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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. CN202311751209.7, filed on 12/18/2023.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: In Paragraph 0038 in the as filed specification, the paragraph recites “sub-figure 3(a) in FIG. 4 and “sub-figure 3(b) in FIG.4”. Examiner believes the “3” in both instances is a typographical error.
Appropriate correction is 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.
Claims 1, 8, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Huang et al. (CN 114429477 A) hereinafter Huang.
Regarding claim 1, Huang discloses a computer-implemented method for area dividing in a map for a mobile robot [see Paragraph 0057 – discusses a method for a cleaner (mobile robot)], the method comprising:
obtaining a binary map corresponding to a target area [see Paragraph 0058 – discusses obtaining the original binary map corresponding to the target area];
determining one or more first areas in the binary map according to partition information [see Paragraphs 0068-0076 – discusses obtaining a second partition (see Figure 7 below – depicts undivided areas) corresponding to the original binary map according to a first divided image (see Figure 3 below – depicts previous partition information)], wherein the one or more first areas are undivided areas in the binary map [see Figure 7 below – depicts undivided areas in white], the partition information corresponds to second areas in the binary map [see Figure 3 below – depicts partition information with second areas], and the second areas are divided areas in the binary map [see Figure 3 below – depicts divided areas];
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Figure 3 of Huang Figure 7 of Huang
for each first area of the one or more first areas, determining, according to size of the first area, the first area as a newly added second area [see Paragraphs 0082-0083 and 0088-0089 – discusses depending on the size of the second partition (first area or undivided area), the second partition is combined with a first target partition, and see Figures 8 and 10 below – depicts combining the first partition and the second partition, adding the second partition to the first partition], see Figures 8 and 10 below – depicts target area]; and
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Figure 8 of Huang Figure 10 of Huang
controlling the mobile robot according to the target area-dividing map [see Paragraph 0091 – discusses that a cleaner cleans the target area according to each partition].
Regarding claim 8, Huang discloses a mobile robot [see Paragraph 0031 – discusses a cleaner (mobile robot)] comprising:
one or more processors [see Paragraph 0031 – discusses a processor]; and
a memory coupled to the one or more processors, the memory storing programs that, when executed by the one or more processors [see Paragraph 0031 – discusses a computer program stored on a memory and executed on a processor], cause performance of operations comprising:
obtaining a binary map corresponding to a target area [see Paragraph 0058 – discusses obtaining the original binary map corresponding to the target area];
determining one or more first areas in the binary map according to partition information [see Paragraphs 0068-0076 – discusses obtaining a second partition (see Figure 7 below – depicts undivided areas) corresponding to the original binary map according to a first divided image (see Figure 3 below – depicts previous partition information)], wherein the one or more first areas are undivided areas in the binary map [see Figure 7 below – depicts undivided areas in white], the partition information corresponds to second areas in the binary map [see Figure 3 below – depicts partition information with second areas], and the second areas are divided areas in the binary map [see Figure 3 below – depicts divided areas];
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Figure 3 of Huang Figure 7 of Huang
for each first area of the one or more first areas, determining, according to size of the first area, the first area as a newly added second area [see Paragraphs 0082-0083 and 0088-0089 – discusses depending on the size of the second partition (first area or undivided area), the second partition is combined with a first target partition, and see Figures 8 and 10 below – depicts combining the first partition and the second partition, adding the second partition to the first partition], see Figures 8 and 10 below – depicts target area]; and
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Figure 8 of Huang Figure 10 of Huang
controlling the mobile robot according to the target area-dividing map [see Paragraph 0091 – discusses that a cleaner cleans the target area according to each partition].
Regarding claim 15, Huang discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a mobile robot, cause the at least one processor to perform a method [see Paragraph 0032 – discusses a computer readable storage medium with a stored program (instructions)], the method comprising:
obtaining a binary map corresponding to a target area [see Paragraph 0058 – discusses obtaining the original binary map corresponding to the target area];
determining one or more first areas in the binary map according to partition information [see Paragraphs 0068-0076 – discusses obtaining a second partition (see Figure 7 below – depicts undivided areas) corresponding to the original binary map according to a first divided image (see Figure 3 below – depicts previous partition information)], wherein the one or more first areas are undivided areas in the binary map [see Figure 7 below – depicts undivided areas in white], the partition information corresponds to second areas in the binary map [see Figure 3 below – depicts partition information with second areas], and the second areas are divided areas in the binary map [see Figure 3 below – depicts divided areas];
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Figure 3 of Huang Figure 7 of Huang
for each first area of the one or more first areas, determining, according to size of the first area, the first area as a newly added second area [see Paragraphs 0082-0083 and 0088-0089 – discusses depending on the size of the second partition (first area or undivided area), the second partition is combined with a first target partition, and see Figures 8 and 10 below – depicts combining the first partition and the second partition, adding the second partition to the first partition], see Figures 8 and 10 below – depicts target area]; and
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Figure 8 of Huang Figure 10 of Huang
controlling the mobile robot according to the target area-dividing map [see Paragraph 0091 – discusses that a cleaner cleans the target area according to each partition].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-7, 9-14, and 16-20 are 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.
Reasons for Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance. The claimed invention is directed at map partitioning for mobile robot cleaning.
The following references have been identified as the most relevant prior art to the claimed invention(s):
Huang et al. (CN 114429477 A) hereinafter Huang.
However, the combination of Huang fails to disclose, or make obvious, these features of:
“determining the one or more first areas in the binary map according to partition information comprises: creating a first undivided map; determining contours of the second areas according to the partition information; copying the binary map to the first undivided map, and filling the second areas in the first undivided map with obstacles according to the contours of the second areas, so as to obtain a second undivided map, wherein the second undivided map comprises one or more of the first areas.”,
“determining the one or more first areas in the binary map according to partition information comprises: creating a first undivided map; determining contours of the second areas according to the partition information; filling the second areas in the first undivided map to obtain a third undivided map according to the contours of the second areas; and performing bitwise XOR operation on the binary map and the third undivided map to obtain a second undivided map, wherein the second undivided map includes one or more of the first areas.”,
“determining, according to size of the first area, the first area as a newly added second area, or merge the first area into a third area that is one of the second areas, comprises: determining a length and a width of the first area; in response to the length and the width of the first area being greater than or equal to a first preset threshold, determining an area of the first area; in response to the area of the first area is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold, determining the first area as the newly added second area; and in response to the length or the width of the first area is less than the first preset threshold, or the area of the first area is less than the second preset threshold, merging the first area into the third area.”,
“before merging the first area into the third area, obtaining contours of the first areas and contours of the second areas; determining one or more target contours adjacent to the contours of the first areas from the contours of the second areas; and determining one or more second areas corresponding to the one or more target contours as the third areas.”,
“before merging the first area into the third area, obtaining first bounding rectangles for the first areas and second bounding rectangles for the second areas; determining one or more of the third bounding rectangles that have an intersection with the first bounding rectangles from the second bounding rectangles; from contours of fourth areas, determining target contours adjacent to the contours of the first areas, wherein the fourth areas are the second areas corresponding to the third bounding rectangles; and determining the fourth areas corresponding to the target contour as the third areas.”, or
“determining the fourth areas corresponding to the target contour as the third areas comprises: in response to there being multiple target contours, obtaining numbers of pixels of the contours of the first areas adjacent to each of target contours; and determining one of the fourth areas corresponding to one of the target contours with the largest number of pixels as the third area.”.
The Examiner further emphasizes the claims as a whole and hereby asserts that the totality of the evidence fails to set forth, either explicitly or implicitly, an appropriate rationale for further modification of the evidence at hand to arrive at the claimed invention. The combination of features as claimed would not have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art as combining various references from the totality of the evidence to reach the combination of features as claimed would require a substantial reconstruction of Applicant’s claimed invention relying on improper hindsight bias. It is thereby asserted by the Examiner that, in light of the above and in further deliberation over all of the evidence at hand, that the claims are allowable as the evidence at hand does not anticipate the claims and does not render obvious any further modification of the references to a person of ordinary skill in the art.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Shayne M Gilbertson whose telephone number is (571)272-4862. The examiner can normally be reached Tuesday - Friday: 10:30 AM - 9:30 PM EST.
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/SHAYNE M. GILBERTSON/Examiner, Art Unit 3665