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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 01/07/2025, 02/05/2026, 07/07/2026, and 8/20/2026 were considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference character “1780” has been used to designate both the next to last step and last step in Fig. 17.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference character "1880" has been used to designate both the next to last step and last step in Fig. 18.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claims 1, 10, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hoofard (US 2020/0239242 A1), in view of Chilson et al. (US 2010/0266381 A1), hereinafter “Chilson”.
Regarding claim 1, Hoofard discloses a method comprising: determining a pose of each observable pallet within the trailer by one or more sensors integrated with the autonomous mobile robot (para. [0026]; AMT uses sensors for identifying obstruction locations in the trailer that are closest to an opening of the trailer; para. [0097]; the AMT can detect if the identified obstructions are on one or both sides of a trailer centerline);
determining a target pallet for the autonomous mobile robot to pick up based on the pose of each observable pallet within the trailer (para. [0065]; the AMT control system can use signals based on the front sensors to determine where a pallet is within a trailer, e.g., how far down the trailer a closest pallet is located and on which side of the dock station centerline the pallet is located);
determining a front plane of pallets in a same row of the target pallet, wherein the front plane is a plane of a pallet in the same row that is closest to an entrance of the trailer (para. [0092], [0098]; Fig. 9F; the AMT determines if an obstruction (another pallet in the same row 814) is only on one side or on both sides. This determination is made using front sensers to detect the front plane of the obstruction);
navigating to a first goal position within the trailer, wherein the first goal position is determined based on the pose of the target pallet (para. [0090]; the first goal position 820 is determined by detecting the obstruction 814 and 822);
side-shifting the fork to align the fork with pockets of the target pallet (para. [0093]; In the loading process, when the AMT 300 is at the fork lateral position 816, the workflow procedure, at step 720, can cause the fork boom 303 to move the fork 302 laterally (as shown in FIG. 9F) to align with the identified pallet unloading position 820. The same procedure of side shifting is applied in the unloading process to align fork with pallet pockets);
inserting the fork into the pockets of the target pallet and lifting up the pallet (para. [0097]; truck control system aligns fork boom with pallet divots and engages the pallet);
navigating in a straight line backward from the first goal position to a second goal position in the trailer, wherein the second goal position is determined based on the front plane of pallets in the same row of the target pallet (para. [0098]; If there are loaded cargos on both sides of the dock centerline, AMT is moved backward with the carries load until it clears the obstruction on the other side of the dock centerline. The position at which the fork is shifted laterally (second goal position) is determined based on the pose of load in the same row closest to the entrance);
side-shifting the fork towards center (para. [0098]; after clearing the load on the other side the forks are shifted laterally to a center position); and
navigating from the second goal position in the trailer to a drop off position in a staging area (para. [0098]; The truck control system then controls the drive system to move the AMT 300 in reverse until it reaches the unloading position).
Hoofard does not disclose determining, by an autonomous mobile robot configured to carry a pallet on a fork, a pose of a trailer that is loaded with a plurality of pallets or using the pose of the trailer in addition to the pose of the target pallet when determining the first goal position and the second goal position in the trailer.
Chilson discloses an autonomous mobile robot configured to carry a pallet on a fork, a pose of a trailer that is loaded with a plurality of pallets and compensates AGV positioning during its transport movement (para. [0034], [0055]; Fig. 9, AGV 10, load 60, forks 16; The AGV determines if and by how much the transport 50 is laterally displaced from the expected position, and the skew or angle of the transport).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the unloading method of Hoofard and incorporate the teachings in Chilson of detecting trailer skew in relation to the dock door and compensating AGV positioning while performing Hoofard’s method of determining the first goal position and second goal position to account for trailer skew to improve the positioning accuracy of the AGV inside the trailer by accounting for any difference in actual position and expected position of the AGV caused by the skewing of the trailer (Chilson: para. [0007]). Once trailer skew is known, incorporating the skew to compensate for any subsequent travel movements by the AGV within the trailer is an implementation that one of ordinary skill in the art would readily understand.
Regarding claim 10, Hoofard in view of Chilson, discloses all the limitations of claim 1. Hoofard further discloses the one or more sensors include one or more of a 3D lidar, a stereo camera, a time-of-flight (TOF) sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) (para. [0064]; sensors 330a and 330b can include RADAR sensors, LIDAR sensors, inferred sensors, radio sensors, magnetic sensors, cameras, contact sensors, pressure sensors, and/or other electromagnetic or mechanical sensor configurations).
Regarding claim 11, Hoofard discloses autonomous mobile robot comprising: a fork configured to carry a pallet stacked with a load (para. [0059]; Fig. 3A, AMT 300, Forks 302);
one or more sensors (para. [0064]; Fig. 3D; sensors 330a and 330b);
one or more processors (para. [0105], [0113]; Fig. 12; processors 1331); and
a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform steps comprising (para. [0109];Fig. 12; non-transitory memory 1250):
determining, by an autonomous mobile robot configured to carry a pallet on a fork, a pose of a trailer that is loaded with a plurality of pallets;
determining a pose of each observable pallet within the trailer by one or more sensors integrated with the autonomous mobile robot (para. [0026]; AMT uses sensors for identifying obstruction locations in the trailer that are closest to an opening of the trailer; para. [0097]; the AMT can detect if the identified obstructions are on one or both sides of a trailer centerline) ;
determining a target pallet for the autonomous mobile robot to pick up based on the pose of each observable pallet within the trailer (para. [0065]; the AMT control system can use signals based on the front sensors to determine where a pallet is within a trailer, e.g., how far down the trailer a closest pallet is located and on which side of the dock station centerline the pallet is located);
determining a front plane of pallets in a same row of the target pallet, wherein the front plane is a plane of a pallet in the same row that is closest to an entrance of the trailer (para. [0092], [0098]; Fig. 9F; the AMT determines if an obstruction (another pallet in the same row 814) is only on one side or on both sides. This determination is made using front sensers to detect the front plane of the obstruction);
navigating to a first goal position within the trailer, wherein the first goal position is determined based on the pose of the target pallet (para. [0090]; the first goal position 820 is determined by detecting the obstruction 814 and 822);
side-shifting the fork to align the fork with pockets of the target pallet (para. [0093]; In the loading process, when the AMT 300 is at the fork lateral position 816, the workflow procedure, at step 720, can cause the fork boom 303 to move the fork 302 laterally (as shown in FIG. 9F) to align with the identified pallet unloading position 820. The same procedure of side shifting is applied in the unloading process to align fork with pallet pockets);
inserting the fork into the pockets of the target pallet and lifting up the pallet (para. [0097]; truck control system aligns fork boom with pallet divots and engages the pallet);
navigating in a straight line backward from the first goal position to a second goal position in the trailer, wherein the second goal position is determined based on the front plane of pallets in the same row of the target pallet (para. [0098]; If there are loaded cargos on both sides of the dock centerline, AMT is moved backward with the carries load until it clears the obstruction on the other side of the dock centerline. The position at which the fork is shifted laterally (second goal position) is determined based on the pose of load in the same row closest to the entrance);
side-shifting the fork towards center (para. [0098]; after clearing the load on the other side the forks are shifted laterally to a center position); and
navigating from the second goal position in the trailer to a drop off position in a staging area (para. [0098]; The truck control system then controls the drive system to move the AMT 300 in reverse until it reaches the unloading position).
Hoofard does not disclose determining, by an autonomous mobile robot configured to carry a pallet on a fork, a pose of a trailer that is loaded with a plurality of pallets or using the pose of the trailer in addition to the pose of the target pallet when determining the first goal position and the second goal position in the trailer.
Chilson discloses an autonomous mobile robot configured to carry a pallet on a fork, a pose of a trailer that is loaded with a plurality of pallets and compensates AGV positioning during its transport movement (para. [0034], [0055]; Fig. 9, AGV 10, load 60, forks 16; The AGV determines if and by how much the transport 50 is laterally displaced from the expected position, and the skew or angle of the transport).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the unloading method of Hoofard and incorporate the teachings in Chilson of detecting trailer skew in relation to the dock door and compensating AGV positioning while performing Hoofard’s method of determining the first goal position and second goal position to account for trailer skew to improve the positioning accuracy of the AGV inside the trailer by accounting for any difference in actual position and expected position of the AGV caused by the skewing of the trailer (Chilson: para. [0007]). Once trailer skew is known, incorporating the skew to compensate for any subsequent travel movements by the AGV within the trailer is an implementation that one of ordinary skill in the art would readily understand.
Claims 4-5, 8-9, 14-15, and 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hoofard (US 2020/0239242 A1), in view of Chilson (US 2010/0266381 A1), and in further view of Tretyakov (US 2023/0137089 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Hoofard in view of Chilson, discloses all the limitations of claim 1. Hoofard further discloses navigating in a straight line backward from the first goal position to the second goal position in the trailer (para. [0098]; The truck control system then controls the drive system to move the AMT 300 in reverse until it reaches the unloading position). However, Hoofard in view of Chilson does not disclose determining that the first pallet is between a side wall of the trailer and a second pallet in the same row;
determining a first distance between the first pallet and the side wall of the trailer and a second distance between the first pallet and the second pallet by one or more sensors;
determining whether each of the first distance and the second distance is greater than a predetermined threshold;
responsive to determining that either or both of the first distance or the second distance is greater than the predetermined threshold, navigating in a straight line backward from the first goal position to the second goal position in the trailer.
Tretyakov discloses a method of controlling an AGV for loading and unloading materials where the unloading process can be carried out using the same sensors and approach used for loading (para. [0066], [0077]). Tretyakov discloses a method of loading/unloading including determining that the first pallet is between a side wall of the trailer and a second pallet in the same row (para. [0089]-[0090]; Range camera is used to measure the gap between the load on the forks and the adjacent loads in the transport as well as adjacent objects);
determining a first distance between the first pallet and the side wall of the trailer and a second distance between the first pallet and the second pallet by one or more sensors (para. [0089]-[0090]; Range camera is used to measure the gap between the load on the forks and the adjacent loads in the transport as well as adjacent objects);
determining whether each of the first distance and the second distance is greater than a predetermined threshold (para. [0154]; during load placement threshold distance between adjacent loads or walls is verified. Same process can be used for unloading to check proper clearance);
responsive to determining that either or both of the first distance or the second distance is greater than the predetermined threshold, navigating in a straight line backward from the first goal position to the second goal position in the trailer (para. [0154]-[0155]; if threshold is acceptable load is placed without any addition adjustment. The reverse process would function similarly by picking and removing the load without any adjustment when threshold value is acceptable).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the unloading method of Hoofard in view of Chilson and incorporate the teachings in Tretyakov of determining that the first pallet is between a side wall of the trailer and a second pallet in the same row; determining a first distance between the first pallet and the side wall of the trailer and a second distance between the first pallet and the second pallet by one or more sensors; determining whether each of the first distance and the second distance is greater than a predetermined threshold; responsive to determining that either or both of the first distance or the second distance is greater than the predetermined threshold, navigating in a straight line backward from the first goal position to the second goal position in the trailer to improve performance by enabling the autonomous operation of the vehicle as long as possible without requesting manual intervention when unloading pallets that are placed improperly (Tretyakov: para. [0064]).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Hoofard, Chilson, and Tretyakov discloses all the limitations of claim 4 . Tretyakov further discloses, responsive to determining that the first distance or the second distance is no greater than the predetermined threshold, adjusting position of the first pallet to obtain maximum clearance from the side wall of the trailer (para. [0066], [0124]; [0155]; during load placement operation when the required threshold between the loads is not detected the load is repositioned and another attempt is made to place the load correctly. This technique can be applied during the unloading process which is disclosed as being carried out as a reverse operation).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the unloading method of Hoofard, and Chilson and further incorporate the teachings in Tretyakov of, in responsive to determining that the first distance or the second distance is no greater than the predetermined threshold, adjusting position of the first pallet to obtain maximum clearance from the side wall of the trailer to improve performance by enabling the autonomous operation of the vehicle as long as possible without requesting manual intervention when unloading pallets that are placed improperly (Tretyakov: para. [0064]).
Regarding claim 8, Hoofard in view of Chilson, discloses all the limitations of claim 1. Hoofard discloses the AMT receiving workflow instructions including a series of movements to load pallets onto the fork, drive the AMT into the trailer, and unload the pallets from the fork, from a central processing unit (para. [0062], [0112]). However, Hoofard does not explicitly disclose project plan including positions of the plurality of pallets in the trailer and a plurality of drop positions in the staging area corresponding to the plurality of pallets.
Tretyakov discloses receiving a project plan, project plan including positions of the plurality of pallets in the trailer and a plurality of drop positions in the staging area corresponding to the plurality of pallets (para. [0020], [0126]; task order is received from server and includes information about the unloading gate number or container location, information about the load, including the amount and dimensions, and the drop-off locations)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the unloading method of Hoofard in view of Chilson and incorporate the teachings in Tretyakov of receiving a project plan, project plan including positions of the plurality of pallets in the trailer and a plurality of drop positions in the staging area corresponding to the plurality of pallets to permit predictable deterministic routing, pallet accounting and automated completion of the unloading assignment (Tretyakov: para. [0021]).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Hoofard, Chilson, and Tretyakov discloses all the limitations of claim 8. Tretyakov further discloses the project plan further includes a layout of the staging area and a dock pose indicating a location and alignment of the trailer relative to the dock and the staging area (para. [0116], [0197]; information retrieved from the server or from the fleet management system includes information about pick up locations, container location, or other transport entry coordinates).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the unloading method of Hoofard, Chilson, and Tretyakov and further incorporate the teachings in Tretyakov of including the layout of the staging area and a dock pose indicating a location and alignment of the trailer relative to the dock and the staging area with the project plan to permit predictable deterministic routing, pallet accounting and automated completion of the unloading assignment (Tretyakov: para. [0021]).
Regarding claim 14, Hoofard in view of Chilson, discloses all the limitations of claim 11. Hoofard further discloses navigating in a straight line backward from the first goal position to the second goal position in the trailer (para. [0098]; The truck control system then controls the drive system to move the AMT 300 in reverse until it reaches the unloading position). However, Hoofard in view of Chilson does not disclose determining that the first pallet is between a side wall of the trailer and a second pallet in the same row;
determining a first distance between the first pallet and the side wall of the trailer and a second distance between the first pallet and the second pallet by one or more sensors;
determining whether each of the first distance and the second distance is greater than a predetermined threshold;
responsive to determining that either or both of the first distance or the second distance is greater than the predetermined threshold, navigating in a straight line backward from the first goal position to the second goal position in the trailer.
Tretyakov discloses a method of controlling an AGV for loading and unloading materials where the unloading process can be carried out using the same sensors and approach used for loading (para. [0066], [0077]). Tretyakov discloses a method of loading/unloading including determining that the first pallet is between a side wall of the trailer and a second pallet in the same row (para. [0089]-[0090]; Range camera is used to measure the gap between the load on the forks and the adjacent loads in the transport as well as adjacent objects);
determining a first distance between the first pallet and the side wall of the trailer and a second distance between the first pallet and the second pallet by one or more sensors (para. [0089]-[0090]; Range camera is used to measure the gap between the load on the forks and the adjacent loads in the transport as well as adjacent objects);
determining whether each of the first distance and the second distance is greater than a predetermined threshold (para. [0154]; during load placement threshold distance between adjacent loads or walls is verified. Same process can be used for unloading to check proper clearance);
responsive to determining that either or both of the first distance or the second distance is greater than the predetermined threshold, navigating in a straight line backward from the first goal position to the second goal position in the trailer (para. [0154]-[0155]; if threshold is acceptable load is placed without any addition adjustment. The reverse process would function similarly by picking and removing the load without any adjustment when threshold value is acceptable).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the autonomous mobile robot of Hoofard in view of Chilson and incorporate the teachings in Tretyakov of determining that the first pallet is between a side wall of the trailer and a second pallet in the same row; determining a first distance between the first pallet and the side wall of the trailer and a second distance between the first pallet and the second pallet by one or more sensors; determining whether each of the first distance and the second distance is greater than a predetermined threshold; responsive to determining that either or both of the first distance or the second distance is greater than the predetermined threshold, navigating in a straight line backward from the first goal position to the second goal position in the trailer to improve performance by enabling the autonomous operation of the vehicle as long as possible without requesting manual intervention when unloading pallets that are placed improperly (Tretyakov: para. [0064]).
Regarding claim 15, the combination of Hoofard, Chilson, and Tretyakov discloses all the limitations of claim 14. Tretyakov further discloses, responsive to determining that the first distance or the second distance is no greater than the predetermined threshold, adjusting position of the first pallet to obtain maximum clearance from the side wall of the trailer (para. [0066], [0124]; [0155]; during load placement operation when the required threshold between the loads is not detected the load is repositioned and another attempt is made to place the load correctly. This technique can be applied during the unloading process which is disclosed as being carried out as a reverse operation).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the unloading method of Hoofard, Chilson, and Tretyakov and further incorporate the teachings in Tretyakov of in responsive to determining that the first distance or the second distance is no greater than the predetermined threshold, adjusting position of the first pallet to obtain maximum clearance from the side wall of the trailer to improve performance by enabling the autonomous operation of the vehicle as long as possible without requesting manual intervention when unloading pallets that are placed improperly (Tretyakov: para. [0064]).
Regarding claim 18, Hoofard in view of Chilson, discloses all the limitations of claim 11. Hoofard discloses the AMT receiving workflow instructions including a series of movements to load pallets onto the fork, drive the AMT into the trailer, and unload the pallets from the fork, from a central processing unit (para. [0062], [0112]). However, Hoofard does not explicitly disclose project plan including positions of the plurality of pallets in the trailer and a plurality of drop positions in the staging area corresponding to the plurality of pallets.
Tretyakov discloses receiving a project plan, project plan including positions of the plurality of pallets in the trailer and a plurality of drop positions in the staging area corresponding to the plurality of pallets (para. [0020], [0126]; task order is received from server and includes information about the unloading gate number or container location, information about the load, including the amount and dimensions, and the drop-off locations)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the unloading method of Hoofard in view of Chilson and incorporate the teachings in Tretyakov of receiving a project plan, project plan including positions of the plurality of pallets in the trailer and a plurality of drop positions in the staging area corresponding to the plurality of pallets to permit predictable deterministic routing, pallet accounting and automated completion of the unloading assignment (Tretyakov: para. [0021]).
Regarding claim 19, the combination of Hoofard, Chilson, and Tretyakov discloses all the limitations of claim 18. Tretyakov further discloses the project plan further includes a layout of the staging area and a dock pose indicating a location and alignment of the trailer relative to the dock and the staging area (para. [0116], [0197]; information retrieved from the server or from the fleet management system includes information about pick up locations, container location, or other transport entry coordinates).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the unloading method of Hoofard, Chilson, and Tretyakov and further incorporate the teachings in Tretyakov of including the layout of the staging area and a dock pose indicating a location and alignment of the trailer relative to the dock and the staging area with the project plan to permit predictable deterministic routing, pallet accounting and automated completion of the unloading assignment (Tretyakov: para. [0021]).
Claims 7 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hoofard (US 2020/0239242 A1), in view of Chilson (US 2010/0266381 A1), in view of Tretyakov (US 2023/0137089 A1), and in further view of Guo et al. (US 20220067960 A1), hereinafter “Guo”.
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Hoofard, Chilson, and Tretyakov discloses all the limitations of claim 5. The combination of Hoofard, Chilson, and Tretyakov, does not disclose determining, by the one or more sensors, the first pallet has moved more than a threshold distance relative to the fork during navigation from the first goal position to the second goal position; and causing the autonomous mobile robot to stop and generate an alert.
Guo discloses an intelligent forklift for determining, by the one or more sensors, the first pallet has moved more than a threshold distance relative to the fork during navigation from the first goal position to the second goal position (para. [0020], [0054]; image sensor is used to detect a pose deviation degree of the stock container 120); and causing the autonomous mobile robot to stop and generate an alert (para. [0021], [0057]; based on the detected pose deviation the vehicle brakes and outputs an alarm).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the unloading method of Hoofard, Chilson, and Tretyakov and further incorporate the teachings in Guo of detecting the movement of a pallet carried by the fork by more than a threshold and stopping the autonomous robot and generating an alert to improve the efficiency and safety of carrying and moving the stock container by the forklift (Guo: para. [0035]).
Regarding claim 17, the combination of Hoofard, Chilson, and Tretyakov discloses all the limitations of claim 15. The combination of Hoofard, Chilson, and Tretyakov, does not disclose determining, by the one or more sensors, the first pallet has moved more than a threshold distance relative to the fork during navigation from the first goal position to the second goal position; and causing the autonomous mobile robot to stop and generate an alert.
Guo discloses an intelligent forklift for determining, by the one or more sensors, the first pallet has moved more than a threshold distance relative to the fork during navigation from the first goal position to the second goal position (para. [0020], [0054]; image sensor is used to detect a pose deviation degree of the stock container 120); and causing the autonomous mobile robot to stop and generate an alert (para. [0021], [0057]; based on the detected pose deviation the vehicle brakes and outputs an alarm).
See rejection of claim 7 for motivation statement.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3, 6, 12-13, 16, and 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Thompson et al. (US 4595331 A) discloses system for automatically loading a transport vehicle with unit loads by automatically moving the unit loads from a predetermined loading position to prescribed positions in the transport vehicle by using both an external guide path in combination with an internally generated guide path, or, a guide path which is totally internally generated by the loading vehicle(col. 9, line 15-46; Figs. 4-7).
Netzler (US 5801506) discloses a method and device for loading and unloading trailers where the AGV determines the position and orientation of the trailer relative to a first room in which the AGV is located (col. 2, line 19 to col. 3, line 15; Fig. 2).
MIRKO (IT VI20070143 A1) discloses a method and apparatus for automatic loading and unloading of goods from a trailer. An AGV approaches the trailer and carries out a three-dimensional virtual reconstruction of the interior of the container 50 which allows it to recognize goods that need to be collected before the AGV is driven into the container to remove the goods (Figs. 1-2, 4-5)
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TEMESGEN M. MARU whose telephone number is (571)272-0039. The examiner can normally be reached Monday -Friday 8:00AM-5:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jacob Scott can be reached at (571)270-3415. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TEMESGEN M. MARU/ Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3655
/JACOB S. SCOTT/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3655
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