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 currently pending in this application.
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided.
See MPEP § 608.01(b) for guidelines for the preparation of patent abstracts.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because the abstract does not provide a concise statement of the technical disclosure and does not include that which is new in the art to which the invention pertains. It should avoid using phrases “According to some aspects of the invention”. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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 2-20 recites the limitation "The apparatus of claim….”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim and should be changed to - - The auxiliary axis assembly of claim….- -
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) 1-7, 17 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rosenberg (US Patent no. US 5,724,264) in view of Seitz (Pub. No. US 2015/0345937).
With regard to claim 1, Rosenberg discloses an auxiliary axis assembly 10 (fig. 1) for use [intended use] with an articulated arm coordinate measuring apparatus (AACM) 12 (fig. 1), the auxiliary axis assembly comprising: a turntable assembly 14 (fig. 1) including a rotatable platform 62 (fig. 1) for [intended use] supporting and rotating an object 20 (fig. 1) thereon being measured; an encoder 12 (fig. 1) for monitoring movement of the rotatable platform (fig. 1) and generating scanning position data associated with movement of the rotatable platform in response to receiving a capture signal (col. 7, lines 23-25, “Probe apparatus 12 is provided to allow a user to measure and transmit location information of object 20 to host computer 18. As is well-known to those skilled in the art, a probe that is traced over a 3-D object, such as object 20, can provide coordinate information describing the 3-D geometry of object 20”); and the encoder including a communication bus 72 (fig. 1) for [intended use] connection with a communication line that transmits the capture signal from a control unit 18 (fig. 1) to the encoder and the scanning position data from the encoder to the control unit, the control unit 18 (fig. 1) configured to synchronize in real-time, the scanning position data with the AACM. 78 (fig. 1).
Rosenberg does not disclose a bearing cartridge including at least one bearing that enables rotation of the rotatable platform a connector for connecting the rotatable platform to the bearing cartridge; and an encoder connected to the bearing cartridge and the encoder connected to the bearing cartridge.
Seitz teaches a rotating apparatus 60 (fig. 1) comprises a bearing cartridge 51 (fig. 10) including at least one bearing 52 (fig. 10) that enables rotation of the rotatable platform a connector 61 (fig. 10) for connecting the rotatable platform to the bearing cartridge.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to include a bearing cartridge including at least one bearing that enables rotation of the rotatable platform a connector for connecting the rotatable platform to the bearing cartridge; and the encoder connected to the bearing cartridge (the encoder will connection to bearing assembly via the cable), as suggested and taught by Seitz in order to allow the table to rotate.
With regard to claims 2-7, Rosenberg discloses a table 602 (fig. 2) that supports the turntable assembly separately from the AACM, the table further supporting the control unit (fig. 1, 60 can be used to support 18)., wherein the communication line is a cable 66, 72 (fig. 1) that extends from the encoder, through the table, and to the control unit 18 (fig. 1), the AACM including encoder systems that generate movement and position data for at least one arm axis (fig. 1) of the AACM, a plurality of communication lines 72, 66 (fig. 1 and line between 16 and 18) connecting the encoder systems to the control unit 18 (fig. 1) and wherein the plurality of communication lines and the communication line form a common bus (fig. 1, send data to 18) with the control unit.
With regard to claims 17 and 19, Rosenberg discloses all of the essential features of the claimed invention except the rotatable platform further comprises at least one of: a linear rail, a conveyor, a tilt axis, an internal motor, and an auxiliary arm and a time period of the scanning position data is between about 50 nanoseconds and about 100 microseconds.
However, Seitz teaches the rotatable platform further comprises at least one of: a linear rail, a conveyor, a tilt axis, an internal motor, and an auxiliary arm 68 (fig. 10). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to include the rotatable platform comprise an auxiliary arm, as suggested and taught by Seitz in order to allow the table to rotate. And it would have been obvious to set a time period of the scanning position data to be between about 50 nanoseconds and about 100 microseconds, since it has been held that it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955).
Conclusion
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/PHUTTHIWAT WONGWIAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3741