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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claims 1-7, 9, and 11-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Schmidt et al. (US 5,906,254).
In Re claims 1 and 15, Schmidt et al. disclose an active vibration control system (Fig. 2), and related method, comprising: a driving mechanism (17’) and a control mechanism (M2), the control mechanism comprising an electromagnetic actuator (30), the driving mechanism being operable to apply a force to a base structure (11) to which the system is attachable, wherein the driving mechanism and the control mechanism are relatively moveable (see K2') such that the active vibration control system has at least two modes of vibration (Figs.3 and 4b; col.4, lines 32-52; col.6, lines 23-49; and col.7, lines 29-62), and wherein movement of the driving mechanism causes movement of at least a part of the control element (figs. 2 and 4a; col.4, line 52 - col.5, line 9; and col.5, line 40 - col.7, line 12).
In Re claim 2, the control mechanism (M2) drives the driving mechanism.
In Re claim 3, Schmidt et al. disclose tuning a mass (M2a, M3a); the springs (K2a, K3a); and frequency of the control mechanism.
In Re claim 4, see controller (18’).
In Re claim 5, see coil (30) and movable member (28L, M3) comprising a permanent magnet (28L).
In Re claim 6, Schmidt et al. disclose that the coils are voice-coil type actuators (VCAs; col. 8, lines 45-53) which are powered by direct current to generate a force on the permanent magnet proportional to the current.
In Re claim 7, see centering springs (32U, 32L) to offset/position the movable member.
In Re claims 9, 19, and 20, the coils are at least supplied with two different levels of current (i.e. on vs off).
In Re claims 11, 12, and 16, see spring (K2).
In Re claim 13, see proof mass (M2a).
In Re claim 14, 17, and 18, Schmidt et al. teach one of a ground-based vehicle, an aquatic vehicle, or an airborne vehicle; and wherein the base structure forms part of the vehicle (col.5, lines 51 – 65; and col.7, lines 3 – 7).
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.
Claims 8 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Schmidt et al. (US 5,906,254) as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of Soderstrom (US 2,434,337).
In Re claims 8 and 10, Schmidt et al. fail to teach a second coil portion.
Soderstrom is related to the art of electromagnetic vibration motors, and teaches a first and second electromagnetic actuator (4; fig.2), the second electromagnetic actuator being operable to cause displacement of at least a part of a control element (2) relative to the first electromagnetic actuator, thereby to control movement of the first electromagnetic actuator (col. 1, lines 4-10; col.2, lines 22 - 44). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ the Soderstrom configuration of electromechanical actuators within the system of Schmidt et al., because it would improve efficiency by eliminating discontinuities in the oscillation of the system, which is following a calculated driving signal curve.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS W IRVIN whose telephone number is (571)270-3095. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Robert Siconolfi can be reached at 571-272-7124. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/THOMAS W IRVIN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616
Prosecution Insights