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 . Claims 1-20 are pending and examined below.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s amendments to the Claims and Specification have overcome all objections and 112(b) rejections set forth in the Non-Final Office Action mailed on April 9, 2026.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 10 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over A Novel Pneumatic Soft Gripper with a Jointed Endoskeleton Structure (“Wu”) in view of Development of the extension type pneumatic soft actuator with built-in displacement sensor (“Azami”) and Self-Sensing Pneumatic Compressing Actuator (“Lin”).
Regarding claim 1, Wu discloses a pneumatic soft dexterous hand (pneumatic soft gripper, abstract; Fig. 4) for a patient with missing finger functions, wherein the pneumatic soft dexterous hand comprises soft fingers (configuration of an entire soft finger, see Fig. 2; three fingers connected to palm, see Fig. 4), each of the soft fingers comprises a rubber casing (outer silicone rubber layer form the fingers, see 2.3.2 Fabrication Process and Fig. 5e), an endoskeleton (endoskeleton embedded within the soft finger, see 2.2.1 Structure of the Finger and Fig 5a), and a built-in air bag (three air tubes are embedded into the endoskeleton, see 2.3.2 Fabrication Process and Fig. 5b), the endoskeleton comprises a plurality of skeleton modules hinged together (endoskeleton of the finger-joint is joined by endoskeleton units (1) and (2) at hinge (3), see 2.2.1 Structure of the Finger and Fig. 1), the plurality of the skeleton modules are divided into two groups (left and right end faces of a chamber are formed by two endoskeleton units 1 and 2, see 2.2.1 Structure of the Finger and Fig. 1), the skeleton modules of the two groups are hinged in an alternating manner in sequence from left to right (endoskeleton unit 1 and endoskeleton unit 2 are sequentially hinged and alternating in sequence from left, at the fingertip portion, to right, towards the finger root portion, see Figs. 1 and 2), and the built-in airbag is embedded on the endoskeleton to support the endoskeleton (three air tubes are embedded into the endoskeleton and extended through the hinged stack of basic units, and thus capable of constraining and aligning the assembled endoskeleton units, thereby supporting the endoskeleton, see Fig. 5b and 2.3.2 Fabrication Process).
Wu does not disclose a silicone tube that is sleeved in the rubber casing and formed
with a chamber, and that the endoskeleton and built-in airbag are arranged in the silicone tube; however, Azami discloses a soft pneumatic actuator comprising a silicone tube (see 1. Introduction), that expands to produce mechanical motion due to compressed air or liquid (see 2.1. Structure and fabrication of the soft actuator).
Azami teaches that the silicone tube functions as the pneumatic chamber, and that silicone (Smooth-On Dragon Skin 30) is chosen due to its elasticity and excellent tensile strength (see 2.1. Structure and fabrication of the soft actuator).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the inner silicone rubber layer disclosed by Wu to be a silicone tube, as taught by Azami, to sleeve the silicone tube around the endoskeleton after the endoskeleton and air tubes are assembled (see Wu Figs. 5a and 5b) and before the circumferential fiber is wound and the outer silicone rubber layer is applied (see Wu Figs. 5d and 5e). As so modified, the silicone tube is sleeved in the rubber casing and is formed with a chamber, the left and right end faces of each chamber being formed by the adjacent endoskeleton units within the tube (see Wu 2.2.1 Structure of the Finger), and the endoskeleton with the air tubes embedded therein is disposed within the silicone tube (see Wu Figs. 5a-c). Wu already teaches air chambers surrounded by multilayer rubber embedded in the restraining fiber (see abstract), while Azami teaches that silicone tubing is a known structure for forming pneumatic chambers in soft actuators (see 1. Introduction). A person of ordinary skill in the art setting out to enhance elastic and repeatable deformation of the pneumatic hand would have selected a silicone tube, as such is a substitution of one known chamber-forming element (a silicone tube taught to serve as the pneumatic chamber) for another (glued inner silicone layer) within Wu’s existing multilayer construction, yielding no more than predictable results (MPEP 2143(I)(B)).
Wu in view of Azami does not disclose that the built-in airbag is a non-stretchable plastic built-in airbag, however Lin discloses a pneumatic actuator (Self-sensing Pneumatic Compressing Artificial Muscle (SPCAM), see Fig. 1) in which a skeletal member is sealed within a flexible pneumatic membrane that is made of non-stretchable low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film (see 2.2. Materials and Fabrication).
Lin teaches that the actuator can be embedded in other positive pressure actuation structures and applies its actuator to a dexterous robotic gripper in the same field of invention as Wu and the claimed invention (see 6.1. Dexterous Robot Hand).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the built-in airbag (air tubes) disclosed by Wu in view of Azami to be made of the non-stretchable plastic, as taught by Lin, in order to ensure that the supplied pressure is delivered to the appropriate chamber rather than absorbed in expansion of the member itself. The selection of a known material on the basis of its suitability for its intended use supports a conclusion of obviousness (see MPEP 2144.07).
Regarding claim 2, Wu further discloses the skeleton module (endoskeleton of finger-joint, see Wu 2.2.1 Structure of the Finger and Fig. 1A and 1B) comprising a connecting plate (see Wu annotated Fig. 1D below of hinge), a limiting shaft (see Wu annotated Fig. 1D below), and a rotating shaft (see Wu annotated Fig. 1D below), the limiting shaft and one end of the rotating shaft are fixedly connected to the connecting plate (see Wu annotated Fig. 1D below where the limiting shaft and one end of the rotating shaft are fixedly connected to the plate), the connecting plate is further provided with a rotation hole (see Wu annotated Fig. 1D below), and the other end of the rotating shaft is hinged with a rotation hole of an opposite skeleton module of the skeleton modules (each basic unit is hinged together at the other end of the rotating shaft with the rotation hole of an opposing skeleton module, see Wu Fig. 1A) so that the plurality of the skeleton modules are hinged together to form the endoskeleton (endoskeleton consists of 16 basic units that are hinged to form 15 finger joints in series, see Wu 2.2.1 Structure of the Finger and Fig. 2).
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Regarding claim 10, Wu further discloses a soft robot (Wu discloses a pneumatic soft gripper, abstract), comprising the pneumatic soft dexterous hand for a patient with missing finger functions according to claim 1 (Wu discloses the pneumatic soft gripper wherein the three fingers are connected to a palm, and the palm can be linked with a robotic arm via a flange, see Wu Fig. 4 and 2.2.2 Overall Gripper Structure).
Regarding claim 11, Wu further discloses the skeleton module (endoskeleton of finger-joint, see Wu 2.2.1 Structure of the Finger and Fig. 1A and B) comprising a connecting plate (see Wu annotated Fig. 1D above of hinge), a limiting shaft (see Wu annotated Fig. 1D above), and a rotating shaft (see Wu annotated Fig. 1D above), the limiting shaft and one end of the rotating shaft are fixedly connected to the connecting plate (see Wu annotated Fig. 1D above where the limiting shaft and one end of the rotating shaft are fixedly connected to the plate), the connecting plate is further provided with a rotation hole (see Wu annotated Fig. 1D above), and the other end of the rotating shaft is hinged with a rotation hole of an opposite skeleton module of the skeleton modules (each basic unit is hinged together at the other end of the rotating shaft with the rotation hole of an opposing skeleton module, see Wu Fig. 1A) so that the plurality of the skeleton modules are hinged together to form the endoskeleton (endoskeleton consists of 16 basic units that are hinged to form 15 finger joints in series, see Wu 2.2.1 Structure of the Finger and Fig. 2).
Claims 3 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over A Novel Pneumatic Soft Gripper with a Jointed Endoskeleton Structure (“Wu”) in view of Development of the extension type pneumatic soft actuator with built-in displacement sensor (“Azami”) and Self-Sensing Pneumatic Compressing Actuator (“Lin”) as applied to claims 2, 10, 11 above, and in further view of Design, Measurement and Shape Reconstruction of Soft Surgical Actuator Based on Fiber Bragg Gratings (“He”) and US 20230003558 (“Shepherd”).
Regarding claims 3 and 12, Wu in view of Azami and Lin does not disclose the connecting plate having an optical fiber hole adjacent to the rotation hole that is configured to allow an optical fiber to pass through, a plurality of Bragg gratings integrated on the optical fiber, and the optical fiber being able to detect the degree of freedom of each joint of the pneumatic soft dexterous hand.
However, He teaches a soft actuator which includes an embedded optical fiber with a plurality of Bragg gratings integrated on the optical fiber (soft actuator has an embedded optical fiber with two Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors, see abstract and Fig. 1a), and the degree of freedom of each joint of the pneumatic soft dexterous hand is detected through the optical fiber (optical fiber with FBG sensors measure the bending behavior and deformed shape, see 2.2. The Fabrication and Prototype of the Soft Actuator).
He teaches that the optical fiber is arranged along the length of the soft actuator to enable real-time shape monitoring of the soft actuator to measure the bending curvatures at different bending state (see 1. Introduction and 5. Conclusions).
Additionally, in order to integrate the optical fiber of He into the pneumatic soft gripper of Wu in view of Azami and Lin, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized the need to provide an opening in structural components, like the connecting plate, to allow for the optical fiber to pass through without interfering with joint motions.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the connecting plate in the pneumatic soft gripper disclosed by Wu in view of Azami and Lin to include an optical fiber with Bragg gratings and provide an opening (optical fiber hole) to allow for the optical fiber, as taught by He, to pass through the structure without interfering with joint motions. Providing a hole in a structure member to route a fiber or cable is a well-known and routine engineering solution. It would have been further obvious to position the optical fiber hole adjacent to the rotation hole as both relate to the joint region, and allow the optical fiber to follow the articulation path to enable measurement of the bending curvature of the joint and accurate joint motion sensing.
Wu in view of Azami, Lin, and He does not disclose that the optical fiber extended into the silicon tube from an air port at one end of the silicone tube, passes through the optical fiber holes in sequence, is drawn out from another air port at the end of the silicone tube, and then extended into an adjacent soft finger of the soft fingers, and the optical fiber is arranged along the skeleton modules in the chamber of the silicone tube.
However, Shepherd discloses waveguides for use in sensors or soft robotics which includes extending an optical fiber from the root or air port at one end of the robotic finger to the tip (see [0209] and Fig. 18), and is drawn out from another air port at the end of the robotic finger (see [0209] and Fig. 18), and then extended into an adjacent soft finger of the soft fingers (each of the five fingers making up the soft orthosis has a series of interconnected air chambers, see [0208] and Fig. 18).
Shepherd teaches that the optical fibers function as curvature sensors and thus approximate deflection throughout the robotic fingers.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the pneumatic soft gripper disclosed by Wu in view of Azami, Lin, and He with the optical fiber routing taught by Shepherd to extend the optical fiber with Bragg gratings into the silicone tube and through the optical fiber holes through an existing air port, as they indicate pre-existing openings into the air chambers, and out of the silicone tube through another opening. Doing so would provide continuous sensing into the adjacent soft fingers while minimizing additional structure modifications. Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have arranged the optical fiber along the skeleton modules in the chamber of the silicone tube because the skeleton modules define the bending and deformation of the finger, and thus positioning an optical fiber with Bragg gratings along the skeleton modules undergoing bending is a well-known practice for detecting strain measurements and is a predictable placement choice. The proposed combination merely applies known techniques to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results (MPEP 2143).
Claims 4, 13, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over A Novel Pneumatic Soft Gripper with a Jointed Endoskeleton Structure (“Wu”) in view of Development of the extension type pneumatic soft actuator with built-in displacement sensor (“Azami”) and Self-Sensing Pneumatic Compressing Actuator (“Lin”) as applied to claims 1, 2, 10 above, and in further view of US 20220160521 (“Benning”) and US 20170266020 (“Glasgow”).
Regarding claims 4, 13, and 19, Wu in view of Azami and Lin does not disclose connected finger bases, receiving chambers, and spring air bags, however Benning discloses a prosthetic digit that comprises finger bases (see annotated Fig. 1B below) and receiving chambers (see annotated Fig. 1B below), the finger bases are connected to the soft fingers and the receiving chambers (finger bases are connected between the soft finger (prosthetic digit 120) and the receiving chamber, see annotated Fig. 1B below and [0030]), one side of the receiving chamber is movably connected to the finger base (prosthetic digits 120 have various articulating segments that may rotate at various angles with respect to the adjacent segment, therefore the receiving chamber and finger base are movably connected, see Fig. 1A and [0031]), and the other end of the receiving chamber is configured to be connected to a residual limb of a human body (receiving chamber connected to a residual natural palm 114, see annotated Fig. 1B and [0030]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the pneumatic soft gripper disclosed by Wu in view of Azami and Lin with the finger base and receiving chamber, as taught by Benning, in order to provide a connection to the residual limb while enabling bending and grasping capabilities (see [0030] and [0031]).
Wu in view of Azami, Lin, and Benning does not disclose spring air bags, where two opposite ends of each of the spring air bags are connected to two adjacent finger bases, however Glasgow discloses a mechanical prosthetic hand that include spring air bags (flexible spacers 14), and two opposite ends of each of the spring air bags are connected to two adjacent finger bases (each end of flexible spacers 14 connect at the joints between proximal phalange 22 and metacarpus 24).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the pneumatic soft gripper disclosed by Wu in view of Azami, Lin, and Benning to include spring air bags connected to adjacent finger bases, as taught by Glasgow, in order to function like a spring providing compliant coupling between the digits, allow for adjustability to move laterally, and enable crushability of the hand.
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Claims 5 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over A Novel Pneumatic Soft Gripper with a Jointed Endoskeleton Structure (“Wu”) in view of Development of the extension type pneumatic soft actuator with built-in displacement sensor (“Azami”), Self-Sensing Pneumatic Compressing Actuator (“Lin”), US 20220160521 (“Benning”), US 20170266020 (“Glasgow”) as applied to claims 4, 13 above, and in further view of A Bimanual Robotic Teleoperation Architecture with Anthropomorphic Hybrid Grippers for Unstructured Manipulation Tasks (“Zhu”), and US 20180207005 (“Chen”).
Regarding claims 5 and 14, Wu in view of Azami and Lin does not disclose the following, however Benning further discloses a pneumatic soft gripper wherein one side of the receiving chamber is attached to the residual limb of the human body (receiving chamber connected to the residual natural palm 114, see annotated Fig. 1B and Benning [0030]), and finger bases movably connected thereto (prosthetic digits 120 have various articulating segments that may rotate at various angles with respect to the adjacent segment, therefore the receiving chamber and finger base are movably connected, see Fig. 1A and [0031]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the pneumatic soft gripper disclosed by Wu in view of Azami and Lin with a receiving chamber attached to the residual limb and movably connected finger bases, as taught by Benning, in order to connect the pneumatic soft gripper to the residual limb while enabling bending and grasping capabilities (see [0030] and [0031]).
Wu in view of Azami, Lin, Benning, and Glasgow does not disclose the receiving chamber including an arc-shaped dovetail groove that is matched with the finger base to form a movable connection.
However, Zhu discloses a robotic gripper which includes a dovetail grove (dovetail anchor) that is matched with the finger base (dovetail anchor slot) to form a movable connection (dovetail joint is generated between two adjacent finger modules, see 2.2. 3D Printed Anthropomorphic Hybrid Robotic Gripper and Fig. 2).
Zhu teaches that the dovetail joint allows for quick installation or removal of the finger modules, and enables the gripper to be flexible and adaptable to various manipulation tasks with objects in different sizes and shapes.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the movable connection of the receiving chamber with the finger base disclosed by Wu in view of Azami, Lin, Benning, and Glasgow to provide a dovetail groove, as taught by Zhu, in order to allow a secure but movable connection with better positional stability, which is a known and predictable substitution of one known mechanical joint for another performing the same function.
Wu in view of Azami, Lin, Benning, Glasgow and Zhu does not disclose the arc shape of the dovetail groove; however, Chen discloses a prosthetic hand that includes arc-shaped guide grooves (arc-shaped guide groove 775, see Fig. 10 and [0084]). Chen teaches that the arc-shaped guide grooves engage with the pin of the linkage to guide the finger joint in curved path.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the dovetail groove of Wu in view of Azami, Lin, Benning, Glasgow and Zhu to have an arc shape as taught by Chen, in order to follow the natural rotational movement of the finger base relative to the receiving chamber, and ensure that the soft finger is able to deflect and improve guided motion.
Claims 6-8 and 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over A Novel Pneumatic Soft Gripper with a Jointed Endoskeleton Structure (“Wu”) in view of Development of the extension type pneumatic soft actuator with built-in displacement sensor (“Azami”), Self-Sensing Pneumatic Compressing Actuator (“Lin”), US 20220160521 (“Benning”), US 20170266020 (“Glasgow”) as applied to claims 4, 13 above, and in further view of CN114851229A (“Yang”).
Regarding claims 6 and 15, Wu in view of Azami, Lin, Benning, and Glasgow does not disclose that the hardness of the rubber casing is greater than hardness of the silicone tube, the rubber casing has an opening at one end to allow the silicone tube to pass through and a pointed closed opposite end, and hollow gaps are formed at the joint regions.
However, Yang discloses a pneumatic flexible hand that includes a rigid outer layer surrounding a softer flexible chamber inside to provide a protective outer layer and aid in grasping objects when the inner chamber is inflated (see [0017] and [0018]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the rubber casing disclosed by Wu in view of Azami, Lin, Benning, and Glasgow to have a greater hardness than the silicone tube, as taught by Yang, to direct bending motion. Optimization of relative material stiffness represents routine engineering design choice involving a result-effective variable (MPEP 2143).
Yang further discloses an opening of one end of the rubber casing is configured to allow the silicone tube to pass through (outer casing depicted by first knuckle 7, second knuckle 8, third knuckle 9, knuckle base 10, and knuckle base support platform 12 hinged together provide an opening for the air pipe 4 to connect with internal silicone member, which constitutes an opening capable of allowing silicone tube to pass therethrough, as silicone tube extends within the casing and interfaces with the opening region, see Fig. 1, 2, and [0034]), the other end of the rubber casing is pointed and closed (first knuckle 7 at the tip of the finger joint is pointed and closed, see Fig. 2), and hollow gaps are formed in regions of the rubber casing corresponding to a metacarpophalangeal joint, a proximal joint, and a distal joint (hollow gaps in finger bone 5 at the corresponding joints, see annotated Fig. 1 below and [0034]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the rubber casing disclosed by Wu in view of Azami, Lin, Benning, and Glasgow with the system disclosed by Yang, in order to enable better structural support and grasping ability, maintain pressure containment, and improve natural bending of the soft gripper.
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Regarding claims 7 and 16, Wu in view of Azami, Lin, Benning, and Glasgow does not disclose gaps bottom lines of the hollow gaps and lengths of the gap bottom lines determining a proportional coefficient corresponding to joint bending.
However, Yang further discloses wherein gaps bottom lines of the hollow gaps corresponding to the metacarpophalangeal joint, the proximal joint, and the distal joint and adjacent to a palm side are set differently (gap bottom lines will be understood to mean a region adjacently below the hollow gaps, as such, Yang discloses gap bottom lines that are adjacent to the palm side and will be understood as the length of the gap, which are set differently than the hollow gap lengths, see annotated Fig. 2 below), and lengths of the gap bottom lines determine a proportional coefficient corresponding to joint bending (length of the gap bottom line would be proportional to the bending. When bending occurs, the length of the gap bottom line changes with respect to the amount of bending in the joint. When bending occurs, the relationship between the length of the gap bottom line and joint bending can be represented as a proportion to each other with respect to change of length. This can be understood to be a proportional relationship, and thus reads onto the limitation).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the hollow gaps disclosed by Wu in view of Azami, Lin, Benning, and Glasgow with the gap bottom lines, as taught by Yang, in order to adjust geometric dimensions and control the bending magnitude and curvature of the joint.
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Regarding claims 8 and 17, Wu in view of Azami, Lin, Benning, and Glasgow does not disclose that the rubber casing is provided with gap protrusions on side walls of the gaps corresponding to the distal joint and the proximal joint.
However, Yang further discloses wherein the rubber casing is provided with gap protrusions on side walls of the gaps corresponding to the distal joint and the proximal joint in an axial direction of the rubber casing (the side wall of the finger joint has two gap protrusions or notches corresponding to the distal and proximal joint in the axial direction along the length of the outer casing, see annotated Fig. 2 below).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the rubber casing disclosed by Wu in view of Azami, Lin, Benning, and Glasgow with gap protrusions on the side walls of the gaps, as taught by Yang, in order to limit excessive bending movement toward the back of the hand and improve motion control.
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Claims 9 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over A Novel Pneumatic Soft Gripper with a Jointed Endoskeleton Structure (“Wu”) in view of Development of the extension type pneumatic soft actuator with built-in displacement sensor (“Azami”), Self-Sensing Pneumatic Compressing Actuator (“Lin”), US 20220160521 (“Benning”), US 20170266020 (“Glasgow”) as applied to claims 4, 13 above, and in further view of EP 0352933 B1 (“Lienert”).
Regarding claims 9 and 18, Wu in view of Azami does not disclose the following, however Lin further discloses wherein the spring air bag (Self-sensing Pneumatic Compressing Artificial Muscle (SPCAM), see Lin Fig. 1) comprises a first connecting block (3D-printed connector on upper end, see Lin Fig. 1), a second connecting block (second 3D-printed connector on lower end, see Lin Fig. 1), a spring (spring enclosed inside membrane, see Lin Fig. 1), and a non-stretchable plastic film (non-stretchable low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films were used as an outer membrane material, see Lin 2.2. Materials and Fabrication and 3.1. Outer Membrane Material), two ends of the spring are connected to the first connecting block and the second connecting block (spring extended within the actuator body and connected between opposite ends of the 3D-printed connectors, see Lin Fig. 1), the plastic film is formed in a cylindrical shape (membrane is a cylindrical shape and its outer material is composed of LDPE film, and thus reads onto this limitation, see Lin Fig 1 for cylinder shape), two ends of the plastic film are connected to the first connecting block and the second connecting block (opposite ends of the membrane made of LDPE film are secured to the opposite end connectors to maintain an enclosed pressure cavity, see Lin Fig. 1 for secured connection), the spring is located in the plastic film (spring enclosed within LDPE membrane, see Lin 3.1. Outer Membrane Material and Fig. 4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the spring air bag disclosed by Wu in view of Azami with the spring-in-membrane actuator structure, as taught by Lin, in order to address the same design problem of converting pressure change into controlled deformation using a spring membrane. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that such a known actuator assembly could be used as the internal structure of the spring air bag disclosed by Wu in view of Azami to provide a predictable pressure-driven connecting member between adjacent finger bases.
Wu in view of Azami, Lin, Benning, and Glasgow does not disclose a variable-diameter spring and a cross-sectional diameter of the variable-diameter spring gradually decreases from the middle to both ends along its axis.
However, Lienert discloses a variable-diameter spring (barrel coil spring 10, see Fig. 1) and a cross-sectional diameter of the variable-diameter spring gradually decreases from the middle to both ends along an axis of the variable-diameter spring itself (diameters of the coils decrease in directions toward the spring ends, see col. 3, lines 50-52 and Fig. 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the spring disclosed by Wu in view of Azami, Lin, Benning, and Glasgow with the barrel coil spring, as taught by Lienert, as it is a known variable-diameter spring shape and is a predictable design choice for a compact spring assembly. The combination would merely substitute one known spring geometry for another in an otherwise known pneumatic spring-membrane actuator system.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over A Novel Pneumatic Soft Gripper with a Jointed Endoskeleton Structure (“Wu”) in view of Development of the extension type pneumatic soft actuator with built-in displacement sensor (“Azami”), Self-Sensing Pneumatic Compressing Actuator (“Lin”), Design, Measurement and Shape Reconstruction of Soft Surgical Actuator Based on Fiber Bragg Gratings (“He”), US 20230003558 (“Shepherd”) as applied to claim 3 above, and in further view of US 20220160521 (“Benning”) and US 20170266020 (“Glasgow”).
Regarding claim 20, Wu in view of Azami, Lin, He, and Shepherd does not disclose connected finger bases, receiving chambers, and spring air bags, however Benning discloses a prosthetic digit that comprises finger bases (see annotated Fig. 1B below) and receiving chambers (see annotated Fig. 1B below), the finger bases are connected to the soft fingers and the receiving chambers (finger bases are connected between the soft finger (prosthetic digit 120) and the receiving chamber, see annotated Fig. 1B below and [0030]), one side of the receiving chamber is movably connected to the finger base (prosthetic digits 120 have various articulating segments that may rotate at various angles with respect to the adjacent segment, therefore the receiving chamber and finger base are movably connected, see Fig. 1A and [0031]), and the other end of the receiving chamber is configured to be connected to a residual limb of a human body (receiving chamber connected to a residual natural palm 114, see annotated Fig. 1B and [0030]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the pneumatic soft gripper disclosed by Wu in view of Azami, Lin, He, and Shepherd with the finger base and receiving chamber, as taught by Benning, in order to provide a connection to the residual limb while enabling bending and grasping capabilities (see [0030] and [0031]).
Wu in view of Azami, Lin, He, Shepherd, and Benning does not disclose spring air bags, where two opposite ends of each of the spring air bags are connected to two adjacent finger bases, however Glasgow discloses a mechanical prosthetic hand that include spring air bags (flexible spacers 14), and two opposite ends of each of the spring air bags are connected to two adjacent finger bases (each end of flexible spacers 14 connect at the joints between proximal phalange 22 and metacarpus 24).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the pneumatic soft gripper disclosed by Wu in view of Azami, Lin, He, Shepherd, and Benning to include spring air bags connected to adjacent finger bases, as taught by Glasgow, in order to function like a spring providing compliant coupling between the digits, allow for adjustability to move laterally, and enable crushability of the hand.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s amendments to the Claims and Specification have overcome all objections and 112(b) rejections set forth in the Non-Final Office Action mailed on April 9, 2026.
Applicant's arguments filed 7/1/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that the feature “the built-in airbag is a non-stretchable plastic built-in
air bag and is embedded on the endoskeleton to support the endoskeleton,” added to claim 1 by amendment, is not disclosed by Wu or the rest of the citations, because the air chamber formed between endoskeleton unit 1 and 2 of Wu is “merely a space, instead of a non-stretchable plastic built-in air bag.” This is not persuasive. As necessitated by applicant’s amendment, the built-in air bag is no longer mapped to the inter-unit air chamber of Wu, but to the three air tubes that Wu expressly discloses as “embedded into the endoskeleton” (see Wu 2.3.2 Fabrication Process and Fig. 5b), in combination with the non-stretchable plastic (LDPE) pneumatic membrane teaching of Lin, which is of record. See the rejection of claim 1 above.
Regarding the combination of Wu and Azami with respect to claim 1, applicant argues that because the “outer layer of Wu is made of silicone rubber 5,” a person skilled in the art has no clear motivation to further incorporate the silicone tube of Azami into the structure of Wu, and that the combination may be merely based on hindsight bias. This is not persuasive. In response to applicant's argument that the examiner's conclusion of obviousness is based upon improper hindsight reasoning, it must be recognized that any judgment on obviousness is in a sense necessarily a reconstruction based upon hindsight reasoning. But so long as it takes into account only knowledge which was within the level of ordinary skill at the time the claimed invention was made, and does not include knowledge gleaned only from the applicant's disclosure, such a reconstruction is proper. Rather, it pertains to whether a person of ordinary skill, with the teachings of the references before them, would have had an apparent reason to make the combination. Wu does not criticize or discourage the use of a pre-formed silicone tube as the chamber-forming structure, and accordingly does not teach away from the proposed combination.
Furthermore, Wu’s fabrication process forms the soft finger from two distinct silicon rubber layers: an inner silicon rubber layer that is glued around the endoskeleton (see Wu Fig. 5c), and after the circumferential fiber is wound, a separate outer silicon rubber layer that is glued to form the finger (see Wu 2.3.2 Fabrication Process and Fig. 5e). Wu’s multilayer construction is cited as evidence that the proposed combination modifies an existing chamber-forming element of Wu rather than adding a structure to Wu. The simple substitution of one known chamber-forming element for another, with predictable results, supports a conclusion of obviousness (MPEP 2143(I)(B)).
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 NHA UYEN C NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-3399. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30-5:30pm.
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, 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.
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.
/N.C.N./Examiner, Art Unit 3774
/JERRAH EDWARDS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3774
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