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 Objections
All claims are objected to because of the following informalities: The claims recite “SMA” instead of clearly indicating at least once the meaning of the acronym. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 4, 7, 8 and 13 – 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chang et al. (US Pat. No. 11,874,964 B1).
As to claim 1, Chang shows a haptic glove 100 for providing haptic feedback to a user's hand (Fig. 1 and Col. 1, line 65 – Col. 2, line 32), the haptic glove comprising: a base portion 122 (Figs. 1 – 3 and Col. 2, lines 5 – 9) and one or more finger portions 124/126 extending from the base portion (Figs. 1 – 3 and Col. 2, lines 6 – 11 and Col. 3 lines 10 – 16), wherein each finger portion is pivotally movable relative to the base portion (Figs. 2 and 3 and Col. 2, lines 33 – 50), and one or more cables (i.e. control wires 140), each comprising a distal end connected to a respective finger portion and a proximal end extending towards the base portion (Figs. 1 – 3 and Col. 2, lines 9 – 11); and one or more cable control assemblies (including SMA element 152 and braking element 154, Figs. 2 and 3 and Col. 2, lines 15 – 18), at least one cable control assembly comprising: a constrain mechanism configured, when engaged, to constrain movement of the proximal end of a respective cable relative to the base portion, thereby constraining movement of a respective finger portion relative to the base portion (Fig. 3 and Col. 3, lines 37 – 48), and an SMA wire 152 arranged, on contraction, to engage or disengage the constrain mechanism (Figs. 2 and 3 and Col. 2, lines 33 – 45).
As to claim 2, Chang shows that the constrain mechanism comprises a locking or braking mechanism (Figs. 2 and 3 and Col. 2, lines 33 – 45) configured, when engaged, to prevent movement of the proximal end of the respective cable relative to the base portion or to apply a frictional force to the proximal end of the respective cable (Figs. 2 and 3 and Col. 2, lines 33 – 45).
As to claim 4, Chang shows that the constrain mechanism comprises a spring mechanism 130 configured, when engaged, to apply a bias force along the respective cable (Figs. 1 – 3 and Col. 2, lines 25 – 27).
As to claim 7, Chang shows that the at least one cable control assembly comprises an SMA wire arranged, on initial contraction, to i) engage the spring mechanism (Fig. 2) and, on further contraction, to respectively i) engage the locking or braking mechanism and disengage the spring mechanism (Fig. 3 and Col. 2, lines 33 – 45).
As to claim 8, Chang shows that the at least one cable control assembly comprises a retraction mechanism (i.e. elastic member 130) configured to permanently apply a retracting bias force along a respective cable (Figs. 2 and 3 and Col. 2, lines 25 – 36).
As to claim 13, Chang shows that the at least one cable control assembly comprises an intermediary part (i.e. braking element 154, Figs. 2 and 3 and Col. 2, lines 37 – 45), and wherein the SMA wire is arranged to move the intermediary part so as to engage or disengage the constrain mechanism (Figs. 2 and 3 and Col. 2, lines 37 – 45).
As to claim 14, Chang shows that the intermediary part is arranged to pivot so as to engage or disengage the constrain mechanism (i.e. clamp, Col. 2, lines 45 – 48).
As to claim15, Chang shows that the SMA wire is coupled to the intermediary part via a resilient element (Fig. 3 and Col. 2, lines 38 – 43).
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 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chang in view of Keller et al. (US Pub. No. 2018/0098583 A1).
As to claim 9, Chang shows that the at least one cable control assembly comprises a movable part 174 that is coupled to a proximal portion of a respective cable (Figs. 2 and 3 and Col. 2, lines 55 – 57),
Chang does not show that the movable part comprises a reel and the respective cable is wound on the reel.
Keller shows that a movable part comprises a reel and the respective cable is wound on the reel (Figs. 2, 3 and 4 and para. 62).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the teachings of Chang with those of Keller because designing the system in this way allows the device to reduce tension in a wristband (para. 62).
Claims 19, 20 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chang in view of Keller et al. (US Pub. No. 2018/0098583 A1).
As to claim 19, Chang does not show that the at least one cable control assembly comprises a latch, the latch comprising a latching part movable between a latched position and an unlatched position, and wherein the SMA wire is arranged, on contraction, to move the latching part into the latched position, thereby engaging or disengaging the constrain mechanism.
Summer shows that a cable control assembly comprises a latch 120 (Fig. 1 and para. 33), the latch comprising a latching part movable between a latched position and an unlatched position (Figs. 4 – 6, 7 and 8 and paras. 33 – 38), and wherein a wire is arranged, on contraction, to move the latching part into the latched position, thereby engaging or disengaging a constrain mechanism (Figs. 4 – 6, 7 and 8 and paras. 33 – 38).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the teachings of Chang with those of Summer because designing the system in this way allows the user to freely release a virtual object of desired (para. 38).
As to claim 20, Summer shows that a release wire is arranged, on contraction, to move the latching part into the unlatched position, thereby respectively disengaging or engaging the constrain mechanism (Figs. 4 – 6, 7 and 8 and paras. 33 – 38).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the teachings of Chang with those of Summer because designing the system in this way allows the user to freely release a virtual object of desired (para. 38).
As to claim 22, Summer shows that the latch comprises: a support structure comprising a first surface and a second surface separated by a step (Figs. 4 – 6, 7 and 8 and paras. 33 – 38), a latching part slidable along the first and/or second surfaces between the unlatched position engaging the first surface and the latched position engaging the step and second surface (Figs. 4 – 6, 7 and 8 and paras. 33 – 38), and a biasing element arranged to bias the latching part against the step and the first and/or second surfaces (i.e. spring-like functionality, paras. 29 and 43), wherein a wire is arranged, on contraction, to move the latching part along the first surface into the latched position under bias of the biasing element so as to engage or disengage a constrain mechanism (Figs. 4 – 6, 7 and 8 and paras. 29, 33 – 38 and 43).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6 and 11 are 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.
Specifically, claim 6 recites that the at least one cable control assembly comprises at least two SMA wires, wherein one SMA wire is arranged selectively to engage or disengage the locking or braking mechanism and another SMA wire is arranged selectively to engage or disengage the spring mechanism.
The prior art does not show this configuration; therefore this claim contains allowable subject matter.
Also, claim 11 recites that the reel is a multi-diameter reel comprising portions with different diameters; and different cables are wound on the portions of the reel with the different diameters; each finger portion comprises a plurality of finger segments; and the different cables are connected at their distal ends to different finger segments of a respective finger portion.
The prior art does not show this configuration; therefore this claim contains allowable subject matter.
CONCLUSION
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/CARL ADAMS/Examiner, Art Unit 2627
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