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 .
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.
Response to Arguments and Amendments
Applicant's arguments and amendments regarding the 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) rejections of claims 1-6 have been fully considered but are not persuasive. Applicant contends that Tarui fails to disclose the claimed invention because the location of the controller, program, and stored information within the controller(s) differs from that recited in the claims. Applicant slightly narrowed the location of the controller by claiming it as an “external programmable logic controller”. Examiner acknowledges Applicant’s focus on the specific locations where the controller, program and position information are stored and transferred, as well as the implications for where position information is acquired and displayed. However, these distinctions do not amount to patentably distinct subject matter over the prior art of record.
Tarui clearly discloses the functional aspects of each limitation of amended independent claims 1 and 6. The numerical and robotic controllers disclosed by Tarui perform the same functions as the claimed programmable logic controller, and are also specifically described as being “external equipment” as shown in [0009], and further noted in the 102(a)(2) rejections below. Because this controller is capable of performing each claimed function, including communication with the display unit, and is described as “external equipment (for example, a “numerical controller 100” […])” using a “current position of the robot […] as a teaching position”, the internal transfer and acquisition of position information within the controller are inherently encompassed by the claimed system, and the external locality of the controller is directly disclosed. Therefore, any distinction based solely on the physical or logical location of the stored or transferred information within the controller or the controller itself does not possess patentable significance.
The additional limitation to “control the robot based on the command data including the current position obtained from the external programmable logic controller” is directly disclosed by Tarui in [0042] as shown in the 102(a)(2) rejections below. Examiner further notes that “acquire” and “obtain” are synonyms, and merely replacing the former with the latter does not change the meaning or scope of the claim limitation(s).
For at least the reasons stated above, the 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) rejections of claims 106 are maintained.
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)(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 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Tarui (US Patent Pub. No. 2019/0030715 A1).
Regarding Claims 1 and 6, Tarui discloses a robot control apparatus connected to an external programmable logic controller and robot control method to control a robot based on a command data from the external programmable logic controller (See 0009, “A robot controller […] which controls a robot […] includes: external equipment (for example, a “numerical controller 100” which will be described later) which is connected so as to be able to perform communication; a signal reception unit […] which receives a preset external signal from the external equipment; a program storage unit […] which stores a setup program […] that is previously made to correspond to the external signal; and a program start unit […] which starts the setup program that is previously made to correspond to the external signal when the program start unit receives the external signal from the external equipment through the signal reception unit, where, when the setup program is started, the current position of the robot is used as a teaching position to be stored in a position register previously set in the setup program.” See also 0034, “[…] sequence program incorporated in the numerical controller 100 so as to output a signal to an auxiliary device […] and thereby perform control. The PMC 16 also receives the signals of various types of switches and the like in an operator's panel provided in the main body of the machine tool, performs necessary signal processing and then feeds them to the CPU 11. The PMC 16 is also generally referred to as a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller)”), the robot control apparatus and method comprising:
at least one memory (See 0033, “In the nonvolatile memory 14, a machining program and the like, which are input through an interface 15, the display 70 or a communication unit 27, are stored”); and
at least one processor (See 0033, “In the numerical controller 100, a CPU 11 is a processor which comprehensively controls the numerical controller […]”) configured to:
decide a current position of the robot and transfer the current position of the robot to the external programmable logic controller to store the current position into a predetermined area in the external programmable logic controller (See 0009, “[…] robot controller […] includes: external equipment (for example, a “numerical controller 100” which will be described later) which is connected so as to be able to perform communication; a signal reception unit […] which receives a preset external signal from the external equipment; a program storage unit […] that is previously made to correspond to the external signal; and a program start unit […] which starts the setup program that is previously made to correspond to the external signal when the program start unit receives the external signal from the external equipment through the signal reception unit, where, when the setup program is started, the current position of the robot is used as a teaching position to be stored in a position register previously set in the setup program.” Examiner notes the current position being used and stored in a register previously set in the program is the same as storing the current position in a predetermined area in the numerical controller);
obtain, from the external programmable logic controller, the current position stored in the external programmable logic controller or information in relation to the current position (See 0009 as referenced above. See also 0066, “[…] configured such that the operation sequence and the necessary numerical parameters in individual operations and the like are previously produced and that the position registers corresponding to the teaching positions are referenced so as to acquire the position data of the teaching positions […] store the teaching position data (serving as the teaching position) in the position register corresponding to the teaching position […]” Examiner notes the operation program described is performed by the signal reception unit in communication with the numerical controller, thus being the same as an acquisition unit acquiring data from the programmable logic controller);
display the current position or the information that has been obtained, along with the decided current position, on a screen of a robot teaching operation panel (See Fig. 8A below. See also 0048, “[…] teaching position display control unit 110 outputs, to the display of the display 70 serving as a display unit (hereinafter referred to as the “display”), a teaching position display screen 701 for displaying one teaching position which needs to be taught to the robot.” Examiner notes Fig. 8A shows a teaching position display screen); and
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control the robot based on the command data including the current position obtained from the external programmable logic controller (See 0042, “[…] the robot controller 400 uses the operation program 460 and thereby can control the robot 300 such that the robot 300 is moved to an appropriate position […]”).
Regarding Claim 2, Tarui discloses the robot control apparatus according to claim 1, and Tarui further discloses wherein, when the current position stored in the external programmable logic controller is being referred to by a function block in a programmable logic controller program, the at least one processor configured to control the robot control apparatus to obtain information about the function block, and display the information about the function block on the screen of the robot teaching operation panel (See Fig. 12 below and 0064-0066, “FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the operation program 460 corresponding to the operation sequence of the robot. In lines from the 11th line to the 14th line, the operation program 460 performs an operation in which (1) the robot 300 is moved to the machine tool work exchange position […] the position register [21] in which the position data of the machine tool work exchange position A is stored is used […] the position registers corresponding to the teaching positions are referenced so as to acquire the position data of the teaching positions […] so as to store the teaching position data (serving as the teaching position) in the position register corresponding to the teaching position […]” See also 0045, “[…] the operation program 460 is configured such that position registers corresponding to the individual teaching positions are referenced, and thus the position coordinate value of a destination is acquired.” See also Fig. 8A and 0048 as referenced above).
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Regarding Claim 3, Tarui discloses the robot control apparatus according to claim 1, and Tarui further discloses wherein, if the current position is already stored in the predetermined area when the current position is transferred to the external programmable logic controller, a popup confirming whether or not to overwrite the current position is displayed on the screen of the robot teaching operation panel (See 0048, “[…] when the teaching position display control unit 110 transmits, through the signal transmission unit 140 to the robot controller 400, the external signal for starting the setup program 450 corresponding to the teaching position which needs to be taught this time, the teaching position display control unit 110 displays the teaching position which needs to be subsequently taught in the teaching position display region […] the teaching position display screen 701 returns to the preceding teaching display screen […] to redo the teaching of the teaching position which is displayed in the preceding teaching position display screen […]” Examiner notes the teaching positions are stored in the position register, and when a subsequent position is transferred through the numerical controller, the teaching position displayed is replaced, or overwritten).
Regarding Claim 4, Tarui discloses the robot control apparatus according to claim 1, and Tarui further discloses comprising the robot teaching operation panel (See Fig. 8A and 0048 as referenced above).
Regarding Claim 5, Tarui discloses the robot control apparatus according to claim 1, and Tarui further discloses a robot control system comprising the robot control apparatus according to claim 1 and an external programmable logic controller connected to the robot control apparatus (See 0009 and 0034 as referenced above).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Bryant Tang whose telephone number is (571)270-0145. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 CST.
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/BRYANT TANG/Examiner, Art Unit 3658
/JASON HOLLOWAY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3658