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 .
Remarks
The claims being considered in this application are those submitted on 12/02/2024. Claims 1-18 are pending.
Priority
The applicant’s claim to priority of DE102023212213.8 on 12/05/2023 is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed on 05/06/2025 has been annotated and considered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Re Claim 1 recites: “…determine and/or adapt the usage order for a preceding point in time on a basis of the quantity of cleaning orders already executed…” in Lines 9-10. The use of “preceding” is unclear because the determination/adaptation for the usage order is believed to be for a future point in time, based on the context of the application, rather than a past point in time (For example: specification ¶0003 describes an immediate/current execution or a future/scheduled execution). The term “preceding” generally describes something in the past, which makes the claim language unclear/indefinite based on this contradiction.
Re Claim 18 is rejected under 112(b) based on the same indefiniteness.
Re Claims 2-17 are rejected under 112(b) based on their dependency on the indefinite parent Claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-2, 4-15, and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to a judicial exception of an abstract idea without significantly more.
Re Claim 1 recites: An apparatus for determining a usage order for a cleaning robot, the apparatus comprising: a controller configured to: determine a quantity of cleaning orders already executed that were executed by the cleaning robot within a previous operating period, wherein individual ones of the cleaning orders each indicate a scope of a cleaning task that was executed by the cleaning robot in a respective cleaning order of the cleaning orders; and determine and/or adapt the usage order for a preceding point in time on a basis of the quantity of cleaning orders already executed, wherein the usage order indicates the scope of the cleaning task to be performed by the cleaning robot in the usage order.
Under Step 1: Claim 1 is an apparatus.
Under Step 2A Prong 1: The claim recites an judicial exception of abstract idea of mental processes. The additional elements are crossed out.
An apparatus for determining a usage order for a cleaning robot, the apparatus comprising:
A person can mentally determine a number of already executed cleaning orders including their scope, and use that determination to decide how the robot should operate next/what the next tasks that should be completed are.
Under Step 2A Prong 2, the crossed-out items in the claim are additional elements. The controller is merely a tool being used to execute the abstract idea, which does not make the abstract idea into a practical application.
Under Step 2B, the additional elements are the same as Step 2A Prong 2. For the same reasons, the additional elements also are not sufficient to amount to significantly more than the abstract idea.
The examiner recommends amending to actively recite the controlling of the robot based on the determination of the usage order to overcome the 101 rejection.
Re Claim 2 recites: wherein the scope of the respective cleaning order and/or the usage order includes: a spatial scope of the cleaning task, wherein the spatial scope indicates one or more subregions from an overall region that is divided into a plurality of different subregions; and/or a scope of tasks of the cleaning task, wherein the scope of tasks indicates a cleaning mode of the cleaning robot and/or an intensity of the cleaning mode.
Under Step 2A Prong 1: A human could mentally determine the regions/subregions that a robot has operated in and should operate in, along with what specific tasks/cleaning mode(s) the robot should operate on.
Re Claim 4 recites: wherein the apparatus is configured: to recognize, on a basis of the quantity of cleaning orders already executed, that: for a specific subregion of an overall region in which the cleaning robot is operated; and/or for a specific cleaning mode of a plurality of different cleaning modes that can be executed by the cleaning robot, a cleaning order has not been initiated within the previous operating period; and to determine the usage order based on this, which has the specific subregion and/or the specific cleaning mode as the scope.
Under Step 2A Prong 1: A human could mentally recognize that a specific subregion was missed or not cleaned previously, and could determine to include that subregion as part of the planned robot tasks/usage order to ensure it gets covered or cleaned.
Re Claim 5 recites: wherein the apparatus is configured to: identify on a basis of the quantity of cleaning orders already executed, a specific subregion of an overall region; and/or a specific cleaning mode of a plurality of different cleaning modes of the cleaning robot, for which there is a relatively high number of cleaning orders in the quantity of cleaning orders already executed; and determine and/or to adapt the usage order based on this, which has the specific subregion and/or the specific cleaning mode as the scope.
Under Step 2A Prong 1: A human could, having a mental schedule of the usage order for a robot, determine if there are subregions or cleaning modes that have been executed a relatively high number of times and adjust the cleaning order or schedule based on this, such as, for example, to enable other subregions that have not been cleaned as frequently to be covered next.
Re Claim 6 recites: wherein the apparatus is configured to: identify an already planned usage order, which already has the specific cleaning mode but not the specific subregion as the scope; and expand the scope of the already planned usage order by the specific subregion.
Under Step 2A Prong 1: A human could, for example, mentally determine that if a robot is assigned to vacuum (operating mode) at a specific time, further determine which subregion would be preferable for the scheduled usage order.
Re Claim 7 recites: wherein: individual ones of the cleaning orders each indicate a time on which the respective cleaning order was executed; and
Under Step 2A Prong 1: A human could determine what times specific robot tasks/cleaning orders were executed and could use that information to determine what usage orders should be executed next or in future time points.
Under Step 2A Prong 2/Step 2B: the controller is a mere tool being used to execute the abstract idea and is not enough to make the abstract idea into a practical application or be significantly more.
Re Claim 8 recites: wherein the scope of individual cleaning orders from the quantity of cleaning orders already executed in each case indicates one or more subregions of an overall region in which the cleaning robot is operated; cleaning orders from the quantity of cleaning orders already executed into at least one data entry for a corresponding one or more of the subregions, so that the scope of individual data entries in each case only relates to a single subregion of the overall region; and determine and/or adapt the usage order for the preceding point in time on a basis of the data entries.
Under Step 2A Prong 1: A human could mentally subdivide individual cleaning orders from the cleaning orders already executed based on the subregion they were executed in and update the planned usage order based on that.
Under Step 2A Prong 2/Step 2B: the controller is a mere tool being used to execute the abstract idea and is not enough to make the abstract idea into a practical application or be significantly more.
Re Claim 9 recites: wherein: the individual cleaning orders and the data entries determined therefrom each indicate a day of the week and a time of day on which and at which the respective cleaning order or a respective data entry of the data entries was executed;
Under Step 2A Prong 1: A human could determine the respective times that cleaning orders were executed and can plan/schedule/update the usage order based on the timing.
Under Step 2A Prong 2/Step 2B: the controller is a mere tool being used to execute the abstract idea and is not enough to make the abstract idea into a practical application or be significantly more.
Re Claim 10 recites: wherein the apparatus is configured to: identify the day section having a number of the allocated data entries being equal to or greater than a number threshold; and determine and/or adapt the usage order for the preceding point in time on a basis of the quantity of allocated data entries for an identified day section.
Under Step 2A Prong 1: A human could determine that a respective day has too many data entries and update the usage order based on that (such as to plan to spread out the tasks across different days).
Re Claim 11 recites: wherein the apparatus is configured to determine the preceding point in time for the usage order on a basis of the day of the week and the times of day of the individual data entries of the quantity of allocated data entries for the identified day section.
Under Step 2A Prong 1: A human could determine the respective times that cleaning orders were executed and can plan/schedule/update the usage order based on the timing.
Re Claim 12 recites: wherein the apparatus is configured to: detect that there is an already planned usage order for the identified day section; and expand the scope of the already planned usage order on a basis of the quantity of allocated data entries for the identified day section.
Under Step 2A Prong 1: A human could determine the that there is a time conflict within the usage order and update accordingly.
Re Claim 13 recites: wherein the apparatus is configured to: allocate the data entries determined to a first day section from a sequence of first day sections and a second day section from a sequence of second day sections in dependence upon the day of the week and the time of day, wherein the second day sections are offset in time and overlap with corresponding said first day sections; and determine and/or adapt the usage order for the preceding point in time on a basis of the quantity of allocated data entries for a specific first day section and for a specific second day section, which is offset and overlapping with the specific first day section.
Under Step 2A Prong 1: A human could schedule/update the usage order in accordance with creating time offsets/overlaps between day sections.
Re Claim 14 recites: wherein the apparatus is configured to output a suggestion for executing the usage order to a user of the cleaning robot via a
Under Step 2A Prong 1: A human could determine a usage order suggestion based on their knowledge of the region and the times.
Re Claim 15 recites: wherein the scope of tasks includes vacuuming, mopping or both.
Under Step 2A Prong 1: A human could determine a what the scope of the cleaning should be.
Re Claim 17 recites: wherein: the time is a day of a week and a time of day; and the preceding point in time is a day of a week and a time of day.
Under Step 2A Prong 1: A human could determine a specific time the tasks should be executed.
Re Claim 18 recites: A method for determining a usage order for a cleaning robot, which comprises the method steps of: determining a quantity of cleaning orders already executed that were executed by the cleaning robot within a previous operating period, wherein individual ones of the cleaning orders each indicate a scope of a cleaning task that is executed by the cleaning robot in a respective cleaning order of the cleaning orders; and determining and/or adapting the usage order for a preceding point in time on a basis of the quantity of cleaning orders already executed, wherein the usage order indicates the scope of the cleaning task to be performed by the cleaning robot in the usage order.
Under Step 1: Claim 18 is a method.
Under Step 2A Prong 1: The claim recites an judicial exception of abstract idea of mental processes. The additional elements are crossed out.
A method for determining a usage order for a cleaning robot, which comprises the method steps of: determining a quantity of cleaning orders already executed that were executed by the cleaning robot within a previous operating period, wherein individual ones of the cleaning orders each indicate a scope of a cleaning task that is executed by the cleaning robot in a respective cleaning order of the cleaning orders; and determining and/or adapting the usage order for a preceding point in time on a basis of the quantity of cleaning orders already executed, wherein the usage order indicates the scope of the cleaning task to be performed by the cleaning robot in the usage order.
A person can mentally determine a number of already executed cleaning orders including their scope, and use that determination to decide how the robot should operate next/what the next tasks that should be completed are.
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 1-11 and 14-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tsuboi et. al. (US 20150000068 A1) in view of Case et. al. (US 20220151450 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Tsuboi discloses:
An apparatus for determining a usage order for a cleaning robot, the apparatus comprising: (See at least Figure 1)
a controller configured to: determine a quantity of cleaning orders already executed that were executed by the cleaning robot within a previous operating period, (See at least Figure 7 via the control section 52. Additionally see ¶0115 via "The cleaning number storage section 571 stores, for each day, the number of times of cleaning (hereinafter, referred to as "cleaning number") carried out by the self-propelled cleaner 1. The cleaning-day number storage section 572 stores, for each day, whether or not the self-propelled cleaner 1 has carried out cleaning." as well as ¶0144 via "First, the following description will discuss a case where the most-recent cleaning number is use as the frequency of cleaning. In this case, the operand determining section 231 first obtains the cleaning number for each day during the period T, which cleaning number is stored in the cleaning number storage section 571." and ¶0145)
wherein individual ones of the cleaning orders each indicate a scope of a cleaning task that was executed by the cleaning robot in a respective cleaning order of the cleaning orders; (See at least ¶0046-¶0049 which describes operation modes that correspond to 'feelings' and describe examples of response operations. Additionally, see ¶0116 via "Each of the cleaning number storage section 571 and the cleaning-day number storage section 572 can store data either for each of the cleaning modes or without distinguishing the cleaning modes." as well as ¶0120 via "example of the data stored in the cleaning number/operand storage section 573 with reference to (a) of FIG. 9. (a) of FIG. 9 schematically illustrates an example of data stored in the cleaning number/operand storage section 573. According to the example illustrated in (a) of FIG. 9, three levels of cleaning number, i.e., "less than 4", "4 or more and less than 7", and "7 or more" are set, and feeling operands M1 for each character type are set for the respective levels". Additionally, see Figure 4)
(See at least ¶0141 via "The frequency of cleaning is at least any of the number of cleanings (hereinafter, referred to as "most-recent cleaning number") carried out during a most recent predetermined period (hereinafter, referred to as "period T")")
wherein the (See at least ¶0116 via "Each of the cleaning number storage section 571 and the cleaning-day number storage section 572 can store data either for each of the cleaning modes or without distinguishing the cleaning modes.").
However, Tsuboi does not explicitly disclose determining or adapting a usage order.
Nevertheless, Case--who is directed towards systems and methods for scheduling mobile robot missions--discloses: and determine and/or adapt the usage order for a preceding point in time (See at least ¶0004 via "The mission routine may be represented by an editable schedule, including time and/or order, for performing one or more tasks, such as cleaning one or more rooms or floor surface areas of the user's home" and ¶0157 via "A mission routine thus created may include a set of conditional cleaning tasks that may be triggered by certain events or user behaviors, which can be detected or otherwise received by the mobile device 520").
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the given invention to modify Tsuboi in view of determining the schedule/order of robotic cleaning tasks such as in Case in order to improve the robot's cleaning efficiency by increasing automaticity and enabling dynamic scheduling that is more desirable for a user: "Missions scheduled based on user geographical location, user behavior, among other contextual information as discussed herein, increase device automaticity, and enables dynamic mission scheduling which more conveniently adapts to user's behavior than the static time-based scheduling. With improved automaticity, time and effort required for manual scheduling or re-scheduling may be reduced, and the robot efficiency and usability may be improved" [Case ¶0106].
Regarding Claim 2, Modified Tsuboi discloses the apparatus according to Claim 1.
Furthermore, Tsuboi discloses: wherein the scope of the respective cleaning order and/or the usage order includes: (See at least ¶0116 via "Each of the cleaning number storage section 571 and the cleaning-day number storage section 572 can store data either for each of the cleaning modes or without distinguishing the cleaning modes." as well as ¶0120 via "example of the data stored in the cleaning number/operand storage section 573 with reference to (a) of FIG. 9. (a) of FIG. 9 schematically illustrates an example of data stored in the cleaning number/operand storage section 573. According to the example illustrated in (a) of FIG. 9, three levels of cleaning number, i.e., "less than 4", "4 or more and less than 7", and "7 or more" are set, and feeling operands M1 for each character type are set for the respective levels")
and/or a scope of tasks of the cleaning task, wherein the scope of tasks indicates a cleaning mode of the cleaning robot and/or an intensity of the cleaning mode (See at least ¶0046 via " the operation mode is assumed as "feeling" of the self-propelled cleaner 1 which is personified. That is, the self-propelled cleaner 1 is assumed to determine a feeling in accordance with (i) various information which relate to cleaning and can be measured by the self-propelled cleaner 1 or (ii) the event, and then the self-propelled cleaner 1 carries out a response operation in accordance with the feeling thus determined." and ¶0047 via "In embodiments below, it is assumed that there are three options, i.e., "good mood" which is in a good mood, "normal" which is in a normal mood, and "bad mood" which is in a bad mood" and additionally ¶0049 via "(R1) A predetermined audio is outputted (hereinafter, referred to as "audio output operation"). (R2) The self-propelled cleaner 1 is swiveled on a center line C by controlling driving wheels for self-propelling. (hereinafter, referred to as "device operation"). (R3) Side brushes for sweeping dust on a floor surface is rotated (hereinafter, referred to as "side brush operation"). (R4) A lighting section is turned on (hereinafter, referred to as "lighting operation").")
However, Tsuboi does not explicitly disclose, but Case discloses: a spatial scope of the cleaning task, wherein the spatial scope indicates one or more subregions from an overall region that is divided into a plurality of different subregions; (See at least ¶0147 via "The user may select a set of rooms to be cleaned during the cleaning mission, select a set of areas or zones within a room, or may instruct the robot to clean all rooms." *Wherein the region is the user's home, and the subregions are the rooms inside the home.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the given invention to modify Modified Tsuboi in view of providing spatial scopes of the cleaning tasks such as in Case in order to enable the robot to know where it is desirable to execute cleaning tasks in: "A user 402 views 420 the robot status data and time estimate data on the display and may input 422 new cleaning parameters or may manipulate the order or identity of rooms to be cleaned. The user 402, may, for example, delete rooms from a cleaning schedule of the mobile robot 100. In other instances, the user 402, may, for example, select an edge cleaning mode or a deep clean mode for a room to be cleaned." [Case ¶0149].
Regarding Claim 3, Modified Tsuboi discloses the apparatus according to Claim 1.
Furthermore, Tsuboi discloses: wherein: individual cleaning orders from the quantity of cleaning orders already executed were each manually started by a user of the cleaning robot; and (See at least ¶0133-¶0134 via " (E1) An audio indicative of an operation instruction to the self-propelled cleaner 1 has been inputted via the audio input section 63 (that is, the user has given an operation instruction to the self-propelled cleaner 1 by audio) (hereinafter, referred to as "audio input event"). (E2) A control signal has been received, via the communication control section 53, which is indicative of an operation instruction to the self-propelled cleaner 1 and has been transmitted from an external device such as a mobile terminal owned by the user or a remote controller. (That is, the user has given an operation instruction to the self-propelled cleaner 1 with the use of the mobile terminal, the remote controller, or the like) (hereinafter, referred to as "command receiving event")." *Which illustrates that executed cleaning orders can each be manually started by the user)
However, Tsuboi does not explicitly disclose the planned usage order being automatically executed at a time.
Nevertheless, Case discloses: the usage order determined is a planned usage order that is automatically executed by the cleaning robot at a specific point in time (See at least ¶0198 via "The daily schedules may be set up using time-based scheduling 611, or scheduling by automation 612. In the illustrated example, a recurrent mission 625 “When I leave home” has been created using scheduling by automation for every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. A user may use the UI control button 621 to modify this schedule, such as by setting or changing one or more days of a week to time-based schedule 622 (e.g., starts cleaning at 9:00 am)…" and corresponding Figure 6B which illustrate that there is a planned usage order executed at a specific point in time).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the given invention to modify Modified Tsuboi in view of the specific time point for executing robotic tasks such as in Case in order to enable the robot to operate only at the user's desired times based on the user's own lifestyle/routine: " In some examples, the user may set up a NRT for every weekday between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. when the household is sleeping, or on one specific day when guests come over between 5:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., or when a user is away from home for an extended period of time (e.g. vacation) and wants peace of mind that their mobile robot will absolutely not respond to any automated smart home triggers or routines or pre-defined time-based schedules. A user may create any NRT schedule that works for their life and provide respective descriptive labels for the distinct NRT schedules, such as Quiet Time, Sleep Time, Nap Time, Meal Time, TV Time, Work Time, Meeting Time, Guest Time, Vacation Mode etc." [Case ¶0166].
Regarding Claim 4, Modified Tsuboi discloses the apparatus according to Claim 1.
Furthermore Tsuboi discloses: wherein the apparatus is configured: to recognize, on a basis of the quantity of cleaning orders already executed, that: (See at least ¶0141 via "The frequency of cleaning is at least any of the number of cleanings (hereinafter, referred to as "most-recent cleaning number") carried out during a most recent predetermined period (hereinafter, referred to as "period T")" *Which illustrates that the system recognizes the quantity of cleaning counts during a time period. Additionally, see ¶0116 via "Each of the cleaning number storage section 571 and the cleaning-day number storage section 572 can store data either for each of the cleaning modes or without distinguishing the cleaning modes.", and additionally Figure 9)
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However, Tsuboi does not explicitly disclose the explicit recognition that a cleaning order has not been initiated within the previous operating period. Nevertheless, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the given invention to include this recognition in a case where the count is "0".
However, Tsuboi does not explicitly disclose, but Case discloses: for a specific subregion of an overall region in which the cleaning robot is operated; (See at least ¶0147 via "The user may select a set of rooms to be cleaned during the cleaning mission, select a set of areas or zones within a room, or may instruct the robot to clean all rooms." *Wherein the region is the user's home, and the subregions are the rooms inside the home.)
to determine the usage order based on this, which has the specific subregion and/or the specific cleaning mode as the scope (See at least ¶0004 via "The mission routine may be represented by an editable schedule, including time and/or order, for performing one or more tasks, such as cleaning one or more rooms or floor surface areas of the user's home" and ¶0157 via "A mission routine thus created may include a set of conditional cleaning tasks that may be triggered by certain events or user behaviors, which can be detected or otherwise received by the mobile device 520").
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the given invention to modify Modified Tsuboi in view of determining the usage order such as in Case in order to enable the robot to know where it is desirable to execute cleaning tasks in: "A user 402 views 420 the robot status data and time estimate data on the display and may input 422 new cleaning parameters or may manipulate the order or identity of rooms to be cleaned. The user 402, may, for example, delete rooms from a cleaning schedule of the mobile robot 100. In other instances, the user 402, may, for example, select an edge cleaning mode or a deep clean mode for a room to be cleaned." [Case ¶0149] as well as improve the robot's cleaning efficiency by increasing automaticity and enabling dynamic scheduling that is more desirable for a user: "Missions scheduled based on user geographical location, user behavior, among other contextual information as discussed herein, increase device automaticity, and enables dynamic mission scheduling which more conveniently adapts to user's behavior than the static time-based scheduling. With improved automaticity, time and effort required for manual scheduling or re-scheduling may be reduced, and the robot efficiency and usability may be improved" [Case ¶0106].
Regarding Claim 5, Modified Tsuboi discloses the apparatus according to Claim 1.
Furthermore, Tsuboi discloses: wherein the apparatus is configured to: identify on a basis of the quantity of cleaning orders already executed, (See at least ¶0141 via "The frequency of cleaning is at least any of the number of cleanings (hereinafter, referred to as "most-recent cleaning number") carried out during a most recent predetermined period (hereinafter, referred to as "period T")" *Which illustrates that the system recognizes the quantity of cleaning counts during a time period. Additionally, see ¶0116 via "Each of the cleaning number storage section 571 and the cleaning-day number storage section 572 can store data either for each of the cleaning modes or without distinguishing the cleaning modes.", and additionally Figure 9 **Wherein, for example, "7 or more" is relatively high)
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a specific subregion of an overall region; (See at least ¶0147 via "The user may select a set of rooms to be cleaned during the cleaning mission, select a set of areas or zones within a room, or may instruct the robot to clean all rooms." *Wherein the region is the user's home, and the subregions are the rooms inside the home.)
determine and/or to adapt the usage order based on this, which has the specific subregion and/or the specific cleaning mode as the scope (See at least ¶0004 via "The mission routine may be represented by an editable schedule, including time and/or order, for performing one or more tasks, such as cleaning one or more rooms or floor surface areas of the user's home" and ¶0157 via "A mission routine thus created may include a set of conditional cleaning tasks that may be triggered by certain events or user behaviors, which can be detected or otherwise received by the mobile device 520").
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the given invention to modify Modified Tsuboi in view of determining the usage order such as in Case in order to enable the robot to know where it is desirable to execute cleaning tasks in: "A user 402 views 420 the robot status data and time estimate data on the display and may input 422 new cleaning parameters or may manipulate the order or identity of rooms to be cleaned. The user 402, may, for example, delete rooms from a cleaning schedule of the mobile robot 100. In other instances, the user 402, may, for example, select an edge cleaning mode or a deep clean mode for a room to be cleaned." [Case ¶0149] as well as improve the robot's cleaning efficiency by increasing automaticity and enabling dynamic scheduling that is more desirable for a user: "Missions scheduled based on user geographical location, user behavior, among other contextual information as discussed herein, increase device automaticity, and enables dynamic mission scheduling which more conveniently adapts to user's behavior than the static time-based scheduling. With improved automaticity, time and effort required for manual scheduling or re-scheduling may be reduced, and the robot efficiency and usability may be improved" [Case ¶0106].
Regarding Claim 6, Modified Tsuboi discloses the apparatus according to Claim 5.
Furthermore, Case discloses: wherein the apparatus is configured to: identify an already planned usage order, which (See at least ¶0004 via "The mission routine may be represented by an editable schedule, including time and/or order, for performing one or more tasks, such as cleaning one or more rooms or floor surface areas of the user's home" as well as ¶0144 via "The interface may receive a user instruction to modify the environment map, such as by adding, removing, or otherwise modifying a keep-out traversable zone in the environment; adding, removing, or otherwise modifying a duplicate traversal zone in the environment (such as an area that requires repeated cleaning); restricting a robot traversal direction or traversal pattern in a portion of the environment; or adding or changing a cleaning rank, among others."; ¶0147 via "The user may select a set of rooms to be cleaned during the cleaning mission, select a set of areas or zones within a room, or may instruct the robot to clean all rooms")
However, although Case does not explicitly describe the scenario where there is a planned usage order with a specific mode and not a specific subregion, Case discloses modifying the tasks/schedule by adding zones, and thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the given invention to account for this scenario in a case where a user may want to add a room or zone to be cleaned in their set of rooms to be cleaned [Case ¶0147]; Thus, enabling a robot that can adapt to a user's desires and improve dynamic scheduling: "enables dynamic mission scheduling which more conveniently adapts to user's behavior" [Case ¶0106].
Regarding Claim 7, Modified Tsuboi discloses the apparatus according to Claim 1.
Furthermore, Tsuboi discloses: wherein: individual ones of the cleaning orders each indicate a time on which the respective cleaning order was executed; and (See at least ¶0141 via "The frequency of cleaning is at least any of the number of cleanings (hereinafter, referred to as "most-recent cleaning number") carried out during a most recent predetermined period (hereinafter, referred to as "period T")" as well as Figure 9 which illustrates "Cleaning-Day Number" which is tracking cleaning counts per day. Additionally, see ¶0059 via "setting a current time and a programmed time at which the self-propelled cleaner 1 is operated") and
the quantity of cleaning orders already executed (See at least ¶0115 via "The cleaning number storage section 571 stores, for each day, the number of times of cleaning (hereinafter, referred to as "cleaning number") carried out by the self-propelled cleaner 1. The cleaning-day number storage section 572 stores, for each day, whether or not the self-propelled cleaner 1 has carried out cleaning.")
However, Tsuboi does not explicitly disclose, but Case discloses: said controller is configured to determine the preceding point in time for an execution of the usage order on a basis of points in time (See at least ¶0004 via "The mission routine may be represented by an editable schedule, including time and/or order, for performing one or more tasks, such as cleaning one or more rooms or floor surface areas of the user's home". Additionally, see Figure 6B which displays a schedule, and the preceding point in time is considered a time of the next execution. Additionally, see ¶0192 via "The control circuit 512 may trigger the mobile cleaning robot to resume the unfinished mission at the next time window in accordance with the multi-mission schedule" **Wherein, for example, based on the previously executed (and unfinished) task, the system determines to finish the task at a next/preceding time point in multi-mission mode).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the given invention to modify Modified Tsuboi in view of determining the usage order such as in Case in order to improve the robot's cleaning efficiency by increasing automaticity and enabling dynamic scheduling that is more desirable for a user: "Missions scheduled based on user geographical location, user behavior, among other contextual information as discussed herein, increase device automaticity, and enables dynamic mission scheduling which more conveniently adapts to user's behavior than the static time-based scheduling. With improved automaticity, time and effort required for manual scheduling or re-scheduling may be reduced, and the robot efficiency and usability may be improved" [Case ¶0106]. Additionally, by including the scheduling with respect to the time with the quantity of the cleaning orders, a user can have a better estimate on how long cleaning tasks may require: "…changes the cleaning parameters from single pass cleaning to dual pass cleaning, the system will update the estimated time to provide an estimate based on the new parameters. In this example of single pass cleaning vs. dual pass cleaning, the estimate would be approximately doubled" [Case ¶0149].
Regarding Claim 8, Modified Tsuboi discloses the apparatus according to Claim 1.
Furthermore, Tsuboi discloses: wherein the scope of individual cleaning orders from the quantity of cleaning orders already executed in each case (See at least ¶0115 via "The cleaning number storage section 571 stores, for each day, the number of times of cleaning (hereinafter, referred to as "cleaning number") carried out by the self-propelled cleaner 1. The cleaning-day number storage section 572 stores, for each day, whether or not the self-propelled cleaner 1 has carried out cleaning." as well as ¶0046-¶0049, ¶0116, ¶0120 regarding the scope)
However, Tsuboi does not explicitly disclose the subregions within the scope.
Nevertheless, Case discloses: indicates one or more subregions of an overall region in which the cleaning robot is operated; and (See at least ¶0004 via "The mission routine may be represented by an editable schedule, including time and/or order, for performing one or more tasks, such as cleaning one or more rooms or floor surface areas of the user's home".)
said controller is configured to: subdivide the individual cleaning orders from the only relates to a single subregion of the overall region; and (See at least Figure 6C which illustrates that there are cleaning orders subdivided into subregions; wherein the missions are data entries that comprise duration of cleaning and the job completion status. And ¶0199 via " Information about the mission performed 636 during the “When I leave home” period, such as rooms or areas cleaned, time taken for cleaning, and job completion status, among other information on mobile robot status, may be displayed on the user interface." )
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determine and/or adapt the usage order for the preceding point in time on a basis of the data entries (See at least ¶0199 via "job completion status" which is an example of a data entry. Further see ¶0192 via "The control circuit 512 may trigger the mobile cleaning robot to resume the unfinished mission at the next time window in accordance with the multi-mission schedule" **Wherein, for example, based on the previously executed (and unfinished) task, the system determines to finish the task at a next/preceding time point in multi-mission mode, thus the usage order can be determined to finish an unfinished task on the basis of a data entry that includes that the task was not completed previously).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the given invention to modify Modified Tsuboi in view of the specific subregions such as in Case in order to increase the customization of the where the robot cleans, such as for allowing the user to set certain subregions or areas to avoid " In some examples, information about the avoidance spots may be identified by a user on a map of the environment. The path planning module 584 may schedule a coverage path covering at least a portion of the one or more areas and to avoid the avoidance spots.” [Case ¶0185].
Regarding Claim 9, Modified Tsuboi discloses the apparatus according to Claim 8.
Furthermore, although Tsuboi discloses a predetermined time period (See ¶0141) which corresponds to a respective day section, Tsuboi does not explicitly disclose, but Case discloses: wherein: the individual cleaning orders and the data entries determined therefrom each indicate a day of the week and a time of day on which and at which the respective cleaning order or a respective data entry of the data entries was executed; and (See at least Figure 6C which illustrates the day of the week and time of the day. Additionally, Figure 6C illustrates the duration of each individual task which, in conjunction with the start times, is an indication of the execution time)
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said controller is configured to: allocate the data entries determined to a respective day section from a sequence of day sections in dependence upon the day of the week and the time of day, wherein the sequence of day sections divides a week into a limited number of the day sections; (See at least ¶0157 via "In some examples, the Guest Routine may include a time-boxed mission including one or more areas to be cleaned during the pre-set time window, which may be programmable or selectable by a user via a user interface of the mobile device."; ¶0162 via "The user may have the option to define when the trigger takes action to start or end the mobile robot cleaning mission, such as only on specific days, between specific time windows, and frequency (e.g., only once per day)."; as well as ¶0166 via " In some examples, two or more distinct NRT schedules with respective time windows can be created and stored in the memory 526. In some examples, the user may set up a NRT for every weekday between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. when the household is sleeping, or on one specific day when guests come over between 5:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., or when a user is away from home for an extended period of time (e.g. vacation) and wants peace of mind that their mobile robot will absolutely not respond to any automated smart home triggers or routines or pre-defined time-based schedules.")
determine a quantity of allocated data entries for individual ones of the day sections of the sequence of day sections; and (See at least ¶0162 via "The user may have the option to define when the trigger takes action to start or end the mobile robot cleaning mission, such as only on specific days, between specific time windows, and frequency (e.g., only once per day).")
determine and/or adapt the usage order for the preceding point in time on a basis of the quantity of allocated data entries for at least one day section (See at least ¶0004 via "The mission routine may be represented by an editable schedule, including time and/or order, for performing one or more tasks, such as cleaning one or more rooms or floor surface areas of the user's home).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the given invention to modify Modified Tsuboi in view of the day sections/time windows such as in Case in order to increase the customization of the scheduling, such as for allowing the user to set desired times for the robot to operate or to not operate based on the user's own lifestyle/routine: " In some examples, the user may set up a NRT for every weekday between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. when the household is sleeping, or on one specific day when guests come over between 5:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., or when a user is away from home for an extended period of time (e.g. vacation) and wants peace of mind that their mobile robot will absolutely not respond to any automated smart home triggers or routines or pre-defined time-based schedules. A user may create any NRT schedule that works for their life and provide respective descriptive labels for the distinct NRT schedules, such as Quiet Time, Sleep Time, Nap Time, Meal Time, TV Time, Work Time, Meeting Time, Guest Time, Vacation Mode etc" [Case ¶0166].
Regarding Claim 10, Modified Tsuboi discloses the apparatus according to Claim 9.
Furthermore, Tsuboi discloses: wherein the apparatus is configured to: identify the day section having a number of the allocated data entries being equal to or greater than a number threshold; and (See at least Figure 9 which illustrates a number of allocated data entries/cleaning numbers during a predetermined time period "T" - See at least ¶0141 via "The frequency of cleaning is at least any of the number of cleanings (hereinafter, referred to as "most-recent cleaning number") carried out during a most recent predetermined period (hereinafter, referred to as "period T")" which corresponds to a day section. Furthermore, Figure 9 illustrates the number threshold, and the information/parameters are used to determine a response operation)
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the quantity of allocated data entries for an identified day section (See at least Figure 9 and ¶0141)
However, Tsuboi does not explicitly disclose the determining or adapting the usage order.
Nevertheless, Case discloses: determine and/or adapt the usage order for the preceding point in time on a basis of (See at least ¶0004 via "The mission routine may be represented by an editable schedule, including time and/or order, for performing one or more tasks, such as cleaning one or more rooms or floor surface areas of the user's home" and ¶0157 via "A mission routine thus created may include a set of conditional cleaning tasks that may be triggered by certain events or user behaviors, which can be detected or otherwise received by the mobile device 520").
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the given invention to modify Tsuboi, who already uses a quantity of allocated data entries (cleaning number) when determining a response action, in view of determining the schedule/order of robotic cleaning tasks such as in Case in order to improve the robot's cleaning efficiency by increasing automaticity and enabling dynamic scheduling that is more desirable for a user: "Missions scheduled based on user geographical location, user behavior, among other contextual information as discussed herein, increase device automaticity, and enables dynamic mission scheduling which more conveniently adapts to user's behavior than the static time-based scheduling. With improved automaticity, time and effort required for manual scheduling or re-scheduling may be reduced, and the robot efficiency and usability may be improved" [Case ¶0106].
Regarding Claim 11, Modified Tsuboi discloses the apparatus according to Claim 10.
Furthermore, Tsuboi discloses: individual data entries of the quantity of allocated data entries for the identified day section (See at least Figure 9 and ¶0141)
However, Tsuboi does not explicitly disclose, but Case discloses: wherein the apparatus is configured to determine the preceding point in time for the usage order on a basis of the day of the week and the times of day of the (See at least Figure 6B which illustrates a usage order on the basis of the days of the week/times of day--for example: "Monday 9:00am".)
Therefore, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the given invention to modify Tsuboi, who already uses a quantity of allocated data entries (cleaning number) when determining a response action, in view of Case's determination of the usage order including a next point or planned task in order to improve the robot's cleaning efficiency by increasing automaticity and enabling dynamic scheduling that is more desirable for a user: "Missions scheduled based on user geographical location, user behavior, among other contextual information as discussed herein, increase device automaticity, and enables dynamic mission scheduling which more conveniently adapts to user's behavior than the static time-based scheduling. With improved automaticity, time and effort required for manual scheduling or re-scheduling may be reduced, and the robot efficiency and usability may be improved" [Case ¶0106].
Regarding Claim 14, Modified Tsuboi discloses the apparatus according to Claim 1.
Furthermore, although Tsuboi discloses a user interface: (See at least "mobile terminal" in Tsuboi ¶0134), Tsuboi does not explicitly disclose, but Case discloses: wherein the apparatus is configured to output a suggestion for executing the usage order to a user of the cleaning robot via a user interface of the cleaning robot (See at least ¶0166 via " The mobile device UI may offer the user pre-populated, and even personalized, suggestions for specific NRT schedules that the user may toggle on, customize, or delete, based on their routines and cleaning habits"; ¶0171 via "In some examples, suggestions such as adjusting the multi-mission schedule for future time windows over a specified number of days may be presented to the user." and also see Figures 6A-6G which illustrate a user device).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the given invention to modify Modified Tsuboi in view of the suggestions provided for executing the usage order such as in Case in order to increase customization and user experience by accounting for "[user] routines and cleaning habits" [Case ¶0166].
Regarding Claim 15, Modified Tsuboi discloses the apparatus according to Claim 2.
Furthermore, Tsuboi discloses: wherein the scope of tasks includes vacuuming, mopping or both (See at least ¶0062 via " In the front of the bottom surface of the main body housing 2, a suction port 6 is provided. The suction port 6 (i) is an opening of a recessed part 8 which is provided on the bottom surface of the main body housing 2 and (ii) faces a floor surface F" **Wherein the described features correspond to vacuuming).
Furthermore, Case also describes vacuuming, mopping or both (See at least ¶0190 via "For example, a kitchen floor may be cleaned first by a mobile dry-cleaning robot (e.g., vacuum robot), followed by a mobile wet-cleaning robot (e.g., a mopping robot)").
Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the given invention to modify Modified Tsuboi to include both vacuuming and mopping in order to expand the types of cleaning that can be performed.
Regarding Claim 16, Modified Tsuboi discloses the apparatus according to Claim 3.
Furthermore, Case discloses: wherein the specific point in time is a specific day of a week and/or at a specific time of day (See at least ¶0198 via "The daily schedules may be set up using time-based scheduling 611, or scheduling by automation 612. In the illustrated example, a recurrent mission 625 “When I leave home” has been created using scheduling by automation for every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. A user may use the UI control button 621 to modify this schedule, such as by setting or changing one or more days of a week to time-based schedule 622 (e.g., starts cleaning at 9:00 am)…" and corresponding Figure 6B which illustrate that there is a planned usage order executed at a specific point in time on both specific days of the week as well as specific time of the day )
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the given invention to modify Modified Tsuboi in view of the specific time point for executing robotic tasks such as in Case in order to enable the robot to operate only at the user's desired times based on the user's own lifestyle/routine: " In some examples, the user may set up a NRT for every weekday between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. when the household is sleeping, or on one specific day when guests come over between 5:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., or when a user is away from home for an extended period of time (e.g. vacation) and wants peace of mind that their mobile robot will absolutely not respond to any automated smart home triggers or routines or pre-defined time-based schedules. A user may create any NRT schedule that works for their life and provide respective descriptive labels for the distinct NRT schedules, such as Quiet Time, Sleep Time, Nap Time, Meal Time, TV Time, Work Time, Meeting Time, Guest Time, Vacation Mode etc" [Case ¶0166].
Regarding Claim 17, Modified Tsuboi discloses the apparatus according to Claim 7.
Furthermore, Case discloses: wherein: the time is a day of a week and a time of day; and the preceding point in time is a day of a week and a time of day (See at least ¶0198 via "The daily schedules may be set up using time-based scheduling 611, or scheduling by automation 612. In the illustrated example, a recurrent mission 625 “When I leave home” has been created using scheduling by automation for every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. A user may use the UI control button 621 to modify this schedule, such as by setting or changing one or more days of a week to time-based schedule 622 (e.g., starts cleaning at 9:00 am)…" and corresponding Figure 6B which illustrate that there is a planned usage order executed at a specific point in time on both specific days of the week as well as specific time of the day. Also see ¶0192 via "The control circuit 512 may trigger the mobile cleaning robot to resume the unfinished mission at the next time window in accordance with the multi-mission schedule" **Wherein, for example, based on the previously executed (and unfinished) task, the system determines to finish the task at a next/preceding time point in multi-mission mode)
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the given invention to modify Modified Tsuboi in view of the consideration of the specific time points such as in Case in order to enable the robot to operate only at the user's desired times based on the user's own lifestyle/routine: "In some examples, the user may set up a NRT for every weekday between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. when the household is sleeping, or on one specific day when guests come over between 5:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., or when a user is away from home for an extended period of time (e.g. vacation) and wants peace of mind that their mobile robot will absolutely not respond to any automated smart home triggers or routines or pre-defined time-based schedules. A user may create any NRT schedule that works for their life and provide respective descriptive labels for the distinct NRT schedules, such as Quiet Time, Sleep Time, Nap Time, Meal Time, TV Time, Work Time, Meeting Time, Guest Time, Vacation Mode etc" [Case ¶0166].
Regarding Claim 18, Tsuboi discloses:
A method for determining a usage order for a cleaning robot, which comprises the method steps of: (See at least Figure 13)
(Regarding the method steps, See Claim 1 rejection as the steps are the same).
Claims 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tsuboi et. al. (US 20150000068 A1) and Case et. al. (US 20220151450 A1) in view of Wu et. al. (US 20210330166 A1).
Regarding Claim 12, Modified Tsuboi discloses the apparatus according to Claim 10.
Furthermore, Case discloses: wherein the apparatus is configured to: detect that there is an already planned usage order for the identified day section; and (See at least ¶0004 via "The mission routine may be represented by an editable schedule, including time and/or order, for performing one or more tasks, such as cleaning one or more rooms or floor surface areas of the user's home" and Figure 6B which illustrates the planned mission routines scheduled in advance)
However, modified Tsuboi does not explicitly disclose the expanding the scope of the planned usage order.
Nevertheless, Wu--who is directed towards controlling a mopping robot that operates on a planned schedule--discloses: expand the scope of the already planned usage order on a basis of the quantity of allocated data entries for the (See at least ¶0116 via "the cleaning value indicates a total number of cleaning times the target area needs to be cleaned, and the more of the total number of times needs to clean the target area, the higher the degree of dirtiness of the target area is…calculating a conducted number of cleaning times that the mopping member has cleaned the target area, adjusting a currently required total number of cleaning times for the target area according to the conducted number of cleaning times to obtain an adjusted number of cleaning times, and the adjusted number of cleaning times is taken as the adjusted cleaning value of the target area, thereby realizing the adjustment of the cleaning value of the target area". Also see ¶0120 via " if the adjustment amount of number of cleaning times of the target area is not zero, the cleaning value of the mopping member is adjusted based on the adjustment amount of number of cleaning times, and the adjustment amount of number of cleaning times is obtained according to the currently required total cleaning number and the adjusted number of cleaning times…").
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filling date of the given invention to modify Modified Tsuboi in view of Wu's degree of dirtiness corresponding to the number of times an area is to be cleaned in order to ensure the area(s) can be cleaned: "the present application realizes the cleaning of the mopping member based on the degree of dirtiness of the mopping member. Therefore, this control mode is more intelligent and flexible, so that the mopping member can be cleaned in time, and the cleaning effect to the floor is ensured" [Wu ¶0021].
Claims 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tsuboi et. al. (US 20150000068 A1) and Case et. al. (US 20220151450 A1) in view of Jung et. al. (US 20200258029 A1).
Regarding Claim 13, Modified Tsuboi discloses the apparatus according to Claim 9.
Furthermore, Case discloses: wherein the apparatus is configured to: allocate the data entries determined to a first day section from a sequence of first day sections and (See at least Figure 6B which depicts mission record/data entries. Also see ¶0157 via "In some examples, the Guest Routine may include a time-boxed mission including one or more areas to be cleaned during the pre-set time window, which may be programmable or selectable by a user via a user interface of the mobile device."; ¶0162 via "The user may have the option to define when the trigger takes action to start or end the mobile robot cleaning mission, such as only on specific days, between specific time windows, and frequency (e.g., only once per day)."; as well as ¶0166 via " In some examples, two or more distinct NRT schedules with respective time windows can be created and stored in the memory 526. In some examples, the user may set up a NRT for every weekday between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. when the household is sleeping, or on one specific day when guests come over between 5:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., or when a user is away from home for an extended period of time (e.g. vacation) and wants peace of mind that their mobile robot will absolutely not respond to any automated smart home triggers or routines or pre-defined time-based schedules.")
determine and/or adapt the usage order for the preceding point in time on a basis of the quantity of allocated data entries for a specific first day section (See at least ¶0162 via "The user may have the option to define when the trigger takes action to start or end the mobile robot cleaning mission, such as only on specific days, between specific time windows, and frequency (e.g., only once per day)." as well as ¶0004 via "The mission routine may be represented by an editable schedule, including time and/or order, for performing one or more tasks, such as cleaning one or more rooms or floor surface areas of the user's home". Additionally, see Figure 6B which displays a schedule, and the preceding point in time is considered a time of the next execution.)
However, Modified Tsuboi does not explicitly disclose the second day section. Nevertheless, Case discloses missions occurring in time windows and the overlapping.
Nevertheless, Jung--who is directed towards scheduling--discloses: a second day section from a sequence of second day sections (See at least Figure 14 which shows a plurality of day sections)
wherein the second day sections are offset in time and overlap with corresponding said first day sections; and (See at least Figure 9 which shows two events (corresponding to day sections) that are overlapping/offset in time, as the first section 'do the laundry' 910 is scheduled from 08:30-10:30 and th second 'section 'clean' is scheduled from 09:00-11:00. Furthermore, see ¶0175 via " In operation 611, the processor 120 may determine whether a conflict occurs between the schedules. According to an embodiment, the processor 120 may identify whether a conflict occurs between the first schedule and the second schedule based on the identification tags (e.g., the first identification tag and the second identification tag)(e.g., time-related tag information) of the first schedule (e.g., a new schedule) and the second schedule (e.g., an adjacent schedule). According to an embodiment, the processor 120 may compare time information of the first schedule with time information of the second schedule. According to an embodiment, the processor 120 may identify a section (or overlap information) where the time information between the first and second schedules at least partially overlaps (or superimposed) based on the comparison between the time information of the first schedule and the time information of the second schedule." as well as ¶0178 via "According to an embodiment, the processor 120 may generate the recommendation information based on the identified at least one change option and may provide the recommendation information through at least a portion of the user interface")
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the given invention to modify Modified Tsuboi in view of the consideration for overlapping time windows such as in Jung, in order to determine whether there is a conflict and then determine corrective action to avoid conflicts: "the processor 120 may generate the recommendation information based on the identified at least one change option and may provide the recommendation information through at least a portion of the user interface" [¶0175 Jung].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Artes et. al. (US 20220074762 A1)
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/K.R.D./Examiner, Art Unit 3657
/ABBY LIN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3657