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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 05 September 2023 and 25 February 2025 were filed prior to the mailing date of this office correspondence. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Para. [0036, 0038] describes “stripping station 2”. However, para. [0037] describes “processing stations 2, 3, 4”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-10 and 12-13 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claims 2-10 and 12-13: “The cable alignment apparatus according to claim X” should read:
-- The cable alignment apparatus according to claim X, --
In claim 1, lines 7-9: “when the machine controller is in a setup mode, the cable gripper can be moved manually to the at least one processing station into a desired position;” should read:
-- when the machine controller is in a setup mode, the cable gripper moves manually to a desired position of the at least one processing station; --
Note: the term “can be” in line 8 introduces ambiguity to the claim because it is unclear the limitation “moved manually” is a required limitation or an optional limitation. Further, see claim 2 recites, “after the manual movement in the setup mode”, which deemed to read as a required limitation. Therefore, appropriate correction is required.
In claim 5, lines 1-3: “The cable processing device according to Claim 4 wherein the operating unit has a further button connected to the machine controller and adapted to confirm that the protective hood is to be brought from an open position into a closed position.” should read:
-- The cable processing device according to Claim 4, wherein the operating unit has a further button connected to the machine controller and adapted to operate the protective hood and to confirm that the protective hood is
Note: see disclosed specification, para. [0017-0018].
In claim 9, lines 1-5: “wherein each of the processing stations is assigned to one of two groups, wherein a first of the groups processes a leading end of the cable and a second of the groups processes a trailing end of the cable, wherein at least one operating units is assigned to each of the two groups.” should read:
-- wherein each processing stations is assigned to one of two groups, wherein the first group processes a leading end of the cable, and the second groups processes a trailing end of the cable, wherein at least one operating unit is assigned to each group. --
In claim 10, lines 2-3: “the cable gripper can be moved manually in the setup mode.” should read:
-- the cable gripper moves manually in the setup mode. --
In claim 13, line 1: “The method according to Claim 11 including putting” should read:
-- The method according to Claim 11, wherein putting --
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Interpretation
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Given their broadest reasonable interpretation, the functional limitation “a machine controller controlling the cable processing device” in which, “a machine controller” has been examined as a machine controller programmed to execute the claimed function. Also, see, 35 U.S.C. 112(b) rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “a machine controller controlling the cable processing device” in which the specification did not provide a written description of the limitation “a machine controller controlling the cable processing device”. Further, specification fails to provide a description or related algorithm that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand as sufficient to define the structure and make the boundaries of the claim. See MPEP § 2161.01.
Though, the application Specification Fig. 3 presents a machine controller 8 is connected to the operating unit 10, and para. [0003-0004] describes “The cable processing device can be monitored and controlled via a machine controller and a central operating unit.”, it appears that the machine controller is a separate part, see Fig. 3. Though, para. [0011] describes “The encoders are connected to the machine controller and the machine controller is configured in such a way that the position of the cable gripper after the manual movement in the setup mode can be or is ascertained and stored by means of the encoders” one of ordinary skill in the art would have known that encoder is capable of providing only digital input and output signals.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “a machine controller controlling the cable processing device”, which renders claim indefinite because both claim and specification fail to define the recited “machine controller”. One of ordinary skill in the art would have known that a machine controller can be, for example, a pneumatic controller controlling a flow to machine that controls the movement of an arm or a gripper; or a machine controller comprising a processor or a computer or a logic controller or a circuit; or the like. Therefore, there are more than one scope of the claim, and the specification did not provide a written description of the limitation “a machine controller”.
Claims 2-9 depend on claim 1. Therefore, claims 1-10 are rejected.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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 and 3-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Agustoni (US 20160139590) in view of Imgrut (US 20170338615).
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Annotated Fig. 1, Agustoni.
Regarding claim 1, Agustoni teaches, a cable processing device (cable processing equipment 1, Fig. 1) for assembling cables, the cable processing device comprising:
a plurality of processing stations (processing stations 3 and 4, Fig. 1);
a feed unit (feed unit 8) including a cable gripper (a gripper 9) adapted to feed a cable end of a cable to at least one of the processing stations (pivot unit 5 comprises a gripper 9 for holding the cable…The pivot unit 5 has to be rotated about a vertical axis for feeding the cable ends to these processing stations, para. [0028]);
a machine controller (central control unit 6, Fig. 1, central control unit 6 is connected with a control by way of which the individual processing stations and machine components are activatable for operation of the cable processing equipment 1, para. [0028]) controlling the cable processing device;
wherein when the machine controller is in a setup mode (after the cable ends or the grippers holding the cable ends are in the initial setting thereof the actual setting-up process for setting up, para. [0031]), the cable gripper can be moved manually to the at least one processing station into a desired position (local control unit further comprises a cable call button 12…the local cable call button 12 the user can bring up the cable, which is necessary for the setting-up process, to the crimping station 4 in simple manner without having to change over to the central control unit, para. [0031]).
Agustoni does not explicitly teach, the machine controller, after the desired position has been established manually, stores a position of the cable gripper in the machine controller. However, Imgrut teaches a cable processing machine 50 in Figs. 2 to 4, in which, wherein the machine controller, after the desired position has been established manually, stores a position of the cable gripper in the machine controller (cable processing machine has a program function that…displace the cable tip by means of manual inputs in the direction of the cable and transversely thereto, and store the process position set in this way, para. [0042]).
From the teaching of Agustoni in para. [0031], “after pressing the cable call button 12 the cable ends pass to a predefined initial setting…to the last stored gripper setting…the local cable call button 12 the user can bring up the cable, which is necessary for the setting-up process, to the crimping station 4 in simple manner”, and para. [0014], “cable processing equipment of that kind can comprise a feed unit with a transfer unit with a gripper, which is movable along a machine longitudinal axis”, one of ordinary skill in the art would have known that during the setting up process, user manually presses the local cable call button 12 that manually brings a gripper holding the cable end to a previously stored position. Imgrut teaches a cable processing machine that stores a process position of the cable after manually displacing the cable. Therefore, in view of the teachings of Imgrut, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the cable processing device of Agustoni and to store the manually displaced position of the cable as Imgrut taught in para. [0042] so that it enables to correctly positioning a cable tip by executing an interpolation operation based on two positional signals which are read out from the memory unit of the controller. Detecting a position, storing the positional signals supplied by detectors and executing a teaching operation based on the stored positional information is known in the art (if applicant disagrees, see Ito, US 4385358). Moreover, there is no indication in the instant invention that any surprising results were derived, or that any special steps were devised in order read or store a position of the cable gripper. Such a combination would have been done by one of ordinary skill in the art without any need for experimentation and with reasonable expectations of success.
Further, the limitation “when the machine controller is in a setup mode, the cable gripper can be moved manually to the at least one processing station into a desired position; and wherein the machine controller, after the desired position has been established manually, stores a position of the cable gripper in the machine controller” recites what the intended use of the machine controller, rather than what it is. See MPEP § 2111. The prior art structure in Agustoni teaches central control unit 6 and local control units integrated with a central control unit, in which the central control unit 6 is capable of performing the intended use recited in the claim.
Regarding claim 3, Agustoni in view of Imgrut teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 1. Agustoni further teaches, the cable processing device according to Claim 1 including a protective hood (cable processing equipment is or can be protected by a protective hood, para. [0016]) movable between a closed position and an open position (see para. [0036]) and, in the closed position, the protective hood covers the at least one processing station and the feed unit (cable processing equipment 1 comprises protective hoods covering all dangerous elements of the machine, para. [0037]) and, in the open position, the protective hood creates a free space via which the at least one processing station and the feed unit are accessible for manual interactions for moving the cable gripper (when the protective hood is open the central control unit is inactive with respect to the setting-up process… protective hood can be raised on each occasion for setting up the machine, para. [0036-0037]), wherein when the protective hood is in the open position, the machine controller deactivates the at least one processing station (when the protective hood is open the central control unit is inactive with respect to the setting-up process, para. [0036]) and the feed unit and does not allow any processing process or the machine controller de-energizes actuators for operating the at least one processing station and the feed unit (risk-laden actions such as, for example, at the crimping station 4 have to be locally triggered by means of the trigger button 11 and the approval button 13 when the protective hood is open, para. [0037] in which it is obvious that the actuators are de-energized).
Regarding claim 4, Agustoni in view of Imgrut teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 3. Agustoni further teaches, the processing device according to Claim 3 including an operating unit having a hood button adapted to operate the protective hood (risk-laden actions with open protective hood have to be locally undertaken by means of the afore-described local trigger button and local approval button, para. [0036]), wherein the hood button is connected to the machine controller such that the setup mode is automatically established during or after actuation of the hood button (protective hood can be raised on each occasion for setting up the machine. In the setting-up operation it has to be possible with opened protective hood, para. [0037]).
Regarding claim 5, Agustoni in view of Imgrut teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 4. Agustoni further teaches, the cable processing device according to Claim 4 wherein the operating unit has a further button (approval button 13, Fig. 2, para. [0030]) connected to the machine controller (see para. [0030]) and adapted to confirm that the protective hood is to be brought from an open position into a closed position (control could be so arranged that initially the trigger button 11 has to be pressed and thereafter it is confirmed, by pressing the approval button 13, para. [0030]).
Regarding claim 6, Agustoni in view of Imgrut teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 4. Agustoni further teaches, the processing device according to Claim 5 wherein machine controller brings the protective hood from the open position into the closed position only when the hood button and the further button are pressed simultaneously (control is in that case advantageously designed in such a way that the feed process can be started only when the cable call button 12 and the approval button 13 are pressed simultaneously, see Abstract and para. [0031]).
Regarding claim 7, Agustoni in view of Imgrut teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 1. Agustoni further teaches, the cable processing device according to Claim 1 including an operating unit having a save button (local control unit 10 comprises a button 13, local control unit further comprises a cable call button 12, para. [0030-0031]) adapted to cause the machine controller to store the position of the cable gripper after the manual movement (after pressing the cable call button 12 the cable ends pass to a predefined initial setting or, for example, to the last stored gripper setting, para. [0031], in which it is obvious that the call button 12 saves the position during the button press).
Regarding claim 8, Agustoni in view of Imgrut teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 1. Agustoni further teaches, the cable processing device according to Claim 1 including a plurality of operating units (local control unit 10, 10’, Fig. 4, para. [0035], see Viviroli (EP 3024099) if applicant disagrees that the local control units 10, 10’ are operating units) each connected to the machine controller, wherein each of the operating units has a save button (local control unit 10 comprises a button 13, local control unit further comprises a cable call button 12, para. [0030-0031]) adapted to cause the machine controller to store the position of the cable gripper after the manual movement (after pressing the cable call button 12 the cable ends pass to a predefined initial setting or, for example, to the last stored gripper setting, para. [0031], in which it is obvious that the call button 12 saves the position during the button press).
Regarding claim 9, Agustoni in view of Imgrut teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 8. Agustoni further teaches, the cable processing device according to Claim 8 wherein each of the processing stations is assigned to one of two groups, wherein a first of the groups processes a leading end of the cable (a second crimping station for the leading cable end as well as further processing stations, para. [0014]) and a second of the groups processes a trailing end of the cable (a stripping station as well as a first crimping station for the trailing cable end, para. [0014]), wherein at least one operating units (processing stations, para. [0014]) is assigned to each of the two groups.
Regarding claim 10, Agustoni in view of Imgrut teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 8. Agustoni further teaches, the cable processing device according to Claim 1 wherein the at least one processing station is a crimping station (crimping stations 4 and 4′) to which the cable gripper can be moved manually in the setup mode (a crimping station, has a local control unit for local setting up of the respective processing station…operator can start the setting-up operations at the respective processing station, para. [0007]).
Regarding claim 11, Agustoni teaches, a method for setting up a cable processing device (cable processing equipment 1, Fig. 1) for assembling cables, the cable processing device including at least one processing station (processing stations 3 and 4, Fig. 1) and a feed unit (feed unit 8), the feed unit including a cable gripper (a gripper 9 for holding the cable… for feeding the cable ends to these processing stations, para. [0028]) for feeding a cable end of a cable to the at least one processing station, the method comprising the steps of:
putting the cable processing device into a setup mode (after the cable ends or the grippers holding the cable ends are in the initial setting thereof the actual setting-up process for setting up, para. [0031]);
manually moving the feed unit with the cable gripper until the cable gripper reaches a desired position in the at least one processing station (local control unit further comprises a cable call button 12 for activating the feed unit for feeding the cable end of the cable to the crimping station 4…the local cable call button 12 the user can bring up the cable, which is necessary for the setting-up process, to the crimping station 4 in simple manner without having to change over to the central control unit, para. [0031]).
Agustoni does not explicitly teach, storing a position of the cable gripper when the cable gripper reaches the desired position. However, Imgrut teaches a cable processing machine 50 in Figs. 2 to 4, in which, storing a position of the cable gripper when the cable gripper reaches the desired position, and using the stored position for controlling the feed unit during a normal operating mode of the cable processing device (cable processing machine has a program function that makes it possible to take a stripped cable 140 with the swivel unit 150 to the processing station, displace the cable tip by means of manual inputs in the direction of the cable and transversely thereto, and store the process position set in this way, para. [0042]).
From the teaching of Agustoni in para. [0031], “after pressing the cable call button 12 the cable ends pass to a predefined initial setting…to the last stored gripper setting…the local cable call button 12 the user can bring up the cable, which is necessary for the setting-up process, to the crimping station 4 in simple manner”, and para. [0014], “cable processing equipment of that kind can comprise a feed unit with a transfer unit with a gripper, which is movable along a machine longitudinal axis”, one of ordinary skill in the art would have known that during the setting up process, user manually presses the local cable call button 12 that manually brings a gripper holding the cable end to a previously stored position. Imgrut teaches a cable processing machine that stores a process position of the cable after manually displacing the cable. Therefore, in view of the teachings of Imgrut, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the cable processing device of Agustoni and to store the manually displaced position of the cable as Imgrut taught in para. [0042] so that it enables to correctly positioning a cable tip by executing an interpolation operation based on two positional signals which are read out from the memory unit of the controller. Moreover, there is no indication in the instant invention that any surprising results were derived, or that any special steps were devised in order read or store a position of the cable gripper. Such a combination would have been done by one of ordinary skill in the art without any need for experimentation and with reasonable expectations of success.
Regarding claim 12, Agustoni in view of Imgrut teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 11. Agustoni further teaches, the method according to Claim 11 wherein, after the position of the cable gripper has been stored, carrying out a single processing process for test purposes (it has to be checked whether the prescribed cable cross-section is processed…A visual check of the intermediate results of the individual working steps during setting up is ensured at any time, para. [0007]), and visually checking a processed cable end of the cable when the feed unit with the cable gripper is moved toward a user (operator can subsequently trigger and check the crimping process by the trigger button 11, para. [0039]).
Regarding claim 13, Agustoni in view of Imgrut teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 11. Agustoni further teaches, the method according to Claim 11 including putting the cable processing device into the setup mode when a protective hood (cable processing equipment is or can be protected by a protective hood, para. [0016]) covering the at least one processing station and the feed unit with the cable gripper is opened (when the protective hood is open the central control unit is inactive with respect to the setting-up process… protective hood can be raised on each occasion for setting up the machine, para. [0036-0037]).
Claim(s) 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Agustoni in view of Imgrut as applied to claim 1, and further in view of Davis (US 20160294141).
Regarding claim 2, modified Agustoni in view of Imgrut does not teach, feed unit has at least one servo motor or stepper motor equipped with an encoder. However, Davis teaches a wire processing device including a feeding unit 10 in Fig. 1, in which,
the cable processing device according to Claim 1 wherein the feed unit has at least one servo motor or stepper motor equipped with an encoder (wire supply motor can be a stepper motor with an encoder to provide information representative of the amount of actuation of the motor or supply 30 to the control system 66, para. [0020]) and adapted to move the cable gripper to the at least one processing station during a normal operating mode of the cable processing device, the encoder being connected to the machine controller (control system 66…actuates the wire supply motor to pay out or feed wire from the supply 30…the micrometer 35 provides information to the control system 66 regarding wire 32 fed past the micrometer, and the control system can use that information for active adjustment and control of the wire feed operations, para. [0019-0020]) such that the position of the cable gripper is ascertained by the machine controller from an output of the encoder after the manual movement in the setup mode.
Davis teaches in para. [0016-0020], a wire supply unit 30 including a capillary 24, a tubular structure that has an end portion 26 with a feed opening 28 at its distal end and the wire 32 fed from the supply 30, the wire supply motor can be a stepper motor with an encoder to provide information representative of the amount of actuation of the motor or supply 30 to the control system 66. Therefore, in view of the teachings of Davis, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the cable processing device of Agustoni and include a stepper motor with an encoder as Davis taught in Fig. 1 and to connect the stepper motor to the cable gripper so that it enables the control unit to provide information representative of the amount of actuation of the motor while feeding the cable.
Conclusion
Prior art Angelov (US 20140115855) teaches a cable processing device including a plurality of processing stations, a feed unit including a gripper, and a machine controller.
Prior art Duncan (US 20130272833) teaches a cable processing device including a plurality of processing stations, a feed unit including a gripper, a machine controller and performing manual setup adjustments.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSE K. ABRAHAM whose telephone number is (571)270-1087. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30-4:30 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, THOMAS J. HONG can be reached at (571) 272-0993. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JOSE K ABRAHAM/Examiner, Art Unit 3729