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 action is in response to the amendment filed on 12/04/25.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 6, 9 and 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wood et al. (2013/0193891) in view of Dobashi et al. (2019/0294138) and Schubert et al. (20150014004A1).
Regarding claims 1-2, 9 and 11-13, Wood discloses an electric hand tool, comprising: a driving unit (motor 15) that drives a shaft (18) of the electric hand tool and configured to drive, via the shaft, a socket (as shown in Fig. 4B) of the electric hand tool; a torque sensor (torque transducer 180) that measures a torque applied to the shaft via the driving unit; a control unit (60, 10p) that controls the driving unit to one or both of limit the measured torque to a predetermined value and adjust the measured torque to the predetermined value within a tolerance range (pars. 19-20, 24-25, 61, 73, 80, 87, 115, 168, 183); and a transmitter (not shown numerically; Figs. 15-16A) that transmits data from the electric hand tool to an external memory (414; pars. 116-127), the data comprising a final measured torque value (as shown in Fig. 5C; pars. 89-90); wherein the torque sensor comprises a strain gage (par. 135); a memory that stores measurement data (pars. 116-119); a certification system comprising a documentation device comprising a receiver (144) for receiving and a memory (140) for storing the measurement data and the determined data; wherein the documentation device is configured to generate a digital certificate (par. 71) including one or more of the measurement data and the determined data for proving compliance of the measurement data with respective safety standards (par. 74).
Regarding claims 1 and 13, Wood fails to disclose at least one of a clock unit for determining a duration of torque application and a unit for determining a number of rotations after a minimum torque value has been reached. Dobashi discloses a hand tool comprising a unit for determining a number of rotations after a minimum torque value has been reached (par. 36) for the purposes of automatically controlling a torque setting selected by a user. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided Wood’s hand tool with a unit for determining number of rotations, as taught by Dobashi, in order to automatically control a torque setting selected by a user.
Regarding claim 6, Dobashi also discloses a unit for determining object data for an object to which a fastening element is fastened by the tool (pars. 24, 26, 38-39).
Also, regarding claims 1 and 13, Wood discloses electronic ID to ensure the tool is used in a designated location, but does not specifically disclose a unit for determining a geo-position of the tool. Schubert discloses a tool control system comprising a unit for determining a geo-position of a tool, such as a GPS for the purposes of controlling operation of the tool, such as activating and deactivating the motor, while the tool meets desired parameters. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provide a GPS to Wood's tool in order to control operation of the tool, such as activating and deactivating the motor, while the tool meets desired parameters.
Claim(s) 3-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wood et al. (2013/0193891) in view of Dobashi et al. (2019/0294138) and Schubert et al. (20150014004A1), as applied above in claim 1, and further in view of Jones (6,513,395).
Regarding claim 3, the modified invention of Wood discloses the invention substantially as claimed, including a torque sensor (180; Fig. 2) that measures a torque applied to a shaft (18) via a driving unit (15), but fails to disclose wherein the sensor is a magnetostricitve sensor comprising a magnetized portion of the shaft and a magnetic field sensor for detecting a magnetic field change external to the shaft. Jones discloses a torque sensor that measures a torque applied to a shaft (8; Fig. 1) via a driving unit (not shown numerically), the sensor is a magnetostricitve sensor comprising a magnetized portion (26,28) of the shaft and a magnetic field sensor (20) for detecting a magnetic field change external to the shaft for the purposes of providing an output signal indicative of the torque transmitted to the shaft. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided Wood's torque transducer as a magnetostricitve sensor, as taught by Jones, in order to provide an output signal indicative of the torque transmitted to the shaft.
Regarding claim 4, Jones also discloses wherein the magnetostrictive torque sensor comprises a magnetized portion of a disk (10) and a magnetic field sensor (34, 36, 20) for detecting a magnetic field change external to the disk.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wood et al. (2013/0193891) in view of Dobashi et al. (2019/0294138) and Schubert et al. (20150014004A1), as applied above in claim 1, and further in view of May et al. (2004/0182587).
Regarding claim 5, the modified invention of Wood discloses the electric hand tool substantially as claimed, comprising a shaft and a torque sensor, but fails to disclose an add-on module and an extension portion of the shaft, wherein the torque sensor is provided in the addon module. May discloses a control device for a power torque tool comprising a shaft (12), an add-on module (20) and an extension portion of the shaft (12a), wherein a torque sensor is provided in the add-on module (par. 24) for the purposes of removably engaging the torque sensor to the tool. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided Wood's tool with these features as taught by May in order to removably engaging the torque sensor to the tool.
Claim(s) 6 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wood et al. (2013/0193891) in view of Dobashi et al. (2019/0294138) and Schubert et al. (20150014004A1), as applied above in claim 1, and further in view of Schweizer et al. (2002/0033267).
Regarding claims 6 and 10, the modified invention of Wood discloses the electric hand tool substantially as claimed, as discussed above, but fails to disclose a unit for determining a type of the fastening element. Schweizer discloses an electrical hand-held power tool comprising a unit for determining the type of fastening element for the purposes of efficiently controlling the torque transmitted to the fastening element. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided Wood's electric hand tool with these features as taught by Schweizer in order to efficiently control the torque transmitted to the fastening element.
Claim(s) 7-8, 10 and 14-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wood et al. (2013/0193891) in view of Dobashi et al. (2019/0294138) and Schubert et al. (20150014004A1), as applied above in claim 1, and further in view of McClogan (2015/0247745).
Regarding claims 7, 10 and 14-15, the modified invention of Wood discloses the electric hand tool substantially as claimed, as discussed above, comprising a unit for determining object data for an object (i.e. workpiece as taught by Dobashi) to which a fastening element, such as a bolt or nut, is fastened by the electric hand tool, but fails to disclose a scanning unit for scanning one or more labels from the object for determining and setting one or both of the predetermined torque value and a tolerance of the torque value. McClogan discloses a smart tool comprising a unit for determining object data for an object to which a fastening element is fastened by the tool for the to control an applied torque depending on existing parameters related to the workpiece (pars. 24, 31, 34 and 37-44); wherein the unit for determining the object data comprises a scanning unit for scanning one or more labels from the object for determining and setting the predetermined torque value and a tolerance range of the torque value (pars. 24, 27-34, 37) for the purposes of facilitating information associated with a work parameter. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided Wood's electric hand tool with these features as taught by McClogan in order to control the applied torque depending on existing parameters related to the workpiece.
Regarding claim 8, McClogan discloses wherein the object is an assembly part and the object data include a minimum torque value as the predetermined torque value (pars. 56 and 74).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 and 13 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 argument.
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 MICHELLE LOPEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-4464. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
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/MICHELLE LOPEZ/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3731