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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II, claims 6-9 in the reply filed on 04/22/2026 is acknowledged.
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 6-7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Doll (WO 2019072854).
Regarding claim 6, Doll discloses a tool holder 6 for a computer numerical control machine 1 comprising a tool holder body having an exterior cylindrical surface. Doll also discloses a sleeve 7a mounted on the exterior surface of an element of the CNC machine, the sleeve comprising a resilient insulation layer SR provided around the exterior surface of the element and an exterior electrically conductive layer 16i provided over and concentric with the resilient insulation layer. The exterior electrically conductive layer is electrically-interconnected R1/P with a controller 9 configured for stopping motion of the tool holder upon receiving a collision signal from the exterior electrically conductive layer. Doll illustrates the sleeve being mounted on an exemplary part of the machine (e.g. Fig. 1) but contemplates the sleeve being applied to other parts of the machine if desired (Final Paragraph of Page 7 of the attached English translation of the document).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to provide the sleeve of Doll on the exterior cylindrical surface of the tool holder 6 if desired, in order to ensure that contacting an obstacle with the tool holder would trigger shutdown of the machine to enhance safety.
Regarding claim 7, Doll discloses the resilient insulating layer SR comprising insulative mesh (see e.g. Figs. 6e-6f).
Regarding claim 9, Doll discloses the sensor system 9 being prepared to transmit an output signal M to a control unit that is not shown in greater detail (First partial Paragraph of Page 8 of the attached English translation of the document) but does not explicitly disclose the structure of this transmission.
However, Examiner takes Official Notice that wireless transmission devices are well-known means of signal transmission in the art, and that providing a wireless transmitter in electrical contact with the exterior electrically conductive layer (at least by way of the sensor system 9) would have been an obvious modification one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing would have made in order to transmit the contact signal to the machine controller without wires getting in the way of the machine and/or operator movement.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Doll (WO 2019072854) in view of Kai et al. (WO 2009107672, hereinafter ‘Kai’).
Regarding claim 8, Doll does not explicitly disclose the type of contact which electrically contacts the exterior electrically conductive layer to connect to the sensor system 9.
Kai discloses a similar machine, in which brush contacts 915/916 contact an electrically conductive layer 913/914 on the exterior of a moving surface 22’.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to simply substitute the undisclosed contact type of Doll with brush contact(s) taught by Kai in order to provide a reliable means of transmitting electrical signal(s) from a moving exterior to a controller. See MPEP 2143, I, B.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Alvite (US 4694231) discloses elements of, or similar to the instant invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Alan Snyder whose telephone number is (571)272-4603. The examiner can normally be reached M-R 7:00a - 5:00p.
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/Alan Snyder/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3722
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