Detailed Office 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 .
This is a non-final Office Action on the merits. Claims 1-15 are currently pending and are addressed below.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim priority for DE10 2024 116 661.4 filed June 14, 2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 06/12/2025 is being considered by the examiner.
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 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. In regards to claim 14 – Applicant is claiming a computer program, which is directed to non-statutory subject matter, see MPEP section 2106.1.
The claim recites limitation “a computer program comprising machine-readable instructions”, however the applicant does not cite a non-transitory term, and thus the limitation could be interpreted as carrier wave. It is suggested that the applicant to amend the claim 14 to include a non-transitory term such as “non-transitory computer readable medium”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-15 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hoofard et al (US 20190064835 A1), hereafter referred to as Hoofard.
Regarding Claim 1, Hoofard teaches a method for assisting a docking procedure by a vehicle to a specified loading dock of a logistics facility having a plurality of loading docks (see at least Hoofard [Abstract] Systems and methods are disclosed for controlling operations of autonomous vehicles and systems in, for example, logistics yards at distribution, manufacturing, processing and/or other centers for the transfer of goods, materials, and/or other cargo. In some embodiments, an autonomous yard tractor or other vehicle can include one or more systems for locating an over-the-road trailer parked in a yard of a distribution center, engaging the trailer, and moving the trailer to a loading dock for loading/unloading operations in accordance with a workflow procedure provided by a central control system)
comprising:
establishing short-range radio communication between the loading docks and the vehicle using a short-range radio signal including an identifier (see at least Hoofard [¶ 57, 73] the tractor communication system 223 can include a wireless transceiver (e.g., a Wi-Fi transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, a Near-Field Communication (NFC) device, a wireless modem or cellular radio utilizing GSM, CDMA, 3G, and/or 4G technologies, and/or other suitable wireless technologies known in the art, each of which may include an associated antenna or antennas) suitable for wireless communication with, for example, the central processing center 132, hand-held devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, etc.), and/or other processing/communication devices... the central processing center 132 is operably connected (via, e.g., one or more communication links, such as wired links, wireless links, etc.) to multiple systems including, for example….facility interior vehicle autonomous management systems, inbound/outboard freight systems, etc.), the dock equipment at the dock stations 131)
identifying the specified loading dock and/or the vehicle based on the identifier in the short-range radio signal (see at least Hoofard [¶ 54, 64, 70] the tractor 112 can transmit a unique identifier to multiple receivers...each of the tractor sensors 210a, b can include an RFID reader, and each of the trailer sensor targets 209a, b can include an RFID transponder/tag that includes a unique identifier (e.g., a Globally Unique Identifier (“GUID”)).... each of the dock sensors 320a, b can include an RFID reader, and each of the trailer targets 209a, b can include an RFID transponder/tag that includes a unique identifier (e.g., a GUID))
locating the specified loading dock and/or the vehicle based on at least one signal incident angle (a) of the short-range radio signal and/or at least one time-of-flight measurement of the short-range radio signal (see at least Hoofard [¶ 53, 62-63, 69] TOA (time of arrival), TDOA (time difference of arrival), and AoA (angle of arrival) are other known methods for measuring the distances and/or angles between these devices for 2D positioning...the tractor 112 can include a millimeter wave (mmWave) radar-transmitting antenna 218 positioned on the tractor centerline 214 between the sensors 210a, b, and each of the sensors 210a, b can include a radar-receiving antenna configured to receive the radar signals reflected by the trailer targets 209a, b. As described in greater detail below, the tractor controller 220 (or other processing device) can utilize well-known frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar technology to determine the angle of arrival AoA of the reflected radar signals received by the tractor sensors 210a, b. The AoA of these signals defines the angular positions of the trailer sensor targets 209a, b relative to the tractor sensors 210a, b. Once these angles are known, along with the known distance 215 between the sensors 210a, b and the known distance 212 between the trailer targets 209a, b, the angle of the trailer centerline 213 relative to the tractor centerline 214, as well as, for example, the position of the trailing edge 208 of the trailer 111 relative to the sensors 210a, b, can be readily determined using basic geometry)
driving up to the specified loading dock using the short-range radio signal for navigating the vehicle to the specified loading dock (see at least Hoofard [¶ 17, 42] a guidance system (e.g., a logistics yard guidance system) that can be used to guide autonomous (unmanned) and/or manned vehicles to their assigned places in a distribution center vehicle yard, and/or to provide guidance to vehicles (e.g., OTR vehicles, terminal vehicles, and/or other vehicles) backing into a dock position or parking location by following a path configured to avoid obstacles in the yard...including movement of associated trailers into and out of loading dock stations).
Regarding Claim 2, Hoofard teaches all limitations of Claim 1 as set forth above. Hoofard further teaches wherein the short-range radio communication is based on Bluetooth communication and the short-range radio signal is in a form of a Bluetooth signal (see at least Hoofard [¶ 53, 57] Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are just two of the types of technology that the center 100 can utilize to locate and control the position of the tractor 112 in the yard... the tractor communication system 223 can include a wireless transceiver (e.g., a Wi-Fi transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver).
Regarding Claim 3, Hoofard teaches all limitations of Claim 1 as set forth above. Hoofard further teaches wherein the vehicle has at least one short-range radio receiver and that the loading docks each have at least one short-range radio transmitter (see at least Hoofard [¶ 54, 64, 70, 69] the tractor 112 can transmit a unique identifier to multiple receivers...each of the tractor sensors 210a, b can include an RFID reader, and each of the trailer sensor targets 209a, b can include an RFID transponder/tag that includes a unique identifier (e.g., a Globally Unique Identifier (“GUID”)).... each of the dock sensors 320a, b can include an RFID reader, and each of the trailer targets 209a, b can include an RFID transponder/tag that includes a unique identifier (e.g., a GUID)...the dock station 121 can include a mmWave radar-transmitting antenna 311).
Regarding Claim 4, Hoofard teaches all limitations of Claim 1 as set forth above. Hoofard further teaches wherein the vehicle has at least one short-range radio transmitter and that the loading docks each have at least one short-range radio receiver (see at least Hoofard [¶ 54, 64, 70, 69] the tractor 112 can transmit a unique identifier to multiple receivers...each of the tractor sensors 210a, b can include an RFID reader, and each of the trailer sensor targets 209a, b can include an RFID transponder/tag that includes a unique identifier (e.g., a Globally Unique Identifier (“GUID”)).... each of the dock sensors 320a, b can include an RFID reader, and each of the trailer targets 209a, b can include an RFID transponder/tag that includes a unique identifier (e.g., a GUID)...the dock station 121 can include a mmWave radar-transmitting antenna 311).
Regarding Claim 5, Hoofard teaches all limitations of Claim 1 as set forth above. Hoofard further teaches wherein a triangulation method is performed for locating the specified loading dock and/or the vehicle based on the signal incident angle (a) of the short-range radio signal (see at least Hoofard [¶ 52, 69] the tractor 112 can include a wireless receiver and can determine its location using conventional triangulation techniques...the dock station 121 can include a mmWave radar-transmitting antenna 311 positioned on the dock centerline 304 between the dock sensors 320a, b, and each of the sensors 320a, b can include a radar-receiving antenna configured to receive the radar signals reflected by the trailer targets 209a, b and determine the angles of arrival AoA of the radar signals. The AoA of these signals defines the angular positions of the sensor targets 209a, b relative to the sensors 320a, b. As described in greater detail below with reference to FIGS. 14A-14C, once these angles are known, along with the known distance 308 between the sensors 320a, b and the known distance 212 between the trailer targets 209a, b, the angle of the trailer centerline 213 relative to the dock centerline 304, as well as, for example, the position of the trailing edge 208 of the trailer 111 relative to the dock centerline 304, can be readily determined using basic geometry).
Regarding Claim 6, Hoofard teaches all limitations of Claim 1 as set forth above. Hoofard further teaches wherein the locating of the specified loading dock and/or the vehicle is performed based on at least one signal-based transmission distance determination (see at least Hoofard [¶ 68] the sensors 320a, b are configured to detect the positions of the sensor targets 209a, b as the trailer 111 approaches the dock station 131. For example, in some embodiments, each of the sensors 320a, b is configured to detect the azimuth angle (in, e.g., degrees) between a projected vector from it to one (or both) of the sensor targets 209a, b and, e.g., the dock face. In other embodiments, the sensors 320a, b can be configured to directly detect the distances between them and the targets 209a, b. In some embodiments, each of the sensors 320a and 320b can be configured to detect the position (e.g., the distance and/or angle from the sensor to the target) of both of the sensor targets 209a and 209b).
Regarding Claim 7, Hoofard teaches all limitations of Claim 1 as set forth above. Hoofard further teaches wherein a docking area between the specified loading dock and the vehicle is monitored during the driving up to the specified loading dock for an existing or likely presence of a moving object that has a short-range radio transmitter (see at least Hoofard [¶ 57, 71, 17] the tractor communication system 223 can include a wireless transceiver…the collision avoidance system 232 can include a LiDAR system utilizing one or more lasers for three-dimensional (3D) scanning of, for example, the environment in front and/or around the tractor 112 for obstacles. Additionally or alternatively, in other embodiments the collision avoidance system 232 can include time-of-flight camera technology, a radar system for all-weather scanning and detection of objects, camera systems for image recognition and classification, ultrasonic sensors for object detection, etc. Such systems are well known in the art, and as those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, the laser(s), radar antenna(s), and camera(s) associated with the collision avoidance system 232 can be mounted in various suitable locations on the tractor 112 (e.g., the front, rear, and/or sides) to provide a suitable field of view for object detection and avoidance...there are other well-known systems available for sensing/detecting the position of targets and other objects, and any of these systems can be used with the present technology disclosed herein....Aspects of embodiments of the present technology are directed to a guidance system (e.g., a logistics yard guidance system) that can be used to guide autonomous (unmanned) and/or manned vehicles to their assigned places in a distribution center vehicle yard, and/or to provide guidance to vehicles (e.g., OTR vehicles, terminal vehicles, and/or other vehicles) backing into a dock position or parking location by following a path configured to avoid obstacles in the yard. Such obstacles can include, for example, other vehicles, building structures, and typical yard features such as light poles, bollards, etc. In some embodiments, such systems can facilitate maneuvering around and between other trailers in the tight quarters of a typical yard where vehicle damage might otherwise occur, particularly among OTR drivers operating in the yard).
Regarding Claim 8, Hoofard teaches all limitations of Claim 7 as set forth above. Hoofard further teaches wherein on detection of the moving object present in the docking area, classification and/or identification of the moving object is carried out (see at least Hoofard [¶ 57, 71, 17] the collision avoidance system 232 can include time-of-flight camera technology, a radar system for all-weather scanning and detection of objects, camera systems for image recognition and classification, ultrasonic sensors for object detection…obstacles can include, for example, other vehicles, building structures, and typical yard features such as light poles, bollards, etc.).
Regarding Claim 9, Hoofard teaches all limitations of Claim 7 as set forth above. Hoofard further teaches wherein on detection of the moving object present in the docking area, object locating and/or a trajectory calculation of the moving object is carried out (see at least Hoofard [¶ 17, 57] backing into a dock position or parking location by following a path configured to avoid obstacles in the yard. Such obstacles can include, for example, other vehicles, building structures, and typical yard features such as light poles, bollards, etc. In some embodiments, such systems can facilitate maneuvering around and between other trailers in the tight quarters of a typical yard where vehicle damage might otherwise occur, particularly among OTR drivers operating in the yard.... the collision avoidance system 232 can include a LiDAR system utilizing one or more lasers for three-dimensional (3D) scanning of, for example, the environment in front and/or around the tractor 112 for obstacles. Additionally or alternatively, in other embodiments the collision avoidance system 232 can include time-of-flight camera technology, a radar system for all-weather scanning and detection of objects, camera systems for image recognition and classification, ultrasonic sensors for object detection, etc).
Regarding Claim 10, Hoofard teaches all limitations of Claim 9 as set forth above. Hoofard further teaches wherein in response to the detection of the moving object present in the docking area, a braking procedure is initiated at the vehicle and/or a warning message is output at the vehicle and/or at the specified loading dock (see at least Hoofard [¶ 74, 17, 57] the tractor controller 220 can be operably connected (via, e.g., wired or wireless connections) to various tractor systems and subsystems, including tractor drive systems 410 (including, for example, the steering control 240, the gearbox control 242, the throttle control 244, the brake control 246, etc.), tractor sensor systems 420 (including, for example, the wheel rotation sensor 250, the steering wheel angle sensor 252, the engine torque sensor 254, etc.), tractor autonomous systems 430 (including, for example, the navigation system 231, the communication system 223, a tractor/trailer positional sensor system 210a, b, etc.), and tractor safety systems 440 (including, for example, the collision avoidance system 232, etc.)....backing into a dock position or parking location by following a path configured to avoid obstacles in the yard. Such obstacles can include, for example, other vehicles, building structures, and typical yard features such as light poles, bollards, etc. In some embodiments, such systems can facilitate maneuvering around and between other trailers in the tight quarters of a typical yard where vehicle damage might otherwise occur, particularly among OTR drivers operating in the yard....the collision avoidance system 232 can include a LiDAR system utilizing one or more lasers for three-dimensional (3D) scanning of, for example, the environment in front and/or around the tractor 112 for obstacles. Additionally or alternatively, in other embodiments the collision avoidance system 232 can include time-of-flight camera technology, a radar system for all-weather scanning and detection of objects, camera systems for image recognition and classification, ultrasonic sensors for object detection, etc).
Regarding Claim 11, Hoofard teaches all limitations of Claim 1 as set forth above. Hoofard further teaches a control unit for the vehicle which is connectable or connected for signal communication to a short-range radio receiver and/or a short-range radio transmitter of the vehicle, and is configured to perform the method as claimed in claim 1 (see at least Hoofard [¶ 27, 56, FIG. 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an autonomous tractor controller and associated systems configured in accordance with embodiments of the present technology…. the tractor 112 includes a controller 220).
Regarding Claim 12, Hoofard teaches all limitations of Claim 11 as set forth above. Hoofard further teaches a vehicle having at least one short-range radio receiver and/or at least one short- range radio transmitter (34) and the control unit as claimed in claim 11 (see at least Hoofard [¶ 49, 56-57, FIG. 2A] A plurality of tractor/trailer combinations 110 may be present in the logistics yard 102 at any given time. Each tractor/trailer combination 110 includes a tractor 112 that is operably coupled to and separable from a cargo trailer 111 (e.g., an OTR trailer). These vehicles are commonly referred to as “semi-trucks” and “semi-trailers,” respectively, and are described in further detail below with reference to FIGS. 2A-2C... the tractor communication system 223 can include a wireless transceiver (e.g., a Wi-Fi transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, a Near-Field Communication (NFC) device, a wireless modem or cellular radio utilizing GSM, CDMA, 3G, and/or 4G technologies, and/or other suitable wireless technologies known in the art, each of which may include an associated antenna or antennas) suitable for wireless communication with, for example, the central processing center 132, hand-held devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, etc.), and/or other processing/communication devices).
Regarding Claim 13, Hoofard teaches all limitations of Claim 12 as set forth above. Hoofard further teaches wherein the vehicle is in a form of a semi- automated or fully automated vehicle, and is configured for an automatic drive-up procedure to the specified loading dock using the short-range radio signal (see at least Hoofard [Abstract, ¶ 17, 42] Systems and methods are disclosed for controlling operations of autonomous vehicles and systems in, for example, logistics yards at distribution, manufacturing, processing and/or other centers for the transfer of goods, materials, and/or other cargo. In some embodiments, an autonomous yard tractor or other vehicle can include one or more systems for locating an over-the-road trailer parked in a yard of a distribution center, engaging the trailer, and moving the trailer to a loading dock for loading/unloading operations in accordance with a workflow procedure provided by a central control system. In other embodiments, an autonomous yard tractor can locate the trailer at the loading dock after the loading/unloading operations, engage the trailer, and move the trailer to a parking location in the yard. In some embodiments, the autonomous yard tractor can include a sensor system configured to detect the position of the trailer relative to, for example, the tractor, and/or the dock station can include a sensor system configured to detect the position of the trailer relative to, for example, the dock station during a docking procedure....a guidance system (e.g., a logistics yard guidance system) that can be used to guide autonomous (unmanned) and/or manned vehicles to their assigned places in a distribution center vehicle yard, and/or to provide guidance to vehicles (e.g., OTR vehicles, terminal vehicles, and/or other vehicles) backing into a dock position or parking location by following a path configured to avoid obstacles in the yard...including movement of associated trailers into and out of loading dock stations).
Regarding Claim 14, Hoofard teaches all limitations of Claim 1 as set forth above. Hoofard further teaches a computer program comprising machine-readable instructions which, on execution of instructions by a computing unit cause performance of the method as claimed in claim 1 (see at least Hoofard [¶ 86] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the tractor controller 220 and associated systems configured in accordance with embodiments of the present technology. In the illustrated embodiment, the tractor controller 220 includes a processor 601 configured to process logic and execute the controller routines, algorithms and/or other computer-executable instructions described herein (identified as programs 602) stored in memory 603 and/or other computer-readable media).
Regarding Claim 15, Hoofard teaches all limitations of Claim 1 as set forth above. Hoofard further teaches wherein the vehicle is a commercial vehicle (see at least Hoofard [¶ 2] The present disclosure is generally related to movement of transport vehicles at distribution centers and, more particularly, to systems and methods for controlling over-the-road tractors, terminal tractors, and other vehicles in logistics yards and the like).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH A YANOSKA whose telephone number is (703)756-5891. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00am to 5:00pm (Pacific Time).
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/JOSEPH ANDERSON YANOSKA/Examiner, Art Unit 3664
/RACHID BENDIDI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3664
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