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 08/10/2023, 12/29/2023, 05/07/2024, 02/18/2025, and 06/27/2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. In this case, the present title is too long. See MPEP 606.01.
The following tittle is suggested: --Tool Tracking Method and System--.
Notification regarding 35 USC § 112f
The following is a quotation of AIA 35 U.S.C. 112f:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
Claim limitation “a sensor module that is attached to…” in claims 1 and 11 has been interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) because it uses/they use a generic placeholder “a sensor module” coupled with functional language “that is attached to…” without reciting sufficient structure to achieve the function. Furthermore, the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier.
Since the claim limitation(s) invokes 35 U.S.C. 112(f), claims 1 and 11 have been interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification that achieves the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
A review of the specification shows that, although it is not clear, the following appears to be the corresponding structure described in the specification for the 35 U.S.C. 112f limitation: the sensor module comprises an inertial measurement unit comprising an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or a magnetometer… as described in the Par.0026.
If applicant wishes to provide further explanation or dispute the examiner’s interpretation of the corresponding structure, applicant must identify the corresponding structure with reference to the specification by page and line number, and to the drawing, if any, by reference characters in response to this Office action.
If applicant does not intend to have the claim limitation(s) treated under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) applicant may amend the claim(s) so that it/they will clearly not invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or present a sufficient showing that the claim recites/recite sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function to preclude application of 35 U.S.C. 112(f).
For more information, see MPEP § 2173 et seq. and Supplementary Examination Guidelines for Determining Compliance With 35 U.S.C. 112 and for Treatment of Related Issues in Patent Applications, 76 FR 7162, 7167 (Feb. 9, 2011).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-3, 10, 11-13, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Becker et al. (US 20170046974 A1) in view of Becker et al. (US 20200265751 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Becker discloses
A method (method for stick welding applications, abstract), comprising:
determining, via processing circuitry (welding system 10, fig.1), a first joint characteristic vector and a second joint characteristic vector based on first sensor data (first input, Par.0103) detected during a first time period (first operator, Par.0103) by a sensor module (sensing device 16, fig.1) that is attachable to a welding-type tool (welding tool 14, fig.1) (See Pars.0096, 0103);
tracking, during a second time period, via the processing circuitry (welding system 10), a tool orientation of the welding-type tool (welding tool 14) using second sensor data (second input, Par.0103) detected by the sensor module (sensing device 16) during the second time period (second operator, Par.0103), the sensor module (sensing device 16) being attached to the welding-type tool (welding tool 14) during the second time period (second operator, Par.0103) (See Pars.0096, 0103); and
identifying, via the processing circuitry (welding system 10), a welding technique parameter value (welding parameters, Par.0105) based on the tool orientation of the welding-type tool (welding tool 14) and the first or second joint characteristic vector (See Pars.0096, 0103, 0105).
However, Becker does not disclose a sensor module that is attachable to, and detachable from, a welding-type tool; and the sensor module being detached from the welding-type tool during the first time period.
Becker ‘751 discloses an apparatus (welding module 400, fig.4A) comprising: a sensor module (sensor 414, fig.4A) that is attachable to, and detachable from, a welding-type tool (welding module 400) [Par.0056 cited: “…sensor(s) 414 may be a separate device configured to attach to and/or detach from the weld module 400 (e.g., via port 406)…”].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at before the effective filling date of the invention to modify a sensor module of Becker, that is attachable to, and detachable from, a welding-type tool, as taught by Becker ‘751, in order to provide a removable connection between the sensor module and the welding tool, such that the sensor module being used to detach from the welding-type tool during the first time period.
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Regarding claim 2, Becker discloses
determining the first joint characteristic vector and the second joint characteristic vector comprises: identifying the first joint characteristic vector as being parallel to a first edge of a housing of the sensor module (sensing device 16, fig.1) in response to a calibration input (welding software, Par.0115); and identifying the second joint characteristic vector as being parallel to a second edge of the housing in response to the calibration input (welding software, Par.0115) [Par.0115 cited: “…position and orientation of the workpiece 82 may be provided to welding software of the welding system 10 to calibrate the welding system 10…”].
Regarding claim 3, Becker discloses
identifying the second joint characteristic vector as extending in a first direction parallel to the second edge or in a second direction, opposite the first direction, based on an input received via a user interface or sensor data detected by the sensor module (sensing device 16, fig.1) during a third time period [Par.0115 cited: “…position and orientation of the workpiece 82 may be provided to welding software of the welding system 10 to calibrate the welding system 10…”, Par.0116 cited: “…user input provided to the welding software (or other calibration software) may indicate that the calibration device is inserted into the first aperture 93. As a result, the welding software may establish a correlation between a first data set (e.g., calibration data) received from one or more sensing devices 16 (e.g., position and/or orientation data) at a first time and the location of first aperture 93…”].
Regarding claim 10, Becker discloses
the welding technique parameter value comprises a work angle value or a travel angle value of the welding-type tool, the sensor module (sensing device 16, fig.1) comprises an inertial measurement unit (motion sensor 426, fig.18) comprising an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or a magnetometer [Par.0162 cited: “…(e.g., accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, etc.) …”], and the sensor data comprises data detected by the inertial measurement unit (motion sensor 426).
Regarding claim 11, Becker discloses
A tool tracking system (system for stick welding applications, abstract), comprising:
a sensor module (sensing device 16, fig.1), comprising:
a housing (sensing device 16, fig.1, has housing), and
an inertial measurement unit (IMU) (motion sensor 426, fig.18) [Par.0162 cited: “…(e.g., accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, etc.) …”] positioned within the housing (housing of sensing device 16); and
a non-transitory computer readable medium (computer 18, fig.1) comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed by a processor (processor 20, fig.1), cause the processor (processor 20) to:
determine a first joint characteristic vector and a second joint characteristic vector based on first sensor data (first input, Par.0103) detected during a first time period (first operator, Par.0103) by the sensor module (sensing device 16, fig.1) (See Pars.0096, 0103),
track, in real time during a second time period (second operator, Par.0103), a tool orientation of the welding-type tool (welding tool 14, fig.1) using second sensor data (second input, Par.0103) detected by the sensor module (sensing device 16) during the second time period (second operator, Par.0103), the sensor module (sensing device 16) being attached to the welding-type tool (welding tool 14) during the second time period (second operator, Par.0103) (See Pars.0096, 0103), and
identify a welding technique parameter value (welding parameters, Par.0105) based on the tool orientation of the welding-type tool (welding tool 14) and the first or second joint characteristic vector (See Pars.0096, 0103, 0105).
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However, Becker does not disclose a sensor module that is attachable to, and detachable from, a welding-type tool; and the sensor module being detached from the welding-type tool during the first time period.
Becker ‘751 discloses an apparatus (welding module 400, fig.4A) comprising: a sensor module (sensor 414, fig.4A) that is attachable to, and detachable from, a welding-type tool (welding module 400) [Par.0056 cited: “…sensor(s) 414 may be a separate device configured to attach to and/or detach from the weld module 400 (e.g., via port 406)…”].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at before the effective filling date of the invention to modify a sensor module of Becker, that is attachable to, and detachable from, a welding-type tool, as taught by Becker ‘751, in order to provide a removable connection between the sensor module and the welding tool, such that the sensor module being used to detach from the welding-type tool during the first time period.
Regarding claim 12, Becker discloses
determining the first joint characteristic vector and the second joint characteristic vector comprises: identifying the first joint characteristic vector as being parallel to a first edge of a housing of the sensor module (sensing device 16, fig.1) in response to a calibration input (welding software, Par.0115); and identifying the second joint characteristic vector as being parallel to a second edge of the housing in response to the calibration input (welding software, Par.0115) [Par.0115 cited: “…position and orientation of the workpiece 82 may be provided to welding software of the welding system 10 to calibrate the welding system 10…”].
Regarding claim 13, Becker discloses
identifying the second joint characteristic vector as extending in a first direction parallel to the second edge or in a second direction, opposite the first direction, based on an input received via a user interface or sensor data detected by the sensor module (sensing device 16, fig.1) during a third time period [Par.0115 cited: “…position and orientation of the workpiece 82 may be provided to welding software of the welding system 10 to calibrate the welding system 10…”, Par.0116 cited: “…user input provided to the welding software (or other calibration software) may indicate that the calibration device is inserted into the first aperture 93. As a result, the welding software may establish a correlation between a first data set (e.g., calibration data) received from one or more sensing devices 16 (e.g., position and/or orientation data) at a first time and the location of first aperture 93…”].
Regarding claim 20, Becker discloses
the welding technique parameter value comprises a work angle value or a travel angle value of the welding-type tool, the sensor module (sensing device 16, fig.1) comprises an inertial measurement unit (motion sensor 426, fig.18) comprising an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or a magnetometer [Par.0162 cited: “…(e.g., accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, etc.) …”], and the sensor data comprises data detected by the inertial measurement unit (motion sensor 426).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-9 and 14-19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claims 4-5, Becker does not anticipate or render fairly obvious in combination to teach the limitation …the sensor module comprises a first protrusion and a second protrusion extending from a wall of the housing, the second edge comprising a line extending between a first point on the periphery of the first protrusion and a second point on the periphery of the second protrusion… as cited in the dependent claim 4.
Regarding claims 6-9, Becker does not anticipate or render fairly obvious in combination to teach the limitation …the sensor module comprises a housing having a connector configured to connect with a complementary connector of a mounting device that is attached to, or integrated with, the welding-type tool, the sensor module being toollessly attachable to, and detachable from, the mounting device using the connection between the connector of the sensor module and the complementary connector of the mounting device… as cited in the dependent claim 6.
Regarding claims 14-15, Becker does not anticipate or render fairly obvious in combination to teach the limitation …the sensor module comprises a first protrusion and a second protrusion extending from a wall of the housing, the second edge comprising a line extending between a first point on the periphery of the first protrusion and a second point on the periphery of the second protrusion… as cited in the dependent claim 14.
Regarding claims 16-19, Becker does not anticipate or render fairly obvious in combination to teach the limitation …sensor mount integrated with, or configured for attachment to, the welding-type tool, the sensor module comprising a housing having a connector configured to connect with a complementary connector of the mounting device, the sensor module being toollessly attachable to, and detachable from, the mounting device using the connection between the connector of the sensor module and the complementary connector of the mounting device… as cited in the dependent claim 16.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Morton et al (US 20210268615 A1) discloses the relevant invention in field of a method of welding, in fig.25, with a robot system; a robot arm; and plurality of sensors, but it cannot perform the step of a sensor module that is attachable to, and detachable from, a welding-type tool; and the sensor module being detached from the welding-type tool during the first time period.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHUONG T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-1834. The examiner can normally be reached 9.00am-5.00pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven Crabb can be reached on 571-270-5095. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PHUONG T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761
05/31/2026
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