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 .
The amendment filed 2 September 2025 has been entered.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Invention I in the reply filed on 2 September 2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the groups of claims identified by the Examiner are not directed to independent or distinct inventions within the meaning of 35 U.S.C. § 121 and MPEP § 802.01. The claims as presented are directed to a single inventive concept and share substantial overlapping features such that examination of all claims would not present an undue burden on the Office.
Upon further review, the restriction by original presentation on 1 July 2025 is withdrawn. The restriction of both the apparatus and method claims is not deemed proper.
The requirement has been fully withdrawn.
Although Applicant would be entitled to a rejoinder of non-elected claims, Applicant has cancelled non-elected claims by amendment. Further, since the requirement has been fully withdrawn, nonstatutory double patenting rejections below are deemed proper.
The numbering of claims is not in accordance with 37 CFR 1.126 which requires the original numbering of the claims to be preserved throughout the prosecution. When claims are canceled, the remaining claims must not be renumbered. When new claims are presented, they must be numbered consecutively beginning with the number next following the highest numbered claims previously presented (whether entered or not). See MPEP § 714 (II)(C).
Misnumbered claims 50-66 filed on 2 September 2025 have been renumbered 57-73.
Claims 50-56 filed on 24 March 2025 should have status identifiers, “Not Entered”. See MPEP § 714 (II)(C) and 37 CFR 1.126.
Claim 1 should be identified as currently amended with underlining of inserted claim limitations on 2 September 2025 that were deleted on 24 March 2025; Claims 2-49 are cancelled.
Double Patenting
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1 and (renumbered) 57-73 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-3 and 5-17 of U.S. Patent No. 11,926,051 (“USPN”). Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because Claim 1 of the current application fits inside (is broader than) Claim 1 of USPN.
Current Application
USPN
1. (Currently Amended) A cable-driven parallel robot (CDPR), comprising:
a first rotor coupled to a first support, the first rotor positioned above a surface;
a second rotor coupled to a second support, the second rotor positioned above the surface;
an effector positioned at a horizontal planar location between the first rotor and the second rotor and at a vertical location above the surface;
a first set of cables coupled to the first rotor at first ends of the first set of the cables and to the effector at second ends of the first set of the cables; and
a second set of cables coupled to the second rotor at first ends of the second set of the cables and to the effector at second ends of the second set of the cables;
wherein the first rotor controls tension to the first set of cables and the second rotor controls tension to the second set of cables for moving the horizontal planar location, and
wherein the first rotor is vertically movable on the first support with the second rotor is vertically movable on the second support for moving the vertical location when the first rotor is vertically moved on the first support synchronous to the second rotor being vertically moved on the second support,_and
wherein the first rotor comprises a winch drum, wherein the winch drum comprises a first set of grooves and a second set of grooves across a portion of length of the winch drum,
wherein the first set of grooves is placed at an opposite orientation from the second set of grooves.
1. (Previously Presented) A cable-driven parallel robot (CDPR), comprising:
a first rotor coupled to a first support, the first rotor positioned above a surface;
a second rotor coupled to a second support, the second rotor positioned above the surface;
an effector positioned at a horizontal planar location between the first rotor and the second rotor and at a vertical location above the surface;
a first set of cables coupled to the first rotor at first ends of the first set of cables and to the effector at second ends of the first set of cables; and
a second set of cables coupled to the second rotor at first ends of the second set of cables and to the effector at second ends of the second set of cables;
wherein the first rotor controls tension to the first set of cables and the second rotor controls tension to the second set of cables for moving the horizontal planar location, and
wherein the first rotor is vertically movable on the first support with the second rotor is vertically movable on the second support for moving the vertical location when the first rotor is vertically moved on the first support synchronous to the second rotor being vertically moved on the second support, and
wherein at least one of the first rotor comprises a winch drum,
wherein the winch drum comprises a first set of grooves and a second set of grooves across a portion of length of the winch drum,
wherein the first set of grooves is placed at an opposite orientation from the second set of grooves,
and wherein the winch drum is configured to coil at least one cable of the first set of cables or the second set of cables using the first set of grooves and at least another cable of one of the first set of cables or the second set of cables using the second set of grooves.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see p. 8, filed 2 September 2025, with respect to the objection and 102 rejection have been fully considered and are persuasive. The objection and 102 rejection of the previous Office action have been withdrawn.
The double patenting rejection has been modified above due to amendment.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Gerald McClain whose telephone number is (571)272-7803. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and at gerald.mcclain@uspto.gov (see MPEP 502.03 (II)).
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Saul Rodriguez can be reached at (571) 272-7097. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Gerald McClain/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3652