DETAILED ACTION
This is the first office action on the merits of the instant application, which was filed October 17, 2024 and claiming the benefit of US Provisional Application 63/545,985, filed October 27, 2023. The application contains Claims 1-20.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis 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.
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, 3, 5, 10, 12 and 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Christensen et al. (US 2020/0191580 A1).
Christensen et al. teaches, according to claim 1, a system comprising:
a refuse vehicle comprising a telematics unit (Christensen et al., at least para. [0072], “The server system 6 can transmit (send) the routing and resource assignment data to one or more mobile devices 10, as shown by arrow 16. The mobile devices 10 can be smartphones, computer tablets or laptops, on-board computers in vehicles, or combinations thereof…”);
a plurality of refuse containers at a plurality of different customer locations, each of the refuse containers comprising a sensor configured to measure a fill level and a wireless transceiver (Christensen et al., at least para. [0070], “FIG. 1 illustrates that a method for collection of the contents 40 of distributed containers 32, such as trash bins or cans, septic tanks, portable toilets, toxic waste containers 32 (e.g., oil disposal drums), or combinations thereof, can include detecting the quantity of contents 40 in the container 32 (e.g., a fill level) by a sensor 2 in, on, or near a container 32. The sensor 2 can detect sensor data such as a fill-level of the contents 40 in the container 32, the orientation, geographical location, movement, and temperature of the container 32, remaining battery energy, or combinations thereof. One sensor can be used to detect sensor data for multiple containers 32, such as a group of bins at a single site or within a larger container 32.”; and para. [0071], “The sensor 2 can wirelessly or otherwise (e.g., over a wired connection) communicate or transmit all or part of the sensor data to a server system 6, as shown by arrow 12…”);
a remote computing system comprising processing circuitry configured to:
obtain a status of the refuse vehicle from the telematics unit (Christensen et al., at least para. [0080], “The mobile device 10 and/or on-board vehicle computer can execute a navigation app. The navigation app can send routing, orientation, and vehicle status data for the vehicle from the server system 6. The routing app can record, track, display on the mobile device 10, and send vehicle location, orientation, and vehicle status data to the server system 6.”);
obtain sensor data from the plurality of refuse containers indicating the fill level of each of the plurality of refuse containers (Christensen et al., at least para. [0071], “The sensor 2 can wirelessly or otherwise (e.g., over a wired connection) communicate or transmit all or part of the sensor data to a server system 6, as shown by arrow 12…”);
determine a route for the refuse vehicle based on the status of the refuse vehicle and the sensor data from the plurality of refuse containers (Christensen et al., at least para. [0071], “…The server system 6 can use the real-time (i.e., present) and historic sensor data trends to plan and assign collection routes 124 for the collection vehicles…and assign resources (e.g., number, types, and sizes of vehicles and/or operators) accordingly.”); and
transmit the route to the telematics unit of the refuse vehicle (Christensen et al., at least para. [0072], “The server system 6 can transmit (send) the routing and resource assignment data to one or more mobile devices 10, as shown by arrow 16. The mobile devices 10 can be smartphones, computer tablets or laptops, on-board computers in vehicles, or combinations thereof…”).
Regarding claim 3, the processing circuitry of the remote computing system is configured to:
obtain historical data indicating an amount of refuse in each of the plurality of refuse
containers (Christensen et al., at least para. [0155], “The data dashboard can display real-time and historical maps of the sensor locations, the current and historical container 32 fill levels, the ability to manually trigger urgent collection scheduling for specific containers 32 (e.g., “empty now”), notifications and flags from the server system 6 for urgent data and alerts and data errors.”);
determine, based on the historical data, a profile indicating an average amount of refuse in each of the plurality of refuse containers and a likelihood that each of the plurality of refuse containers are contaminated (Christensen et al., at least para. [0162], “…The server system 6 can also match the appropriate vehicle with the container 32, and/or weight, and/or volume, and/or waste type to be serviced. For example, the server system 6 can manage containers 32 that include mixed household waste, portable toilets, septic tanks, and biohazard containers 32, and can have vehicles that can process one or more types of the containers 32 and their respective waste, but not the others…”); and
determine the route for the refuse vehicle based on the profile of each of the plurality of refuse containers (Christensen et al., at least para. [0162], “…During route planning, the server system 6 can incorporate navigation on accessible non-public streets and driveways (e.g., to which access is permitted), indoor locations, on-foot movement by the operator, routes across political (e.g., state borders), and physical boundaries (e.g., fences) and provide instructions for the operator through the navigator app when doing so.”).
Regarding claim 5, the plurality of refuse containers form a mesh network (Christensen et al., at least para. [0151], “FIG. 18 illustrates that a group of containers 32 can each have a sensor. The containers 32 can be in close proximity to each other. The sensors can have a network connection 120 with the next closest sensor. All of the sensors in the group can be in wired or wireless communication with each other. For example, the sensors can for a local area network (e.g., over Bluetooth 5.0), such as a mesh network.”).
Christensen et al. teaches, according to claim 10, a method of controlling a refuse vehicle, the method comprising:
obtaining a status from the refuse vehicle (Christensen et al., at least para. [0080], “The mobile device 10 and/or on-board vehicle computer can execute a navigation app. The navigation app can send routing, orientation, and vehicle status data for the vehicle from the server system 6. The routing app can record, track, display on the mobile device 10, and send vehicle location, orientation, and vehicle status data to the server system 6.”);
obtaining sensor data from a plurality of refuse containers at a plurality of geographic locations, the sensor data indicating a fill level of each of the plurality of refuse containers (Christensen et al., at least para. [0071], “The sensor 2 can wirelessly or otherwise (e.g., over a wired connection) communicate or transmit all or part of the sensor data to a server system 6, as shown by arrow 12…”);
determining a route for the refuse vehicle based on the status of the refuse vehicle and the sensor data from the plurality of refuse containers (Christensen et al., at least para. [0071], “…The server system 6 can use the real-time (i.e., present) and historic sensor data trends to plan and assign collection routes 124 for the collection vehicles…and assign resources (e.g., number, types, and sizes of vehicles and/or operators) accordingly.”); and
prompting a driver of the refuse vehicle to transport the refuse vehicle along the route (Christensen et al., at least para. [0072], “The server system 6 can transmit (send) the routing and resource assignment data to one or more mobile devices 10, as shown by arrow 16. The mobile devices 10 can be smartphones, computer tablets or laptops, on-board computers in vehicles, or combinations thereof…”).
Regarding claim 12, the method further comprises:
obtaining historical data indicating an amount of refuse in each of the plurality of refuse container (Christensen et al., at least para. [0155], “The data dashboard can display real-time and historical maps of the sensor locations, the current and historical container 32 fill levels, the ability to manually trigger urgent collection scheduling for specific containers 32 (e.g., “empty now”), notifications and flags from the server system 6 for urgent data and alerts and data errors.”);
determining, based on the historical data, a profile indicating an average amount of refuse in each of the plurality of refuse container and a likelihood that each of the plurality of refuse containers are contaminated (Christensen et al., at least para. [0162], “…The server system 6 can also match the appropriate vehicle with the container 32, and/or weight, and/or volume, and/or waste type to be serviced. For example, the server system 6 can manage containers 32 that include mixed household waste, portable toilets, septic tanks, and biohazard containers 32, and can have vehicles that can process one or more types of the containers 32 and their respective waste, but not the others…”); and
determining the route for the refuse vehicle based on the profile of each of the plurality of refuse container (Christensen et al., at least para. [0162], “…During route planning, the server system 6 can incorporate navigation on accessible non-public streets and driveways (e.g., to which access is permitted), indoor locations, on-foot movement by the operator, routes across political (e.g., state borders), and physical boundaries (e.g., fences) and provide instructions for the operator through the navigator app when doing so.”).
Regarding claim 17, the method further comprises quarantining a customer from the route in response to detecting a quarantined object based on the sensor data or image data obtained from a camera of the refuse vehicle (Christensen et al., at least para. [0162], “…The server system 6 can also match the appropriate vehicle with the container 32, and/or weight, and/or volume, and/or waste type to be serviced. For example, the server system 6 can manage containers 32 that include mixed household waste, portable toilets, septic tanks, and biohazard containers 32, and can have vehicles that can process one or more types of the containers 32 and their respective waste, but not the others…”).
Christensen et al. teaches, according to claim 18, a system, comprising:
a refuse vehicle; and processing circuitry (Christensen et al., at least para. [0071], “…The server system 6 can calculate and predict trending of sensor data. The server system 6 can use the real-time (i.e., present) and historic sensor data trends to plan and assign collection routes 124 for the collection vehicles (e.g., garbage trucks…”) configured to:
obtain a status of the refuse vehicle (Christensen et al., at least para. [0080], “The mobile device 10 and/or on-board vehicle computer can execute a navigation app. The navigation app can send routing, orientation, and vehicle status data for the vehicle from the server system 6. The routing app can record, track, display on the mobile device 10, and send vehicle location, orientation, and vehicle status data to the server system 6.”);
obtain a fill level of each of a plurality of refuse containers (Christensen et al., at least para. [0071], “The sensor 2 can wirelessly or otherwise (e.g., over a wired connection) communicate or transmit all or part of the sensor data to a server system 6, as shown by arrow 12…”);
determine a route for the refuse vehicle based on the status of the refuse vehicle and the sensor data from the plurality of refuse containers (Christensen et al., at least para. [0071], “…The server system 6 can use the real-time (i.e., present) and historic sensor data trends to plan and assign collection routes 124 for the collection vehicles…and assign resources (e.g., number, types, and sizes of vehicles and/or operators) accordingly.”); and
transmit the route to the refuse vehicle (Christensen et al., at least para. [0072], “The server system 6 can transmit (send) the routing and resource assignment data to one or more mobile devices 10, as shown by arrow 16. The mobile devices 10 can be smartphones, computer tablets or laptops, on-board computers in vehicles, or combinations thereof…”).
Regarding claim 19, the fill level is obtained from sensor data received from the plurality of refuse containers indicating the fill level of each of the plurality of refuse containers, or from historical data of the plurality of refuse containers (Christensen et al., at least para. [0155], “The data dashboard can display real-time and historical maps of the sensor locations, the current and historical container 32 fill levels, the ability to manually trigger urgent collection scheduling for specific containers 32 (e.g., “empty now”), notifications and flags from the server system 6 for urgent data and alerts and data errors.”).
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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 2 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Christensen et al. in view of Kekalainen et al. (US 2016/0300297 A1).
Regarding claim 2, Christensen et al. teaches the elements of claim 1 above, but does not expressly teach, where Kekalainen et al. teaches wherein the status provided by the refuse vehicle comprises a fill level or payload of the refuse vehicle and a capacity of the refuse vehicle (Kekalainen et al., at least para. [0070], “Optionally, during an execution of collection of the waste 50, the one or more vehicles 150 are equipped with GPS, or similar position detection sensors, and wireless interfaces for providing in real time an indication of positions of the one or more vehicles 150 to the server system 100, together with an indication of remaining waste holding capacity of the one or more vehicles 150, such that the server system 100 is operable to perform real time Monte Carlo computations, as aforementioned, to make optimization corrections to routes of travel of the one or more vehicles 150…”). It would have been obvious to incorporate the teaching of Kekalainen et al. into the system of Christensen et al. for the purpose of balancing the real-time fill level of the refuse vehicle with the projected fill level based on estimated container fill levels, and as a combination of prior art elements in a known manner with an expectation of predictable results. 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.
Regarding claim 11, Christensen et al. teaches the elements of claim 10 above, but does not expressly teach, where Kekalainen et al. teaches wherein the status provided by the refuse vehicle comprises a fill level or payload of the refuse vehicle and a capacity of the refuse vehicle (Kekalainen et al., at least para. [0070], “Optionally, during an execution of collection of the waste 50, the one or more vehicles 150 are equipped with GPS, or similar position detection sensors, and wireless interfaces for providing in real time an indication of positions of the one or more vehicles 150 to the server system 100, together with an indication of remaining waste holding capacity of the one or more vehicles 150, such that the server system 100 is operable to perform real time Monte Carlo computations, as aforementioned, to make optimization corrections to routes of travel of the one or more vehicles 150…”). It would have been obvious to incorporate the teaching of Kekalainen et al. into the system of Christensen et al. for the purpose of balancing the real-time fill level of the refuse vehicle with the projected fill level based on estimated container fill levels, and as a combination of prior art elements in a known manner with an expectation of predictable results. 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.
Claims 4 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Christensen et al. in view of Cliff (US 2022/0259825 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Christensen et al. teaches the elements of claim 1 above, but does not expressly teach, where Cliff teaches wherein the refuse vehicle comprises a controller configured to obtain, from the remote computing system, a scheduled deployment time of the refuse vehicle for the route; and perform a plurality of preconditioning operations to ready an oil temperature of a hydraulic system and an environmental condition of a cab of the refuse vehicle by the scheduled deployment time (Cliff, at least para. [0010], “FIG. 2 is a flowchart setting forth an example method for strategically preheating hydraulic fluids within a work vehicle hydraulic system and potentially also preheating the interior of a work vehicle cabin, the method suitably carried out by the example intelligent work vehicle preheating system shown in FIG. 2.”; para. [0017], “…Additionally, in at least some instances, the cabin of the E/H work vehicle may also be preheated to operator comfort levels when the intelligent work vehicle preheating system operates in an off-duty preheat mode prior to the on-duty usage phase of the work vehicle operating cycle…”; and para. [0037], “Addressing first schedule-based considerations, the controller architecture 48 of the intelligent work vehicle preheating system 22 may strategically or selectively commence heating of the hydraulic fluid utilizing a schedule-based approach to prevent unneeded energy expenditure over prolonged off-duty periods of a given E/H work vehicle. In this case, the controller architecture 48 may determine an EAS time (the beginning of an operational window) and commence hydraulic fluid preheating at a time sufficiently prior to the EAS time to ensure that hydraulic fluid target temperatures are reached by the preestablished EAS time.”). It would have been obvious to incorporate the teaching of Cliff into the system of Christensen et al. for the purpose of improving efficiency of the refuse vehicle by preparing for initiation of the vehicle route and reducing driver startup load, and as a combination of prior art elements in a known manner with an expectation of predictable results. 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.
Regarding claim 13, Christensen et al. teaches the elements of claim 10 above, but does not expressly teach, where Cliff teaches the method further comprising obtaining a scheduled deployment time of the refuse vehicle for the route; and performing a plurality of preconditioning operations to ready an oil temperature of a hydraulic system and an environmental condition of a cab of the refuse vehicle by the scheduled deployment time (Cliff, at least para. [0010], “FIG. 2 is a flowchart setting forth an example method for strategically preheating hydraulic fluids within a work vehicle hydraulic system and potentially also preheating the interior of a work vehicle cabin, the method suitably carried out by the example intelligent work vehicle preheating system shown in FIG. 2.”; para. [0017], “…Additionally, in at least some instances, the cabin of the E/H work vehicle may also be preheated to operator comfort levels when the intelligent work vehicle preheating system operates in an off-duty preheat mode prior to the on-duty usage phase of the work vehicle operating cycle…”; and para. [0037], “Addressing first schedule-based considerations, the controller architecture 48 of the intelligent work vehicle preheating system 22 may strategically or selectively commence heating of the hydraulic fluid utilizing a schedule-based approach to prevent unneeded energy expenditure over prolonged off-duty periods of a given E/H work vehicle. In this case, the controller architecture 48 may determine an EAS time (the beginning of an operational window) and commence hydraulic fluid preheating at a time sufficiently prior to the EAS time to ensure that hydraulic fluid target temperatures are reached by the preestablished EAS time.”). It would have been obvious to incorporate the teaching of Cliff into the system of Christensen et al. for the purpose of improving efficiency of the refuse vehicle by preparing for initiation of the vehicle route and reducing driver startup load, and as a combination of prior art elements in a known manner with an expectation of predictable results. 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.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Christensen et al. in view of Puthalath et al. (US 2018/0033028 A1).
Regarding claim 6, Christensen et al. teaches the elements of claim 1 above, but does not expressly teach, where Puthalath et al. teaches wherein each of a plurality of portable containers, analogous to the refuse containers, comprise an electrical generator operably coupled with a wheel, wherein movement of the refuse container causes the electrical generator to generate electrical energy for the sensor and the wireless transceiver (Puthalath et al., at least para. [0025], “Energy capture portion 114 is configured to receive and store energy for the electronics of communications portion 112. In one embodiment as depicted in FIGS. 1A and 1B, energy capture portion 114 comprises an energy storage device 120 configured to receive and store energy generated by movement of shopping receptacle 110. In another embodiment, as will be described with respect to FIG. 3, energy capture portion 114 is configured to receive and store energy from other sources, such as wireless sources within the retail store. Energy storage device 120 can comprise a battery, capacitor, or other suitable accumulator.”; and para. [0026], “Communications portion 112 can be electrically coupled with energy storage device 120 to receive power from energy storage device 120.”). It would have been obvious to incorporate the teaching of Puthalath et al. into the system of Christensen et al. for the purpose of providing a self-generating means of providing power necessary for the function of on-board electronics, and as a combination of prior art elements in a known manner with an expectation of predictable results. 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.
Claims 7-8, 14-15 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Christensen et al. in view of Coombs et al. (US 2024/0034116 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Christensen et al. teaches the elements of claim 1 above, but does not expressly teach, where Coombs et al. teaches wherein the remote computing system is configured to estimate a payload of the refuse vehicle at a plurality of locations along the route and determine an adjustment to a chassis of the refuse vehicle at the plurality of locations along the route based on the payload, wherein the remote computing system is configured to cause the chassis of the refuse vehicle to adjust operation according to the adjustment to the chassis, and regarding claim 8, wherein the adjustment to the chassis comprises at least one of a setting for regenerative braking or a pressurization of a suspension of the chassis (Coombs et al., at least FIGS. 1, 8 and 9, and para. [0058], “Block S110 includes: determining a vehicle condition parameter, which functions to determine data pertaining to the condition of the vehicle that is germane to vehicle load management, for use as input(s) to subsequent block(s) of the method 100. The vehicle condition parameter may include: the total weight of the load within the vehicle, the total weight of the load to be loaded into the vehicle (e.g., outside the vehicle), the arrangement of the load within the vehicle (e.g., the weight as a function of position within a cargo compartment or other lumen of the vehicle), the suspension operating ranges (e.g., minimum and maximum pressures in each air spring, minimum and maximum travel of each suspension element, etc.)…”; and para. [0059], “In specific examples, Block S110 may include receiving the vehicle condition parameter at the ECU. In one example, the vehicle condition parameter includes data that correlates fluid spring pressure to load (e.g., a lookup table, a function relating pressure to load, etc.)…”; and para. [0077], “Block S140 may include Block S143, which includes: automatically controlling the set of fluid springs at the plurality of actuation points based on the desired stiffness distribution, wherein controlling the set of fluid springs may include setting the stiffness value of the fluid spring associated with each of the plurality of actuation points. The actuation points are preferably the physical locations on the vehicle at which the fluid suspension elements (e.g., fluid springs) apply force to the axles and chassis of the vehicle to provide suspension of the vehicle, but may be otherwise suitably defined…”). It would have been obvious to incorporate the teaching of Coombs et al. into the system of Christensen et al. for the purpose of regulating the physical capabilities of the vehicle based on projected and real-time loading as it varies over the course of the collection route of the refuse vehicle, and as a combination of prior art elements in a known manner with an expectation of predictable results. 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.
Regarding claim 14, Christensen et al. teaches the elements of claim 10 above, but does not expressly teach, where Coombs et al. teaches the method further comprising: estimating a payload of the refuse vehicle at a plurality of locations along the route; determining an adjustment to a chassis of the refuse vehicle at the plurality of locations along the route based on the payload; and adjusting operation of the chassis of the refuse vehicle according to the adjustment at the plurality of locations along the route, and regarding claim 15, wherein the adjustment to the chassis comprises at least one of a setting for regenerative braking or a pressurization of a suspension of the chassis (Coombs et al., at least FIGS. 1, 8 and 9, and para. [0058], “Block S110 includes: determining a vehicle condition parameter, which functions to determine data pertaining to the condition of the vehicle that is germane to vehicle load management, for use as input(s) to subsequent block(s) of the method 100. The vehicle condition parameter may include: the total weight of the load within the vehicle, the total weight of the load to be loaded into the vehicle (e.g., outside the vehicle), the arrangement of the load within the vehicle (e.g., the weight as a function of position within a cargo compartment or other lumen of the vehicle), the suspension operating ranges (e.g., minimum and maximum pressures in each air spring, minimum and maximum travel of each suspension element, etc.)…”; and para. [0059], “In specific examples, Block S110 may include receiving the vehicle condition parameter at the ECU. In one example, the vehicle condition parameter includes data that correlates fluid spring pressure to load (e.g., a lookup table, a function relating pressure to load, etc.)…”; and para. [0077], “Block S140 may include Block S143, which includes: automatically controlling the set of fluid springs at the plurality of actuation points based on the desired stiffness distribution, wherein controlling the set of fluid springs may include setting the stiffness value of the fluid spring associated with each of the plurality of actuation points. The actuation points are preferably the physical locations on the vehicle at which the fluid suspension elements (e.g., fluid springs) apply force to the axles and chassis of the vehicle to provide suspension of the vehicle, but may be otherwise suitably defined…”). It would have been obvious to incorporate the teaching of Coombs et al. into the system of Christensen et al. for the purpose of regulating the physical capabilities of the vehicle based on projected and real-time loading as it varies over the course of the collection route of the refuse vehicle, and as a combination of prior art elements in a known manner with an expectation of predictable results. 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.
Regarding claim 20, Christensen et al. teaches the elements of claim 10 above, but does not expressly teach, where Coombs et al. teaches wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to estimate a payload of the refuse vehicle at a plurality of locations along the route; determine an adjustment to a chassis of the refuse vehicle at the plurality of locations along the route based on the payload; and adjust operation of the chassis of the refuse vehicle according to the adjustment at the plurality of locations along the route (Coombs et al., at least FIGS. 1, 8 and 9, and para. [0058], “Block S110 includes: determining a vehicle condition parameter, which functions to determine data pertaining to the condition of the vehicle that is germane to vehicle load management, for use as input(s) to subsequent block(s) of the method 100. The vehicle condition parameter may include: the total weight of the load within the vehicle, the total weight of the load to be loaded into the vehicle (e.g., outside the vehicle), the arrangement of the load within the vehicle (e.g., the weight as a function of position within a cargo compartment or other lumen of the vehicle), the suspension operating ranges (e.g., minimum and maximum pressures in each air spring, minimum and maximum travel of each suspension element, etc.)…”; and para. [0059], “In specific examples, Block S110 may include receiving the vehicle condition parameter at the ECU. In one example, the vehicle condition parameter includes data that correlates fluid spring pressure to load (e.g., a lookup table, a function relating pressure to load, etc.)…”; and para. [0077], “Block S140 may include Block S143, which includes: automatically controlling the set of fluid springs at the plurality of actuation points based on the desired stiffness distribution, wherein controlling the set of fluid springs may include setting the stiffness value of the fluid spring associated with each of the plurality of actuation points. The actuation points are preferably the physical locations on the vehicle at which the fluid suspension elements (e.g., fluid springs) apply force to the axles and chassis of the vehicle to provide suspension of the vehicle, but may be otherwise suitably defined…”). It would have been obvious to incorporate the teaching of Coombs et al. into the system of Christensen et al. for the purpose of regulating the physical capabilities of the vehicle based on projected and real-time loading as it varies over the course of the collection route of the refuse vehicle, and as a combination of prior art elements in a known manner with an expectation of predictable results. 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.
Claims 9 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Christensen et al. in view of Verbeke et al. (US 2021/0276568 A1) and Maroney et al. (US 2020/0339346 A1).
Regarding claim 9, Christensen et al. teaches the elements of claim 1 above, but does not expressly teach, where Verbeke et al. teaches wherein the refuse vehicle comprises a display area in a windshield of the refuse vehicle, the display area configured to provide an augmented reality overlay comprising a graphical illustration prompting a driver of the refuse vehicle to follow the route (Verbeke et al., at least para. [0026], “Vehicle interior 200 may also include one or more displays 134, examples of which include a dashboard display 204 in the middle of dashboard 202, a center console display 214 (e.g., an infotainment and/or navigation display), and a heads-up display projection system (not shown) that projects augmented reality content (e.g., notifications, landmark information, navigation information) onto front windshield 208…”). It would have been obvious to incorporate the teaching of Verbeke et al. into the system of Christensen et al. for the purpose of aiding the vehicle driver in maintaining attention on the road in front of the vehicle while monitoring the directed collection route, and as a combination of prior art elements in a known manner with an expectation of predictable results. 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.
Christensen et al. and Verbeke et al. further do not expressly teach, where Maroney et al. teaches, the overlay configured to increase a conspicuity of a refuse container at an upcoming stop (Maroney et al., at least para. [0055], “The side view camera 112 helps provide the vehicle operator 150 with a clear visual line of sight of a refuse container 130 located to the side of the vehicle 102. For example, images and/or video captured by camera 112 can be provided to a graphical display 120 for display on a screen 122 of the graphical display 120. As shown in FIGS. 2A-2C, a graphical display 120 is placed within the cab of vehicle 102 such that the images and/or video captured by camera 112 can be viewed on a screen 122 of the display 120 by the operator 150 of the vehicle 102. In some implementations, the graphical display 120 is a heads-up display that projects images and/or video captured by camera 112 onto the windshield of the vehicle 102 for viewing by an operator of the vehicle 102...”). It would have been obvious to incorporate the teaching of Maroney et al. into the system of Christensen et al. and Verbeke et al. for the purpose of aiding the vehicle driver in maintaining attention on the road in front of the vehicle throughout collection, and as a combination of prior art elements in a known manner with an expectation of predictable results. 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.
Regarding claim 16, Christensen et al. teaches the elements of claim 10 above, but does not expressly teach, where Verbeke et al. teaches the method further comprising operating a display area in a windshield of the refuse vehicle to provide an augmented reality overlay comprising a graphical illustration prompting the driver of the refuse vehicle to follow the route (Verbeke et al., at least para. [0026], “Vehicle interior 200 may also include one or more displays 134, examples of which include a dashboard display 204 in the middle of dashboard 202, a center console display 214 (e.g., an infotainment and/or navigation display), and a heads-up display projection system (not shown) that projects augmented reality content (e.g., notifications, landmark information, navigation information) onto front windshield 208…”). It would have been obvious to incorporate the teaching of Verbeke et al. into the system of Christensen et al. for the purpose of aiding the vehicle driver in maintaining attention on the road in front of the vehicle while monitoring the directed collection route, and as a combination of prior art elements in a known manner with an expectation of predictable results. 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.
Christensen et al. and Verbeke et al. further do not expressly teach, where Maroney et al. teaches, the overlay configured to increase a conspicuity of a refuse container at an upcoming stop (Maroney et al., at least para. [0055], “The side view camera 112 helps provide the vehicle operator 150 with a clear visual line of sight of a refuse container 130 located to the side of the vehicle 102. For example, images and/or video captured by camera 112 can be provided to a graphical display 120 for display on a screen 122 of the graphical display 120. As shown in FIGS. 2A-2C, a graphical display 120 is placed within the cab of vehicle 102 such that the images and/or video captured by camera 112 can be viewed on a screen 122 of the display 120 by the operator 150 of the vehicle 102. In some implementations, the graphical display 120 is a heads-up display that projects images and/or video captured by camera 112 onto the windshield of the vehicle 102 for viewing by an operator of the vehicle 102...”). It would have been obvious to incorporate the teaching of Maroney et al. into the system of Christensen et al. and Verbeke et al. for the purpose of aiding the vehicle driver in maintaining attention on the road in front of the vehicle throughout collection, and as a combination of prior art elements in a known manner with an expectation of predictable results. 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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/DONALD J WALLACE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3665
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