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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In the Abstract and paragraphs [0007,0012,0016, 0076,0077,0079,0080,0081,0087,0094] “normalisation” should be “normalization”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 7,10, and 15 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1: In lines 10-11, “normalisation” should be “normalization”.
Claim 7: In line 1, “normalisation” should be “normalization”.
Claim 10: In line 1, “normalisation” should be “normalization”.
Claim 15: In line 1, “normalisation” should be “normalization”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-4, and 11-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Stone (EP 3106270).
Claim 1: Stone provides an automated clamp ([0004], Fig. 1-15) [for clamping a rib web to a rib post or rib foot of an aircraft wing box], the clamp (100, Fig. 7) comprising: a clamp frame (110) having a first arm (121) and a second arm (122) extending from the base of the clamp frame (Fig. 7), wherein the second arm is moveable towards and away from the first arm (Fig. 7); a robot end effector connector (112) coupled to the clamp frame (Fig. 7); clamp jaws including a first jaw (141) fixed at a distal end of the first arm (121), and a second jaw (142) fixed at a distal end of the second arm (122), the clamp jaws [configured to clamp a rib web to a rib post or clamp a rib web to a rib foot]; wherein the first jaw and/or second jaw comprises a contact normalisation system, the contact normalisation system comprising: a jaw body (160, Fig. 7,10) fixed relative to the respective arm, and a nose-piece (130) rotatably coupled to the jaw body (Fig. 10) and [configured to contact a surface of one of the rib web, rib post and rib foot,] wherein the nose-piece (130) is configured to passively rotate relative to the jaw body (160) upon contact with the surface (Fig. 3,10,12).
The limitations in brackets recited in claim 1 have been treated as merely the intended use of the claimed apparatus. The apparatus of Stone is capable of performing the recited intended use and therefore meets the limitations of the claims.
Claim 2: Stone provides the jaw body (160) and nose-piece (130) are rotatably coupled at a bearing surface (Fig. 10).
Claim 3: Stone provides the bearing surface is formed between a spherical end surface of the jaw body (160) and a spherical end surface of the nose-piece (130,Fig. 10).
Claim 4: Stone provides the nose-piece (130) comprises a planar end surface surrounded circumferentially by the spherical end surface of the nose-piece (Fig.10).
Claim 11: Stone provides a vision system, the vision system having one or more imaging devices ([0004]; abstract) [for detecting a datum of the rib web, rib post, or rib foot].
The limitations in brackets recited in claim 11 have been treated as merely the intended use of the claimed apparatus. The apparatus of Stone is capable of performing the recited intended use and therefore meets the limitations of the claims.
Claim 12: Stone provides the vision system (40, Fig. 1) includes a first imaging device fixed to the first arm and having a line of sight oriented at an acute angle to a longitudinal axis of the clamp jaws (Fig.1, [0009]) and/or the vision system has a second imaging device fixed to the second arm and having a line of sight oriented at an acute angle to a longitudinal axis of the clamp jaws.
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(s) 5-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Stone (EP 3106270) in view of Rueb et al. (US 2018/0283842).
Claim 5: Stone fails to explicitly disclose the nose-piece is rotatable about two axes perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the jaw body.
However, Rueb et al. teaches a tactile body (9) rotatable about two axes perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the main body (8; [0008;0037-0038]; Fig. 1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the nose-piece provided by Stone to be rotatable about two axes as taught by Rueb et al. in order to accurately connect to a measured object (Rueb et al. [0037-0038]).
Claim 6: Rueb et al. teaches the clamp jaws comprise two or more flexible elements configured to bias the nose-piece towards the jaw body ([0014]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the nose-piece provided by Stone to include the two or more flexible elements teaching as taught by Rueb et al. in order to accurately connect to a measured object.
Claims 7 and 8: Rueb et al. teaches a processing unit and one or more contact sensors configured to send a signal to the processing unit indicative of an angular rotation (claim 7) and the contact sensors are fixed to the jaw body, the contact sensors arranged to contact the nose-piece and send a signal to the processing unit indicative of an angular rotation of the nose-piece relative to the jaw body (claim 8) ([0006-0019]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the nose-piece provided by Stone to include the angular rotation/contact sensors teaching as taught by Rueb et al. in order to accurately connect to a measured object.
Claim 9: Rueb et al. teaches the one or more contact sensors are each housed within the jaw body (Fig. 1,2A).
Claim 10: Rueb et al. teaches the contact normalisation system comprises two or more of the contact sensors fixed to the jaw body, and preferably three or more contact sensors (Fig. 2A).
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Stone (EP 3106270) in view of Jackson (GB 2590653).
Claim 13: Stone fails to explicitly disclose the first and/or second jaw has a tool module docking aperture for receiving a tool module, the tool module docking aperture arranged to provide access to the rib web and rib post or rib foot clamped between the clamp jaws.
However, Jackson teaches the first and/or second jaw has a tool module docking aperture (28a, Fig. 6) for receiving a tool module, the tool module docking aperture arranged to provide access ([0050]) to the rib web and rib post or rib foot clamped between the clamp jaws.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the first and/or second jaw provided by Stone to include a tool module docking aperture as taught by Jackson in order to provide an unobstructed path for tooling (Jackson [0050]).
Claim(s) 14-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jackson (GB 2590653) in view of Stone (EP 3106270).
Claim 14: Jackson provides a method of automatically clamping components of an aircraft assembly together using the automated clamp, the method comprising: positioning the clamp into contact with a surface of the aircraft assembly (Fig. 2, [0034-0039]) but fails to disclose the clamp of claim 1 and such that the nose-piece rotates until a longitudinal axis of the nose-piece aligns with a normal vector of the surface; and rotating the jaw body relative to the nose-piece to align a longitudinal axis of the jaw body to the longitudinal axis of the nose-piece and the normal vector of the surface.
Stone teaches an automated clamp ([0004], Fig. 1-15) the clamp (100, Fig. 7) comprising: a clamp frame (110) having a first arm (121) and a second arm (122) extending from the base of the clamp frame (Fig. 7), wherein the second arm is moveable towards and away from the first arm (Fig. 7); a robot end effector connector (112) coupled to the clamp frame (Fig. 7); clamp jaws including a first jaw (141) fixed at a distal end of the first arm (121), and a second jaw (142) fixed at a distal end of the second arm (122), the clamp jaws [configured to clamp a rib web to a rib post or clamp a rib web to a rib foot]; wherein the first jaw and/or second jaw comprises a contact normalisation system, the contact normalisation system comprising: a jaw body (160, Fig. 7,10) fixed relative to the respective arm, and a nose-piece (130) rotatably coupled to the jaw body (Fig. 10) and wherein the nose-piece (130) is configured to passively rotate relative to the jaw body (160) upon contact with the surface (Fig. 3,10,12); such that the nose-piece (130) rotates until a longitudinal axis of the nose-piece aligns with a normal vector of the surface (Fig. 3,12); and rotating the jaw body relative to the nose-piece to align a longitudinal axis of the jaw body to the longitudinal axis of the nose-piece and the normal vector of the surface (Fig. 3, 12).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method provided by Jackson to include the teaching of Stone in order to align elements of a robotic tool to optimize the processes.
Claim 15: Stone teaches the contact normalisation system comprises a processing unit, and the method further comprising: sending a signal to the processing unit indicative of an angular rotation of the nose-piece relative to the jaw body to determine an angle of rotation; and rotating the jaw body relative to the nose-piece in accordance with the determined angle of rotation ([0009-0013])
Claim 16: Stone teaches the automated clamp further comprises a vision system, and the method further comprising: moving the first jaw a predetermined distance away from the aircraft assembly; calibrating the vision system relative to the aircraft assembly based on the predetermined distance; and identifying a datum on the aircraft assembly with the vision system ([0009-0013]).
Claim 17: Stone teaches moving the second arm (122) towards the first arm (121) to clamp the aircraft assembly between the clamp jaws (Fig. 7, Fig. 3).
Claim 18: Jackson provides the first and/or second jaw has a tool module docking aperture (28a; Fig. 6), and the method further comprising: inserting a drilling tool module into the tool module docking aperture and drilling a hole through the clamped aircraft assembly; removing the drilling tool module from the tool module docking aperture; inserting a fastening tool module into the tool module docking aperture to fasten the aircraft assembly; and moving the second arm away from the first arm to unclamp the aircraft assembly (see claim 13).
Claim 19: Jackson provides the aircraft assembly comprises a rib web and a rib post of an aircraft wing box or a rib web and a rib foot of an aircraft wing box (Fig. 2).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Amanda J Kreiling whose telephone number is (571)272-6091. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 EST.
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/Amanda Kreiling/Examiner, Art Unit 3726 2/18/26
/JASON L VAUGHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3726