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 statement (IDS) submitted on 11/22/2024 was considered by the examiner.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. A certified copy of application JP 2023-199758 was filed on 11/27/2025.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitations are:
monitoring unit, in claims 1, 2, and 7,
identification information provider, in claim 1, 2, and 4-6,
reading unit, in claim 1,
notification unit, in claims 4, 5, and 6,
input unit, in claim 5,
instruction unit, in claims 5 and 6,
determination unit, in claims 4 and 6.
Because these claim limitations are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, they are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have these limitations interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tatsuya (JP 2021160931 A).
Regarding claim 1, Tatsuya discloses a cargo handling system in which an industrial vehicle performs a cargo handling operation for a transport vehicle, the cargo handling system (para. [0015], Fig. 1, cargo handling system CS, transport vehicle T) comprising:
the industrial vehicle (para. [0015], Fig.1, forklift 10);
a work site where the industrial vehicle performs the cargo handling operation (para. [0015]; Fig. 1, work sites A1, A2, A3);
a monitoring unit provided at a position in the work site different from the industrial vehicle, and configured to monitor a state of the work site (para. [0035]; Fig. 1, Monitoring unit, camera 60 at a fixed location in the worksite);
a pallet on which a cargo is placed (para. [0035]; Fig. 2, pallet P);
an identification information provider provided in the pallet and providing identification information for identifying at least one of the cargo and the pallet (para. [0043]; Fig, 2, Identification information MA3 and MA4 on the pallet); and
a reading unit configured to read the identification information provider, wherein the industrial vehicle performs the cargo handling operation based on the identification information read by the reading unit (para. [0043],[0055], [0058]; reading unit, camera 60, identifies pallet and forklift performs cargo handling operation based on the identification information).
Regarding claim 7, Tatsuya discloses all the limitations of claim 1. Tatsuya further discloses the monitoring unit includes at least one of an image acquisition unit that acquires an image, and a distance measurement unit that measures a distance to a target object (para. [0076]; Fig. 10, laser range finder 81, camera 82).
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 2 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tatsuya (JP 2021160931 A) in view of Kim (US 20220396459 A1).
Regarding claim 2, Tatsuya discloses all the limitations of claim 1. Tatsuya further discloses the identification information provider provides the identification information for identifying the pallet (para. [0043]; Fig, 2, Identification information MA3 and MA4 on the pallet). However, Tatsuya does not disclose the industrial vehicle performs one of an unloading operation and a loading operation based on a fork width of the industrial vehicle and a cargo handling position determined based on at least one of the identification information and a monitoring result by the monitoring unit.
Kim discloses an industrial vehicle performs one of an unloading operation and a loading operation based on a fork width of the industrial vehicle and a cargo handling position determined based on at least one of the identification information and a monitoring result by the monitoring unit (para. [0041]-[0043], [0048]; Figs. 2-3, identification information provides pallet identification information, and position of lifting holes).
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 cargo handling system of Tatsuya and incorporate the teachings in Kim of using an industrial vehicle to perform one of an unloading operation and a loading operation based on a fork width of the industrial vehicle and a cargo handling position determined based on at least one of the identification information and a monitoring result by the monitoring unit to improve overall efficiency and adaptability by allowing the industrial vehicle to handle different types of pallets with standard and non-standard widths without manually changing or adjusting the forklifts (para. [0005]).
Regarding claim 3, Tatsuya in view of Kim, discloses all the limitations of claim 2. Kim further discloses what Tatsuya lacks, specifically, the industrial vehicle automatically adjusts the fork width when the determined fork width differs from a current fork width (para. [0041]-[0043], [0048]; distance between two forks is adjusted to fit the lifting hole in the pallet).
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 cargo handling system of Tatsuya and incorporate the teachings in Kim of using an industrial vehicle to perform one of an unloading operation and a loading operation based on a fork width of the industrial vehicle and a cargo handling position determined based on at least one of the identification information and a monitoring result by the monitoring unit to improve overall efficiency and adaptability by allowing the industrial vehicle to handle different types of pallets with standard and non-standard widths without manually changing or adjusting the forklifts (para. [0005]).
Regarding claim 8, Tatsuya discloses all the limitations of claim 1. Tatsuya further discloses the identification information provider includes at least one of a two-dimensional code. However, Tatsuya does not disclose identification information provider is an RFID.
Kim discloses an RFID tag or a QR code can be used to provide pallet information (para. [0034]).
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 cargo handling system of Tatsuya and incorporate the teachings in Kim by substituting the two-dimensional code with an RFID device as a pallet identifier to improve accuracy of detection when the target pallet is not within a direct line of sight. Such substitution merely replaces one known identification provider with another to achieve the predictable result of identifying the pallet for cargo handling operations.
Claims 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tatsuya (JP 2021160931 A) in view of Yoshinori (JP 2021160860 A).
Regarding claim 4, Tatsuya discloses all the limitations of claim 1. Tatsuya does not disclose a notification unit configured to provide information in the work site, and
a determination unit configured to determine whether the cargo is present on a loading platform of the transport vehicle in the work site, based on the identification information read by the reading unit,
wherein the notification unit provides information indicating that an unloading operation is performable when the cargo is present on the loading platform of the transport vehicle in the work site.
Yoshinori discloses a cargo handling support system with a notification unit configured to provide information in the work site (para. [0046]; Fig. 4, a notification unit 443 and display 43), and
a determination unit configured to determine whether the cargo is present on a loading platform of the transport vehicle in the work site, based on the identification information read by the reading unit (para. [0043]; control unit 44 determines whether or not the cargo bed L is empty by using the imaging device 30 to image the cargo bed 142 and making the determination from the captured image),
wherein the notification unit provides information indicating that an unloading operation is performable when the cargo is present on the loading platform of the transport vehicle in the work site (para. [0046]; the notification processing unit 443 determines one of the ends of the loading platform 142 extracted by the region extraction unit 441 as the position where the cargo L should be loaded, and transmits movement information to the support terminal 130 of the forklift 120, which includes a display 132; Terminal 40 also includes a display 43).
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 cargo handling system of Tatsuya and incorporate the teachings in Yoshinori of a notification unit that provides information indicating that an unloading operation is performable based on a result of a determination unit determining presence of cargo on the loading platform to improve coordination of operators or autonomous vehicles, and reduce unnecessary waiting times by informing workers and autonomous vehicles when unloading is ready to begin.
Regarding claim 5, Tatsuya discloses all the limitations of claim 1. Tatsuya further discloses an input unit on which an operator inputs information in the work site (para. [0036],[0040]; input device 77);
an instruction unit configured to transmit an instruction to the industrial vehicle (para. [0037]; Fig. 1; command and communication unit 73), and
wherein when a loading operation instruction is input on the input unit, the instruction unit issues an instruction to at least one of the industrial vehicle and another vehicle to detect the pallet having the identification information provider providing the identification information of a loading target from a storage position (para. [0057], [0154]; Fig. 1; command and communication unit 73 transmits loading command to forklift 10 when instructed by input device 77, industrial vehicle detects markers on pallets ).
Tatsuya does not disclose a notification unit configured to provide information in the work site; and the notification unit providing the information indicating that an unloading operation is performable.
Yoshinori discloses a cargo handling support system with a notification unit configured to provide information in the work site; and the notification unit providing the information indicating that an unloading operation is performable (para. [0056]-[0057]; notification processing unit 443 sends movement instructions to the support terminal 130 of the forklift 120).
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 cargo handling system of Tatsuya and incorporate the teachings in Yoshinori of a notification unit that provides information indicating that a loading operation is performable to improve coordination of autonomous vehicles, and reduce unnecessary waiting times by informing autonomous vehicles when loading is ready to begin.
Regarding claim 6, Tatsuya discloses all the limitations of claim 1. Tatsuya further discloses an instruction unit configured to transmit an instruction to the industrial vehicle (para. [0037], [0154]; Fig. 1; command and communication unit 73). However, Tatsuya does not disclose a notification unit configured to provide information in the work site;
a determination unit configured to determine whether the cargo is present on a loading platform of the transport vehicle in the work site, based on the identification information read by the reading unit; and
wherein the notification unit provides information indicating that a loading operation is performable when the cargo is not present on the loading platform of the transport vehicle in the work site, the instruction unit issues an instruction to at least one of the industrial vehicle and another vehicle to detect the pallet having the identification information provider providing the identification information of a loading target from a storage position.
Yoshinori discloses a cargo handling support system with a notification unit configured to provide information in the work site (para. [0046]; the notification processing unit 443 determines one of the ends of the loading platform 142 extracted by the region extraction unit 441 as the position where the cargo L should be loaded, and transmits movement information to the support terminal 130 of the forklift 120, which includes a display 132);
a determination unit configured to determine whether the cargo is present on a loading platform of the transport vehicle in the work site, based on the identification information read by the reading unit (para. [0043]; control unit 44 determines whether or not the cargo bed L is empty by using the imaging device 30 to image the cargo bed 142 and making the determination from the captured image); and
wherein the notification unit provides information indicating that a loading operation is performable when the cargo is not present on the loading platform of the transport vehicle in the work site, the instruction unit issues an instruction to at least one of the industrial vehicle and another vehicle to detect the pallet having the identification information provider providing the identification information of a loading target from a storage position (para. [0046], [0051]; the notification processing unit 443 determines one of the ends of the loading platform 142 extracted by the region extraction unit 441 as the position where the cargo L should be loaded, and transmits movement information to the support terminal 130 of the forklift 120, which includes a display 132).
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 cargo handling system of Tatsuya and incorporate the teachings in Yoshinori of a notification unit that provides information indicating that an unloading operation is performable based on a result of a determination unit determining presence of cargo on the loading platform to improve throughput and reduce vehicle waiting time by automatically initiating retrieval of the next loading target after determining that no cargo remains on the transport vehicle.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
ONODA (US 20220375206 A1) discloses an autonomous forklift with a fork width change device that changes the interval between the forks based on identification of different types of pallets from various sensors and an image of the pallet acquired using an onboard camera (para. [0059], [0095]-[0096], [0128]; Figs. 1, 4, 11-12) .
ISRAEL et al. (WO 2010007621) discloses an RFID based smart logistics system with a smart pallet having integrated RFID device and a forklift that has an RFID reader on the tines (para. [0049], [0066]; Figs. 14, 15) .
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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