DETAILED ACTION
Examiner has received and accepted the amended claims and remarks filed on 27 October 2025. These amended claims and remarks are the claims and remarks being referred to in the instant Office 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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention II, Subspecies 3.o. and 4.c. in the reply filed on 27 October is acknowledged. Examiner did not find a search burden with respect to Subspecies 3.c. and 4.b. and these subspecies are rejoined.
Claims 38 – 41 are presently under examination.
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 38 – 41 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.
Regarding Claim 38, the claim recites “at least one actuator” and “a drive, the drive being mechanically engaged with the at least one actuator”. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an actuator as “a mechanical device for moving or controlling something”. As such, the movement and elements to affect such (i.e. a drive) are inherently included in the claim term “actuator”. However, the claim recites the drive separately and as a component of the instrumented tool i.e. the drive and actuator being independent elements and not a subcomponent of the actuator. Therefore, the scope of the term “actuator” is unclear, thus rendering the claim indefinite.
Claims dependent upon a rejected claim are therefore rejected as well.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 38 - 41 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shah et al. (US 2021/0094089).
Regarding Claim 38, Shah discloses an instrumented tool for performing tire servicing operations (Figures 1, 8, and 9), the instrumented tool being one or more of engageable with an end effector (end of 120) (Figure 1) of a robotic system and mountable to a frame of the robotic system (frame of 100) (Figure 1), the instrumented tool comprising:
at least one actuator (Figures 8, 9);
a carriage (160), the at least one carriage being mechanically coupled to a portion of the actuator (via 221) and being moveable thereon between at least a first position (extended) and a second position (forced inward) [0054];
a drive (220), the drive being mechanically engaged with the at least one actuator (Figures 8, 9) and effecting the movement of the carriage between the first position and the second position [0054];
tooling (162) mounted to the carriage (Figure 8); and one or more sensors (172), the one or more sensors being mounted to one or more of the at least one actuator, the drive, the carriage and the tooling (Figures 8, 9).
Regarding Claim 39, Shah discloses the actuator is a linear actuator (the actuator includes a piston and cylinder which is a form of linear actuator) [0054].
Regarding Claim 40, Shah discloses the tooling is a wheel weight installation tool [0054].
Regarding Claim 41, Shah discloses at least one of the one or more sensors is one of a distance sensor [0056].
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER MERCADO whose telephone number is (571)270-7094. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 9am - 4pm EST.
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ALEXANDER A. MERCADO
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2855
/ALEXANDER A MERCADO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855