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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on March 30, 2023, September 17, 2024, and June 17, 2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: applicant discusses, theta, throughout the specification, for example, “two or all of their axis (x, y, z and theta)” in paragraph [0029]. However, applicant has not defined or clearly identified if theta is a specific angle relative to the x,y,z-axes or another axis in the specification or drawings. Therefore, it is unclear what theta is in applicant’s invention.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential structural cooperative relationships of elements, such omission amounting to a gap between the necessary structural connections. See MPEP § 2172.01. The omitted structural cooperative relationships are: the location of theta relative to the x-y-z axes as an angle or another axis.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kirby et al (US 5,308,132) in view of WO 20/067649.
As to claim 1, Kirby et al discloses an end effector module (200), as illustrated in Figures 1-4, comprising tooling for grasping a part for pickup and placement (see Abstract); a module shaft (208) connected on a first end to the tooling, and having a second end opposite the tooling; and an air bearing (210) associated with the second end (see annotated Figure 2 below). However, Kirby et al doesn’t show there are two air bearings to impart degrees of freedom to the tooling in x and y axes via an angle, theta.
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WO 20/067649 teaches a placement robot configured for positioning a component for placement at a selected location on a target substrate (see Abstract) comprising an upper bearing surface (26a) and a lower bearing surface (26b). When air is supplied through channels (28,30), the upper bearing surface (26a) and lower bearing surface (26b) are pressurized and act as near frictionless bearings (see page 9, line 5 – page 10, line 19 and Figures 4-5).
Thus, the manner of enhancing a particular device (end effector module) was made part of the ordinary capabilities of one skilled in the art based upon the teaching of such improvement in WO 20/067649. Accordingly, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been capable of applying this known “improvement” technique in the same manner to the prior art of Kirby et al and the results would have been predictable to one of ordinary skill in the art, namely, one skilled in the art would have readily recognized that providing a second air bearing to act as frictionless bearings with the first air bearing to facilitate picking and placing component parts.
With claim 2, as modified by WO 20/067649, a vacuum fluidically connected to at least one of the air bearings, wherein actuation of the vacuum evacuate air from the connected at least one air bearing, thereby effecting a positional vacuum lock of the module shaft (see page 9, lines 11-13).
With claim 3, as modified by WO 20/067649, the upper air bearing is capable of providing downward pressure on the tooling, and a lower air bearing capable providing upward pressure on the tooling (see page 10, lines 10-19 and Figure 5).
With claim 4, as modified by WO 20/067649, the lower air bearing effectuates the pickup by the tooling (see Figure 5).
With claim 5, as modified by WO 20/067649, the upper air bearing effectuates the placement by the tooling (see Figure 5).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-20 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Matsumoto, Hawkes, Boudreau, Zimmer, and McClure are cited as being relevant art, because each prior art discloses an end effector module comprising a tooling and a module shaft.
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STEPHEN VU
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3654
/STEPHEN A VU/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3654
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