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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on June 18, 2024, and December 12, 2024, are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements have been considered by the examiner.
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 and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shoemaker, Jr. (US Patent No. 4,718,667, hereinafter Shoemaker) in view of Wei (TW M608229 U, hereinafter Wei).
Regarding independent claims 1 and 9, Shoemaker discloses a control system (claim 1) for controlling a claw machine (Fig. 1) and a claw machine assembly (claim 9) comprising the control system and the claw machine (Fig. 1).
The claw machine (Fig. 1) includes a cabinet (12) that defines an inner space and a claw mechanism that is disposed on a ceiling of the cabinet (col. 3:42-46), the claw mechanism including a shell (carriage 46, Figs. 4-5), a cable reel (pulley 134) that is disposed in the shell, a cable (140) that has one end connected to the cable reel (col. 6:1-5), a rotating motor (130) that is connected to the cable reel to control the movement of the cable reel (col. 5:60-68), a claw (40) that is connected to another end of the cable (140), and a driving module (solenoid 186) that is configured to control the claw to close or open based on a control signal (col. 6:21-40).
The control system comprises:
a limiting member (stop 146, Fig. 4; col. 6:5-12) that has an installation part installed on the shell of the claw mechanism (the top part of stop 146 fixed to lower plate of carriage 46);
an operation interface (external player control panel 18, Fig. 1; col. 3:21-25) that is connected to the rotating motor (col. 8:44-53) and the driving module (col. 8:54-65), and that is operable to control operations of the claw mechanism (col. 8:44-65); and
a processor (controller 164, Fig. 7; col. 6:49-55) connected to the operation interface (18), the rotating motor (130) and the driving module (186; col. 6:63-7:26, Fig. 7);
wherein:
in response to user-operation on the operation interface (i.e., in response to user operation of joystick 20 of interface 18), the processor (164) generates and transmits a dropping signal to the rotating motor (130) to cause the rotating motor (130) to control the movement of the cable reel (134) and release the cable (140; col. 8:44-53), thereby dropping the claw (40);
in response to other user-operation on the operation interface (i.e., in response to user operation of CLAW button 26), the processor (164) generates and transmits a closing electrical signal to the driving module (186) to cause the driving module to control the claw to close (col. 8:61-65);
the processor (164) generates and transmits a lifting signal to the rotating motor (130) to cause the rotating motor (130) to control the movement of the cable reel (134) and retract the cable (140), thereby lifting the claw (col. 9:25-32); and
in the case where the claw (40) has come into proximity of the limiting member (146), the processor (164) generates and transmits a fixed-distance movement signal to the rotating motor (under control of the control system 164, “the motor 130 will still continue to operate for a predetermined period of time,” col. 6:12-20, where a predetermined period of time at a constant speed is understood to correspond to a fixed distance as claimed) so as to cause the rotating motor (130) to retract the cable (140) thereby lifting the claw (40) for a predetermined lifting distance (“[t]he claw device is thus positively held against the seat 146 when raised,” col. 6:17-18);
after the fixed-distance movement signal is transmitted for a preset period, the processor (164) generates and transmits an opening pulse signal to the driving module so as to adjust the closing electrical signal from the driving module such that a grip strength of the claw is reduced (when claw 40 moves from the grasping position of Fig. 6 to the open position of Fig. 4; col. 6:21-40; “The game sequence concludes by the controller releasing the claw controlling solenoid to open the claw device so that any prize picked up by the player will be delivered via the delivery chute,” col. 9:45-48).
Shoemaker does not teach an inclination part of the limiting member extending from the installation part and inclined toward the claw and a location sensor that is installed on the shell of the claw mechanism and configured to generate a proximity signal when an object comes into proximity of the location sensor.
However, Wei teaches a control system for a claw machine comprising a limiting member (anti-sway iron 34, Figs. 5-6) that has an installation part (341) installed on the claw mechanism (on driving mechanism 3) and an inclination part (342) extending from the installation part (341) and inclined toward the claw (at angle as shown in Fig. 6, so that “when the clamping claw hits the limiting bending plate portion … it will tilt accordingly to align with the limiting bending plate portion … so that the clamping claw swings to achieve the required claw swinging effect,” this being adjustable to vary difficulty of the game, ¶ 3), and a location sensor (upper stop micro-switch 33, Fig. 5) that is installed on the shell of the claw mechanism (on driving mechanism 3) and is configured to generate a proximity signal when an object comes into proximity of the location sensor (by actuation of reed 332 of up stop micro switch 33). Wei’s disclosure of the location sensor (33) as an “up stop” switch is understood to teach or at least imply that when the claw has come into proximity of the location sensor (i.e., when the reed 332 of the up stop micro switch 33 is activated), the location sensor generates a proximity signal and transmits the proximity signal to the processor, in order to control upward movement of the claw.
Therefore, 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 invention of Shoemaker by configuring the limiting member to include an inclination part as taught by Wei extending from the installation part and inclined toward the claw, in order to achieve a swinging effect of the claw to make the game more challenging, and by installing a location sensor as taught by Wei on the shell which is connected to the processor and configured to generate and transmit a proximity signal when an object comes into proximity of the location sensor, in order to facilitate control of the upward movement of the claw.
Regarding claims 2 and 10, the modified Shoemaker teaches the claimed invention substantially as claimed, as set forth above for claims 1 and 9, respectively. Wei further teaches the inclination part (342, Figs. 5-7) includes a lowest point (see Figs. 6-7). Shoemaker clearly implies that, after transmitting the opening pulse signal (i.e., after opening the claw to release the product in the delivery chute), the processor is configured to generate and transmit a release signal (i.e., a second dropping signal) to the rotating member to release the cable by a predetermined descending distance thereby putting the claw down by the predetermined descending distance and enabling a top surface of the claw to not fully contact the limiting member (col. 8:44-53), and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to operate the claw machine of Shoemaker in this manner, for example, by inserting another coin to initiate a second game after the release of the product in the delivery chute.
Claim 3-8 and 11-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shoemaker in view of Wei, in further view of Lin (TW 202107268 A, hereinafter Lin).
Regarding claims 3-4 and 11-12, the modified Shoemaker teaches the claimed invention substantially as claimed, as set forth above for claims 1 and 9, respectively. Shoemaker and Wei do not teach a delayed signal module configured to generate a delayed closing electrical signal to close the claw after a designated delay time period. However, Lin teaches a control system for a claw machine (Fig. 3) comprising a processor (control circuit module 25, Fig. 4) including a delayed signal module (controlled by delay bar 43D, Fig. 9) that is configured to generate a delayed closing electrical signal which, when transmitted to a driving module of the claw machine, causes the driving module to control the claw to close after a designated delay time period (“the setting of the bottom delay bar 43D makes the claw-type gripping member 23 at the bottom of the box 20 delay for a while before gripping the product 21 … to change the timing of picking the product 21, so that the operator does not match the originally estimated picking action, which can increase the challenging effect,” pg. 6 of English translation) (claim 3), wherein the processor includes a timing module (delay bar 43D, Fig. 9, “to change the timing of picking the product 21,” id.) configured to generate the designated delay time period (claim 4). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the invention of Shoemaker to include a delayed signal module and a timing module as taught by Lin to generate a designated delay time period for closing the claw, in order to make the game more challenging.
Regarding claims 5 and 13, the modified Shoemaker teaches the claimed invention substantially as claimed, as set forth above for claims 1 and 9, respectively. Shoemaker and Wei do not teach that the processor includes a modulated signal module to cause the claw to close using different grip strengths during closing of the claw. However, Lin teaches a control system for a claw machine (Fig. 3) comprising a processor (control circuit module 25, Fig. 4) which includes a modulated signal module (controlled by claw force setting interface 420, Fig. 8; see pg. 3 of English translation) that is configured to generate and transmit a modulated electrical signal to a driving module of the claw which serves as a closing electrical signal and causes the claw to close using different grip strengths during closing of the claw (the product 21 being gripped at the bottom of the cabinet 20 with “the first clamping force, which is the ‘strong claw force,’” the claw returning to a middle of the cabinet 20 with “the second clamping force … which is the ‘middle claw force,’” and the claw returning to the top of the cabinet 20 with “the third clamping force, which is the ‘weak claw force,’” pg. 3). Lin teaches that the different grip strengths advantageously increase the challenge of the game (pg. 6). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the invention of Shoemaker to include a modulated signal module as taught by Lin configured to close the claw using different grip strengths, in order to make the game more challenging.
Regarding claims 6 and 14, the modified Shoemaker teaches the claimed invention substantially as claimed, as set forth above for claims 5 and 13, respectively. Lin further teaches the processor generates the modulated electrical signal that causes the claw to first close using a first grip strength (either the first clamping force or the second clamping force, pg. 3, cited above) and then close using a second grip strength (either the second clamping force or the third clamping force, pg. 3, cited above). Lin refers to the first clamping force as “strong,” the second clamping force as “middle,” and the third clamping force as “weak,” and does not explicitly describe a scenario in which the second grip strength is greater than the first grip strength. However, Lin further teaches that each of the first, second, and third clamping forces can be independently set (using settings 421, 422, and 423 in Fig. 8) in a range between 0V and 48V (see pg. 6). Thus, it is clear from Lin’s disclosure that the choice of grip strength at each stage of raising the claw is at the user’s discretion (e.g., at the discretion of the owner of the machine), depending on a desired degree of difficulty in obtaining a prize from the machine. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, when modifying Shoemaker to include the modulated signal module of Lin as discussed above, to configure the second grip strength to be greater than the first grip strength as a simple matter of design choice which the modulated signal module of Lin is capable of accomplishing by simple user adjustment of the settings (421, 422, 423, Fig. 8), in order to optimize the degree of difficulty to suit the preferences of a user.
Regarding claims 7 and 15, the modified Shoemaker teaches the claimed invention substantially as claimed, as set forth above for claims 6 and 14, respectively. Lin further teaches the processor generates the modulated electrical signal that causes the claw to first close using an initial grip strength (i.e., the first clamping force, pg. 3, cited above) for an initial period before closing using the first grip strength (in the context of claims 7 and 15, the first grip strength being Lin’s “second clamping force”), wherein the initial grip strength is greater than the first grip strength (the initial grip strength being “strong claw force” and the first grip strength being “middle claw force,” pg. 3).
Regarding claims 8 and 16, the modified Shoemaker teaches the claimed invention substantially as claimed, as set forth above for claims 6 and 14, respectively. Lin further teaches a timing module (controlled by setting 425 which “sets the time value of the travel between the second gripping force to the third gripping force” and setting 426 which is understood to set the time value between the first gripping force to the second gripping force, top of pg. 4) that is configured to generate a designated operation time period to be associated with the modulated electrical signal which causes the claw to first close using the first grip strength for the designated operation time period, and after the designated operation time period, close using the second grip strength (see pg. 4, as cited above).
Conclusion
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/Laura Davison/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3993