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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of claims 1-19 in the reply filed on 05/22/2026 is acknowledged. Claim(s) 20 is/are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 05/22/2026.
Status of Claims
This Office Action is in response to Election, Amendments & Remarks filed on 05/22/2026 for application number 18/917,922 filed on 10/16/2024, in which claims 1-20 were originally presented for examination. Claim(s) 20 is/are has/have been cancelled & claim(s) 21 has/have been added as a new independent claim(s). Accordingly, claims 1-19 & 21 are currently pending.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim this application to be CIP of PCT/CN2023/108919, filed on 07/24/2023. Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in CN20241085434.4 & CN202411319950.0 on 06/28/2024 & 09/20/2024, respectively. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the CN20241085434.4 & CN202411319950.0 applications as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS(s)) submitted on 01/10/2025 & 01/07/2026 has/have been received and considered.
Examiner Notes
Examiner cites particular paragraphs (or columns and lines) in the references as applied to Applicant’s claims for the convenience of the Applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested that, in preparing responses, the Applicant fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner. The prompt development of a clear issue requires that the replies of the Applicant meet the objections to and rejections of the claims. Applicant should also specifically point out the support for any amendments made to the disclosure. See MPEP §2163.06. Applicant is reminded that the Examiner is entitled to give the Broadest Reasonable Interpretation (BRI) to the language of the claims. Furthermore, the Examiner is not limited to Applicant’s definition which is not specifically set forth in the claims. See MPEP §2111.01.
Examiner notes that Applicants have used the phrase “and/or” in claims 5 & 9. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) has held that use of the phrase “and/or” within a claim is not indefinite. According to the PTAB, “and/or” is not wrong, but it’s not preferred verbiage. See Ex Parte Gross, Appeal No. 2011-004811. Nevertheless, during patent examination, the pending claims must be given their broadest reasonable interpretation (BRI) consistent with the specification. See MPEP §2111; Phillips v. AWH Corp., 415 F.3d 1303, 1316, 75 USPQ2d 1321, 1329 (Fed. Cir. 2005). Based upon this guidance from the MPEP and the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, the Examiner interprets the phrase “and/or” under its broadest reasonable interpretation of “or” for purposes of examination of the instant Application.
Claim Objections
Claim(s) 1, 3 & 6 is/are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 recites “and sensing data” in line 17. It should be “and the sensing data”.
Claim 3 recites “sensing data” in line 7. It should be “the sensing data”.
Claim 3 recites “the non-working area; and” in line 8. It should be “the non-working area;”.
Claim 6 recites “more than one event that can be used” in line 2. It should be “more than one event that is used”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC §102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 USC §102 and §103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 USC §102 and §103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis 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.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 USC §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) 1-19 & 21 is/are rejected under 35 USC §102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by PG Pub. No. US-2022/0232750-A1 by Shirafuji et al. (hereinafter “Shirafuji”), which is found in the IDS submitted on 01/07/2026 (i.e., WO-2020235471)
As per Claim 1, Shirafuji discloses an autonomous working robot comprising:
a body (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s) 3 & 14 [reproduced here for convenience], and ¶¶7 & 64, discloses work vehicle, e.g., Tractor V1, rice transplanter V2, combine harvester V3 & mower V4);
a driving assembly connected to the body and configured to drive the autonomous working robot to move according to a driving instruction (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s) 1, 3 & 14, and ¶¶7, 45 & 64, discloses an automatic travel system for the work vehicle that includes: an automatic travel unit 4, wherein an automatic travel control section 46F executes control related to automatic travel, and causes the work vehicle to travel automatically along a target path at a registered work site);
a sensor assembly configured to generate sensing data based on acquired information (Shirafuji, in at least Fig. 3, and ¶¶63-64, discloses a Vehicle State Detector 45, which is a collective term for the various sensors, i.e., an accelerator sensor; a speed sensor; a gear shift sensor; a vehicle speed sensor; a reverser sensor; a steering angle sensor; a height sensor; and an inclination sensor); and
a controller (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 3 & 14, and ¶¶211, discloses section 46A-46L of a Vehicle Mounted Control Unit 46) configured to:
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Shirafuji’s Fig. 14
determine whether an entry condition is met (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 11, 14 & 15, and ¶¶63-64 & 211, discloses standby position acquisition control, wherein the automatic travel control section 46F determines whether a second standby condition to cause the riding rice transplanter V2 to stand by at an off-field standby position p0b is satisfied); and
perform an entry control process in response to the entry condition being met (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 11, 14 & 15, and ¶¶63-64 & 211, discloses initiating path acquisition processing, wherein in the case where the second standby condition is satisfied, the automatic travel control section 46F executes off-field automatic travel control), the entry control process including:
outputting a first corresponding driving instruction according to the sensing data to control a first movement trajectory of the autonomous working robot moving from a vehicle transporting the autonomous working robot to a ground of a non-working area (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 11, 14 & 15, and ¶¶63-64 & 211-216, discloses initiating path acquisition processing, a carrier vehicle Z transporting the riding rice transplanter V2, and the off-field standby position p0b that is the loading/unloading position for the carrier vehicle Z that transports the riding rice transplanter V2, wherein in the case where the second standby condition is satisfied, the automatic travel control section 46F executes off-field automatic travel control to cause the riding rice transplanter V2 to travel automatically from the current position to the off-field standby position p0b & to stand by at the off-field standby position p0b);
obtaining map data of a working area of a working task to be performed (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 3, 6 & 7, and ¶¶83-88, discloses a target path generation section 51B that switches a display screen of the display device 50 to a registered field display screen 50A that displays map data including the fields Aa to Ag, wherein in the case where the target path generation section 51B confirms that the user performs the touch operation on the new registration confirmation screen to newly register the field, the target path generation section 51B switches the display screen of the display device 50 to a field registration screen that displays the map data in the vicinity of the tractor and also displays an operation procedure for registering the field); and
outputting a second corresponding driving instruction according to the map data and sensing data to control a second movement trajectory of the autonomous working robot moving from the ground of the non-working area to the working area (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 3, 5, 14 & 15, and ¶¶7-11, 64, 78-85, 211-216 & 226, discloses an automatic travel control section 46F that causes the work vehicle to travel automatically along a target path at a registered work site by using a satellite positioning system and the standby position setting section, wherein a non-volatile vehicle-mounted storage section 46G stores an automatic travel target path P (see Fig. 5) generated according to a travel area in a field. Shirafuji further discloses the automatic travel control to cause the riding rice transplanter V2 to travel automatically along the target path P in the field Ad illustrated in Fig(s). 14 & 15, wherein the automatic travel control section 46F determines whether a standby condition for causing the combine harvester V3 to stand by at the discharge standby position p0 is satisfied in the automatic travel state where the automatic travel control is executed to cause the combine harvester V3 to travel automatically along the target path P).
As per claim 2, Shirafuji discloses the autonomous working robot according to claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 above is incorporated. Shirafuji further discloses wherein the entry condition comprises at least one of following:
the controller receives an input of an entry instruction;
the autonomous working robot recognizes that a position thereof is in a preset area; and
the autonomous working robot detects that a ramp of the vehicle is lowered (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 3, 14 & 15, and ¶¶180-181 & 211-216, discloses the automatic travel control section 46F is set to determine that the first standby condition is satisfied in the case where the standby position setting section 46K sets the replenishment standby position p0a. Shirafuji further discloses the standby position setting section 46K executes the off-field movement path acquisition control in the case where the user performs the touch operation on the path acquisition button that is displayed on the display device 50 [i.e., the controller receives an input of an entry instruction] of the mobile communication terminal 5, for example, in the case where the off-field standby position p0b is the loading/ unloading position for the carrier vehicle Z that transports the riding rice transplanter V2, the standby position setting section 46K initiates the off-field movement path acquisition control).
As per claim 3, Shirafuji discloses the autonomous working robot according to claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 above is incorporated. Shirafuji further discloses wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine whether a return condition is met; and
perform a return control process in response to the return condition being met, the return control process including:
outputting a third corresponding driving instruction according to the map data and sensing data to control a third movement trajectory of the autonomous working robot moving from the working area to the ground of the non-working area;
obtaining position data of the vehicle; and
outputting a fourth corresponding driving instruction according to the position data of the vehicle and the sensing data, to control a fourth movement trajectory of the autonomous working robot moving from the ground of the non-working area to the vehicle (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 14 & 15, and ¶¶180-181 & 211-216, discloses after the riding rice transplanter V2 finishes the seedling planting work in the field Ad and reaches the end point of the target path P, as illustrated in Fig. 15, the riding rice transplanter V2 travels automatically to the off-field standby position p0b along the off-field movement path Pm5. Then, upon arrival to the off-field standby position p0b, the riding rice transplanter V2 stands by at the off-field standby position p0b, wherein the off-field standby position p0b is a loading/ unloading position for a carrier vehicle Z that transports the riding rice transplanter V2).
As per claim 4, Shirafuji discloses the autonomous working robot according to claim 3, accordingly, the rejection of claim 13 above is incorporated. Shirafuji further discloses wherein the return condition comprises at least one of following:
the controller receives an input of a return instruction, and
the autonomous working robot completes the working task of the working area and parks at a preset parking position (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 14 & 15, and ¶¶180-181 & 211-216, discloses after the riding rice transplanter V2 finishes the seedling planting work in the field Ad and reaches the end point of the target path P, as illustrated in Fig. 15, the riding rice transplanter V2 travels automatically to the off-field standby position p0b along the off-field movement path Pm5. Then, upon arrival to the off-field standby position p0b, the riding rice transplanter V2 stands by at the off-field standby position p0b).
As per claim 5, Shirafuji discloses the autonomous working robot according to claim 3, accordingly, the rejection of claim 3 above is incorporated. Shirafuji further discloses wherein:
the sensing data comprises positioning data used for indicating position information of the autonomous working robot; and
the controller is further configured to:
provide the sensing data to a first determination process, the first determination process being used for determining whether a preset event occurs in the autonomous working robot;
in response to determining that the preset event occurs in the autonomous working robot, record position data of at least one position of the autonomous working robot in the first movement trajectory and/or the second movement trajectory according to the positioning data in the sensing data in response to an occurrence of the preset event, the position data including the vehicle position data; and
obtaining the position data, and controlling the autonomous working robot to pass through the at least one position to return to the vehicle (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 14 & 15, and ¶¶7 & 74-75, discloses an automatic travel control section that causes a work vehicle to travel automatically along a target path at a registered work site by using a satellite positioning system, and a standby position setting section that sets a standby position of the work vehicle, in which the standby position setting section acquires an entry point at a time of entering the registered work site from outside the registered work site and sets the entry point as the standby position, and in which the automatic travel control section determines whether a standby condition to cause the work vehicle to stand by at the standby position is satisfied and, in the case where the standby condition is satisfied, causes the work vehicle to travel automatically from a current position to the standby position and to stand by at the standby position).
As per claim 6, Shirafuji discloses the autonomous working robot according to claim 5, accordingly, the rejection of claim 5 above is incorporated. Shirafuji further discloses wherein:
the preset event comprises more than one event that can be used for marking where a vehicle position is located; and
the preset event comprises at least one of following:
detecting that the autonomous working robot moves to a get-off point;
detecting that the autonomous working robot moves to course confirmation position; and
detecting that the positioning data of the autonomous working robot meets a preset precision condition (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 5, 14 & 15, and ¶¶138, 149, 186-187 & 211-216, discloses the automatic travel control section 46F performs interruption position setting processing and resumption position setting processing on the basis of the target path P and the current position of the tractor V1 (steps #12 to 13), wherein a work stop point (end point) p2 on the work path P1 where the tractor V1 currently travels is set as a seed replenishment interruption position p3, in the interruption position setting processing. Then, a next work start point (start point of the next work path P1) p1 from the interruption position p3 is set as a resumption position p4 after the seed replenishment, in the resumption position setting processing. Shirafuji further discloses in the case where the second standby condition is satisfied, the automatic travel control section 46F executes off-field automatic travel control to cause the riding rice transplanter V2 to travel automatically from the current position to the off-field standby position p0b and to stand by at the off-field standby position p0b).
As per claim 7, Shirafuji discloses the autonomous working robot according to claim 5, accordingly, the rejection of claim 5 above is incorporated. Shirafuji further discloses wherein:
the sensing data further comprises environmental data reflecting an environment in which the autonomous working robot is located; and
the controller is further configured to:
provide the environmental data to a second determination process, the second determination process being used for determining whether the autonomous working robot moves from the vehicle to the ground of the non-working area; and
in response to determining that the autonomous working robot moves from the vehicle to the ground of the non-working area, record, according to the positioning data in the sensing data, position data of at least one position after the autonomous working robot reaches the ground of the non-working area (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 1, 3, 4, 11, 14 & 15, and ¶¶ 63-64, 108, 180-181 & 211-216, discloses four cameras 81 to 84, each of which captures an image of the surroundings of the tractor V1, wherein the Vehicle State Detector 45, which is a collective term for the various sensors, provided in the sections of the work vehicle, and includes various sensors, e.g., an inclination sensor. Shirafuji further discloses initiating path acquisition processing, a carrier vehicle Z that transports the riding rice transplanter V2, and the off-field standby position p0b is the loading/unloading position for the carrier vehicle Z that transports the riding rice transplanter V2, wherein in the case where the second standby condition is satisfied, the automatic travel control section 46F executes off-field automatic travel control to cause the riding rice transplanter V2 to travel automatically from the current position to the off-field standby position p0b and to stand by at the off-field standby position p0b. Shirafuji further discloses the automatic travel control section 46F is set to determine that the first standby condition is satisfied in the case where the standby position setting section 46K sets the replenishment standby position p0a, wherein the standby position setting section 46K executes the off-field movement path acquisition control in the case where the user performs the touch operation on the path acquisition button that is displayed on the display device 50 of the mobile communication terminal 5, for example, in the case where the off-field standby position p0b is the loading/ unloading position for the carrier vehicle Z that transports the riding rice transplanter V2, the standby position setting section 46K initiates the off-field movement path acquisition control. Shirafuji also discloses after the riding rice transplanter V2 finishes the seedling planting work in the field Ad and reaches the end point of the target path P, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the riding rice transplanter V2 travels automatically to the off-field standby position pob along the off-field movement path Pm5. Then, upon arrival to the off-field standby position p0b, the riding rice transplanter V2 stands by at the off-field standby position p0b, wherein the off-field standby position p0b is a loading/ unloading position for a carrier vehicle Z that transports the riding rice transplanter V2).
As per claim 8, Shirafuji discloses the autonomous working robot according to claim 7, accordingly, the rejection of claim 7 above is incorporated. Shirafuji further discloses wherein:
the sensor assembly comprises:
a tilt sensor used for detecting a body tilt; and
a slope sensor used for detecting a slope of a surface in a movement direction of the autonomous working robot;
the sensing data further comprises tilt data and slope data; and
the second determination process comprises determining, according to the tilt data and the slope data, whether the autonomous working robot moves from the vehicle to the ground of the non-working area through a ramp (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 1, 3, 4, 11, 14 & 15, and ¶¶ 63-64, 108, 180-181 & 211-216, discloses the Vehicle State Detector 45, which is a collective term for the various sensors, provided in the sections of the work vehicle, and includes various sensors, e.g., an inclination sensor that detects a roll angle of the tractor V1, wherein initiating path acquisition processing, a carrier vehicle Z that transports the riding rice transplanter V2, and the off-field standby position p0b is the loading/unloading position for the carrier vehicle Z that transports the riding rice transplanter V2, wherein in the case where the second standby condition is satisfied, the automatic travel control section 46F executes off-field automatic travel control to cause the riding rice transplanter V2 to travel automatically from the current position to the off-field standby position p0b and to stand by at the off-field standby position p0b).
As per claim 9, Shirafuji discloses the autonomous working robot according to claim 5, accordingly, the rejection of claim 5 above is incorporated. Shirafuji discloses wherein the controller is further configured to:
provide the positioning data to a third determination process, wherein the third determination process is used for determining whether the positioning data meets a preset precision condition; and
in response to determining that the positioning data meets the preset precision condition, record, according to the positioning data in the sensing data, position data of at least one position of the autonomous working robot in the first movement trajectory and/or the second movement trajectory in response to the positioning data meets the preset precision condition (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 3, 5, 14 & 15, and ¶¶7-11, 64, 74-75, 78-85, 106, 121, 211-216 & 226, discloses the satellite navigation device 71 in the positioning unit 70 can measure the current position and the current direction of the tractor Vl with a high degree of accuracy, wherein the automatic travel control section 46F causes the work vehicle to travel automatically along a target path at a registered work site by using the satellite positioning system and the standby position setting section, wherein a non-volatile vehicle-mounted storage section 46G stores an automatic travel target path P (see FIG. 5) generated according to a travel area in a field. Shirafuji further discloses the tractor’s positioning unit 70 measures a current position, a current direction of the tractor V1, wherein the positioning unit 70 has the satellite navigation device 71 that measures the current position and the current direction of the tractor V1 by using the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) as an example of a Navigation Satellite System (NSS); an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 72 that has a three-axis gyroscope, a three-direction acceleration sensor, and the like to measure a posture, a direction, and the like of the tractor V1; and the like. Shirafuji also discloses the automatic travel control to cause the riding rice transplanter V2 to travel automatically along the target path P in the field Ad illustrated in FIGS. 14 to 15).
As per claim 10, Shirafuji discloses the autonomous working robot according to claim 9, accordingly, the rejection of claim 9 above is incorporated. Shirafuji further discloses wherein:
the positioning data comprises satellite positioning data; and
the third determination process is used for determining whether the satellite positioning data meets the preset precision condition (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 3, 5, 14 & 15, and ¶¶7-11, 64, 74-75, 78-85, 211-216 & 226, discloses the satellite navigation device 71 in the positioning unit 70 can measure the current position and the current direction of the tractor Vl with a high degree of accuracy, wherein the automatic travel control section 46F causes the work vehicle to travel automatically along a target path at a registered work site by using the satellite positioning system and the standby position setting section, wherein a non-volatile vehicle-mounted storage section 46G stores an automatic travel target path P (see FIG. 5) generated according to a travel area in a field).
As per claim 11, Shirafuji discloses the autonomous working robot according to claim 9, accordingly, the rejection of claim 9 above is incorporated. Shirafuji further discloses wherein the controller is further configured to:
in response to determining that the positioning data meets the preset precision condition, record, according to the positioning data in the sensing data, first trajectory data of the first movement trajectory and second trajectory data of the second movement trajectory in response to the positioning data meets the preset precision condition;
control the third movement trajectory of the autonomous working robot according to the second trajectory data and the sensing data; and
control the fourth movement trajectory of the autonomous working robot according to the first trajectory data and the sensing data (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 3, 5, 14 & 15, and ¶¶7-11, 64, 74-75, 78-85, 211-216 & 226, discloses the satellite navigation device 71 in the positioning unit 70 can measure the current position and the current direction of the tractor Vl with a high degree of accuracy, wherein the automatic travel control section 46F causes the work vehicle to travel automatically along a target path at a registered work site by using the satellite positioning system and the standby position setting section, wherein a non-volatile vehicle-mounted storage section 46G stores an automatic travel target path P (see FIG. 5) generated according to a travel area in a field).
As per claim 12, Shirafuji discloses the autonomous working robot according to claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 above is incorporated. Shirafuji further discloses wherein:
the sensing data comprises positioning data used for indicating position information of the autonomous working robot; and
the map data comprises boundary data of the working area and guidance data used for guiding the autonomous working robot to move to the working area (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 14 & 15, and ¶¶7 & 74-75, discloses an automatic travel control section that causes a work vehicle to travel automatically along a target path at a registered work site by using a satellite positioning system, and a standby position setting section that sets a standby position of the work vehicle, in which the standby position setting section acquires an entry point at a time of entering the registered work site from outside the registered work site and sets the entry point as the standby position, and in which the automatic travel control section determines whether a standby condition to cause the work vehicle to stand by at the standby position is satisfied and, in the case where the standby condition is satisfied, causes the work vehicle to travel automatically from a current position to the standby position and to stand by at the standby position. Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 3, 6 & 7, and ¶¶83-88, further discloses the target path generation section 51B switches a display screen of the display device 50 to a registered field display screen 50A that displays map data including the fields Aa to Ag, wherein in the case where the target path generation section 51B confirms that the user performs the touch operation on the new registration confirmation screen to newly register the field, the target path generation section 51B switches the display screen of the display device 50 to a field registration screen that displays the map data in the vicinity of the tractor and also displays an operation procedure for registering the field. Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 14 & 15, and ¶¶293, also discloses the target path generate according to the work in the field, with the outline of the field as a boundary between the inside and the outside of the field is set as the standby position).
As per claim 13, Shirafuji discloses the autonomous working robot according to claim 12, accordingly, the rejection of claim 12 above is incorporated. Shirafuji further discloses wherein:
the guidance data comprises first path data;
the first path data is used for indicating a pre-established first path to the working area; and
a starting point of the first path is located outside the working area (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 14 & 15, and ¶¶7 & 74-75, discloses an automatic travel control section that causes a work vehicle to travel automatically along a target path at a registered work site by using a satellite positioning system, and a standby position setting section that sets a standby position of the work vehicle, in which the standby position setting section acquires an entry point at a time of entering the registered work site from outside the registered work site and sets the entry point as the standby position, and in which the automatic travel control section determines whether a standby condition to cause the work vehicle to stand by at the standby position is satisfied and, in the case where the standby condition is satisfied, causes the work vehicle to travel automatically from a current position to the standby position and to stand by at the standby position).
As per claim 14, Shirafuji discloses the autonomous working robot according to claim 13, accordingly, the rejection of claim 13 above is incorporated. Shirafuji further discloses wherein the controller is further configured to:
according to the sensing data and the first path data, control a movement trajectory of the autonomous working robot moving outside the working area to a point on the first path, and control a movement trajectory of the autonomous working robot moving to the working area along the first path (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 14 & 15, and ¶¶7 & 74-75, discloses an automatic travel control section that causes a work vehicle to travel automatically along a target path at a registered work site by using a satellite positioning system, and a standby position setting section that sets a standby position of the work vehicle, in which the standby position setting section acquires an entry point at a time of entering the registered work site from outside the registered work site and sets the entry point as the standby position, and in which the automatic travel control section determines whether a standby condition to cause the work vehicle to stand by at the standby position is satisfied and, in the case where the standby condition is satisfied, causes the work vehicle to travel automatically from a current position to the standby position and to stand by at the standby position).
As per claim 15, Shirafuji discloses the autonomous working robot according to claim 14, accordingly, the rejection of claim 14 above is incorporated. Shirafuji further discloses, wherein the controller is further configured to:
in a process of controlling the autonomous working robot to move toward the starting point of the first path, detect a distance between the autonomous working robot and the starting point of the first path according to the positioning data and the first path data;
provide the distance to a determination process, wherein the determination process is used for determining whether the distance is greater than a second distance threshold; and
in response to determining that the distance is greater than the second distance threshold, control, based on a received operation instruction, the autonomous working robot to move to the starting point of the first path (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 10, and ¶¶97, 108-123 & 156-162 , discloses the terminal control unit 51 may divide the target path P into plural pieces of divided path information per predetermined distance. Then, from the stage before the tractor V1 starts traveling automatically, every time a travel distance of the tractor V1 reaches the predetermined distance, the terminal control unit 51 may sequentially transmit the predetermined number of the divided path information, which corresponds to a travel order of the tractor Vl, from the terminal storage section 51C to the vehicle-mounted control unit 46).
As per claim 16, Shirafuji discloses the autonomous working robot according to claim 12, accordingly, the rejection of claim 12 above is incorporated. Shirafuji further discloses wherein the driving assembly is configured to:
drive the autonomous working robot with a first preset power to move outside the working area at a first movement speed; and
drive the autonomous working robot with a second preset power to move and work in the working area at a second movement speed, the first movement speed being less than the second movement speed (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 10, and ¶¶55, 92, 101 & 216, discloses setting of work conditions such as the vehicle speed and the engine speed during work. The target path P includes the travel direction and a target vehicle speed of the tractor V1 in each of the work paths P1, the target vehicle speed and the front-wheel steering angle of the tractor V1 in each of the direction changing paths P2, and the like. In the engine automatic control processing, the automatic travel control section 46F transmits an engine speed change command and the like to the engine control section 46A. The engine speed change command commands to change the engine speed on the basis of the set speed and the like included in the target path P. in the case where the off-field standby, position p0b is the loading/unloading position for the carrier vehicle Z that transports the riding rice transplanter V2, the standby position setting section 46K may initiate the off-field movement path acquisition control when the gear shift operation is performed to switch a gear shift state of the transmission unit 15 in the riding rice transplanter V2 from the ultra-low speed stage for unloading to the high-speed stage for travel).
As per claim 17, Shirafuji discloses the autonomous working robot according to claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 above is incorporated. Shirafuji further discloses wherein:
the autonomous working robot is configured to perform at least one working task in the working area; and
the controller is further configured to:
obtain at least one working parameter of the autonomous working robot when performing a current working task;
determine, according to the at least one working parameter, whether the autonomous working robot needs to return to a preset parking position located outside the working area;
in response to determining that the autonomous working robot needs to return to the preset parking position located outside the working area, control the autonomous working robot to travel to a preset position to wait for a user operation to be applied, wherein the preset parking position is different from the preset position; and
make, based on the user operation, the autonomous working robot to return to the preset parking position, and switch to a state of waiting to perform a next working task or shut down (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 5, 12, 14, 15 & 17, and ¶¶138, 149, 186-187 & 211-216, discloses the automatic travel control section 46F performs interruption position setting processing and resumption position setting processing on the basis of the target path P and the current position of the tractor V1 (steps #12 to 13), wherein a work stop point (end point) p2 on the work path P1 where the tractor V1 currently travels is set as a seed replenishment interruption position p3, in the interruption position setting processing. Then, a next work start point (start point of the next work path P1) p1 from the interruption position p3 is set as a resumption position p4 after the seed replenishment, in the resumption position setting processing. Shirafuji further discloses in the case where the second standby condition is satisfied, the automatic travel control section 46F executes off-field automatic travel control to cause the riding rice transplanter V2 to travel automatically from the current position to the off-field standby position p0b and to stand by at the off-field standby position p0b).
As per claim 18, Shirafuji discloses the autonomous working robot according to claim 17, accordingly, the rejection of claim 17 above is incorporated. Shirafuji further discloses wherein position data of the preset position comprises position data of an entry position through which the autonomous working robot enters the working area (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 5, 12, 14, 15 & 17, and ¶¶7 & 129, discloses using a satellite positioning system; and a standby position setting section that sets a standby position of the work vehicle, in which the standby position setting section acquires an entry point at a time of entering the registered work site from outside the registered work site and sets the entry point as the standby position, and in which the automatic travel control section determines whether a standby condition to cause the work vehicle to stand by at the standby position is satisfied and, in the case where the standby condition is satisfied, causes the work vehicle to travel automatically from a current position to the standby position and to stand by at the standby position. Shirafuji further discloses the standby position setting section 46K continues the path acquisition processing until the tractor Vl enters the field. Then, when the tractor V1 enters the field Ad, the standby position setting section 46K performs entry point acquisition processing for acquiring an entry point at the time when the tractor V1 has entered the field Ad from outside the field A (step #3), and performs standby position setting processing for setting the acquired entry point to the replenishment standby position p0 (step #4)).
As per claim 19, Shirafuji discloses the autonomous working robot according to claim 3, accordingly, the rejection of claim 3 above is incorporated. Shirafuji further discloses wherein:
the sensing data further comprises environmental data reflecting an environment in which the autonomous working robot is located; and
the controller is further configured to:
provide the environmental data to a processing process, the processing process being used for extracting environmental data related to a ramp from the environmental data;
determine a distance between the autonomous working robot and an edge of the ramp according to the environmental data; and
output a corresponding driving instruction according to the distance to control a movement trajectory of the autonomous working robot passing through the ramp (Shirafuji, in at least Fig(s). 1, 3, 4, 11, 14 & 15, and ¶¶ 63-64, 108-121, 156, 161-162, 180-181 & 211-216, discloses four cameras 81 to 84, each of which captures an image of the surroundings of the tractor V1, and an active sensor unit 85 that measures a distance to a measurement target object present in the surroundings of the tractor V1, wherein where the detection information on the obstacle the image processor 86 with a high degree of object determination accuracy matches the measurement information on the obstacle candidate from the active sensor unit 85 with a high degree of ranging accuracy, the obstacle detector 87 adopts a distance to the obstacle candidate that is acquired from the active sensor unit 85 as the distance to the obstacle. Shirafuji further discloses the Vehicle State Detector 45, which is a collective term for the various sensors, provided in the sections of the work vehicle, and includes various sensors, e.g., an inclination sensor. Shirafuji also discloses initiating path acquisition processing, a carrier vehicle Z that transports the riding rice transplanter V2, and the off-field standby position p0b is the loading/unloading position for the carrier vehicle Z that transports the riding rice transplanter V2, wherein in the case where the second standby condition is satisfied, the automatic travel control section 46F executes off-field automatic travel control to cause the riding rice transplanter V2 to travel automatically from the current position to the off-field standby position p0b and to stand by at the off-field standby position p0b. Shirafuji further discloses the automatic travel control section 46F is set to determine that the first standby condition is satisfied in the case where the standby position setting section 46K sets the replenishment standby position p0a, wherein the standby position setting section 46K executes the off-field movement path acquisition control in the case where the user performs the touch operation on the path acquisition button that is displayed on the display device 50 of the mobile communication terminal 5, for example, in the case where the off-field standby position p0b is the loading/ unloading position for the carrier vehicle Z that transports the riding rice transplanter V2, the standby position setting section 46K initiates the off-field movement path acquisition control. Shirafuji also discloses after the riding rice transplanter V2 finishes the seedling planting work in the field Ad and reaches the end point of the target path P, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the riding rice transplanter V2 travels automatically to the off-field standby position pob along the off-field movement path Pm5. Then, upon arrival to the off-field standby position p0b, the riding rice transplanter V2 stands by at the off-field standby position p0b, wherein the off-field standby position p0b is a loading/ unloading position for a carrier vehicle Z that transports the riding rice transplanter V2).
As per claim 20, Cancelled
As per claim 21, the claim is directed towards a method for controlling an autonomous working robot that recites similar steps/limitations performed by the autonomous working robot of claim 1. The cited portions of Shirafuji used in the rejection of claim 1 teach the same steps to perform the method of claim 21. Therefore, claim 21 is rejected under the same rationales used in the rejections of claim 1 as outlined above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. See attached PTO-892 form.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Tarek Elarabi whose telephone number is (313)446-4911. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday thru Thursday; 6:00 AM - 4:00 PM EST.
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/Tarek Elarabi/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3661
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