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 .
Claim Note
Claim 1, line 3, recites, “to convert a an electrical charge”. The “a” appears to be a typographical error.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-4 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hitachi constr. Mach. CO., LTD (JP H06-160359, from 8/8/23 IDS).
Hitachi constr. Mach. CO., LTD shows,
in regards to claim 1,
A sensor signal generation device (an ultrasonic signal amplifier that outputs correct flaw detection information), comprising:
a voltage signal generation circuit configured to convert a an electrical charge outputted from a sensor element (figure 1, input terminal A) into a voltage signal , and
to output the voltage signal (output terminal B); and
a processor configured to:
correct the voltage signal using a frequency characteristic of the voltage signal generation circuit (paragraph [0014], “the frequency characteristic of the analog amplifier used in the storage device is stored in advance, and this is called to the arithmetic unit and added to the digitized amplified signal. The frequency characteristic of the phase delay can be corrected in a feedforward manner), and
output the corrected voltage signal as a sensor signal (output terminal B).
in regards to claim 2,
wherein the processor is configured to:
perform a Fourier transform on the voltage signal, correct the voltage signal after the Fourier transform by dividing the voltage signal by the frequency characteristic, and perform an inverse Fourier transform on the corrected voltage signal. (paragraph [0016], “According to the present invention, the digital signal can be treated in an analog manner by Fourier transforming it and expanding it on a complex plane, and can be digitized by performing an inverse Fourier transform after correction.”)
in regards to claim 3,
wherein the voltage signal generation circuit comprises:
a charge amplifier configured to convert the electrical charge into the voltage signal, and a voltage amplifier circuit configured to amplify the voltage signal outputted from the charge amplifier, wherein the processor is configured to correct a signal outputted from the voltage amplifier circuit by using the frequency characteristic, and wherein the frequency characteristic is a frequency characteristic of the charge amplifier and a frequency characteristic of the voltage amplifier circuit. (paragraph [0011], “An ultrasonic signal amplifying apparatus of the present invention comprises an analog amplifier for amplifying a signal voltage converted by an ultrasonic probe and an A / D converter for digitizing the amplified signal. A storage device for preliminarily incorporating the frequency characteristics of the gain and phase delay of the analog amplifier, and the A / D arithmetic unit for correcting the output of the converter with the frequency characteristics of the gain and phase of the analog amplifier.”)
in regards to claim 4,
wherein the frequency characteristic is a complex frequency characteristic. (paragraph [0014], “The frequency characteristic of the phase delay can be corrected in a feedforward manner” The complex frequency characteristic is demonstrated by the travel time delay and the amplitude of the phase.)
in regards to claim 7,
further comprising a display configured to display a waveform of the voltage signal and a waveform of the sensor signal. (display device 10 and figure 3)
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 10 and 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ONUKI MASAHIDE et al. (JP 2018033500) in view of Hunter et al. (US patent 11,497,964) and Murdock et al. (US PG pub 2021/0197046).
ONUKI MASAHIDE et al. shows all of the limitations of the claims except for specifying that the sensor main body contains polylactic acid and a wireless transmitter configured to transmit the voltage signal.
ONUKI MASAHIDE et al. shows a shaft assembly for golf club and torsion measuring method. Figure 3 shows the communication system.
a sensor element comprising a main body in a film shape “On the divided plate 62A of the jig 62, the housing 25 of the rotation angle meter 2 is fixed.”
a voltage signal generation circuit configured to convert an electrical charge outputted from the sensor element into a voltage signal, and to output the voltage signal;
“In subsequent step S2, the golf club 7 is caused to swing the golf club 10. At this time, since an inertial force such as a centrifugal force is applied to the golf club 10, the shaft 12 is bent, twisted, or deformed. Among these deformations, the torsional deformation is measured as time-series voltage data by the rotation angle meter 2 mounted on the golf club 10. This time-series voltage data is sequentially input to the A / D converter 31 of the computer 8 via the cable 3. The A / D converter 31 converts time-series voltage data, which is analog data, into digital data, and then stores the digital data in the storage unit 83.”
Hunter et al. teaches, column 63, lines 16-20, “3D printing may be performed using various printing materials, typically delivered to the 3D printer in the form of a filament. Two common printing materials are polylactic acid (PLA) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), each being an example of a thermoplastic polymer.”
Based on the teaching of Hunter et al., 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 plate 62A of the jig 62, the housing 25 of the rotation angle meter 2 of the ONUKI MASAHIDE et al. invention to specify using a 3D printer and the common material of polylactic acid to make the parts in order to facilitate manufacturing.
Murdock et al. teaches, paragraphs [0050] and [0051] a wireless transmission of a golf club sensor to a computer in order to provide an information transfer without tangling the golf club in a wired connection.
Based on the teaching of Murdock et al., 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 cable 3 connection of the ONUKI MASAHIDE et al. invention to specify using a wireless connection in order to provide an information transfer without tangling the golf club in a wired connection.
In regards to claim 12,
wherein the voltage signal has a voltage value according to the electrical charge caused by a movement of an observation target to which the sensor element is attached. (the golf club shaft)
In regards to claim 13,
wherein a voltage value of the voltage signal indicates the electrical charge caused by a movement of an observation target to which the sensor element is attached. (the golf club shaft)
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ONUKI MASAHIDE et al. (JP 2018033500), Hunter et al. (US patent 11,497,964) and Murdock et al. (US PG pub 2021/0197046) in further view of Hitachi constr. Mach. CO., LTD (JP H06-160359, from 8/8/23 IDS).
The combination invention of ONUKI MASAHIDE et al., Hunter et al., and Murdock et al., as applied above, shows all of the limitations of the claims except for specifying that the processor configured to:
correct the voltage signal using a frequency characteristic of the voltage signal generation circuit, and
output the corrected voltage signal as a sensor signal.
Hitachi constr. Mach. CO., LTD teaches,
a processor configured to:
correct the voltage signal using a frequency characteristic of the voltage signal generation circuit (paragraph [0014], “the frequency characteristic of the analog amplifier used in the storage device is stored in advance, and this is called to the arithmetic unit and added to the digitized amplified signal. The frequency characteristic of the phase delay can be corrected in a feedforward manner), and
output the corrected voltage signal as a sensor signal (output terminal B).
Based on the teaching of Hitachi constr. Mach. CO., LTD, 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 combination invention of ONUKI MASAHIDE et al., Hunter et al., and Murdock et al. to incorporate the processing of Hitachi constr. Mach. CO., LTD in order to correct the phase delay in a feedforward manner
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-6, 9, 11 and 14 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The cited claims above recite detailed limitations not shown or taught by the cited prior art.
Conclusion
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/MICHAEL A CUFF/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3715