DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to applicant’s communication filed 01/21/2026.
Claim(s) 1-14 have been considered.
- Claim(s) 1-14 are pending.
- Claim(s) 1, and 3-8 has/have been amended.
- No claim(s) has/have been canceled.
- No claim(s) has/have been newly added.
- Claim(s) 1-14 have been rejected as described below.
- This action is MADE FINAL.
Information Disclosure Statement
Examiner acknowledges the entry of following Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) document(s) from applicant:
The information disclosure statement(s) filed 01/29/2026 has/have been considered by examiner.
Specification
The amendment to the disclosure (updated title) filed 01/21/2026 is acknowledged and accepted by the examiner for this stage of prosecution.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 5, 8-9, and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kato (CN 103873549 A – Translation provided by Applicant via IDS) in view of Sakakibara (US 20170031335 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kato teaches:
A centralized management apparatus communicably connected to a plurality of production machines and configured to manage an operating state including an abnormal state of each of the production machines, (Fig. 1-15, and 0007-08 teach a PLC communication system (i.e., computer) that enables an operator to determine which part of the communication line is abnormal when the communication line is abnormal. See below citations for the structural connections.) wherein … a plurality of the production machines are connected to each of shared devices of a same type, the centralized management apparatus comprising one or more processors that execute computer-executable instructions stored in a memory, the one or more processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the centralized management apparatus to: (0007-08 teach three or more communication processing nodes, which are provided in each of the PLC and the plurality of devices and enable the PLC and each of the plurality of devices to communicate with the others; and communication lines, which interconnect the communication processing nodes in a manner enabling data communication, wherein the PLC detects a state in which communication cannot be communicated between two communication processing nodes. The PLC communication system further comprises a display device, which, when there are multiple states in which communication cannot be communicated detected by the PLC, displays the overlapping portion of the plurality of communication lines constituting the state in which communication cannot be communicated as a line abnormality. 0032 teaches exemplary structural connections between various devices/actuators/sensors and shared devices, such as, a HUB, etc. Note, PLCs include processors and memory as they are essentially specialized industrial computers.)
acquire data of the operating state of each of the production machines; (0043 teaches, “The display content of the display device 30 at time t9 is as shown in FIG. 5. Here, in FL-net 100, when a device is in a power-off state, other devices can recognize that the device is in a power-off state. Therefore, PLC20 can recognize that node 143 is in the power OFF state. Therefore, the node 143 is displayed as a device abnormality in the display device 30, for example, in red (thick line and hatching in Figure 5).”)
acquire data of a connection state between each of the shared devices and each of the production machines; and (0044 teaches when the number of retries performed by PLC20 at each node 41, 142, 143, and 144 is set a number of times (set to two times here), it is recognized that the communication line connecting the node and the node in the previous sequence is in a state where communication is impossible. Therefore, in the display device 30, the communication lines 113, 114 and the hub 161 in a state where communication is impossible are displayed as attention lines, for example, in yellow (dashed lines in FIG. 5). 0062 teaches the display device 30 displays the communication lines 112,113, and 114 and the hubs 161 and 162 in purple (double lines in FIG. 11) as line abnormalities. In addition, communication lines 115 and 116 are shown in yellow (dashed lines in Figure 11). 0032 and 0063 also teaches the recognition and display of connection states.)
control a display unit to simultaneously display the operating state of each of the production machines and the connection state between each of the shared devices and each of the production machines, on the display unit. (0033 teaches the display device 30 displays an entire network configuration diagram (communication line diagram). … the display device 30 displays equipment abnormality, line abnormality, and attention line using different display methods (e.g., different colors). 0043-44, 0062-63, as above, also teach the simultaneous display aspect of these information and connections.)
However, Kato does not explicitly teach the production machines are machines that produce products.
Sakakibara explicitly teaches the production machines are machines that produce products. (0029 - controlling a cell control system including a communication device which communicates with a manufacturing cell including a plurality of manufacturing machines configured to manufacture a product. See Fig. 1 for the multiple manufacturing machines. 0071 also teaches - Examples of the manufacturing machines include a processing machine, a robot, a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), a conveyor, a measuring device, a tester, a press machine, a press fitting machine, a printing press, a die-casting machine, an injection-molding machine, a food machine, a packaging machine, a welding machine, a cleaning machine, a coating machine, an assembling device, a mounting machine, a woodworking machine, a sealing device, and a cutter.)
Accordingly, as Kato and Sakakibara are directed to device/machine operation related information and control technology, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have specifically added the feature of utilizing the well-known technology of controller communicating to multiple manufacturing machines that produce products, as taught by Sakakibara to the monitoring and display control system with ability to display operating states and connection related information that is connected to multiple devices/machines as taught by Kato. The combination would have been motivated in order to take advantage of the well-known feature of monitoring and control of machine/devices’ connected with controllers in a way that would enable the industry to cope with variable model, variable volume production so as to manufacture products dynamically in response to demands on the markets., as evident in Sakakibara, 0007.
Regarding claim 2, Kato and Sakakibara teach all the elements of claim 1.
Kato further teaches:
wherein the type of the shared devices includes at least one of five types including: a power distribution panel that distributes electric power to the production machines; a water distributor that distributes water to the production machines; a water discharger that discharges water used in the production machines; a material distributor that distributes material to the production machines; and a network hub that connects the production machines to a communication network. (Among many examples, see as above, 0062 teaches the display device 30 displays the communication lines 112,113, and 114 and the hubs 161 and 162 in purple (double lines in FIG. 11) as line abnormalities. Fig. 11-13 and 0063 also have further illustrations and mentions of hub(s) as the shared devices.)
Regarding claim 5, Kato and Sakakibara teach all the elements of claim 1.
Kato further teaches:
wherein the one or more processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the centralized management apparatus to control the display unit to display the connection state between each of the shared devices and each of the production machines in a tree view, on the display unit. (Among many examples, see as above, 0062 teaches the display device 30 displays the communication lines 112,113, and 114 and the hubs 161 and 162 in purple (double lines in FIG. 11) as line abnormalities. Fig. 11-13 and 0063 also have further illustrations and mentions of hub(s) as the shared devices along with the communication lines and connection states in a tree view, which aligns with the examples and description of tree view provided in applicant specification, 0048.)
Regarding claim 8, Kato teaches:
A control method of a centralized management apparatus that is communicably connected to a plurality of production machines and manages an operating state including an abnormal state of each of the production machines, (Fig. 1-15, and 0007-08 teach a PLC communication system (i.e., computer) that enables an operator to determine which part of the communication line is abnormal when the communication line is abnormal. See below citations for the structural connections.) wherein the control method of the centralized management apparatus is executed by one or more processors, a plurality of the production machines are connected to each of shared devices of a same type, the control method comprising: (0007-08 teach three or more communication processing nodes, which are provided in each of the PLC and the plurality of devices and enable the PLC and each of the plurality of devices to communicate with the others; and communication lines, which interconnect the communication processing nodes in a manner enabling data communication, wherein the PLC detects a state in which communication cannot be communicated between two communication processing nodes. The PLC communication system further comprises a display device, which, when there are multiple states in which communication cannot be communicated detected by the PLC, displays the overlapping portion of the plurality of communication lines constituting the state in which communication cannot be communicated as a line abnormality. 0032 teaches exemplary structural connections between various devices/actuators/sensors and shared devices, such as, a HUB, etc. Note, PLCs include processors and memory as they are essentially specialized industrial computers.)
an operating state acquisition step of acquiring data of the operating state of each of the production machines; (0043 teaches, “The display content of the display device 30 at time t9 is as shown in FIG. 5. Here, in FL-net 100, when a device is in a power-off state, other devices can recognize that the device is in a power-off state. Therefore, PLC20 can recognize that node 143 is in the power OFF state. Therefore, the node 143 is displayed as a device abnormality in the display device 30, for example, in red (thick line and hatching in Figure 5).”)
a connection state acquisition step of acquiring data of a connection state between each of the shared devices and each of the production machines; and (0044 teaches when the number of retries performed by PLC20 at each node 41, 142, 143, and 144 is set a number of times (set to two times here), it is recognized that the communication line connecting the node and the node in the previous sequence is in a state where communication is impossible. Therefore, in the display device 30, the communication lines 113, 114 and the hub 161 in a state where communication is impossible are displayed as attention lines, for example, in yellow (dashed lines in FIG. 5). 0062 teaches the display device 30 displays the communication lines 112,113, and 114 and the hubs 161 and 162 in purple (double lines in FIG. 11) as line abnormalities. In addition, communication lines 115 and 116 are shown in yellow (dashed lines in Figure 11). 0032 and 0063 also teaches the recognition and display of connection states.)
a display control step of causing a display unit to simultaneously display the operating state of each of the production machines and the connection state between each of the shared devices and each of the production machines. (0033 teaches the display device 30 displays an entire network configuration diagram (communication line diagram). … the display device 30 displays equipment abnormality, line abnormality, and attention line using different display methods (e.g., different colors). 0043-44, 0062-63, as above, also teach the simultaneous display aspect of these information and connections.)
However, Kato does not explicitly teach the production machines are machines that produce products.
Sakakibara explicitly teaches the production machines are machines that produce products. (0029 - controlling a cell control system including a communication device which communicates with a manufacturing cell including a plurality of manufacturing machines configured to manufacture a product. See Fig. 1 for the multiple manufacturing machines. 0071 also teaches - Examples of the manufacturing machines include a processing machine, a robot, a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), a conveyor, a measuring device, a tester, a press machine, a press fitting machine, a printing press, a die-casting machine, an injection-molding machine, a food machine, a packaging machine, a welding machine, a cleaning machine, a coating machine, an assembling device, a mounting machine, a woodworking machine, a sealing device, and a cutter.)
Accordingly, as Kato and Sakakibara are directed to device/machine operation related information and control technology, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have specifically added the feature of utilizing the well-known technology of controller communicating to multiple manufacturing machines that produce products, as taught by Sakakibara to the monitoring and display control system with ability to display operating states and connection related information that is connected to multiple devices/machines as taught by Kato. The combination would have been motivated in order to take advantage of the well-known feature of monitoring and control of machine/devices’ connected with controllers in a way that would enable the industry to cope with variable model, variable volume production so as to manufacture products dynamically in response to demands on the markets., as evident in Sakakibara, 0007.
Regarding claim 9, Kato and Sakakibara teach all the elements of claim 8.
Kato further teaches:
wherein the type of the shared devices includes at least one of five types including: a power distribution panel that distributes electric power to the production machines; a water distributor that distributes water to the production machines; a water discharger that discharges water used in the production machines; a material distributor that distributes material to the production machines; and a network hub that connects the production machines to a communication network. (Among many examples, see as above, 0062 teaches the display device 30 displays the communication lines 112,113, and 114 and the hubs 161 and 162 in purple (double lines in FIG. 11) as line abnormalities. Fig. 11-13 and 0063 also have further illustrations and mentions of hub(s) as the shared devices.)
Regarding claim 12, Kato and Sakakibara teach all the elements of claim 8.
Kato further teaches:
wherein the display control step includes controlling the display unit to display the connection state between each of the shared devices and each of the production machines in a tree view, on the display unit. (Among many examples, see as above, 0062 teaches the display device 30 displays the communication lines 112,113, and 114 and the hubs 161 and 162 in purple (double lines in FIG. 11) as line abnormalities. Fig. 11-13 and 0063 also have further illustrations and mentions of hub(s) as the shared devices along with the communication lines and connection states in a tree view, which aligns with the examples and description of tree view provided in applicant specification, 0048.)
Claim(s) 3 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kato (CN 103873549 A – Translation provided by Applicant via IDS) in view of Sakakibara (US 20170031335 A1) in further view of Iriguchi (US 11435716 B2) in further view of Seki (US 20180081350 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Kato and Sakakibara teach all the elements of claim 1.
While Kato implicitly teaches below by teaching the plurality of hubs as the shared devices and displaying such information (as in Fig. 11-13, 0062-63, etc.),
Kato and Sakakibara do not explicitly disclose the “selection” from a “plurality of types” aspect of the shared devices in the following limitations:
wherein the type comprises a plurality of types, and each of the production machines is connected to the shared devices of the plurality of types, [the one or more processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the centralized management apparatus to:] acquire information on a type of the shared devices that has been selected by a user from among the plurality of types,
[and simultaneously display the operating state of each of the production machines and the connection state between each of the shared devices] of the type that has been selected [and each of the production machines, on the display unit.]
Iriguchi explicitly teaches:
wherein the type comprises a plurality of types, and each of the production machines is connected to the shared devices of the plurality of types, [the one or more processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the centralized management apparatus to:] acquire information on a type of the shared devices that has been selected by a user from among the plurality of types, … (Fig. 3, 5, 9 etc. along with C14, L37-42 teach collection and updating range based on selected configuration information per user’s desire, which may be set to a type of a device or an area where the device is installed. See Fig. 3 and 5 for various types of I/O modules (connected to field devices) and controllers. Then claim 1 teaches, “…wherein the collection range is specified by the user input and indicates a type or an installation area of at least one of the controllers or the field devices that require update of the piece of stored device information, based on the collection range, collects a plurality of pieces of first device information of the plant obtained from a first storage, sets first identification information for identifying each piece of the first device information, based on the collection range, collects a plurality of pieces of second device information obtained from one of the controllers, one of the field devices, or a combination of both selected from the controllers and the field devices, sets second identification information for identifying each piece of the second device information, when the first and the second identification information are common, …”)
Accordingly, as Kato, Sakakibara, and Iriguchi are directed to device/machine operation related information and control technology, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have specifically added the feature of utilizing the well-known technology of displaying information from devices selected by user from a plurality of types of devices based on advance collection configurations, as taught by Iriguchi to the monitoring and display control system with ability to display operating states and connection related information as taught by Kato and Sakakibara. The combination would have been motivated in order to take advantage of the well-known feature of monitoring and control of machine/devices’ connected with plurality of types of I/O modules and controllers in a way that would enable users/operators easy and flexible selections from set identifications as plants can have thousands of connected controllers, modules etc. communicating with field devices, as evident in Iriguchi, C7, 2nd to last para, C14, L37-42, etc.
While Kato, Sakakibara, and Iriguchi implicitly teach below by teaching the plurality of hubs as the shared devices and displaying operating states and connection state(s) information (as in Kato, Fig. 11-13, 0062-63, etc.), along with the configuration with identifications of plurality of types of shared devices as cited above from Iriguchi,
Kato, Sakakibara, and Iriguchi do not explicitly disclose the selection from a plurality of types aspect of the shared devices to be the basis of displaying specifically information related to operating states and connection state(s) in the following limitations:
[and simultaneously display the operating state of each of the production machines and the connection state between each of the shared devices] of the type that has been selected [and each of the production machines, on the display unit.]
Seki explicitly teaches:
[and simultaneously display the operating state of each of the production machines and the connection state between each of the shared devices] of the type that has been selected [and each of the production machines, on the display unit.] (0102, 0116-17 along with exemplary Fig. 11 teach device type being one of the basis/conditions for filtering what is displayed in the plant state diagram.)
Accordingly, as Kato, Sakakibara, Iriguchi, and Seki are directed to device/machine operation related information and control technology, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have specifically added the feature of utilizing the well-known technology of displaying device states information based on device type being one of the filtering conditions, as taught by Seki to the monitoring and display control system with ability to display operating states and connection related information where the information is from devices selected by user from a plurality of types of devices based on advance collection configurations as taught by Kato, Sakakibara, and Iriguchi. The combination would have been motivated in order to take advantage of the well-known feature of monitoring and control of machine/devices’ by enabling improved perception of the state of the plant at a glance, as evident in Seki, 0008, 0116-17, etc.
Regarding claim 10, Kato and Sakakibara teach all the elements of claim 8.
While Kato implicitly teaches below by teaching the plurality of hubs as the shared devices and displaying such information (as in Fig. 11-13, 0062-63, etc.),
Kato and Sakakibara do not explicitly disclose the “selection” from a “plurality of types” aspect of the shared devices in the following limitations:
wherein the type comprises a plurality of types, and each of the production machines is connected to the shared devices of the plurality of types,
the control method further comprises a selection information acquisition step of acquiring information on a type of the shared devices that has been selected by a user from among the plurality of types,
[and the display control step includes controlling the display unit to simultaneously display the operating state of each of the production machines and the connection state between each of the shared devices] of the type that has been selected [and each of the production machines, on the display unit.]
Iriguchi explicitly teaches:
wherein the type comprises a plurality of types, and each of the production machines is connected to the shared devices of the plurality of types, the control method further comprises a selection information acquisition step of acquiring information on a type of the shared devices that has been selected by a user from among the plurality of types, … (Fig. 3, 5, 9 etc. along with C14, L37-42 teach collection and updating range based on selected configuration information per user’s desire, which may be set to a type of a device or an area where the device is installed. See Fig. 3 and 5 for various types of I/O modules (connected to field devices) and controllers. Then claim 1 teaches, “…wherein the collection range is specified by the user input and indicates a type or an installation area of at least one of the controllers or the field devices that require update of the piece of stored device information, based on the collection range, collects a plurality of pieces of first device information of the plant obtained from a first storage, sets first identification information for identifying each piece of the first device information, based on the collection range, collects a plurality of pieces of second device information obtained from one of the controllers, one of the field devices, or a combination of both selected from the controllers and the field devices, sets second identification information for identifying each piece of the second device information, when the first and the second identification information are common, …”)
Accordingly, as Kato, Sakakibara, and Iriguchi are directed to device/machine operation related information and control technology, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have specifically added the feature of utilizing the well-known technology of displaying information from devices selected by user from a plurality of types of devices based on advance collection configurations, as taught by Iriguchi to the monitoring and display control system with ability to display operating states and connection related information as taught by Kato and Sakakibara. The combination would have been motivated in order to take advantage of the well-known feature of monitoring and control of machine/devices’ connected with plurality of types of I/O modules and controllers in a way that would enable users/operators easy and flexible selections from set identifications as plants can have thousands of connected controllers, modules etc. communicating with field devices, as evident in Iriguchi, C7, 2nd to last para, C14, L37-42, etc.
While Kato, Sakakibara, and Iriguchi implicitly teach below by teaching the plurality of hubs as the shared devices and displaying operating states and connection state(s) information (as in Kato, Fig. 11-13, 0062-63, etc.), along with the configuration with identifications of plurality of types of shared devices as cited above from Iriguchi,
Kato, Sakakibara, and Iriguchi do not explicitly disclose the selection from a plurality of types aspect of the shared devices to be the basis of displaying specifically information related to operating states and connection state(s) in the following limitations:
[and the display control step includes controlling the display unit to simultaneously display the operating state of each of the production machines and the connection state between each of the shared devices] of the type that has been selected [and each of the production machines, on the display unit.]
Seki explicitly teaches:
[and the display control step includes controlling the display unit to simultaneously display the operating state of each of the production machines and the connection state between each of the shared devices] of the type that has been selected [and each of the production machines, on the display unit.] (0102, 0116-17 along with exemplary Fig. 11 teach device type being one of the basis/conditions for filtering what is displayed in the plant state diagram.)
Accordingly, as Kato, Sakakibara, Iriguchi, and Seki are directed to device/machine operation related information and control technology, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have specifically added the feature of utilizing the well-known technology of displaying device states information based on device type being one of the filtering conditions, as taught by Seki to the monitoring and display control system with ability to display operating states and connection related information where the information is from devices selected by user from a plurality of types of devices based on advance collection configurations as taught by Kato, Sakakibara, and Iriguchi. The combination would have been motivated in order to take advantage of the well-known feature of monitoring and control of machine/devices’ by enabling improved perception of the state of the plant at a glance, as evident in Seki, 0008, 0116-17, etc.
Claim(s) 4 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kato (CN 103873549 A – Translation provided by Applicant via IDS) in view of Sakakibara (US 20170031335 A1) in further view of Seki (US 20180081350 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Kato and Sakakibara teach all the elements of claim 1.
While Kato implicitly teaches below by the plurality of hubs as the shared devices and displaying operating states and connection state(s) information (as in Fig. 11-13, 0062-63, etc.),
Kato and Sakakibara do not explicitly disclose the “selection” aspect of the shared device(s) in the following limitations:
[the one or more processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the centralized management apparatus to:] acquire information on an individual shared device that has been selected by a user from among the shared devices; and control the display unit to simultaneously display the operating state of each of the production machines and the connection state between the individual shared device that has been selected and each of the production machines, on the display unit.
Seki explicitly teaches:
[the one or more processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the centralized management apparatus to:] acquire information on an individual shared device that has been selected by a user from among the shared devices; and control the display unit to simultaneously display the operating state of each of the production machines and the connection state between the individual shared device that has been selected and each of the production machines, on the display unit. (0102, 0116-17 along with exemplary Fig. 11 teach device type being one of the basis/conditions for filtering that is displayed in the plant state diagram.)
Accordingly, as Kato, Sakakibara, and Seki are directed to device/machine operation related information and control technology, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have specifically added the feature of utilizing the well-known technology of displaying device states information based on device type being one of the filtering conditions, as taught by Seki to the monitoring and display control system with ability to display operating states and connection related information as taught by Kato and Sakakibara,. The combination would have been motivated in order to take advantage of the well-known feature of monitoring and control of machine/devices’ by enabling improved perception of the state of the plant at a glance, as evident in Seki, 0008, 0116-17, etc.
Regarding claim 11, Kato and Sakakibara teach all the elements of claim 8.
While Kato implicitly teaches below by the plurality of hubs as the shared devices and displaying operating states and connection state(s) information (as in Fig. 11-13, 0062-63, etc.),
Kato and Sakakibara do not explicitly disclose the “selection” aspect of the shared device(s) in the following limitations:
further comprising: a selection information acquisition step of acquiring information on an individual shared device that has been selected by a user from among the shared devices, wherein the display control step includes controlling the display unit to simultaneously display the operating state of each of the production machines and the connection state between the individual shared device that has been selected and each of the production machines, on the display unit.
Seki explicitly teaches:
further comprising: a selection information acquisition step of acquiring information on an individual shared device that has been selected by a user from among the shared devices, wherein the display control step includes controlling the display unit to simultaneously display the operating state of each of the production machines and the connection state between the individual shared device that has been selected and each of the production machines, on the display unit. (0102, 0116-17 along with exemplary Fig. 11 teach device type being one of the basis/conditions for filtering that is displayed in the plant state diagram.)
Accordingly, as Kato, Sakakibara, and Seki are directed to device/machine operation related information and control technology, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have specifically added the feature of utilizing the well-known technology of displaying device states information based on device type being one of the filtering conditions, as taught by Seki to the monitoring and display control system with ability to display operating states and connection related information as taught by Kato and Sakakibara,. The combination would have been motivated in order to take advantage of the well-known feature of monitoring and control of machine/devices’ by enabling improved perception of the state of the plant at a glance, as evident in Seki, 0008, 0116-17, etc.
Claim(s) 6-7 and 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kato (CN 103873549 A – Translation provided by Applicant via IDS) in view of Sakakibara (US 20170031335 A1) in further view of Hisanaga Yoshihiro (JP 2020198047 A – Translation provided by Applicant via IDS) hereinafter Hisanaga.
Regarding claim 6, Kato and Sakakibara teach all the elements of claim 1.
Kato and Sakakibara do not explicitly disclose:
wherein the one or more processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the centralized management apparatus to control the display unit to display, as a chart, a proportion of production machines the operating state of which are a normal state and a proportion of production machines the operating state of which are an abnormal state, among the production machines connected to each of the shared devices, on the display unit.
Hisanaga explicitly teaches:
wherein the one or more processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the centralized management apparatus to control the display unit to display, as a chart, a proportion of production machines the operating state of which are a normal state and a proportion of production machines the operating state of which are an abnormal state, among the production machines connected to each of the shared devices, on the display unit. (Fig. 8 and 0048-50 teach an operation result screen output (displayed) by a display control unit 214. 0048 teaches, the screen G 2 shown in FIG. 8 is a graph showing the operation results of the devices M 1 to M 6 on the specific day which has reached the target period. … Here, a section in which the same operating state is continued is represented by a light emission color (a display color of the state lamp shown in FI G. 2) corresponding to the operation state, and indicates which state is in the state of operation, the state of the apparatus M, and the state of abnormality. 0050 teaches examples. “For example, the display control unit 214 may statistically display the operation time of each device M by using a display form such as a pie chart. Further, for example, the display control unit 214 may be configured to directly display an operation rate and an abnormality occurrence rate by calculating a ratio of "in operation" time and a ratio of "abnormality" time occupied during a predetermined period of time.)
Accordingly, as Kato, Sakakibara, and Hisanaga are directed to device/machine operation related information and control technology, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have specifically added the feature of utilizing the well-known technology of displaying operating states’ related information such as proportions as a chart, as taught by Hisanaga to the monitoring and display control system with ability to display operating states and connection related information as taught by Kato and Sakakibara. The combination would have been motivated in order to take advantage of the well-known feature of monitoring and control of machine/devices’ operating states related information in a way that ensures that the operator(s) can easily confirm the operation result of each device in the target period of time and can grasp the rate of operation and the rate of occurrence of an abnormality in each of the devices based on the size and the like of the various hatched areas in the graph, by taking advantage of the convenient visual styles, as evident in Hisanaga, 0048-50, etc.
Regarding claim 7, Kato and Sakakibara teach all the elements of claim 1.
Kato and Sakakibara do not explicitly disclose:
wherein the one or more processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the centralized management apparatus to control the display unit to display a timeline diagram of the operating state of each of the production machines, on the display unit.
Hisanaga explicitly teaches:
wherein the one or more processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the centralized management apparatus to control the display unit to display a timeline diagram of the operating state of each of the production machines, on the display unit. (Fig. 8 and 0048-50 teach an operation result screen output (displayed) by a display control unit 214. 0048 teaches, the screen G 2 shown in FIG. 8 is a graph showing the operation results of the devices M 1 to M 6 on the specific day which has reached the target period. … Here, a section in which the same operating state is continued is represented by a light emission color (a display color of the state lamp shown in FI G. 2) corresponding to the operation state, and indicates which state is in the state of operation, the state of the apparatus M, and the state of abnormality. 0050 teaches examples. “For example, the display control unit 214 may statistically display the operation time of each device M by using a display form such as a pie chart. Further, for example, the display control unit 214 may be configured to directly display an operation rate and an abnormality occurrence rate by calculating a ratio of "in operation" time and a ratio of "abnormality" time occupied during a predetermined period of time. For timeline, see 0048 teaches, 0 to 24 o'clock of the date designated as the target period.)
Accordingly, as Kato, Sakakibara, and Hisanaga are directed to device/machine operation related information and control technology, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have specifically added the feature of utilizing the well-known technology of displaying operating states’ related information such as proportions as a chart with timeline, as taught by Hisanaga to the monitoring and display control system with ability to display operating states and connection related information as taught by Kato and Sakakibara. The combination would have been motivated in order to take advantage of the well-known feature of monitoring and control of machine/devices’ operating states related information in a way that ensures that the operator(s) can easily confirm the operation result of each device in the target period of time and can grasp the rate of operation and the rate of occurrence of an abnormality in each of the devices based on the size and the like of the various hatched areas in the graph, by taking advantage of the convenient visual styles, as evident in Hisanaga, 0048-50, etc.
Regarding claim 13, Kato and Sakakibara teach all the elements of claim 8.
Kato and Sakakibara do not explicitly disclose:
wherein the display control step includes controlling the display unit to display, as a chart, a proportion of production machines the operating state of which are a normal state and a proportion of production machines the operating state of which are an abnormal state, among the production machines connected to each of the shared devices, on the display unit.
Hisanaga explicitly teaches:
wherein the display control step includes controlling the display unit to display, as a chart, a proportion of production machines the operating state of which are a normal state and a proportion of production machines the operating state of which are an abnormal state, among the production machines connected to each of the shared devices, on the display unit. (Fig. 8 and 0048-50 teach an operation result screen output (displayed) by a display control unit 214. 0048 teaches, the screen G 2 shown in FIG. 8 is a graph showing the operation results of the devices M 1 to M 6 on the specific day which has reached the target period. … Here, a section in which the same operating state is continued is represented by a light emission color (a display color of the state lamp shown in FI G. 2) corresponding to the operation state, and indicates which state is in the state of operation, the state of the apparatus M, and the state of abnormality. 0050 teaches examples. “For example, the display control unit 214 may statistically display the operation time of each device M by using a display form such as a pie chart. Further, for example, the display control unit 214 may be configured to directly display an operation rate and an abnormality occurrence rate by calculating a ratio of "in operation" time and a ratio of "abnormality" time occupied during a predetermined period of time.)
Accordingly, as Kato, Sakakibara, and Hisanaga are directed to device/machine operation related information and control technology, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have specifically added the feature of utilizing the well-known technology of displaying operating states’ related information such as proportions as a chart, as taught by Hisanaga to the monitoring and display control system with ability to display operating states and connection related information as taught by Kato and Sakakibara. The combination would have been motivated in order to take advantage of the well-known feature of monitoring and control of machine/devices’ operating states related information in a way that ensures that the operator(s) can easily confirm the operation result of each device in the target period of time and can grasp the rate of operation and the rate of occurrence of an abnormality in each of the devices based on the size and the like of the various hatched areas in the graph, by taking advantage of the convenient visual styles, as evident in Hisanaga, 0048-50, etc.
Regarding claim 14, Kato and Sakakibara teach all the elements of claim 8.
Kato and Sakakibara do not explicitly disclose:
wherein the display control step includes controlling the display unit to display a timeline diagram of the operating state of each of the production machines, on the display unit.
Hisanaga explicitly teaches:
wherein the display control step includes controlling the display unit to display a timeline diagram of the operating state of each of the production machines, on the display unit. (Fig. 8 and 0048-50 teach an operation result screen output (displayed) by a display control unit 214. 0048 teaches, the screen G 2 shown in FIG. 8 is a graph showing the operation results of the devices M 1 to M 6 on the specific day which has reached the target period. … Here, a section in which the same operating state is continued is represented by a light emission color (a display color of the state lamp shown in FI G. 2) corresponding to the operation state, and indicates which state is in the state of operation, the state of the apparatus M, and the state of abnormality. 0050 teaches examples. “For example, the display control unit 214 may statistically display the operation time of each device M by using a display form such as a pie chart. Further, for example, the display control unit 214 may be configured to directly display an operation rate and an abnormality occurrence rate by calculating a ratio of "in operation" time and a ratio of "abnormality" time occupied during a predetermined period of time. For timeline, see 0048 teaches, 0 to 24 o'clock of the date designated as the target period.)
Accordingly, as Kato, Sakakibara, and Hisanaga are directed to device/machine operation related information and control technology, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have specifically added the feature of utilizing the well-known technology of displaying operating states’ related information such as proportions as a chart with timeline, as taught by Hisanaga to the monitoring and display control system with ability to display operating states and connection related information as taught by Kato and Sakakibara. The combination would have been motivated in order to take advantage of the well-known feature of monitoring and control of machine/devices’ operating states related information in a way that ensures that the operator(s) can easily confirm the operation result of each device in the target period of time and can grasp the rate of operation and the rate of occurrence of an abnormality in each of the devices based on the size and the like of the various hatched areas in the graph, by taking advantage of the convenient visual styles, as evident in Hisanaga, 0048-50, etc.
It is noted that any citation to specific pages, columns, lines, or figures in the prior art references and any interpretation of the references should not be considered to be limiting in any way. “The use of patents as references is not limited to what the patentees describe as their own inventions or to the problems with which they are concerned. They are part of the literature of the art, relevant for all they contain.” In re Heck, 699 F.2d 1331, 1332-33, 216 USPQ 1038, 1039 (Fed. Cir. 1983) (quoting In re Lemelson, 397 F.2d 1006, 1009,158 USPQ 275, 277 (CCPA 1968)). Further, a reference may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill the art, including nonpreferred embodiments. Merck & Co. v. Biocraft Laboratories, 874 F.2d 804, 10 USPQ2d 1843 (Fed. Cir.), cert, denied, 493 U.S. 975 (1989). See also Upsher-Smith Labs. v. Pamlab, LLC, 412 F.3d 1319, 1323, 75 USPQ2d 1213, 1215 (Fed. Cir. 2005) (reference disclosing optional inclusion of a particular component teaches compositions that both do and do not contain that component); Celeritas Technologies Ltd. v. Rockwell International Corp., 150 F.3d 1354, 1361, 47 USPQ2d 1516, 1522-23 (Fed. Cir. 1998).
Response to arguments
Applicant's remarks and arguments filed 01/21/2026 have been fully considered. See below for further details.
The amendment to the disclosure (updated title) filed 01/21/2026 is acknowledged and accepted by the examiner for this stage of prosecution, hence the objection to specification has been overcome and removed from above.
Based on the amendment, the claim interpretations and rejections by 35 U.S.C. 112(f), 112(a) and 112(b) have been overcome and thus removed from above.
Applicant’s arguments regarding the prior art rejection are fully considered.
Applicant argues regarding claim 1, as amended, in applicant remarks (especially in page 12) regarding the amended claim limitations. The above amendment has changed the overall scope of the claim language and thus has overcome the prior art rejections.
Accordingly, new grounds of rejection introducing a new art, Sakakibara, has been provided above, necessitated by amendment. See above for details.
Claims 8 (and other amended claims) have been updated with new grounds of rejection accordingly as well. All the citations and rejections for the dependent claims have been updated and further clarified accordingly.
Accordingly, claims 1-14 are not patentable over prior arts.
Suggestions:
In order to move the prosecution forward, examiner recommends applicant to provide further claim amendments with inventive features that may help overcome the current rejection based on further search and consideration.
Pertinent Art(s)
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Russell et al. (US 20130066614 A1) relates to a computer program products including an emulator module. A computer program product includes a computer usable medium having computer readable program code for emulating a process of a machine having actuators and mechanical elements. The computer readable program code includes computer readable code instructions configured to display a graphical user interface having input fields corresponding to the actuators and mechanical elements, and to display a graphical representation of output response data of the machine using inputted parameters. Computer readable code instructions for receiving a plurality of parameters inputted into the plurality of input fields, and for emulating a mechanical operation of the machine using the plurality of parameters inputted into the plurality of input fields by simulating the programmable logic controller code are included. Output response data based on an emulation of the mechanical operation of the machine is generated and displayed. … According to another exemplary embodiment, a computer program product is for use with a machine having a plurality of mechanical elements, a plurality of actuators coupled to the plurality of mechanical elements, a programmable logic controller comprising programmable logic controller code to control the plurality of actuators, and an operator terminal comprising a human machine interface.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARZIA T MONTY whose telephone number is (571)272-5441. The examiner can normally be reached on T-F: 11am -5pm (approximately). 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 Fennema can be reached on 571-272-2748. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-5441.
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/MARZIA T MONTY/Examiner, Art Unit 2117
/ROBERT E FENNEMA/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2117