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 .
The Applicant’s amendment filed on July 20, 2026 was received. Claim 20 was amended and claim 21 was cancelled.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S.C. code not included in this action can be found in the prior Office action issued February 12, 2026.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on July 31, 2026 has been entered.
Claim Interpretation
The amendment to claim 20 introduces the phrase “component specific” as a qualifier for vibration transmission properties. This phrase is not defined anywhere in the specification and is only used to define the “component-specific aging behavior” as recited in claim 34. While the plain meaning of this phrase is not indefinite, it is extremely broad and seems to just require that the vibration sensor is controlled to determine vibration properties for a specific component, as opposed to the entire system as a whole. However, nothing in the claim forbids this “component” from referring to larger elements like the entire robot.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The claim rejections under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Reichler et al. (US 2018/0141070) in view of Unno (US 2017/0312922) on claims 20, 22-25, 27 and 37-44 are maintained. The rejections are restated below.
Regarding claim 20: Reichler et al. discloses a coating system having a plurality of components including application robots (20) having arms (22) and application units (24) which include a rotary atomizer (26) with a bell cup (28) (pars. 29-32, figure 1), where the components are all capable of experiencing faults or malfunctions (par. 8, 20), the system having at least one measuring device (40, 42, 50, 52) which are vibration sensors (par. 34) for determining resonant frequencies of the application units (24) and comparing the detected frequencies with ones typical of operation to determine if there is a fault such as a loosened bell cup or turbine defect which are various component-specific operating malfunctions (par. 41). Reichler et al. teaches that this step of determining if the vibrations are correct takes into account the natural resonant frequencies of various rotatable parts (par. 41) and that these frequencies can be determined in a calibration run such that the natural vibrational behavior (which is another way of saying vibration transmission properties) of the coating system can be determined and then afterwards during real processing compared to the detected vibrational behavior (par. 43), where part of this measurement includes “structure-borne sound” which is the vibration taking place on the robot arm of the handling unit (22) (par. 40). This detection and comparison step inherently requires the use of some type of evaluation software or manual evaluation process (par. 41), however Reichler et al. fails to explicitly disclose an evaluation unit having a microprocessor doing this evaluation.
However, Unno discloses a similar vibration measurement device for a robot which uses a PC with a CPU and a computing unit (209) which is a microprocessor as part of the control device (20) for controlling the use of the robot (1) as well as the vibration analysis of the robot arm, which also utilizes finding the natural frequencies of the robot arm (i.e. vibration transmission properties) in order to have a baseline for in-situ vibration analysis such that an abnormal vibration can be easily determined (pars. 52-53, 78). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a control unit with a computing unit (209) like that of Unno for the system of Reichler et al. to perform the same process of detecting vibration based on deviation from a predetermined standard/natural vibration of the coating robot arm and rotary bell cup because automating an otherwise manual activity is not considered to be a patentable advance (MPEP 2144.04).
Regarding claim 22: Reichler et al. discloses that the components which may malfunction include an application unit which is a rotary atomizer (26) with a rotary bell cup (28) guided by the robot (20), an air turbine for driving a shaft of the rotary atomizer (26) or the bell cup (28) itself (par. 41).
Regarding claim 23: Reichler et al. discloses that the measuring devices (40, 42, 50, 52) can include any one or more of said devices at the locations shown, which include on the robot (40, 50) remote from the application unit (24) (par. 36-40, figure 1). Reichler et al. teaches that the mechanical vibrations emanating from the application unit (24) are picked up by the measuring devices (40, 50) such that they are done via the robot (pars. 38-40). As discussed above, both Reichler et al. and Unno disclose calibrating the apparatus including the robot itself (Reichler et al. par. 43, Unno par. 78) before real processing begins so that the natural vibration frequencies/properties are taken into account when the vibration sensors determine whether the measured vibration is abnormal when compared to the expected, pre-calibrated vibration.
Regarding claim 24: Reichler et al. disclose that the measuring devices (40, 42, 50, 52) are capable of determining whether a mechanical fault lies with a loosened bell cup (28) or instead a turbine defect- both of which are rotatable components which would cause an unbalance when loosened or defected, with another example being wear of the application unit (24) (pars. 41-43).
Regarding claim 25: Reichler et al. teaches that the measurement devices (40, 42, 50, 52) can be acceleration sensors but fails to explicitly disclose that they are biaxial or triaxial accelerometers. However, Unno discloses a similar robot arm apparatus having an inertial sensor (32) which includes a tri-axial acceleration sensor and angular velocity sensor which is a gyro sensor or gyroscope (pars. 26, 75, figure 5). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use an inertial sensor like that of Unno for the system of Reichler et al. because Unno teaches that it obtains more information and is less susceptible to influences of gravity and centrifugal force (par. 26).
Regarding claim 27: Reichler et al. shows a multi-axis robot (20) but does not explicitly discuss the exact configuration of the robot axes. However, Unno discloses a similar robot arm apparatus having a 6-axis robot (1) with each axis arranged kinematically in series one behind the other (O1-O6), each axis having a drive source (401-406) such as a motor and a housing (par. 55, figures 1-2), where the inertia sensor (32) can be installed on any of the arms (12-18) including the fourth, fifth and sixth (par. 74, figure 5). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a robot like that of Unno for the system of Reichler et al. because Unno discloses that this type of robot is particularly useful for operating precision devices (par. 50 and 54) which would benefit the system of Reichler et al.
Regarding claim 37: Reichler et al. and Unno disclose the above combination in whic hthe control device (20) which can be either within or separate from the robot (1) allows for full control of the robot’s functionality (Unno pars. 51-52, figure 3).
Regarding claim 38: Reichler et al. and Unno disclose that the robot (20) is controlled to move the application units (24) by way of the robot arms (22) (Reichler et al. par. 30) and that the vibration sensing happens in accordance to this movement such that the movement pattern is determined along with the sensing (Reichler et al. par. 30, 35, Unno par. 53).
Regarding claims 39-40: Reichler et al. discloses that the rotatory atomizer (26) is rotated at specific speeds including above a critical speed which does not correspond to a resonance frequency, but still teaches that the speeds can increase throughout the coating process all during the measurement of the measuring devices (40, 42, 50, 52) (par. 41). Reichler et al. does not explicitly state that it is done at one speed that is not in the range of resonance frequencies, nor that it happens successively at increasing speeds, but does suggest the measurement is continuously occurring such that it happens at all speeds (par. 41). Regardless, these limitations are considered to be intended use limitations which do not further limit the structure of the apparatus claims. In the instant case, the control unit of Reichler et al. and Unno is capable of controlling the atomizer (26) for vibrational measurement at any of its working speeds.
Regarding claim 41: Reichler et al. discloses that the rotary atomizer (26) passes through multiple speeds, such that it runs through a speed band, where the measurement devices (40, 42, 44, 45) are designed to determine the natural resonant frequencies of the various components within each speed band and monitor these frequencies to determine when an actual frequency is not in line with the natural frequency in order to determine a fault (pars. 41-42).
Regarding claim 42: Reichler et al. discloses that the measuring devices (40, 42, 50, 52) measure the vibrations during the coating device in order to analyze the vibration signals and identify any and all faults (pars. 41-42).
Regarding claim 43: Reichler et al. shows in an example that one robot (20) may be active while another is not (figure 1), but does not explicitly disclose that the control unit only activates the measuring process if the operating malfunction could not be clearly identified in the coating process. However, all of the limitations of this claim are considered to be intended use limitations which do not further limit the apparatus claim. Reichler et al. is capable of selectively determining which components should be active, and determining whether to activate the measuring process if a fault was not clearly identified.
Regarding claim 44: Reichler et al. discloses that the application unit (24) can be assigned one or more of the measuring devices (40, 42, 50, 52) such that in one embodiment it only has one (par. 34).
The claim rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Reichler et al. and Unno as applied to claims 20, 22-25, 27 and 37-44 above and further in view of Yamauchi et al. (2019/0160479). The rejection is restated below.
Regarding claim 26: Reichler et al. and Unno fails to explicitly disclose an explosion-proof chamber. However, Yamauchi et al. discloses a similar rotary atomizer device for coating automobile devices which is designed to be explosion proof, having an explosion-proof housing (41) which houses electronics (par. 58-59, figure 1). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use an explosion-proof housing like that of Yamauchi et al. at least to house the measuring devices of Reichler et al. because Yamauchi et al. teaches that painting robots tend to use flammable liquids such as thinner in the painting solution, such that an explosion-proof structure is necessary to protect the components (pars. 58-59).
The claim rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Reichler et al. and Unno as applied to claims 20, 22-25, 27 and 37-44 above and further in view of Yoshida et al. (WO 2020198322). The rejection is restated below.
Regarding claim 28: Reichler et al. and Unno fail to explicitly disclose that the application units (24) perform electrostatic coating with grounded areas. However, Yoshida et al. discloses a similar painting robot which uses an electrostatic rotary atomizer (54) having a high voltage generator (64) as well as a grounded substrate (14) and a control system (28) attached to the ground remote from the high voltage generator (64), the control system (28) including sensors (90) which include a vibration sensor (92) (pars. 13-14, 26, figures 1-2). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use an electrostatic coating device like that of Yoshida et al. for the system of Reichler et al. because Yoshida et al. teaches that this helps create a more uniform layer of paint or material (par. 3).
The claim rejections under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Reichler et al. and Unno (US 2017/0312922) as applied to claims 20, 22-25, 27 and 37-44 and further in view of Haider et al. (US 2019/0168247) on claims 29-36 are maintained. The rejections are restated below.
Regarding claim 29: Reichler et al. and Unno fail to explicitly disclose exactly how the measurement devices analyze the vibration signals. However, Haider et al. discloses a similar spray unit (50) which includes a piezoelectric sensor (70) which detects oscillations in the nozzle, which are vibrations, and a data processing unit (80) connected to the piezoelectric sensor (70) which analyzes the vibration signal by detecting an amplitude (81) over a number of frequencies, as well as a maximum amplitude, in order to determine whether an oscillation is exceeding a predetermined threshold, in which case the control unit outputs a warning signal (101) (pars. 154-155, figures 1-2). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use an analysis methodology like that of Haider et al. for the system of Reichler et al. because Haider et al. shows that this is a well-known technique for analyzing vibration signals and simple use of a known technique to improve a known device is not considered to be a patentable advance (MPEP 2143).
Regarding claim 30: Reichler et al. discloses that the measuring devices (40, 42, 50, 52) do the analysis themselves, such that they utilize the sensor electronics structurally integrated within to perform the evaluation (par. 41).
Regarding claims 31-32: Reichler et al. and Haider et al. disclose the above combination, where Haider et al. teaches that the data processing unit (80) is structurally separate from the piezoelectric sensor (70), such that the software can be run within that data processing unit (80) which can correspond to the claimed evaluation unit, or within a comparison unit (90) which is connected to that data processing unit (80) (par. 154, figure 1). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to choose any of the three possible locations for the value calculation- within the sensor, within the evaluation unit, and within a processor connected to the evaluation unit- because simply choosing from a finite number of solutions is not considered to be a patentable advance (MPEP 2143E).
Regarding claim 33: Reichler et al. and Haider et al. disclose the above combination, where the control unit (100) is configured to compare the signal to a predetermined value, and if a maximum value is exceeded, to output a warning signal (par. 155), which can be a sound or light indicator (par. 60).
Regarding claim 34: Reichler et al. discloses that the system can be monitored over time to develop a vibration profile, and by comparing the measured vibrations to that of the profile, conclusions can be drawn which can indicate when a component is nearing a failure point and should be fixed or replaced (pars. 20, 43-44). While Reichler et al. fails to explicitly disclose that this conclusion leads to a second warning signal being generated, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to generate a warning like in the device of Haider et al. because Haider et al. teaches that this is a known means for alerting an operator when attention is required (par. 60).
Regarding claims 35-36: Reichler et al. and Haider et al. disclose the above warning signal (101) which can be considered either a maintenance signal or a stop signal when it leads to an emergency shutdown (Haider et al., par. 60, 155, figure 2).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed July 20, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant primarily argues that the claimed “vibration transmission properties” are a much more specific requirement than the natural frequencies/resonances detected by the vibration measuring devices of Reichler et al.
In response:
Applicant’s argument is not commensurate in scope with the claims. Nothing about the phrase “vibration transmission properties” is defined by the instant specification or known in the art to be anything other than what the words suggest- a broad category of various properties dealing with how vibrations are transmitted within a structure. One such property is natural vibration frequency, or resonant frequency. Therefore, Reichler et al. clearly reads on the claim limitation as it is currently written. Applicant’s argument that “a vibration profile merely characterizes observed vibration behavior, whereas vibration transmission properties characterize how vibrations propagate from a source location to a sensor” is illogical and contradictory. How vibrations propagate is vibration behavior- the two ideas overlap in scope nearly entirely. Vibrations are defined as structural periodic motion of particles in a system represented as waves which- by definition- describe how the structural motion of particles is propagated. Applicant has not sufficiently explained how these concepts are in any way different, especially in practice but also in theory.
Further, Applicant has already narrowed down the claimed “vibration transmission properties” in claim 29, which was previously and is currently rejected by a combination of Reichler et al., Unno et al. and Haider et al. Applicant has provided no arguments against this combination or these references teaching sensors which detect the supposed “vibration transmission properties” as claimed. However, claim 20 as it stands does not require such specificity as that found in claim 29, such that the current rejection of claim 20 over Reichler et al. and Unno et al. is correct.
Conclusion
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/S.A.K/
Stephen KittExaminer, Art Unit 1717
10/2/2026
/Dah-Wei D. Yuan/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1717
