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
Claim 20 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected Invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on April 09, 2026.
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) 1-5, 8-15, 18 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ulmer et al. (US 2017/0129059 A1), in view of 進藤 茂實 et al. (JP 3176399, herein referenced by the EPO English Machine translation).
Re Claim 1, Ulmer discloses a mobile computer numerical control (CNC) system 10, comprising: a motor vehicle (not shown) (Par. 0077) that includes: a first container 12 defining an enclosed compartment (See figures 1A-3); a CNC machine 12 mounted on the motor vehicle and positioned inside the enclosed compartment 14 (Pars. 0008, 0062 and 0077, Figs. 1A-4, 7 and 8); a battery 110 that is constructed and arranged to provide power to at least the CNC machine 12 (Pars. 0016, 0032, and 0069, Fig. 4). Ulmer does not explicitly disclose a power inverter that is in electrical communication with the battery and the CNC machine, the power inverter is constructed and arranged to convert a direct current (DC) from the battery to an alternating current (AC), and the power inverter is further constructed and arranged to provide at least the CNC machine with the AC current.
進藤 茂實 discloses a computer numerical control (CNC) system, comprising: a CNC machine 20; a battery B that is constructed and arranged to provide power to at least the CNC machine 20; and a power inverter that is in electrical communication with the battery and the CNC machine 20, the power inverter I is constructed and arranged to convert a direct current (DC) from the battery B to an alternating current (AC), and the power inverter I is further constructed and arranged to provide at least the CNC machine with the AC current (Pars. 0024-0028, Figs. 1-9). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the invention of Ulmer with a power inverter that is in electrical communication with the battery and the CNC machine, as disclosed by 進藤 茂實, thus supplying AC current to the CNC machine, as a known means of supplying electrical power to a CNC system.
Re Claim 11, Ulmer discloses a mobile computer numerical control (CNC) system 10, comprising: a motor vehicle (not shown) (Par. 0077)that includes: a first container 12 defining an enclosed compartment; a CNC machine 14 mounted on the motor vehicle and positioned inside the enclosed compartment (Pars. 0008 and 0062, Figs. 1A-4, 7 and 8); a battery 110 that is constructed and arranged to provide power to at least the CNC machine 14 (Pars. 0016, 0032, and 0069, Fig. 4). Ulmer does not explicitly disclose a power inverter that is in electrical communication with the battery and the CNC machine.
進藤 茂實 discloses a computer numerical control (CNC) system, comprising: a CNC machine 20; a battery B that is constructed and arranged to provide power to at least the CNC machine 20; and a power inverter that is in electrical communication with the battery and the CNC machine 20 (Pars. 0024-0028, Figs. 1-9). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the invention of Ulmer with a power inverter that is in electrical communication with the battery and the CNC machine, as disclosed by 進藤 茂實, as a known means of supplying electrical power to a CNC system.
Re Claims 2 and 12, the combination as applied to claims 1 and 11 remains as previously applied. The combination does not explicitly disclose the CNC machine is a CNC router. Ulmer does however disclose it is conventional in the art to use a CNC router (Par. 0004). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide a CNC machine that is a CNC router, as is conventionally known in the art.
Re Claims 3 and 13, the combination as applied to claims 1 and 11 remains as previously applied. Ulmer discloses a dust collector 50 constructed and arranged to remove dust and debris from the CNC machine 14 (Pars. 0007-0009, 0062 and 0065, Fig. 3).
Re Claims 4 and 14, the combination as applied to claims 1 and 11 remains as previously applied. Ulmer discloses the CNC machine 14 is constructed and arranged to cut plastics, elastomers, thermoplastic elastomers, or a combination thereof (Par. 0071). Note: Ulmer discloses that characteristics of various pipe to be machined are input into the system. The Examiner construes this to meet the claim limitation as an operator is capable of inputting the specific type of material of the pipe.
Re Claims 5 and 15, the combination as applied to claims 1 and 11 remains as previously applied. Ulmer discloses the first container 12 includes a door 17 that is constructed and arranged to fluidly seal the enclosed compartment (Par. 0062, Fig. 1B).
Re Claims 8 and 18, the combination as applied to claim 1 remains as previously applied. Ulmer discloses the CNC machine 14 is constructed and arranged to cut ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), polyethylene (PE) closed cell foam, or a combination thereof (Par. 0071). Note: Ulmer discloses that characteristics of various pipe to be machined are input into the system. The Examiner construes this to meet the claim limitation as an operator is capable of inputting the specific type of material of the pipe.
Re Claim 9, the combination as applied to claim 1 remains as previously applied. Ulmer discloses the CNC machine is constructed and arranged to cut ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), neoprene, chloroprene rubber (CR), styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), nitrile rubber (NRB), or any combination thereof (Par. 0071). Note: Ulmer discloses that characteristics of various pipe to be machined are input into the system. The Examiner construes this to meet the claim limitation as an operator is capable of inputting the specific type of material of the pipe.
Re Claims 10 and 19, the combination as applied to claims 1 and 11 remains as previously applied. Ulmer discloses the first container of the motor vehicle includes a roof positioned over at least the CNC machine 14 (Par. 0062, Figs. 1A and 1B).
Claim(s) 6, 7, 16 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ulmer et al. (US 2017/0129059 A1), in view of 進藤 茂實 et al. (JP 3176399), as applied to claims 1 and 11, in view of SBARUFATTI et al. (WO 2023067538).
Re Claims 6 and 16, the combination as applied to claims 1 and 11 remains as previously applied. The combination does not explicitly disclose one or more mechanical isolators mounted on the motor vehicle, wherein the CNC machine is mounted on the one or more mechanical isolators.
SBARUFATTI discloses it is conventionally known to support CNC machines with mechanical isolators and a CNC machine 2 that is mounted on one or more mechanical isolators 1, to reduce vibrations to the CNC machine 2 (Page 1, Lines 10-13 and Page 7, Lines 7-18, Figs. 1 and 2). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the mechanical isolators of SBARUFATTI with the invention of Ulmer, to reduce vibrations to the CNC machine.
Re Claims 7 and 17, the combination as applied to claims 6 and 16 remains as previously applied. The combination discloses the one or more mechanical isolators 1 are made primarily of one or more elastomers 30 (See SBARUFATTI, Page 7, Lines 7-18, Figs. 1 and 2).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BAYAN SALONE whose telephone number is (571)270-7739. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-60 PM.
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/BAYAN SALONE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3726
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