DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment/Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 27 and all dependent claims have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the remarks filed 05 June 2025. An additional reference is now being relied upon in the rejection of the claims that addresses the part of limitations newly added to claim 27 not taught by Kim or Stumpf (that the set of islands are formed on a non-flexible circuit board material).
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 27-33, 36-37, and 39 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 9,841,548 to Kim et al. (hereinafter referred to as Kim; cited previously), US 8,091,437 to Stumpf, and US 7,462,035 to Lee et al. (hereinafter referred to as Lee).
With regards to claim 27, Kim teaches an artificial skin (flexible input-output device 20, different aspects of which are detailed variously in fig. 4-5, 7-9, and 13) comprising
a layer of resilient, electrically insulating material (polymer 64; fig. 13);
a flexible mesh (substrate 44) embedded within the layer of resilient, electrically insulating material (see fig. 13), the flexible mesh comprising a set of islands coupled together by a set of bridges (see the configuration of fig. 8—here, elements 42 correspond to bridges, and the part of substrate 44 under components 24 correspond to islands), the set of islands formed of a circuit board material and the set of bridges formed of a flexible circuit board material (see col. 7, ll. 39-60 and col. 8, ll. 26-32; the materials of 42 and 44 are broadly "circuit board materials" in that they are dielectric materials having circuits mounted thereon and/or having signal lines embedded therein), the flexible mesh comprising a plurality of electrically conductive paths formed in the set of bridges (signal lines are formed in paths 42; see fig. 7-8 and col. 7, ll. 9-16);
a sensor module (component 24; see fig. 4-5) embedded within the layer of resilient, electrically insulating material (see fig. 13) and spaced from the flexible mesh by a portion of the layer of resilient, electrically insulating material disposed between opposing sides of the flexible mesh and the sensor module (the mounting of component 24 to substrate 44 is shown in detail in fig. 9, in the embodiment of fig. 13, polymer 64 would fill encompass all parts), the sensor module comprising (see fig. 4 for detailed configuration of component 24) at least one integrated circuit (IC 36) and a set of sensor areas (the areas of substrate 32 having components 34 thereon), each sensor area carrying at least one sensor communicatively coupled to the at least one integrated circuit (see fig. 4, col. 5, ll. 64-67, and col. 6, ll. 16-22);
a mechanical coupler (solder 54; fig. 9) extending through the portion of the layer of resilient, electrically insulating material disposed between the opposing sides of the flexible mesh and the sensor module (in the embodiment of fig. 13, polymer 64 would surround solder 54 between component 24 and substrate 44), the mechanical coupler mechanically coupling the sensor module to the flexible mesh (solder 54 mechanically and electrically couples component 24 to substrate 44); and
an electrical coupler (solder 54) extending through the portion of the layer of resilient, electrically insulating material disposed between the opposing sides of the flexible mesh and the sensor module (in the embodiment of fig. 13, polymer 64 would surround solder 54 between component 24 and substrate 44), the electrical coupler electrically coupling the at least one integrated circuit to the plurality of electrically conductive paths in the flexible mesh (solder 54 mechanically and electrically couples component 24 to substrate 44; also see col. 6, ll. 1-15)).
Kim does not teach the set of islands being formed of a non-flexible circuit board material, a shell panel, the resilient, electrically insulating material being coupled to a side of the shell panel.
Stumpf (see the embodiment of fig. 20 and col. 18, l. 57 to col. 19, l. 3) teaches the feature of providing a layer of resilient, electrically insulating material (dielectric material 2030) having embedded therein various circuitry and sensors (2020, 2010, etc.) on a shell panel (substrate 2040, which is also described in more detail in another embodiment; see col. 4, ll. 34-39).
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the artificial skin taught by Kim so such that the artificial skin comprises a shell panel (i.e., a substrate) and the resilient, electrically insulating material is coupled to a side of the shell panel like in the manner shown in fig. 20 of Stumpf. Doing so would allow the artificial skin to be given a desired shape or to be applied to a desired surface (the panel) to sense forces applied thereto. Moreover, in doing so nothing about the operation of the artificial skin would change, and the result of this combination would be predictable to one of ordinary skill in the art. As such, this combination accordingly amounts to no more than the predictable use of prior-art elements according to their established functions, and would be further obvious for this reason.
Lee teaches the feature of providing a locally rigid PCB islands in the middle of flexible bridges (see fig. 12, in particular the connectors comprising a PCB 15 shown in detail in fig. 2, 6-8, 11, etc.; noting that the PCBs in such a connector may be made of FR-4 as per col. 13, ll. 38-40), and teaches sensor modules being attachable to said PCB islands via corresponding electrical and mechanical couplers (as per col. 6, l. 58 to col. 7, l. 2). It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to adopt a similar configuration in the artificial skin of Kim et al., specifically such that the set of islands are formed of a non-flexible circuit board material. Doing so would provide the predictable benefit of providing local rigidity to the area where circuitry and sensors are mounted to the skin, thereby ensuring the mechanical and electrical integrity of said circuitry and sensors during movement. Moreover, connecting the bridges of the flexible mesh in such way would not change anything about the operation of the artificial skin, and the result of such modification would have been predictable to one of ordinary skill in the art. As such, this combination of features also amounts to no more than the predictable use of prior-art elements according to their established functions, and would be further obvious for this reason.
With regards to claim 28, the combination of Kim and Stumpf teach the artificial sensor of claim 27. Kim further teaches the at least one sensor comprising a force sensor (col. 4, ll. 38-44).
With regards to claim 29, the combination of Kim and Stumpf teach the artificial sensor of claim 27. Kim further teaches the at least one sensor comprising a force sensor, a capacitive sensor, an inertial measurement sensor, or a temperature sensor (col. 4, ll. 38-44).
With regards to claim 30, the combination of Kim and Stumpf teach the artificial sensor of claim 27. Kim further teaches the sensor areas are formed as islands (in fig. 4, each component 34 could be viewed as an island, or the two groups of six components 34 could be viewed as islands), and wherein the sensor module further comprises a set of sensor bridges coupling the set of sensor areas together (this may be either the physical connection between components 34 by substrate 32, or interconnects 56 in substrate 32 that connect components shown in fig. 9).
With regards to claim 31, the combination of Kim and Stumpf teach the artificial sensor of claim 30. Kim further teaches the sensor module comprising a printed circuit board (col. 5, ll. 50-56), and wherein the set of sensor areas and the set of sensor bridges are portions of the printed circuit board (the set of sensor areas and sensor bridges are portions of substrate 32, and are thus portions of a printed circuit board as per col. 5, ll. 50-56).
With regards to claim 32, the combination of Kim and Stumpf teach the artificial sensor of claim 31. Kim further teaches the printed circuit board being a flexible printed circuit board (col. 5, ll. 50-56).
With regards to claim 33, the combination of Kim and Stumpf teach the artificial sensor of claim 31. Kim further teaches the at least one integrated circuit being communicatively coupled to the sensors carried by the sensor areas through electrically conductive paths formed in the printed circuit board (via interconnects 56 in substrate 32 like shown in fig. 9 and as mentioned in col. 5, ll. 64-67).
With regards to claim 36, the combination of Kim and Stumpf teach the artificial sensor of claim 27. Kim further teaches at least one bridge in the set of bridges is stretchable along a longitudinal axis of the bridge (col. 11, ll. 25-38, col. 6, ll. 62-67, etc.).
With regards to claim 37, the combination of Kim and Stumpf teach the artificial sensor of claim 36. Kim further teaches the at least one bridge having a convoluted or serpentine profile (see fig. 7-8).
With regards to claim 39, the combination of Kim and Stumpf teach the artificial sensor of claim 27. Kim further teaches the layer of resilient, electrically insulating material comprising silicone (col. 10, ll. 34-37).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to James Split whose telephone number is (571)270-1524. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 3:30.
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/JS/Examiner, Art Unit 2858
/JUDY NGUYEN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2858