DETAILED ACTION
1. Claims 1-20 have been presented for examination.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
2. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
3. The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 9/7/22 and 3/22/24 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the Examiner has considered the IDS’ as to the merits.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
4. Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
i) Claim 1 recites “in response to the input satisfying the file creation condition, the server computing device is configured to generate an additional master CAD file from among the one or more master CAD files based on the input and the plurality of reference CAD objects.” It is unclear how to determine the scope, metes, and bounds of this limitation. Specifically how is the “additional master CAD file” generated “from among the one or more master CAD files.” It is unclear if Applicants intend this to recite select, as in subsequent limitations of the claim, or does this intend to recite some kind of copying, or if there is some methodology absent from the claim which explains how an “additional master CAD file” could be generated “from among the one or more master CAD files.” As such the claim is rendered vague and indefinite. This further applies to the analogous recitation in claim 11.
ii) Claims 4 and 14 also similarly recites “generating an additional local CAD file from among the one or more local CAD files.” It is unclear how to determine the scope, metes, and bounds of this limitation. Specifically how is “an additional local CAD file” generated from “one or more local CAD files.”? As above it is unclear if Applicants intend this to recite select, as in other limitations of the claims, or copying, or if there is some methodology absent from the claim which explains how a file is generated from a similar file. As such the claim is rendered vague and indefinite.
Appropriate correction is required.
All claims dependent upon a rejected base claim are rejected by virtue of their dependency.
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claims 1-20 are allowable over the prior art of record pending resolving all intervening issues such as the 112 rejection above. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 1 recites: A distributed computer-aided design (CAD) system comprising: a server computing device comprising a reference CAD object database and a CAD file database, wherein the reference CAD object database comprises a plurality of reference CAD objects, wherein the CAD file database comprises one or more master CAD files, and wherein each of the one or more master CAD files comprises master object information and master identification information; and a plurality of client computing devices communicably coupled to the server computing device, wherein each of the plurality of client computing devices comprises a client database, wherein each client database comprises one or more local CAD files and local object information associated with each of the one or more local CAD files, and wherein: the server computing device is configured to determine whether an input received by a given client computing device from among the plurality of client computing devices satisfies one of a file creation condition and a file modification condition; in response to the input satisfying the file creation condition, the server computing device is configured to generate an additional master CAD file from among the one or more master CAD files based on the input and the plurality of reference CAD objects; in response to the input satisfying the file modification condition, the server computing device is configured to select a target master CAD file from among the one or more master CAD files based on the input, select one or more target local CAD files from among the one or more local CAD files stored on each client database of one or more additional client computing devices from among the plurality of client computing devices, and selectively update the target master CAD file; and in response to the input satisfying the file modification condition, the one or more additional client computing devices are configured to selectively update the one or more target local CAD files.
Claim 11 recites: A method for managing a distributed computer-aided design (CAD) system comprising a server computing device communicably coupled to a plurality of client computing devices, the method comprising: determining, by the server computing device, whether an input received by a given client computing device from among the plurality of client computing devices satisfies one of a file creation condition and a file modification condition, wherein: the server computing device comprises a reference CAD object database and a CAD file database; the reference CAD object database comprises a plurality of reference CAD objects; the CAD file database comprises one or more master CAD files; each of the one or more master CAD files comprises master object information and master identification information; each of the plurality of client computing devices comprises a client database; and each client database comprises one or more local CAD files and local object information associated with each of the one or more local CAD files; generating, by the server computing device and in response to the input satisfying the file creation condition, an additional master CAD file from among the one or more master CAD files based on the input and the plurality of reference CAD objects; and in response to the input satisfying the file modification condition: selecting, by the server computing device, a target master CAD file from among the one or more master CAD files based on the input; selecting, by the server computing device, one or more target local CAD files from among the one or more local CAD files stored on each client database of one or more additional client computing devices from among the plurality of client computing devices; selectively updating, by the server computing device, the target master CAD file; and selectively updating, by the one or more additional client computing devices, the one or more target local CAD files.
The closest prior art of record includes:
U.S. Patent No. 7099803 which teaches data exchange between computer aided design systems.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 20060279572 which teaches CAD databases and file generation.
Hoffman, Christoph M., and Robert Joan-Arinyo. "CAD and the product master model." Computer-Aided Design 30.11 (1998): 905-918.
Maher, Mary Lou, and J. H. Rutherford. "A model for synchronous collaborative design using CAD and database management." Research in Engineering Design 9.2 (1997): 85-98.
However, the closest prior art of record does not explicitly teach or render obvious the limitations above,
particularly in combination with the other limitations within the claims. The dependent claims are allowable for at least the same reasons as their respective independent claims.
Conclusion
6. All Claims are rejected.
7. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Patent No. 7099803 which teaches data exchange between computer aided design systems.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 20060279572 which teaches CAD databases and file generation.
Hoffman, Christoph M., and Robert Joan-Arinyo. "CAD and the product master model." Computer-Aided Design 30.11 (1998): 905-918.
Maher, Mary Lou, and J. H. Rutherford. "A model for synchronous collaborative design using CAD and database management." Research in Engineering Design 9.2 (1997): 85-98.
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Saif A. Alhija whose telephone number is (571) 272-8635. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F, 10:00-6:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Renee Chavez, can be reached at (571) 270-1104. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300. Informal or draft communication, please label PROPOSED or DRAFT, can be additionally sent to the Examiners fax phone number, (571) 273-8635.
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SAA
/SAIF A ALHIJA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2186