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 .
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 limitation(s) is/are:
“drive system” in claim 15, line 2.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/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 this/these limitation(s) 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 it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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 5-7 and 19 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.
Claims 5 and 19 recite “to radial axis”, which is confusing because it is unclear if it’s the same element as “a radial axis” in line 2.
Claims 6-7 are rejected for depending on claim 5.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 2-3, 8-10, 12-13, 15-19 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hopke (US 2018/0325252).
As to claim 2, Hopke includes a side brush (200) for an autonomous cleaning robot (100) movable about a floor surface (228), the side brush comprising:
a hub (202) rotatably mountable to the autonomous cleaning robot such that the side brush is
rotatable about a rotational axis (226) forming a non-zero angle (90 degrees) with the floor surface (para 8 and Fig. 2B); and
a bristle bundle (The bristles 204 connected to hub 202) attached to the hub, the bristle bundle comprising:
a first set of bristles (216) having a distal tip at a first distance (218) from a center of the side
brush, and
a second set of bristles (212) having a distal tip at a second distance (214) from the center of
the side brush, the second distance being less than the first distance (The tips of bristles 214 of second bristles 212 are further from hub 202 than the tips of bristles 216; Fig. 2A).
As to claim 3, wherein the bristle bundle comprises:
a third set of bristles (The set of bristles at 221) having a distal tip at a third distance (A distance having the length of 214) from the center of the side brush, the third distance being less than the first distance (The length of 214 is less than the length of 218),
wherein the first set of bristles is positioned between the second set of bristles and the
third set of bristles (Set of bristles 216 is between two of set of bristles 212; Fig. 2A).
As to claim 8, wherein the first set of bristles extends along a radial axis (A line extending outward from rotational axis 226) extending from the rotational axis of the side brush, and the second set of bristles surrounds the first set of bristles in a transverse cross-section across the radial axis (Fig. 2A).
As to claim 9, wherein a second quantity of bristles in the second set of bristles is less than a first quantity of bristles in the first set of bristles (Fig. 2A illustrates that 212 has less bristles than 216).
As to claim 10, wherein the first quantity is 25% to 200% more than the second quantity (Fig. 2A illustrates this).
As to claim 12, wherein the first distance is 25% to 75% greater than the second distance (Fig. 2A illustrates this).
As to claim 13, wherein the first set of bristles and the second set of bristles define a space for retrieving debris from the floor surface (The bristles define a space for gathering debris because debris is gathered at the area of the bristles).
As to claim 15, Hopke includes an autonomous cleaning robot (100) comprising:
a drive system (108) to move the autonomous cleaning robot about a floor surface (para 15);
a vacuum inlet (118; para 16) on a bottom portion of the autonomous cleaning robot and configured to face the floor surface (Fig. 5);
a side brush (200) on the bottom portion of the autonomous cleaning robot, wherein the side
brush comprises:
a hub (202) rotatably mountable to the autonomous cleaning robot such that the side
brush is rotatable about a rotational axis (226) forming a non-zero angle (90 degrees) with the floor surface (para 8 and Fig. 2B), and
a bristle bundle (The bristles 204 connected to hub 202) attached to the hub, the bristle bundle comprising:
a first set of bristles (216) having a distal tip at a first distance (218) from a center of the side brush, and
a second set of bristles (212) having a distal tip at a second distance (214) from the center of the side brush, the second distance being less than the first distance (The tips of bristles 214 of second bristles 212 are further from hub 202 than the tips of bristles 216; Fig. 2A); and
a motor (116) configured to drive rotation of the side brush (para 15),
wherein the side brush is configured to rotate to retrieve debris on the floor surface and move the debris from a first position to a second position, the first position being farther from the vacuum inlet than the second position (Side brush 200 moves debris toward vacuum inlet 118; Abstract).
As to claim 16, further comprising:
a roller (104) on the bottom portion of the autonomous cleaning robot, the roller adjacent to the vacuum inlet and rotatable about an axis parallel to the floor surface (Fig. 5).
As to claim 17, wherein the side brush is mounted to a corner portion (200 is at a place where two sides of the bottom of the robot meet) of the autonomous cleaning robot (Fig. 5).
Claim 21 is identical to claim 8. See claim 8 discussion.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 4-7 and 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hopke (US 2018/0325252) in view of Blum (DE 10 2017 119 216 A1).
As to claim 4, Hopke does not include further comprising an arm extending from the hub, the arm attaching the bristle bundle to the hub, wherein the bristle bundle extends from a distal end of the arm to the distal tip of the first set of bristles and the distal tip of the second set of bristles.
Blum includes a side brush for an autonomous cleaning robot movable about a floor surface, the side brush comprising an arm (5, 8) extending from a hub (3), the arm attaching the bristle bundle to the hub, wherein a bristle bundle (7) extends from a distal end (The outermost end of 8) of the arm to the distal tip of the first set of bristles and the distal tip of a second set of bristles (The first and second set of bristles being first and second collections of bristles of 7) [machine translation, para 30].
It would have been obvious to substitute the side brush of Hopke for the side brush of Blum, which includes an arm extending from the hub, the arm attaching the bristle bundle to the hub, wherein the bristle bundle extends from a distal end of the arm to the distal tip of the first set of bristles and the distal tip of the second set of bristles, in order to provide elastically bending arms of the side brush that are responsible for reduced wear out of the bristles.
The new side brush includes:
a hub (3) rotatably mountable to the autonomous cleaning robot such that the side brush is
rotatable about a rotational axis (4) forming a non-zero angle (90 degrees) with the floor surface (Fig. 4); and
a bristle bundle (7) attached to the hub, the bristle bundle comprising:
a first set of bristles (A grouping of bristles 7 connected to hub 202 with the outermost distal tip) having a distal tip at a first distance from a center (at 4) of the side brush, and
a second set of bristles (A grouping of bristles 7 connected to hub 202 with the innermost distal tip) having a distal tip at a second distance from the center of the side brush, the second distance being less than the first distance (The tips of the first set are further from hub 202 than the tips of the second set; Fig. 4).
As to claim 5, Blum provides wherein the arm and the first set of bristles extend along a radial axis (A line extending outward from rotational axis 226) extending from the rotational axis (4) of the side brush, and at least a portion of the second set of bristles extends along an axis (A line through and parallel to a bristle in the second set of bristles) angled relative to the radial axis.
As to claim 6, Blum provides further comprising:
a plurality of bristle bundles (7) comprising the bristle bundle; and
a plurality of arms (There are 5 arms 5/8) comprising the arm, wherein the plurality of arms are joined to the hub at locations along the hub that are spaced apart from one another (Fig. 5).
As to claim 7, Blum provides wherein the plurality of arms comprises at least four arms, and the plurality of bristle bundles comprises at least four bristle bundles, each of the at least four bristle bundles extending from a corresponding distal end of a corresponding arm of the at least four arms (Fig. 5 has 5 arms).
Claim 18 is identical to claim 4. See claim 4 discussion.
Claim 19 is identical to claim 5. See claim 5 discussion.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hopke (US 2018/0325252) in view of Lewis (US 2016/0166127).
As to claim 14, Hopke does not include wherein the hub is mountable to the autonomous cleaning robot such that the non-zero angle is between 70 and 90 degrees.
Lewis includes a side brush (140) for an autonomous cleaning robot movable about a floor surface, the side brush comprising the hub (152) mountable to the autonomous cleaning robot such that the non-zero angle is between 70 and 90 degrees (para 75 and Fig. 10).
It would have been obvious to modify the non-zero angle to be between 70 and 90 degrees, as taught by Lewis, in order to permit the side brush to alternate between cleaning more powerfully and less powerfully giving a more effective cleaning.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW A. HORTON whose telephone number is (571)270-5039. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM.
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/ANDREW A HORTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
