light-emitting diodes to emit light in a predetermined order such that the two or more light-emitting diodes indicate the direction. See ¶¶ [0056-0059].
In regards to claim 6, Kamimoto further discloses that the guidance apparatus includes a laser pointer emission section that emits laser pointer light in a direction of a position on a ceiling of the cargo compartment, the position corresponding to a position of the placing location. See ¶ [0203].
In regards to claim 7, Vas further discloses that in a case where the cargo placed in the cargo compartment is unloaded, the guidance apparatus indicates the placing location of the cargo in the cargo compartment. See ¶¶ [0056-0059].
In regards to claim 8, Kamimoto further discloses that the system further comprises a cargo size estimation section (115) that estimates the size of the cargo from the depth data that has been measured (see ¶¶ [0079-0082], wherein the specification section specifies the placing location by referring to the size of the cargo, the size having been estimated (see ¶ [0085-0086] for providing a deciding unit configured to decide a cargo loading position by using the cargo information and the loading information, and an output control unit configured to display cargo specification information for specifying the loading position of the cargo).
Claim 9 is rejected under § 103 as being unpatentable over US Pub. No. Kamimoto in view of Vas, supra, as applied to claim 1, and further in view of US Pub. No. 2015/0298808 to Huber (Huber). For claim 9, Kamimoto in view of Vas discloses all limitations of the claimed invention but for load plan control feature.
Although Kamimoto in view of Vas does not explicitly disclose this limitation, such a feature is found in the prior art. In fact, Huber teaches a cargo loading system comprising a specification section specifies the placing location of the cargo with an early delivery order such that the placing location of the cargo with the early delivery order is more on a side of an entrance of the cargo compartment than the placing location of the cargo with a late delivery order. See ¶ [0005] (providing a loading strategy for loading cargo items so that those items that are to be unloaded at the first destination are located in appropriate positions close to the cargo hatches).
Thus, it would have been obvious to modify Kamimoto in view of Vas with the control feature of Huber in order to minimize unloading time at transport destinations by sorting cargo according to delivery stops.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Relevant Prior Art
US Pub. No. 2024/0053478 to Anstey et al. discloses a system for monitoring cargo that is loaded onto a vehicle. One or more sensors are positioned and configured to scan the cargo unit. Signals from the sensors are transmitted through a communication network to a control unit. The control unit determines a three-dimensional shape of the cargo unit based on the signals from the sensors. The control unit can also determine other aspects about the loading and unloading process to increase the efficiency.
US Pub. No. 2017/0132559 to Jones et al. discloses a system of loading products into a delivery vehicle at a product distribution facility for delivery to a retail sales facility are described. A computing device at the product distribution facility may receive at least one inventory management factor that is associated with each of products to be loaded into the delivery vehicle. The computing device may then determine, for each of the products to be delivered and based on one or more of the received inventory management factors, a loading location in a cargo area of the delivery vehicle where each of the products to be delivered are to be loaded. The computing device may then generate an output including an indication of the loading location in a cargo area of the delivery vehicle where each of the products to be delivered are to be loaded.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KYLE LOGAN whose telephone number is (571) 270-7769. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 9-5 PM.
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, JACOB SCOTT can be reached at (571) 270-3415. 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.
/KYLE O LOGAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-12 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Relevant Prior Art
US Pub. No. 2015/0360706 to Niinomi et al. discloses an operation management device that manages the operation of a plurality of vehicles is provided with: a vehicle position acquisition unit that acquires the positions of the plurality of vehicles; an interval adjustment unit that, on the basis of congestion information, identifies a station that is a reference for increasing the density of the plurality of vehicles that are present and sets a standby time at each station that is behind the station that is a reference, the standby time being for the plurality of vehicles that stops at the stations behind the station; and a departure determination unit that adjusts the departure times of the plurality of vehicles from each of the stations behind the station on the basis of the standby times.
US Pub. No. 2021/0107745 to Lee et al. discloses a method and a device for controlling an OHT vehicle are proposed. The method and device presents a solution in which it is possible to minimize a repetition of start and stop of a vehicle, due to congestion on a track, by providing a buffer distance or a buffer waiting time, when the control target vehicle starts due to moving out of range of a proximity distance to a preceding vehicle, after stopping according to reaching of the proximity distance to the preceding vehicle, during driving the OHT control target vehicle.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KYLE LOGAN whose telephone number is (571) 270-7769. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 9-5 PM.
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, JACOB SCOTT can be reached at (571) 270-3415. 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.
Prosecution Insights