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 .
This application has been examined. Claims 1-20 are pending.
The prior art submitted on 6/23/25 and 9/30/25 has been considered.
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)(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 1-20, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hasegawa et al. (US 2022/0297307 A1).
As per claims 1 and 15, Hasegawa et al. disclose a robot, and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, comprising: a first sensor (see at least para. [0044-0045] disclose touch sensor 211, acceleration sensor 212, and illuminance sensor 214); and at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to in response to detecting an occurrence of a predetermined type of event based on an output from the first sensor, update a value of a parameter indicating a degree of pseudo- drowsiness of the robot with a value corresponding to the type of the event having occurred (see at least [0059] disclose the illuminance sensor 214 detects that the surrounding are dark, the processing unit 110 can perform control to put the robot 200 to sleep), and switch a state of the robot between a pseudo-sleep state and a pseudo-awake state based on the updated value of the parameter (see at least [0176-0178] disclose switch the robot between the sleep control mode and normal state).
As per claims 2 and 16, Hasegawa et al. disclose the at least one processor is configured to in response to a state of non-occurrence of the predetermined type of event remaining over a continuous duration, update the value of the parameter such that the degree of the pseudo-drowsiness increases as the continuous duration extends (see at least [0183] disclose the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 214 decreases if the illuminance sensor 214 is hidden by a hand during charging or the state in which the users makes the robot 200 stand. Thus, the robot 200 determines that the first sleep condition is satisfied and enters the hard sleep control mode; and para. [0219-0223] disclose the condition for the robot go to sleep control mode).
As per claims 3 and 17, Hasegawa et al. disclose a second sensor that detects ambient illuminance around the robot, wherein the at least one processor is configured to in response to a state of non-occurrence of the predetermined type of event remaining over a continuous duration, update the value of the parameter such that the degree of the pseudo-drowsiness increases more at a lower level of the ambient illuminance detected by the second sensor than at a higher level of the ambient illuminance (see at least [0059] disclose the illuminance sensor 214 detects that the surrounding are dark, the processing unit 110 can perform control to put the robot 200 to sleep; and para. [0183-0188] disclose the illuminance sensor 214 that detects ambient illuminance around the robot, and different sleep level control mode).
As per claims 4 and 18, Hasegawa et al. disclose the at least one processor is configured to cause the robot to perform, as a spontaneous action, a breathing action representing pseudo-breathing or a non-breathing action that is an action other than the breathing action (see at least [0111-0114] disclose the processing unit 110 determines whether to perform a spontaneous movement such as a breathing movement), and reduce a frequency of the robot performing as the spontaneous action the non- breathing action as the degree of the pseudo-drowsiness increases (see at least [0176] disclose the normal state is a state in which all threads necessary for the normal movement control process, are operating, and refers to a state in which the breathing movement is periodically performed or the movement in response to the external stimulus is performed).
As per claims 5 and 19, Hasegawa et al. disclose a second sensor that detects ambient illuminance around the robot, wherein the at least one processor is configured to in response to the ambient illuminance around the robot exceeding a first illuminance threshold, update the value of the parameter to a value preset as a value that allows the state of the robot to be switched from the pseudo-sleep state to the pseudo-awake state, and in response to the ambient illuminance around the robot remaining below a second illuminance threshold over a predetermined continuous duration, update the value of the parameter to a value preset as a value that allows the state of the robot to be switched from the pseudo-awake state to the pseudo-sleep state (see at least [0176-0178], [0183-0188], and [0214-0218], all para. disclose the robot switch from the sleep to the normal mode and from the normal mode to the sleep mode, and condition for different sleep level).
As per claims 6 and 20, Hasegawa et al. disclose the at least one processor is configured to in response to the value of the parameter changing from a value outside a first range to a value within the first range, switch the state of the robot from the pseudo-awake state to the pseudo-sleep state, and in response to the value of the parameter changing from a value within a second range to a value outside the second range, switch the state of the robot from the pseudo-sleep state to the pseudo-awake state, and the second range includes the first range (see at least [0214-0218] disclose the illuminance sensor detects the predetermined range of the brightness and control the robot switch from the normal mode to the sleep mode or from the sleep mode to the normal mode).
As per claim 7, Hasegawa et al. disclose the first sensor is a microphone and the event includes occurrence of a loud sound or being spoken to (see at least [0045] and [0058]).
As per claim 8, Hasegawa et al. disclose the first sensor is a touch sensor, an acceleration sensor, or a gyrosensor, and the event includes being petted, struck, or turned over (see at least [0044-0045]).
Claims 9-14, are method claims corresponding to robot claims 1-6 above. Therefore, they are rejected for the same rationales set forth as above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of recorded and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure:
. Funazukuri et al. (US 2018/0366121 A1)
. Moon (11583998)
. Lee et al. (11478925)
. Yeo et al. (11325260)
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/DALENA TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3657
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