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 .
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 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by “JP 1992” JPH04336979A.
Referring to claim 1: “JP 1992” discloses an electric tool (Shown in Fig. 4; “electric power tool” [0002]) comprising: a motor (“motor 1” [0008]);
a driving controller (“arithmetic processing unit 7” [0009]) configured to control the motor (“Incidentally, the command data of the current value of the processing unit 7 is converted into an analog value by the D / A converter 6 and is given to the constant current control unit 4. In the case of the present embodiment, the power conversion unit 2, the signal processing unit 3 and the constant current control unit 4 constitute a constant current driving means for driving the motor 1 with a constant current.” [0009]);
an output shaft (36 Fig. 15) to be coupled to a tip tool (tip tool of 36 which is configured to engage with “screw 56” shown in Figs. 11a-c) for use to fasten a fastening member (56 Figs. 11a-c; “screw” [0003, 0018]);
a transmission mechanism (“B”, 31, 32, 33, 33a, 34, 35 shown in Fig. 15; [0003]) interposed between the motor (“motor 1” [0008] motor housed in housing of A shown in Fig. 6; “The power is transmitted to the output shaft 36 via the speed reduction mechanism B” [0003]) and the output shaft (36 Fig. 15) and configured to transmit (“The power is transmitted to the output shaft 36 via the speed reduction mechanism B” [0003]) rotational force of the motor to the output shaft (36 Fig. 15); and
a seating detector (14; “The seating detection circuit 14 determines that a screw is seated” [0016]) configured to detect seating of the fastening member (56 Figs. 11a-c; “screw” [0003, 0018]),
the driving controller (“arithmetic processing unit 7” [0009]) is configured to: control the motor (“motor 1” [0008]) to make a number of revolutions of the motor at a point in time of the seating equal to a predetermined number of revolutions associated with a torque setting (“how many tightening torques are revolved per unit time (for example, rpm) in a ROM as a table, Therefore, when the rotational speed corresponding to the set torque is calculated,” [0020]; “Torque setting data for determining the tightening torque is given to the arithmetic processing unit 7” [0029]);
and
change a value of a motive power (“the current corresponding to the set current value”; “the supply of current to the motor 1” [0038]) to be supplied to the motor into a predetermined value (“set current value” [0038]) or less in response to detection of the seating by the seating detector (“When an output indicating the seating of the screw is obtained from the seating detection circuit 14, the current corresponding to the set current value is held for a predetermined short time, and then the supply of current to the motor 1 is stopped . As a result, screw tightening is completed. In this manner, by constantly setting the motor current to be constant,” [0038]).
Referring to claim 2: “JP 1992” discloses the electric tool of claim 1, wherein the motive power includes at least one of electric current (“the current corresponding to the set current value”; “the supply of current to the motor 1” [0038]), voltage, or electric power.
Referring to claim 3: “JP 1992” discloses the electric tool of claim 1, wherein the predetermined value is a value of the motive power at the point in time of the seating (“When an output indicating the seating of the screw is obtained from the seating detection circuit 14, the current corresponding to the set current value is held for a predetermined short time, and then the supply of current to the motor 1 is stopped .” [0038]).
Referring to claim 4: “JP 1992” discloses the electric tool of claim 1, wherein the driving controller (“arithmetic processing unit 7” [0009]) is configured to cut off supply of the motive power to the motor in response to detection of the seating by the seating detector (“When an output indicating the seating of the screw is obtained from the seating detection circuit 14, the current corresponding to the set current value is held for a predetermined short time, and then the supply of current to the motor 1 is stopped.” [0038]).
Referring to claim 5: “JP 1992” discloses the electric tool of claim 1, wherein the transmission mechanism includes a clutch mechanism (“clutch 31” [0002]) configured to switch from a first state where the rotational force is transmitted from the motor to the output shaft to a second state where no rotational force is transmitted from the motor to the output shaft, or vice versa (“the power from the motor is transmitted to the output shaft 36 And controlled by the clutch 31” [0002]; “Now, assuming that the screw is completely tightened and the load torque has reached a predetermined value, at that time the internal gear 33 pushes the ball 34 against the spring 35 and starts to rotate, whereby the deceleration mechanism B idles So that the power transmission from the motor to the output shaft 36 is interrupted and the screw is tightened with a predetermined torque” [0003]; lastly, clutch as defined by Merriam-Webster is: “2a: a coupling used to connect and disconnect a driving and a driven part (such as an engine and a transmission) of a mechanism” and therefore, meet the limitations of the first and second state by “connect and disconnect”.
Referring to claim 6: “JP 1992” discloses the electric tool of claim 5, further comprising: an operating unit (“current control unit 4” [0032]) configured to accept an operating command (“the calculation processing unit 7 gives the constant current control unit 4 a command to set the current value for delaying the rotation of the motor 1.” [0032]; “The constant current control unit 4 creates a PWM signal according to the current setting value given from the arithmetic processing unit 7” [0009]); and a clutch controller (“internal gear 33 pushes the ball 34 against the spring 35 and starts to rotate, whereby the deceleration mechanism B idles So that the power transmission from the motor to the output shaft 36 is interrupted” [0003]) configured to perform, in accordance with the operating command entered through the operating unit (“The constant current control unit 4 creates a PWM signal according to the current setting value given from the arithmetic processing unit 7” [0009]), control of changing a state of the clutch mechanism between the first state and the second state (“the load torque has reached a predetermined value, at that time the internal gear 33 pushes the ball 34 against the spring 35 and starts to rotate, whereby the deceleration mechanism B idles So that the power transmission from the motor to the output shaft 36 is interrupted” [0003]).
Referring to claim 7: “JP 1992” discloses the electric tool of claim 5, wherein the transmission mechanism (“B”, 31, 32, 33, 33a, 34, 35 shown in Fig. 15; [0003]) further includes an inertial body (inertial body of “internal gear 33” [0003]) interposed between the clutch mechanism (“clutch 31” [0002]) and the motor (“motor 1” [0008]) and configured to increase inertial force of the rotational force of the motor (“since the inertia of the rotating part (gear, chuck, motor rotor, etc.) of the electric driver is constant, the impact force is increased” [0024]; “impact force is T, the inertial force is J, and the acceleration is dθ 2 / dt 2 (where θ is the position (angle) of rotation). T = J · dθ 2 / dt 2 Therefore, the greater the inertial force, the greater the impact force, and the greater the speed (the greater the acceleration), the greater the impact force.” [0023]).
Referring to claim 8: “JP 1992” discloses a control method for use in an electric tool (Shown in Fig. 4; “electric power tool” [0002]) configured to fasten a fastening member (56 Figs. 11a-c; “screw” [0003, 0018]) by using a motor (“motor 1” [0008]) as a power source, the control method comprising:
a detection step (14; “The seating detection circuit 14 determines that a screw is seated” [0016]) including detecting seating of the fastening member (56 Figs. 11a-c; “screw” [0003, 0018]);
a first control step including controlling the motor to make a number of revolutions of the motor at a point in time of the seating equal to a predetermined number of revolutions associated with a torque setting (“data obtained by experiment about how many tightening torques are revolved per unit time (for example, rpm) in a ROM as a table, Therefore, when the rotational speed corresponding to the set torque is calculated,” [0020]; “Torque setting data for determining the tightening torque is given to the arithmetic processing unit 7” [0029]); and
a second control step including changing a value of a motive power (“the current corresponding to the set current value”; “the supply of current to the motor 1” [0038]) to be supplied to the motor into a predetermined value (“set current value” [0038]) or less in response to detection of the seating in the detection step (“When an output indicating the seating of the screw is obtained from the seating detection circuit 14, the current corresponding to the set current value is held for a predetermined short time, and then the supply of current to the motor 1 is stopped . As a result, screw tightening is completed. In this manner, by constantly setting the motor current to be constant,” [0038]).
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.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over “JP 1992” JPH04336979A and Lawton U.S. 2013/0112049 A1.
Referring to claim 9: “JP 1992” is silent on specifically a non-transitory storage medium storing thereon a program designed to cause one or more processors to perform the control method of claim 8.
Lawton in an analogous method [0006, 0007] teaches a non-transitory storage medium (“non-transitory computer readable medium” [0007]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of “JP 1992” with the storage medium as taught by Lawton for the purpose of having a storage medium capable of retaining data while the power is removed.
Conclusion
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CHRISTOPHER SOTO
Examiner
Art Unit 3723
/CHRISTOPHER SOTO/Examiner, Art Unit 3723
/MONICA S CARTER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3723