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 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.
Joint Inventors
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.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species A (Claims 10-11) in addition to the genetic claims (Claims 1-7 and 13-20) in the reply filed on 12 February 2026 is acknowledged. As this election was made without traverse, it is made FINAL.
Status of Claims
Claims 1-7, 10-11, and 13-20 are currently pending and are being hereby examined herein. Claims 8-9 and 12 are withdrawn for being drawn to a non-elected species.
Domestic Benefit
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for domestic benefit to provisional application 63/540,303 filed on 25 September 2023. The provisional application shares similar subject matter to the instant claims. However, the provisional application appears to have some differences from the instant application (e.g., the specification was rewritten), so if during prosecution, the examiner applies prior art references that predate the instant application’s filing date, but do not predate the provisional application’s filing date (i.e., an intervening reference), it is because the examiner determined that there is insufficient support for one or more limitations to allow for the earlier filing date (the filing date of the provisional application). In that situation, applicant may provide rebuttal by evidencing written description support from the provisional application, and if it is found sufficient by the examiner, then that rejection will be withdrawn at that time.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 16 January 2025 has been considered by the examiner.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f). The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f). The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f), except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are:
“communication interface configured to” (Claim 1)
“other repository comprising structures to” (Claim 18)
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
According to paragraph [0033] of the specification, the “control computer 120 is in wireless communication with the robot 102, 104 and the camera 112, in other embodiments wired or other connections may be used” and FIG. 1 shows antennas; therefore, a “communication interface” is an antenna, wire, or equivalents thereof.
According to paragraphs [0026] and [0036] of the specification, a robot may store the grippers on a tool belt, a tool bench, a bin, or a carousel; therefore, a “other repository comprising structures” are a tool belt, a tool bench, a bin, a carousel, or equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f), applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f).
Claim Objections
The claims are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1: “a robotic arm comprising the robotic system” should be “a robotic arm [[comprising]] of the robotic system”.
Claims 1, 19, and 20: “the robotic arm and end effector” should be “the robotic arm and the end effector”.
Claim 3: “toe determine” should be “[[toe]] to determine”.
Claim 6: “mounted” should be “[[mounted]] mount”.
Claim 15: “the task comprises one of a plurality of tasks, each task of the plurality of tasks associated with a respective object in the workspace”.
Claims 19 and 20: “a robotic arm comprising the robotic system” should be “a robotic arm of a robotic system”.
Appropriate corrections are required.
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.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The term “type” in Claim 11 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. See MPEP 2173.05(b)(III)(E). For the purposes of compact prosecution, the examiner has interpreted “a suction type end effector” as “a suction [[type]] end effector”. Appropriate corrections are required.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-4, 10, 13-14, and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by U.S. Pub. No. 2020/0017317 (Yap and Yu, hereinafter, Yap).
Regarding Claim 1, Yap discloses A robotic system (see at least [0002]), comprising:
communication interface configured to receive sensor data from a sensor in a workspace (see at least [0263], [0265], and [0267]: “information is transferred or provided over a network or another communications connection (either hardwired, wireless, or combination thereof) to a computer”; “Sorting stand 150 also includes a vision system with four cameras 158, each having one or more image sensors (e.g., visible light and/or infrared sensors). The vision system can have any number of cameras and be located in other locations or supported by other structures. In some cases, cameras 158 capture image data that includes visible light data (e.g., RGB data) and/or depth information (e.g., how far objects in the image are from the camera). The captured image data is sent to the control system for processing.”); and
a processor coupled to the communication interface (see at least [0262] and [0265]) and configured to:
use the sensor data to determine an end effector to be used to perform a task with respect to an object in the workspace (see at least [0273], [0303], [0378], [0380], and [0400]: “In some embodiments, when performing a task (e.g., picking an object having a certain size, shape, or composition, etc.) the robotic system (e.g., 800) optionally chooses an end effector among multiple end effectors”);
autonomously mount the end effector on a free moving end of a robotic arm comprising the robotic system (see at least [0400]: “The system is able to switch the type of end effector (e.g., switching between the gripper 1904 and gripper 2002) during the operation automatically based on the object characteristics (e.g. dimension, weight, surface material) in the tote. There are multiple types of end effectors (e.g., multiple types of cups) that are placed on a fixture nearby the robot. When the robot needs to switch the end effector, it will conduct a certain motion so that the current engaged end effector will be left on the fixture and then engage another cup on the fixture. In some cases, the end effectors are attached with magnetic force or vacuum force.”); and
use the robotic arm and end effector to perform the task with respect to the object (see at least [0007]: “moving the robotic arm to position the end effector at the location; gripping the object at the location; and moving the object from the container on the sorting stand to a container on the receptacle stand”).
Regarding Claim 2, Yap discloses all the limitations of Claim 1. Furthermore, Yap discloses wherein the sensor comprises a camera and the sensor data comprises image data (see at least [0267] and [0273]: “Sorting stand 150 also includes a vision system with four cameras 158, each having one or more image sensors (e.g., visible light and/or infrared sensors). The vision system can have any number of cameras and be located in other locations or supported by other structures. In some cases, cameras 158 capture image data that includes visible light data (e.g., RGB data) and/or depth information (e.g., how far objects in the image are from the camera). The captured image data is sent to the control system for processing.”).
Regarding Claim 3, Yap discloses all the limitations of Claim 2. Furthermore, Yap discloses wherein the processor is configured to use the image data to determine an attribute of the object and toe determine the end effector to be used to perform the task based at least in part on the attribute (see at least [0136]-[0137], [0269], and [0303]: “The control system can then identify the object (e.g., by scanning a bar code or using image recognition or analyzing other properties of the object)”; “In some embodiments, when performing a task (e.g., picking an object having a certain size, shape, or composition, etc.) the robotic system (e.g., 800) optionally chooses an end effector among multiple end effectors”).
Regarding Claim 4, Yap discloses all the limitations of Claim 1. Furthermore, Yap discloses wherein determining the end effector includes selecting the end effector from among a plurality of end effectors available to be mounted on the free moving end of the robotic arm (see at least [0400] and FIG. 20: “The system is able to switch the type of end effector (e.g., switching between the gripper 1904 and gripper 2002) during the operation automatically based on the object characteristics (e.g. dimension, weight, surface material) in the tote. There are multiple types of end effectors (e.g., multiple types of cups) that are placed on a fixture nearby the robot. When the robot needs to switch the end effector, it will conduct a certain motion so that the current engaged end effector will be left on the fixture and then engage another cup on the fixture. In some cases, the end effectors are attached with magnetic force or vacuum force.”).
Regarding Claim 10, Yap discloses all the limitations of Claim 1. Furthermore, Yap discloses wherein autonomously mounting the end effector on the free moving end of the robotic arm includes using suction to grasp and hold the end effector to the free moving end of the robotic arm (see at least [0400]: “The system is able to switch the type of end effector (e.g., switching between the gripper 1904 and gripper 2002) during the operation automatically”; “the end effectors are attached with magnetic force or vacuum force”).
Regarding Claim 13, Yap discloses all the limitations of Claim 1. Furthermore, Yap discloses wherein autonomously mounting the end effector includes recognizing that the end effector determined to be used to perform the task is already mounted (see at least [0378]: “while the robotic arm tool is coupled with a first detachable tool, the system determines whether a second detachable tool is needed”).
Regarding Claim 14, Yap discloses all the limitations of Claim 1. Furthermore, Yap discloses wherein the end effector comprises a first end effector and wherein autonomously mounting the first end effector includes unmounting a second end effector mounted previously on the free moving end of the robotic arm (see at least [0379]: “In accordance with a determination that the second detachable tool is needed, the robotic arm tool decouples from the first detachable tool, for example, by mounting the first detachable tool onto an available slot on a tool rack and pulling away from the tool rack to decouple the first detachable tool from the tool changer base.”).
Regarding Claim 16, Yap discloses all the limitations of Claim 1. Furthermore, Yap discloses wherein the task is associated with a first robotic application included in a plurality of robotic applications and wherein the processor is configured to determine a set of end effectors associated with the first robotic application and to select the end effector from among the set of end effectors associated with the first robotic application (see at least [0005] and [0314]: “The system determines whether using a finger gripper or a suction gripper is more effective for a particular object, and if by suction, what suction nozzle size is suitable”).
Regarding Claim 17, Yap discloses all the limitations of Claim 16. Furthermore, Yap discloses wherein the processor is further configured to use the robotic arm to select the set of end effectors associated with the first robotic application from a larger group of available end effectors, based at least in part on the robotic system being configured to perform tasks associated with the first robotic application (see at least [0005] and [0314]: “The system determines whether using a finger gripper or a suction gripper is more effective for a particular object, and if by suction, what suction nozzle size is suitable”).
Regarding Claim 18, Yap discloses all the limitations of Claim 16. Furthermore, Yap discloses wherein the end effector is included in a set of end effectors disposed on an end effector wall or other repository comprising structures to enable the end effectors comprising the set to be viewed, mounted, and unmounted (see at least [0375]-[0377] and FIG. 19H: “The tool rack can be secured in any orientation or angle, and the motion paths of the robotic arm can be programmed accordingly to achieve coupling and decoupling described above. For example, the tool rack can be secured in an upright orientation, with the widened openings of the slots facing upward. “).
Regarding Claim 19, Yap discloses A method (see at least [0261]). All other limitations of this claim are substantially similar to limitations in Claim 1 and the rejection for Claim 1 should be referenced.
Regarding Claim 20, Yap discloses A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions (see at least [0263]). All other limitations of this claim are substantially similar to limitations in Claim 1 and the rejection for Claim 1 should be referenced.
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.
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.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yap in view of U.S. Patent No. 5,570,992 (hereinafter, Lemelson).
Regarding Claim 5, Yap discloses all the limitations of Claim 1. Furthermore, Yap discloses that the robot may be mounted on a wheeled base (see at least [0080]: “In some embodiments, the receptacle stand includes wheels”). Yap does not explicitly disclose wherein the robotic arm is mounted on a robotically controlled rover and wherein autonomously mounting the end effector on the free moving end of the robotic arm includes operating the rover under robotic control to position the robotic arm in a location from which the end effector is within reach of the free moving end of the robotic arm.
Lemelson, in the same field of robotics, and therefore analogous art, teaches wherein the robotic arm is mounted on a robotically controlled rover and wherein autonomously mounting the end effector on the free moving end of the robotic arm includes operating the rover under robotic control to position the robotic arm in a location from which the end effector is within reach of the free moving end of the robotic arm (see at least column 2 and FIG. 2: “a plurality of tools and handling devices are supported at respective storage locations of a rack supported above the ground or floor on which the manipulator operates wherein the manipulator is automatically and/or remotely controlled to align itself with such rack and along its operating head with a selected storage location of the rack to dispose and release the tool the manipulator head is carrying at such select storage location so as to permit the head of the manipulator to receive and hold another tool at another location of the rack”).
It would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to one having ordinary skill in the art, to combine the teachings of Lemelson with Yap so that a manipulator covering an area that requires a movable base can complete a variety of tasks.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yap in view of WIPO Pub. 2023/235498 (Peine et al., hereinafter, Peine).
Regarding Claim 6, Yap discloses all the limitations of Claim 1. Furthermore, Yap discloses determining a location of the detachable tool in the rack (see at least [0378]-[0380]). Yap does not explicitly disclose wherein the sensor data comprises RF tag data associated with the end effector and the processor is configured to use the RF tag data to locate and mounted the end effector to be used to perform the task.
Peine, in the same field of robotics, and therefore analogous art, teaches wherein the sensor data comprises RF tag data associated with the end effector and the processor is configured to use the RF tag data to locate and mounted the end effector to be used to perform the task (see at least [0011] and [0126]-[0127]: “after a first set of tool elements are removed from the robotic arm and the distal end of the robotic arm is inserted into a second cartridge holding different second tool elements, second information is received by the RFID reader of the robotic arm from a RFID chip or tag of the second cartridge regarding the different second tool elements stored in the second cartridge”; “interactions between an RFID chip or tag of a cartridge and an RFID reader of a distal end of a robotic arm can also be used to determine a proximity of certain location on the distal end of robotic arm (e.g., the location of the RFID reader) to a desired corresponding location in an interior of the cartridge (e.g., the location of the RFID tag or chip when the distal end of the robotic arm has engaged the tool elements)”).
It would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to one having ordinary skill in the art, to combine the teachings of Peine with Yap with the motivation of determining information about the tool including serial number (see at least Peine [0096] and [0125]).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yap in view of U.S. Pub. No. 2023/0073612 (Baker and Gamst, hereinafter, Baker) in further view of U.S. Pub. No. 2021/0122043 (Menon et al., hereinafter, Menon).
Regarding Claim 7, Yap discloses all the limitations of Claim 1. Furthermore, Yap discloses computer vision (see at least [0002] and [0006]) and wherein autonomously mounting the end effector on the free moving end of the robotic arm includes…to move an end effector mount structure on the free moving end of the robotic arm to a position adjacent to a corresponding structure on the end effector and …engage to engage the end effector mount structure with the corresponding structure on the end effector (see at least [0267]: “when the tool changer base 1924 and the detachable tool 1926 are placed in proximity with each other, the embedded magnet 1930 and the embedded magnet 1932 are coupled together via magnetic force”). However, Yap describes this primarily for the method of magnetic force attachment and Yap does not disclose the details for “the end effectors are attached with magnetic force or vacuum force” (see at least [0400]).
Baker, in the same field of robotics, and therefore analogous art, teaches wherein autonomously mounting the end effector on the free moving end of the robotic arm includes…to move an end effector mount structure on the free moving end of the robotic arm to a position adjacent to a corresponding structure on the end effector and …engage to engage the end effector mount structure with the corresponding structure on the end effector (see at least [0054]-[0057], Fig. 3c, and Fig. 4: the robotic arm is moved to the snorkel 120, then the suction cups 13 on the robotic arm are aligned to the interface plate 10 on the snorkel 120 to attach the two). The teachings of Baker apply specifically to vacuum force attachments.
It would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to one having ordinary skill in the art, to combine the teachings of Baker with Yap with the motivation of implementing the attachment strategy with vacuum force broadly disclosed in Yap (see at least Yap [0400]) with a specific option of attachment using vacuum force taught by Baker in order to have options to pick up objects of multiple orientations (see at least Baker [0010]) without adding the magnets of Yap disclosed for that solution.
Baker nor Yap explicitly teach using computer vision to align components and using force control to engage the components.
Menon, in the same field of robotics, and therefore analogous art, teaches using computer vision to align components and using force control to engage the components (see at least [0025]-[0026], [0036], [0043], and FIG. 4: “one or more of position control, force control, and computer vision-based control (e.g., from 2D and/or 3D cameras providing image and/or depth data)”; “Force control is used to carefully probe until the part is determined to be at least partly aligned with the slot”; “In various embodiments, position control is used to position each item in proximity to its destination slot or other location, and force control primitives are used to align (or verify alignment of) the respective structures of the item with corresponding cavities in the destination location of the item and to “slot” or insert the item into its location. In various embodiments, the force control ensures that the slot located and the part aligned and inserted into the slot with force sufficient to overcome friction and insert the item despite tight tolerances, all without damaging either the receptacle (e.g., due to damage to the foam or other insert) or the item.”; “FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a process to place items in corresponding locations in a receptacle. In various embodiments, the process 400 of FIG. 4 is performed by a computer, such as control computer 122 of FIG. 1. The process 400 may be performed to pick/place items, as in step 306 of the process 300 of FIG. 3. In the example shown in FIG. 4, at 402 a next item is picked from a source receptacle. For example, a robotic arm and end effector may be used to grasp an item, as in the example shown in FIGS. 2A through 2C. At 404, position control is used to move the item to the vicinity of a destination location, such as a corresponding slot in a destination receptacle, in which the item grasped at 402 is to be placed. Image data, such as generated by cameras in the workspace (e.g., cameras 114, 116 of FIG. 1A) may be used to generate a three-dimensional view of the workspace, and at 404 the three-dimensional view may be used to move the items grasped at 402 to a corresponding slot in a destination receptacle. At 406, force control is used, as need, to align the item with its corresponding slot and to slide the item into the slot.”).
It would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to one having ordinary skill in the art, to combine the teachings of Menon with the Yap and Baker combination with the motivation of using control methods to reduce the risk of damage during mating (see at least Menon [0040]).
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yap in view of Baker.
Regarding Claim 11, Yap discloses all the limitations of Claim 10. Furthermore, Yap discloses wherein the end effector comprises a suction type end effector (see at least [0393]: “a vacuum flow is created through the primary chamber 2106 of loose bag cup gripper 2002 (e.g., via an air flow source) and the bag 2004 is drawn upward into the primary chamber 2106 through the opening at the distal end 2104”) and wherein …suction …is further supplied to the end effector as a resource (see at least [0399]: “In operation, the modified loose bag cup gripper 2002 is placed at a desirable location in proximity to a target item. The robotic system then activates a vacuum pass-through such that the modified loose bag cup gripper 2002 applies a vertical suction force to the target item.”).
Yap does not explicitly disclose wherein the suction used to grasp and hold the end effector to the free moving end of the robotic arm is further supplied to the end effector as a resource.
Baker, in the same field of robotics, and therefore analogous art, teaches wherein the suction used to grasp and hold the end effector to the free moving end of the robotic arm is further supplied to the end effector as a resource (see at least [0055] and FIG. 4: “FIG. 4 depicts a cross sectional view of a gripper assembly 200 comprising the gripper snorkel arrangement 100 attached to the gripper unit 10. Suction cups 13 of the gripper unit 10 are aligned to interface with the holes 115 of the interface plate 110. The suction cups 13 interfacing with the holes 115 may be used to provide a suction force that is transferred from the suction cups 13 to the open end 122 of the snorkel 120 via the holes 115 and the inner lumen 125 of the snorkel 120. Not shown in FIG. 4, there may be suction cups 13 comprised in the gripper unit 10 interfacing with sections of the interface plate 110 not being provided with holes 115. Since the interface plate 110 is substantially planar, these suction cups 13 will attach the snorkel arrangement to the gripper unit by means of suction. The control suction cup 14 in FIG. 4 may of course be replaced with a normal suction cup 13 used for providing an attachment means. If the gripper snorkel arrangement of FIG. 4 would have been provided with only one hole 115, one of the suction cups 13 shown in FIG. 4 would provide suction force to the open end 122 of the snorkel 120 and the other would provide suction for fastening the gripper snorkel arrangement 100 to the gripper unit 10. The gripper unit 10 may be configured to control the suction cups 13 individually or in groups, such that that the attachment of the gripper snorkel arrangement 100 to the gripper unit 10 can be controlled independently of the suction force provided to the open end 122 of the snorkel 120. This is beneficial since it enables the snorkel 120 to drop packaging containers 20, 20′ without the gripper snorkel arrangement 100 being detached from the gripper unit 10. The gripper assembly 200 of FIG. 4 is, for illustrative purposes, shown engaging with a packaging container 20, needless to say, this may alternatively be a misplaced packaging container 20′.”).
It would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to one having ordinary skill in the art, to combine the teachings of Baker with Yap with the motivation of implementing the attachment strategy with vacuum force broadly disclosed in Yap (see at least Yap [0400]) with a specific option of attachment using vacuum force taught by Baker in order to have options to pick up objects of multiple orientations (see at least Baker [0010]) while minimizing complexity and cost for the implementation by having a common suction source.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yap in view of U.S. Pub. No. 2023/0081119 (Rohanimanesh et al., hereinafter, Rohanimanesh).
Regarding Claim 15, Yap discloses all the limitations of Claim 1. Furthermore, Yap suggests wherein the task comprises one of a plurality of tasks, each associated with a respective object in the workspace, and wherein the processor is further configured to determine for each task a corresponding end effector to be used to perform that task and to generate a plan to perform at least a subset of the plurality of tasks, including by taking into account a cost associated with changing between two different corresponding end effectors between tasks (see at least [0296]-[0298] and [0381]-[0382]: “The robotic system, such as system 100 described above, determines whether gripping at a particular location by a finger gripper or by a suction gripper would be more effective, and if by suction, what suction nozzle size is suitable.”; “only one of the grippers is present on the end effector and the two different grippers are automatically switched as necessary”; “Embodiments of the robotic system determine probability maps for a plurality of different end effector configurations. The probability maps describe the change of a successful grasp at various locations in a scene containing one or more (generally a plurality) of objects. The system then picks a configuration based on any combination of factors, such as the configuration with the highest success probability, the configuration that will produce the fastest cycle time, the cheapest configuration, the configuration least likely to result in damage to an object, or other similar factors.”; “The above-described magnetic coupling mechanism provides a flexible manipulation solution for manipulating objects of a wide array of sizes, weights, and surfaces, while minimizing impact to cycle time. In some embodiments, the mechanism allows for quick and secure tool exchange within 0.5-1 second (e.g., 0.5 second, 0.6 second, 0.7 second, 0.8 second, 0.9 second, 1 second), compared to over 5 seconds for currently available methods.”; “Advantageously, the above-described magnetic coupling mechanism and tool rack can securely exchange tools at a speed equal to or faster than a single item pick cycle without any manual intervention. As such, potential bottleneck caused by tool changes is reduced or eliminated. For example, a warehouse that handles a wide range of package sizes may require frequent tool exchanges to allow the robotic arm to properly grip the packages during picking and sorting. Frequent tool exchanges that take over 5 seconds each time may unreasonably constrain the throughput of the picking and sorting process. However, if the tool exchange takes equal to or less than the cycle time, then the picking and sorting of different items can be streamlined more easily and be performed more efficiently.”). However, Yap does not explicitly disclose wherein the task comprises one of a plurality of tasks, each associated with a respective object in the workspace, and wherein the processor is further configured to determine for each task a corresponding end effector to be used to perform that task and to generate a plan to perform at least a subset of the plurality of tasks, including by taking into account a cost associated with changing between two different corresponding end effectors between tasks.
Rohanimanesh, in the same field of robotics, and therefore analogous art, teaches wherein the task comprises one of a plurality of tasks, each associated with a respective object in the workspace, and wherein the processor is further configured to determine for each task a corresponding end effector to be used to perform that task and to generate a plan to perform at least a subset of the plurality of tasks, including by taking into account a cost associated with changing between two different corresponding end effectors between tasks (see at least [0051] and [0061]-[0062]: “Our primary goal is to minimize the cost associated with changing tools, yet still maximize pick success.”; “In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, performed by a computer, for use with a plurality of grasp prediction models having a one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of end-effectors, the method including: (A) identifying an end-effector currently attached to a robot; (B) identifying, based on an input image, a plurality of objects to be grasped by the robot; (C) selecting, using a Markov Decision Process (MDP) based on the plurality of grasp prediction models, a plurality of grasps for grasping the plurality of objects, wherein the plurality of grasps are in an ordered sequence; and (D) selecting, for each of the plurality of grasps, a corresponding end-effector.”; “ The MDP may include a set of reward balances which balances pick success and end-effector change cost.”).
It would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to one having ordinary skill in the art, to combine the teachings of Rohanimanesh with Yap with the motivation of optimizing throughput with selecting a better end effector: “While smaller vacuum end-effectors (in diameter) are naturally a better fit for tiny surfaces, larger vacuum end-effectors are proven to grasp more robustly on large surfaces and heavier objects. If a robot is to select a new end-effector to pick a particular object, the robot needs to make a decision about which end-effector to select and, if the selected end-effector is different from the current end-effector on the robot arm, the robot needs to change and swap the selected end-effector with the new one. Tool changing, however, comes at a cost of cycle time: every time the robot decides to change the tool, it has to physically navigate the end-effector to the tool changing station and swap it with the newly-selected end effector. This swapping process will add to the cycle time, thereby having a negative impact on throughput (defined as the total time required to pick all objects divided by the number of objects picked). What is needed, therefore, and what embodiments of the present invention provide, are efficient algorithms that optimize (or otherwise increase) the throughput, and possibly also while minimizing the tool changing costs.” (see at least Rohanimanesh [0002]-[0003]).
Additional Relevant Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure and may be found on the accompanying PTO-892 Notice of References Cited:
U.S. Pub. No. 2020/0070361 which teaches a robotic toolset and gripper.
U.S. Pub. No. 2025/0339215 which is equivalent to WIPO pub. 2023/235498.
Conclusion
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/A.R.M./Examiner, Art Unit 3658
/JASON HOLLOWAY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3658