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
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102 (a)(2) as being anticipated by Gramnas (5957981).
Regarding claim 1, Gramnas discloses a robotic prosthetic foot 21 (abstract; Fig. 2) having an elastic body 18 (Figs. 3-4), the robotic prosthetic foot comprising: a coupling module 4 having an upper portion to which a limb part of a user is coupled (col. 2, lin. 8-11); a prosthetic foot module 19 (Fig. 4) configured to be coupled to a lower portion of the coupling module 4 and support a load of the user to enable the user to walk (Figs. 3-4); and a joint module 2 provided at the coupling module 4 to enable the prosthetic foot module to rotate (Figs. 3-4 and col. 2, lin. 37-41),
wherein the joint module 2 includes an elastic unit 18 configured to compress and expand due to the prosthetic foot module rotating as the user walks and generate an elastic restoring force to facilitate the rotation of the prosthetic foot module (co. 3, lin. 19-24 disclose the elastic unit 18 compresses and expands as the heel treads down and relieves during walking motion).
Regarding claim 2, Gramnas discloses wherein the joint module 2 includes: a case unit 3 having one side coupled to the coupling module 4 and the other side to which the prosthetic foot module 19 is rotatably coupled (col. 3, lin. 7-9 disclose the foot module 19 bending while walking; Fig. 1); a hinge unit 6 provided inside the case unit 3 and configured to rotate in both directions to enable the prosthetic foot module to rotate (col. 2, lin. 37-41); and a fixing unit 17 provided outside the case unit 3 to fix the elastic unit 18 (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 3, Gramnas discloses wherein the joint module 2 further includes a guide unit 15 having one side coupled to one side of the hinge unit 6 and the other side coupled to one side of the prosthetic foot module 19 so that a rotational force of the hinge unit is transmitted to the prosthetic foot module (col. 3, lin. 7-9 and col. 2, 37-44).
Regarding claim 10, Gramnas discloses further comprising a driving motor 14 which is provided inside the coupling module 4 and able to be linked to the joint module 2 to, in the joint module, generate power necessary to rotate the prosthetic foot module (col. 2, lin. 34-36 disclose a turning lever), wherein a driving load of the driving motor is reduced due to the elastic restoring force of the elastic unit 18 (col. 3, lin. 37-44).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-9 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: the subject matter is allowable due to the limitations of “wherein the fixing unit includes: a first fixing portion provided at a front of the case unit based on a rotating direction of the prosthetic foot module; and a second fixing portion provided at a rear of the case unit based on the rotating direction of the prosthetic foot module” as set forth in claim 4 which has not been found anticipated by or obvious over prior art. The closest prior art of record of Gramnas discloses a fixing unit 17 (Fig. 1) but fails to disclose a first fixing portion provided at a front of the case unit based on a rotating direction of the prosthetic foot module; and a second fixing portion provided at a rear of the case unit based on the rotating direction of the prosthetic foot module.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YASHITA SHARMA whose telephone number is (571)270-5417. The examiner can normally be reached on 8am-5pm M-Th; 8am-4pm Fri (MT).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner' s supervisor, Jerrah Edwards, can be reached at 408-918-7557. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/YASHITA SHARMA/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3774