DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of Claims
2. This office action is in response to application number 19/285,378 filed on 07/30/2025, in
which claims 1-17 are presented for examination.
Priority
3. Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C 119
(a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. JP2024-159839, filed on
09/17/2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
4. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/30/2025 has been received
and considered.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
5. Claim(s) 1, 5, 8-10, 12-15 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being
unpatentable over (US 20180079085 A1) to Nakata et al. (hereinafter Nakata) and in view of (US 20240264330 A1) to Uchida et al. (hereinafter Uchida).
Regarding claim 1, Nakata discloses An information processing apparatus comprising: an acquisition device configured to acquire distance sensor information, a moving distance of a plurality of wireless devices, […] and acquire image information from an image sensor; (Nakata Paragraph 0055: “The external sensor 101 may be configured by a sensor such as a laser rangefinder (LRF), Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), a camera, a depth camera, a stereo camera, sonar, radar, or a combination of all of the above, for example.”) (Nakata Paragraph 0056: “The internal sensor 102 is able to detect at least one of the absolute values of three directional components (for example, the X-axis directional component, the Y-axis directional component, and the Z-axis directional component in an X-Y-Z orthogonal coordinate system) for each of the movement distance, velocity, acceleration, angular velocity, and orientation of the mobile robot 100.”) (Nakata Paragraph 0058: “The mapping and localization unit 104 acquires at least one of the absolute values of the three directional components for each of the movement distance, velocity, acceleration, angular velocity, and orientation of the mobile robot 100 obtained by the internal sensor 102. Also, the mapping and localization unit 104 acquires information about the surrounding environment of the mobile robot 100 from the external sensor 101,”) a map generator configured to generate a map indicating an environment in which the wireless devices move based on the distance sensor information and the moving distance of each of the wireless devices acquired in a first period; (Nakata Paragraph 0058: “The mapping and localization unit 104 acquires at least one of the absolute values of the three directional components for each of the movement distance, velocity, acceleration, angular velocity, and orientation of the mobile robot 100 obtained by the internal sensor 102. Also, the mapping and localization unit 104 acquires information about the surrounding environment of the mobile robot 100 from the external sensor 101, which has been processed by the moving object and environmental change information integration unit 103 (that is, already subjected to the removal process or the variance-increasing process). Subsequently, the mapping and localization unit 104 estimates the location of the mobile robot 100 and generates map information from the acquired information at the same time by a filtering process.”) and an environment update unit configured to update the map in a case of detecting a change in the environment based on at least one of the distance sensor information, the received power information, and the image information acquired in a second period after the first period. (Nakata Paragraph 0055: “The external sensor 101 may be configured by a sensor such as a laser rangefinder (LRF), Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), a camera, a depth camera, a stereo camera,”) (Nakata Paragraph 0081: “Next, in step S203, the mobile robot 100 queries the environmental sensor nodes 120 and 312 to 319 via the communication unit 109 about whether or not moving object movement and environmental change information exists in a specified time period in a specified place having an arbitrary two-dimensional or three-dimensional size,”) (Nakata Paragraph 0087: “In step S207, the moving object and environmental change information integration unit 103 conducts a process of integrating the one or more sets of moving object movement and environmental change information extracted in the environmental sensor nodes 120 and 312 to 319 with the information acquired by the external sensor 101 in step S202 and the map information acquired in step S206.”)
Nakata does not disclose […] and received power information from each of the wireless devices,
However, Uchida does teach […] and received power information from each of the wireless devices, (Uchida Paragraph 0035: “an information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to acquire first reception power of a first signal radiated from an antenna when the first signal is received at a first point, acquire second reception power of a second signal radiated from the antenna, the second signal being different from the first signal, when the second signal is received at a second point,”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nakata to include […] and received power information from each of the wireless devices, taught by Uchida. This would have been for the benefit to provide an information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to acquire first reception power of a first signal radiated from an antenna when the first signal is received at a first point, acquire second reception power of a second signal radiated from the antenna, the second signal being different from the first signal, when the second signal is received at a second point, and determine, based on a difference between periodicity of the acquired first reception power and periodicity of the acquired second reception power, presence or absence of an object in a space facing the antenna with the second point interposed between the antenna and the space. Thus, in order to efficiently grasp the signal propagation environment in the space where the moving body moves. [Uchida Paragraph 0006 and 0035]
Regarding claim 5, Nakata discloses The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the acquisition device is further configured to acquire one or more pieces of the image information from each of one or more image sensors installed at positions different from a position of the image sensor, and the environment update unit is configured to update the map in a case of detecting a change in the environment based on the one or more pieces of the image information. (Nakata Paragraph 0055: “The external sensor 101 is a sensor that detects information about the surrounding environment of the mobile robot 100, and detects the two-dimensional shape or three-dimensional shape as well as the color and material of the surrounding environment. The external sensor 101 may be configured by a sensor such as a laser rangefinder (LRF), Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), a camera, a depth camera, a stereo camera, sonar, radar, or a combination of all of the above, for example.”) (Nakata Paragraph 0057: “The moving object and environmental change information integration unit 103 acquires information detected by the external sensor 101 onboard the mobile robot 100 (second map information), and also acquires moving object movement and environmental change information extracted in the environmental sensor node 120 (third map information) via the communication unit 109. Additionally, the moving object and environmental change information integration unit 103 uses the moving object movement and environmental change information extracted by the environmental sensor node 120 to conduct a process of removing information about a place that changes dynamically in a time series from the information detected by the external sensor 101 (removal process),”) (Nakata Paragraph 0058: “Also, the mapping and localization unit 104 acquires information about the surrounding environment of the mobile robot 100 from the external sensor 101, which has been processed by the moving object and environmental change information integration unit 103 (that is, already subjected to the removal process or the variance-increasing process). Subsequently, the mapping and localization unit 104 estimates the location of the mobile robot 100 and generates map information from the acquired information at the same time by a filtering process.”)
Regarding claim 8, Nakata discloses The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first period includes a period in which the environment is in a steady state. (Nakata Paragraph 0108: “In step S223, the moving object movement and environmental change information database 124 is used to check whether or not there exists moving object movement and environmental change information corresponding to the content of the query from the mobile robot 100, namely the condition of a specified place and a specified time period. If the result of the check is that moving object movement and environmental change information corresponding to the condition exists, the process proceeds to step S225. If moving object movement and environmental change information corresponding to the condition does not exist, the process returns to step S221.”)
Regarding claim 9, Nakata discloses The information processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a position estimator configured to estimate positions of the wireless devices on the map updated by the environment update unit based on the map updated by the environment update unit and at least one of the distance sensor information, the moving distance of the wireless devices, and the image information. (Nakata Paragraph 0055: “The external sensor 101 may be configured by a sensor such as a laser rangefinder (LRF), Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), a camera, a depth camera, a stereo camera, sonar, radar, or a combination of all of the above, for example.”) (Nakata Paragraph 0058: “If a map for the relevant environment already exists, an update of the map information is conducted using the generated map in conjunction with the map information saved in the map information database 105, and the updated map information is then saved in the map information database 105.”) (Nakata paragraph 0118: “Comparing FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the position of the mobile robot 100 has changed. Additionally, the position of the moving object H has also changed from the position 402 to the position 403.”) (Nakata Paragraph 0119: “The external sensor 101 onboard the mobile robot 100 acquires information about the surroundings of the mobile robot 100 in the environment 400.”)
Regarding claim 10, Nakata discloses The information processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to transmit control signals for controlling movements of the wireless devices to the wireless devices. (Nakata Paragraph 0061: “The control unit 107 controls the execution of movement operations of the mobile robot 100 in the environment where the mobile robot actually operates, for the path planned by the path planning unit 106.”)
Regarding claim 12, Nakata in view of Uchida teaches claim 10, accordingly, the rejection of claim 10 is incorporated above.
Nakata does not disclose The information processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein, in a case where a change in a strength of the control signal received by a third wireless device among the wireless devices and different from the first wireless device and the second wireless device is detected, the controller is configured to transmit a control signal for causing one or more fourth wireless devices among the wireless devices and different from the first wireless device, the second wireless device, and other than the third wireless device to move the one or more fourth wireless devices toward the third wireless device, and the environment update unit is configured to update the map based on at least one of the distance sensor information of the third wireless device and the one or more fourth wireless devices, the received power information of the third wireless device and the one or more fourth wireless devices, and the image information.
However, Uchida does teach The information processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein, in a case where a change in a strength of the control signal received by a third wireless device among the wireless devices and different from the first wireless device and the second wireless device is detected, the controller is configured to transmit a control signal for causing one or more fourth wireless devices among the wireless devices and different from the first wireless device, the second wireless device, and other than the third wireless device to move the one or more fourth wireless devices toward the third wireless device, (Uchida Paragraph 0209: “Furthermore, the present embodiment relates to a technique for indirectly estimating, by detecting an obstacle, a propagation environment of a signal in a space (a dead zone) where reception power has decreased. However, in the present embodiment, in an environment where a plurality of moving bodies 1 (for example, the AMRs) move in a target space, when there is a possibility that reception power decreases on the back side of an obstacle (a radio wave shielding object), the plurality of moving bodies 1 may be operated in cooperation. For example, when a first moving body 1 moves in a space where the reception power may decrease, a second moving body 1 may assist the operation of the first moving body 1 (that is, the second moving body 1 relays a control signal transmitted from the base station 2) by moving the second moving body 1 in a space that is visible from the first moving body 1.”) and the environment update unit is configured to update the map based on at least one of the distance sensor information of the third wireless device and the one or more fourth wireless devices, the received power information of the third wireless device and the one or more fourth wireless devices, and the image information. (Uchida Paragraph 0120: “Furthermore, the processor 31 (the reception power map generation module 31c) updates the reception power map stored in the storage 32 based on the map generation data and the reception power data acquired in step S4 (step S6).”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nakata to include The information processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein, in a case where a change in a strength of the control signal received by a third wireless device among the wireless devices and different from the first wireless device and the second wireless device is detected, the controller is configured to transmit a control signal for causing one or more fourth wireless devices among the wireless devices and different from the first wireless device, the second wireless device, and other than the third wireless device to move the one or more fourth wireless devices toward the third wireless device, and the environment update unit is configured to update the map based on at least one of the distance sensor information of the third wireless device and the one or more fourth wireless devices, the received power information of the third wireless device and the one or more fourth wireless devices, and the image information taught by Uchida. This would have been for the benefit to provide an information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to acquire first reception power of a first signal radiated from an antenna when the first signal is received at a first point, acquire second reception power of a second signal radiated from the antenna, the second signal being different from the first signal, when the second signal is received at a second point, and determine, based on a difference between periodicity of the acquired first reception power and periodicity of the acquired second reception power, presence or absence of an object in a space facing the antenna with the second point interposed between the antenna and the space. Thus, in order to efficiently grasp the signal propagation environment in the space where the moving body moves. [Uchida Paragraph 0006 and 0035]
Regarding claim 13, Nakata in view of Uchida teaches claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated above.
Nakata does not disclose The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless devices are respectively mounted on a plurality of moving objects.
However, Uchida does teach The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless devices are respectively mounted on a plurality of moving objects. (Uchida Paragraph 0043: “Each of the plurality of moving bodies 1 has a radio device mounted thereon and is communicably connected to a base station 2. Furthermore, an information processing apparatus 3 is connected to the base station 2, and a control signal for controlling the moving body 1, the control signal being generated by the information processing apparatus 3, is transmitted from (an antenna installed in) the base station 2 to the moving body 1.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nakata to include The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless devices are respectively mounted on a plurality of moving objects taught by Uchida. This would have been for the benefit to provide an information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to acquire first reception power of a first signal radiated from an antenna when the first signal is received at a first point, acquire second reception power of a second signal radiated from the antenna, the second signal being different from the first signal, when the second signal is received at a second point, and determine, based on a difference between periodicity of the acquired first reception power and periodicity of the acquired second reception power, presence or absence of an object in a space facing the antenna with the second point interposed between the antenna and the space. Thus, in order to efficiently grasp the signal propagation environment in the space where the moving body moves. [Uchida Paragraph 0006 and 0035]
Regarding claim 14, Nakata in view of Uchida teaches claim 13, accordingly, the rejection of claim 13 is incorporated above.
Nakata does not disclose The information processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein at least one of the moving objects comprises a conveyance robot.
However, Uchida does teach The information processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein at least one of the moving objects comprises a conveyance robot. (Uchida Paragraph 0045: “Here, it is assumed that the moving body 1 is controlled to be movable in the target space illustrated in FIG. 2. Here, a situation in which the moving body 1 moves from a start point 1b to a goal point 1c along a passage (for example, a traveling path provided in a factory or a warehouse) la in the target space in order to carry (convey) a load such as a cardboard box is considered.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nakata to include The information processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein at least one of the moving objects comprises a conveyance robot taught by Uchida. This would have been for the benefit to provide an information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to acquire first reception power of a first signal radiated from an antenna when the first signal is received at a first point, acquire second reception power of a second signal radiated from the antenna, the second signal being different from the first signal, when the second signal is received at a second point, and determine, based on a difference between periodicity of the acquired first reception power and periodicity of the acquired second reception power, presence or absence of an object in a space facing the antenna with the second point interposed between the antenna and the space. Thus, in order to efficiently grasp the signal propagation environment in the space where the moving body moves. [Uchida Paragraph 0006 and 0035]
Regarding claim 15, Nakata discloses The information processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the environment update unit is configured to update the map based on the distance sensor information, the moving distance of the wireless devices, (Nakata Paragraph 0055: “The external sensor 101 may be configured by a sensor such as a laser rangefinder (LRF), Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), a camera, a depth camera, a stereo camera,”) (Nakata Paragraph 0058: “The mapping and localization unit 104 acquires at least one of the absolute values of the three directional components for each of the movement distance, velocity, acceleration, angular velocity, and orientation of the mobile robot 100 obtained by the internal sensor 102. Also, the mapping and localization unit 104 acquires information about the surrounding environment of the mobile robot 100 from the external sensor 101, which has been processed by the moving object and environmental change information integration unit 103 (that is, already subjected to the removal process or the variance-increasing process). Subsequently, the mapping and localization unit 104 estimates the location of the mobile robot 100 and generates map information from the acquired information at the same time by a filtering process.”)
Nakata does not disclose […] and the received power information while the moving objects are moving.
However, Uchida does teach […] and the received power information while the moving objects are moving. (Uchida Paragraph 0035: “an information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to acquire first reception power of a first signal radiated from an antenna when the first signal is received at a first point, acquire second reception power of a second signal radiated from the antenna, the second signal being different from the first signal, when the second signal is received at a second point,”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nakata to include […] and the received power information while the moving objects are moving taught by Uchida. This would have been for the benefit to provide an information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to acquire first reception power of a first signal radiated from an antenna when the first signal is received at a first point, acquire second reception power of a second signal radiated from the antenna, the second signal being different from the first signal, when the second signal is received at a second point, and determine, based on a difference between periodicity of the acquired first reception power and periodicity of the acquired second reception power, presence or absence of an object in a space facing the antenna with the second point interposed between the antenna and the space. Thus, in order to efficiently grasp the signal propagation environment in the space where the moving body moves. [Uchida Paragraph 0006 and 0035]
Regarding claim 17, Nakata discloses A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored there on a computer program which is executable by one or more computers, the computer program configured to cause the one or more computers to execute functions of: acquiring distance sensor information, a moving distance of a plurality of wireless devices, […] and acquiring image information from an image sensor; (Nakata Paragraph 0008: “Note that these general or specific aspects may also be realized by a system, method, integrated circuit, computer program, or computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM disc, and may also be realized by an arbitrary combination of a system, method, integrated circuit, computer program, and recording medium.”) (Nakata Paragraph 0055: “The external sensor 101 may be configured by a sensor such as a laser rangefinder (LRF), Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), a camera, a depth camera, a stereo camera, sonar, radar, or a combination of all of the above, for example.”) (Nakata Paragraph 0056: “The internal sensor 102 is able to detect at least one of the absolute values of three directional components (for example, the X-axis directional component, the Y-axis directional component, and the Z-axis directional component in an X-Y-Z orthogonal coordinate system) for each of the movement distance, velocity, acceleration, angular velocity, and orientation of the mobile robot 100.”) (Nakata Paragraph 0058: “The mapping and localization unit 104 acquires at least one of the absolute values of the three directional components for each of the movement distance, velocity, acceleration, angular velocity, and orientation of the mobile robot 100 obtained by the internal sensor 102. Also, the mapping and localization unit 104 acquires information about the surrounding environment of the mobile robot 100 from the external sensor 101,”) generating a map indicating an environment in which the wireless devices move based on the distance sensor information and the moving distance of the wireless devices acquired in a first period; (Nakata Paragraph 0058: “The mapping and localization unit 104 acquires at least one of the absolute values of the three directional components for each of the movement distance, velocity, acceleration, angular velocity, and orientation of the mobile robot 100 obtained by the internal sensor 102. Also, the mapping and localization unit 104 acquires information about the surrounding environment of the mobile robot 100 from the external sensor 101, which has been processed by the moving object and environmental change information integration unit 103 (that is, already subjected to the removal process or the variance-increasing process). Subsequently, the mapping and localization unit 104 estimates the location of the mobile robot 100 and generates map information from the acquired information at the same time by a filtering process.”) and updating the map in a case of detecting a change in the environment based on at least one of the distance sensor information, the received power information, and the image information acquired in a second period after the first period. (Nakata Paragraph 0055: “The external sensor 101 may be configured by a sensor such as a laser rangefinder (LRF), Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), a camera, a depth camera, a stereo camera,”) (Nakata Paragraph 0081: “Next, in step S203, the mobile robot 100 queries the environmental sensor nodes 120 and 312 to 319 via the communication unit 109 about whether or not moving object movement and environmental change information exists in a specified time period in a specified place having an arbitrary two-dimensional or three-dimensional size,”) (Nakata Paragraph 0087: “In step S207, the moving object and environmental change information integration unit 103 conducts a process of integrating the one or more sets of moving object movement and environmental change information extracted in the environmental sensor nodes 120 and 312 to 319 with the information acquired by the external sensor 101 in step S202 and the map information acquired in step S206.”)
Nakata does not disclose […] and received power information from each of the wireless devices,
However, Uchida does teach […] and received power information from each of the wireless devices, (Uchida Paragraph 0035: “an information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to acquire first reception power of a first signal radiated from an antenna when the first signal is received at a first point, acquire second reception power of a second signal radiated from the antenna, the second signal being different from the first signal, when the second signal is received at a second point,”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nakata to include […] and received power information from each of the wireless devices, taught by Uchida. This would have been for the benefit to provide an information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to acquire first reception power of a first signal radiated from an antenna when the first signal is received at a first point, acquire second reception power of a second signal radiated from the antenna, the second signal being different from the first signal, when the second signal is received at a second point, and determine, based on a difference between periodicity of the acquired first reception power and periodicity of the acquired second reception power, presence or absence of an object in a space facing the antenna with the second point interposed between the antenna and the space. Thus, in order to efficiently grasp the signal propagation environment in the space where the moving body moves. [Uchida Paragraph 0006 and 0035]
6. Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakata (US 20180079085 A1) in view of Uchida (US 20240264330 A1) and further in view of Lenz (US 20220316914 A1).
Regarding claim 2, Nakata in view of Uchida teaches claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated above.
Nakata in view of Uchida does not teach The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the received power information includes information regarding a strength of an interference signal different from a downlink signal of the information processing apparatus received by the wireless devices, and in a case where a change in the strength of a first interference signal received by a first wireless device among the wireless devices is detected, the environment update unit is configured to update the map based on at least one of the distance sensor information, the received power information, and the image information of the first wireless device.
However, Lenz does teach The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the received power information includes information regarding a strength of an interference signal different from a downlink signal of the information processing apparatus received by the wireless devices, (Lenz Paragraph 0034: “Furthermore or as an alternative thereto, mobile network parameters or mobile radio network parameters can be measured at the measurement time. Mobile network parameters comprise e.g. RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power for determining the reception quality of the mobile radio network at the respective measurement time), RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator for determining the received broadband power in the transmission channel comprising the thermal noise and noise of the receiving device), RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality for determining the reception quality in the mobile radio network), SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio for determining the ratio of the average power of the useful signal in the mobile radio network to the average noise power of the interference signal), etc.”) and in a case where a change in the strength of a first interference signal received by a first wireless device among the wireless devices is detected, (Lenz Paragraph 0039: “By way of example, by way of a suitable algorithm (e.g. a rule-based algorithm), the server can continuously determine in what geographical region and/or at what time of day or for what events (e.g. soccer match in the stadium, concert, etc.) in the geographical region an update of the digital mobile radio network coverage map is required.”) (Note: depending on the event in the geographical region the strength of interference signals differs) the environment update unit is configured to update the map based on at least one of the distance sensor information, the received power information, and the image information of the first wireless device. (Lenz Paragraph 0014: “Each vehicle comprises a plurality of sensors that continuously capture technical measurement variables or data or driving parameters required for the provision of driver assistance systems in order to intervene in the drive, control and/or signaling devices of the vehicle in an automated manner. These sensors comprise video cameras,”) (Lenz Paragraph 0074: “The selected vehicle 110 A . . . 110 N is configured to capture, at the non-up-to-date geographical region, data suitable for updating the non-up-to-date geographical region of the digital map.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nakata in view of Uchida to include The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the received power information includes information regarding a strength of an interference signal different from a downlink signal of the information processing apparatus received by the wireless devices, and in a case where a change in the strength of a first interference signal received by a first wireless device among the wireless devices is detected, the environment update unit is configured to update the map based on at least one of the distance sensor information, the received power information, and the image information of the first wireless device taught by Lenz. This would have been for the benefit to provide a solution which enables dynamic and robust updating of a digital map for automated driving vehicles in order to derive therefrom a mobile radio network coverage that is sufficient for teleoperation. [Lenz Paragraph 0004]
7. Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakata (US 20180079085 A1) in view of Uchida (US 20240264330 A1) further in view of Lenz (US 20220316914 A1) and further in view of (US 20230179279 A1) to Huang et al. (hereinafter Huang).
Regarding claim 3, Nakata in view of Uchida and further in view of Lenz teaches claim 2, accordingly, the rejection of claim 2 is incorporated above.
Nakata in view of Uchida and further in view of Lenz does not teach The information processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein, when a second wireless device among the wireless devices and different from the first wireless device transmits an uplink signal to the information processing apparatus, the interference signal includes a signal received by the first wireless device.
However, Huang does teach The information processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein, when a second wireless device among the wireless devices and different from the first wireless device transmits an uplink signal to the information processing apparatus, (Huang Paragraph 0003: “A UE may communicate with a base station via downlink and uplink.”) the interference signal includes a signal received by the first wireless device. (Huang Paragraph 0081: “If the downlink UE, UE 115a, has more than one receive antenna and performs coherent antenna reception, the interference strength also may depend on the receive beamforming and the spatial direction of the interference signal.”) (Note: first and second wireless devices will be interpreted as any of the UE’s in figure 1.)
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nakata in view of Uchida and further in view of Lenz to include The information processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein, when a second wireless device among the wireless devices and different from the first wireless device transmits an uplink signal to the information processing apparatus, the interference signal includes a signal received by the first wireless device taught by Huang. This would have been for the benefit to provide a method of wireless communication includes receiving, at a user equipment (UE), a channel state information (CSI) report configuration message including at least a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state and a quasi-colocation (QCL) type indicator, wherein the TCI state includes identification of at least a downlink reference signal resource and an uplink reference signal resource and the QCL type indicator indicates a spatial relationship between the downlink reference signal resource and the uplink reference signal resource, determining, by the UE, a receive beam for receipt of a downlink reference signal via the downlink reference signal resource, wherein the receive beam is determined based on the QCL type indicator, determining, by the UE, CSI based on the receipt of the downlink reference signal using the receive beam and an interference measurement of the uplink reference signal resource, and transmitting, by the UE, a CSI report including the CSI to a serving base station. Thus in order to provide the demand the possibilities of interference and congested networks grows with more UEs accessing the long-range wireless communication networks and more short-range wireless systems being deployed in communities [Huang Paragraph 0005 and 0006]
8. Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakata (US 20180079085 A1) in view of Uchida (US 20240264330 A1) further in view of Lenz (US 20220316914 A1) and further in view of (US 20230188290 A1) to Kuo et al. (hereinafter Kuo).
Regarding claim 4, Nakata in view of Uchida and further in view of Lenz teaches claim 2, accordingly, the rejection of claim 2 is incorporated above.
Nakata in view of Uchida and further in view of Lenz does not teach The information processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the received power information further includes a time at which the wireless devices received the interference signal, a strength of the downlink signal, and a time at which the wireless devices have received the downlink signal, and the information processing apparatus further comprises a memory configured to store the strength of the interference signal in association with the time at which the interference signal has been received, and store the strength of the downlink signal in association with the time at which the downlink signal has been received.
However, Kuo does teach The information processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the received power information further includes a time at which the wireless devices received the interference signal, a strength of the downlink signal, and a time at which the wireless devices have received the downlink signal, and the information processing apparatus further comprises a memory configured to store the strength of the interference signal in association with the time at which the interference signal has been received, and store the strength of the downlink signal in association with the time at which the downlink signal has been received. (Kuo Paragraph 0043: “Referring to FIG. 2, it may be initially assumed that the terminal device maintains, in block 201, in a memory of the terminal device, a configuration of a downlink reference signal and a configuration of an uplink reference signal.”) (Kuo Paragraph 0044: “The terminal device stores, in block 203, the configuration of the coupling relationship to a memory of the terminal device.”) (Kuo Paragraph 0045: “In response receiving the downlink reference signal from the access node according to the configuration of the downlink reference signal according to the configuration of the downlink reference signal in block 204, the terminal device measures, in block 205, the downlink reference signal. The measuring in block 205 may comprise, for example, measuring one or more of time of arrival (TOA), RSTD, power or signal strength of the downlink reference signal, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the downlink reference signal, a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of the downlink reference signal.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nakata in view of Uchida and further in view of Lenz to include The information processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the received power information further includes a time at which the wireless devices received the interference signal, a strength of the downlink signal, and a time at which the wireless devices have received the downlink signal, and the information processing apparatus further comprises a memory configured to store the strength of the interference signal in association with the time at which the interference signal has been received, and store the strength of the downlink signal in association with the time at which the downlink signal has been received taught by Kuo. This would have been for the benefit to provide user devices 100 and 102 configured to be in a wireless connection on one or more communication channels in a cell with an access node (such as (e/g)NodeB) 104 using Radio Access Technology (RAT) in order to solve the problem of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) techniques such as GPS, they may not be able to provide positioning with sufficient accuracy in some indoor scenarios such as factory automation or warehouse management. [Kuo Paragraph 0002 and 0014]
9. Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakata (US 20180079085 A1) in view of Uchida (US 20240264330 A1) and further in view of Lin (CN 111381585 A).
Regarding claim 6, Nakata discloses The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the acquisition device is configured to acquire the image information at predetermined time intervals, (Nakata Paragraph 0115: “FIG. 4B illustrates the mobile robot 100 existing in the environment 400 at a time T+α after an arbitrary time interval a elapses from the time T. FIG. 40 illustrates information (sensor data) 431 acquired by the external sensor 101 of the mobile robot 100 at the time T+α after the arbitrary time interval a elapses from the time T.”)
Nakata in view of Uchida does not disclose […] and the environment update unit is configured to assign labels to pixels of a plurality of pieces of image information acquired at the predetermined time intervals, obtain a time correlation of the pieces of image information assigned labels, and update the map in a case where the time correlation is less than a threshold.
However, Lin does teach […] and the environment update unit is configured to assign labels to pixels of a plurality of pieces of image information acquired at the predetermined time intervals, (Lin Page 3, Paragraph 10: semantic segmentation unit, for the image for semantic segmentation to obtain semantic information of each pixel;”) (Lin Page 8, Paragraph 5: “step 104B, for each occupied category, according to the preset corresponding relation of semantic category and the category, determining the category corresponding to the occupied target semantic class, said pixel probability of each target semantic class and the value, as the grid belonging to the category of the observation probability.”) obtain a time correlation of the pieces of image information assigned labels, and update the map in a case where the time correlation is less than a threshold. (Lin Page 6, Paragraph 4-6: “in the process shown in FIG. 3, can further include step 101A to step 101B, as shown in FIG. 5 and step 102 in the aforementioned step 101, as shown in FIG. 6: step 101A, calculating time last time from the vehicle camera shooting head of the received image with the latest received time difference position of the vehicle; step 101B, judging whether the time difference is less than or equal to the preset time threshold, if so, executing step 102, if not, ignoring the image last time received from the vehicle camera shooting head.”) (Lin Page 7, Paragraph 6: “At this time, in step 102 the present occupied grid map of the grid are mapped to the last image received from the vehicle camera shooting head on,”) (Lin Page 11, Paragraph 10: “In some alternative embodiments, the map building unit 11 is specifically used for: when each receives the vehicle position, based on the vehicle position constructing initial occupied grid map according to the last-occupied grid map of the grid of updating said initial occupied class corresponding occupied grid in the grid map occupied category, to obtain the occupied grid map. Accordingly, the time when the mapping unit 12 receives the image in each from the vehicle camera shooting head, time calculating time receiving the image of the last received difference between the position of the vehicle, judging whether the time difference is less than or equal to the preset time threshold value, if it is, executing the step of the occupied grid map of the grid map to the nearest step once image received from the vehicle-mounted camera shooting head;”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nakata and in view of Uchida to include […] and the environment update unit is configured to assign labels to pixels of a plurality of pieces of image information acquired at the predetermined time intervals, obtain a time correlation of the pieces of image information assigned labels, and update the map in a case where the time correlation is less than a threshold taught by Lin. This would have been for the benefit to provide a method for constructing occupied grid map and its device, computer server, in order to improve the occupied grid for the accuracy of classification in the grid map in order to solve the problem of classification results that are obtained by classifying the obstacle to an inaccurate ROI areas of profile not being accurate, resulting in occupying the classification result of the grid in the grid map also not being accurate. [Lin Page 2, Paragraph 9-Page 2, paragraph 10]
10. Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakata (US 20180079085 A1) in view of Uchida (US 20240264330 A1) and further in view of Parruca (DE 102020213697 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Nakata in view of Uchida discloses claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated above.
Nakata in view of Uchida does not disclose The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the environment update unit is configured to detect a change in the environment based on at least one of the distance sensor information and the received power information in a range in which the image information is not able to be acquired by the image sensor.
However, Parruca does teach The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the environment update unit is configured to detect a change in the environment based on at least one of the distance sensor information and the received power information in a range in which the image information is not able to be acquired by the image sensor. (Parruca Page 3, Paragraph 2: “Of particular importance in the known methods is that the road estimate must be available on time and without assumptions, where assumptions mean the maps that were created at an earlier point in time, i. H. factory before the vehicle is used. The geometry of these maps can change, e.g. B. due to construction sites or parked vehicles in urban scenarios.”) (Parruca Page 4, Paragraph 7: “A camera radar sensor (or alternatively also a lidar sensor) is preferably provided as the first sensor and a camera (or alternatively also a lidar sensor) is provided as the second sensor, the radar sensor being configured to detect and distinguish between moving and static objects, and the camera being configured is to recognize static objects, in particular roadsides and/or road markings (lanemarking or lane detection). As a result, the measurements of the first sensor can be used at the point at which the camera or the second sensor can no longer detect (e.g. due to insufficient range), e.g. B. lidar or radar.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nakata and in view of Uchida to include The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the environment update unit is configured to detect a change in the environment based on at least one of the distance sensor information and the received power information in a range in which the image information is not able to be acquired by the image sensor taught by Parruca. This would have been for the benefit to provide a method for recognizing road boundaries of a vehicle and a system for controlling a vehicle, in which road boundaries are recognized to provide accurate detection of different obstacles or objects on the road. [Parruca Page 2, Paragraph 1-Paragraph 4]
11. Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakata (US 20180079085 A1) in view of Uchida (US 20240264330 A1) and further in view of (US 9921069 B2) to Ono et al. (hereinafter Ono) and further in view of Parruca (DE 102020213697 A).
Regarding claim 11, Nakata in view of Uchida teaches claim 10, accordingly, the rejection of claim 10 is incorporated above.
Nakata in view of Uchida does not teach The information processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to transmit a control signal for causing one or more of the wireless devices to move to a range in which the image information is unable to be acquired by the image sensor, and the environment update unit is configured to update the map based on the distance sensor information and the received power information from the one or more wireless devices.
However, Ono does teach The information processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to transmit a control signal for causing one or more of the wireless devices to move to a range in which the image information is unable to be acquired by the image sensor, (Ono Column 3, line number 14-20: “The vehicle 1 mounts thereon an in-car device (autonomous movement control device) 110 that performs acquisition of object shape data, measurement of an absolute position of the self, calculation of a relative position and the like (details of its configuration will be described later), a shape measurement device 120 such as a laser scanning device, and a camera 130.”) (Ono Column 4, line number 26-33: “The cruise control unit 118 controls autonomous travel by driving wheels and the like of the vehicle 1, based on the self position estimated by the self-localization unit 117 and a predetermined target path. The cruise control unit 118 controls the self vehicle 1 to travel to the destination according to the predetermined target path. Note that the form of movement by crawlers or legs, not by the wheels, may be used.”) (Ono Column 8, line number 63-66: “Note that when the mobile vehicle 1b moves out of the measurement range 901, the stopped vehicle 1a determines that the relative position of the mobile vehicle 1b cannot be measured (FIG. 2, S111.fwdarw.No”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective to have modified Nakata and in view of Uchida to include The information processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to transmit a control signal for causing one or more of the wireless devices to move to a range in which the image information is unable to be acquired by the image sensor, taught by Ono. This would have been for the benefit to provide creating map data being used for autonomous movement by a first autonomous movement apparatus, a second autonomous movement apparatus and/or other autonomous movement apparatuses, based on position data of the second autonomous movement apparatus which exists around the first autonomous movement apparatus, the position being measured by the first autonomous movement apparatus, and object shape data of an object which exists around the second autonomous movement apparatus, the object shape being measured by the second autonomous movement apparatus. Thus, in order to assist generation of map data even if a location not suited for identification of a matching position exists. [Ono Column 2, line number 15-26 and line number 29-31]
Ono does not teach […] and the environment update unit is configured to update the map based on the distance sensor information and the received power information from the one or more wireless devices.
However, Parruca does teach […] and the environment update unit is configured to update the map based on the distance sensor information and the received power information from the one or more wireless devices. (Parruca Page 3, Paragraph 2: “Of particular importance in the known methods is that the road estimate must be available on time and without assumptions, where assumptions mean the maps that were created at an earlier point in time, i. H. factory before the vehicle is used. The geometry of these maps can change, e.g. B. due to construction sites or parked vehicles in urban scenarios.”) (Parruca Page 4, Paragraph 7: “A camera radar sensor (or alternatively also a lidar sensor) is preferably provided as the first sensor and a camera (or alternatively also a lidar sensor) is provided as the second sensor, the radar sensor being configured to detect and distinguish between moving and static objects, and the camera being configured is to recognize static objects, in particular roadsides and/or road markings (lanemarking or lane detection). As a result, the measurements of the first sensor can be used at the point at which the camera or the second sensor can no longer detect (e.g. due to insufficient range), e.g. B. lidar or radar.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nakata and in view of Uchida further in view of Ono to include […] and the environment update unit is configured to update the map based on the distance sensor information and the received power information from the one or more wireless devices taught by Parruca. This would have been for the benefit to provide a method for recognizing road boundaries of a vehicle and a system for controlling a vehicle, in which road boundaries are recognized to provide accurate detection of different obstacles or objects on the road. [Parruca Page 2, Paragraph 1-Paragraph 4]
12. Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lenz (US 20220316914 A1).
Regarding claim 16, Lenz discloses An information processing apparatus comprising: an acquisition device configured to acquire, from a plurality of wireless devices, a strength of an interference signal different from communication signals of the wireless devices; and an environment update unit configured to update a map indicating an environment in a case where a change in the environment in which the wireless devices move is detected based on a temporal change in the strength of the interference signal. (Lenz Paragraph 0034: “Furthermore or as an alternative thereto, mobile network parameters or mobile radio network parameters can be measured at the measurement time. Mobile network parameters comprise e.g. RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power for determining the reception quality of the mobile radio network at the respective measurement time), RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator for determining the received broadband power in the transmission channel comprising the thermal noise and noise of the receiving device), RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality for determining the reception quality in the mobile radio network), SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio for determining the ratio of the average power of the useful signal in the mobile radio network to the average noise power of the interference signal), etc.”) (Lenz Paragraph 0039: “By way of example, by way of a suitable algorithm (e.g. a rule-based algorithm), the server can continuously determine in what geographical region and/or at what time of day or for what events (e.g. soccer match in the stadium, concert, etc.) in the geographical region an update of the digital mobile radio network coverage map is required.”) (Note: depending on the event in the geographical region the strength of interference signals differs) (Lenz Paragraph 0074: “The selected vehicle 110 A . . . 110 N is configured to capture, at the non-up-to-date geographical region, data suitable for updating the non-up-to-date geographical region of the digital map.”)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN J HARVEY whose telephone number is 571-272-5327. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00AM-5:00PM M-Th, 8:00AM-4:00PM F.
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/K.J.H./Junior Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3664
/SHARDUL D PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3664
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