DETAILED ACTION
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 3/25/2024 and 5/22/2024 were considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 14 was amended to depend on claim 1 but recites “the second field coil and the second receiving coil arrangement” which were not established until claim 6. Therefore, it is unclear if the claim was intended to depend on claim 1 and a new antecedent basis should be established, or if the claim should be amended to depend on claim 6. Claim 14 recites similar subject matter as claim 15 which is objected for allowable subject matter and depends on claim 6. At the time of examination, no art was identified which reads on claim 14 in combination with all limitations of claim 1.
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) 1-2, 4-5, and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2010/0141245 (Lee).
Regarding claim 1, Lee teaches an inductive position measuring system (see Figs. 24-27), comprising:
a flexible substrate having a first field coil and a first receiving coil arrangement, the first field coil and the first receiving coil arrangement each running along in a straight line on the flexible substrate (a coil assembly 280 is formed on a flexible substrate and comprises a first field coil shown connected to a voltage source and receiving coils connected to electronic unit 282 which run along a straight line on the flexible substrate; see Fig. 24; see [0118]); and
a metallic target that is arranged at a distance from the flexible substrate and configured to provide an inductive coupling between the first field coil and the first receiving coil arrangement, wherein an actual position of the metallic target being determinable based on inductive coupling (a coupling element has a gap with the substrate and the position of a coupling element is determined based on inductive coupling, wherein the coupling element is usually made of a conductive material such as a copper plate; see Figs. 24-27; see [0007], [0042], [0046]),
wherein the metallic target is attached to a moving component that moves relative to the flexible substrate, the moving component together with the metallic target being able to be deflected along a first coordinate line on a curved path (a coupler element is mechanically coupled to a part and determines movement of the part, and moves rotates along a central axis X; see Figs. 24-27; see [0118]),
wherein the flexible substrate is curved (see Figs. 24-27), and
wherein the first field coil running in the straight line and the first receiving coil arrangement running in the straight line are curved based on a curvature of the flexible substrate and extend parallel to the first coordinate line (see Figs. 24-27).
Regarding claim 2, Lee further teaches wherein the first field coil running in the straight line and the first receiving coil arrangement running in the straight line each extend along a movement trajectory of the metallic target when the metallic target moves along the first coordinate line (the coupling element rotates about the central axis X in the same direction of the field coil and receiving coil; see Figs. 24-27).
Regarding claim 4, Lee teaches wherein the first coordinate line is a curved polar coordinate line such that the metallic target moves on a circular path segment while deflected along the first coordinate line (the coupling element rotates about the central axis X which would reasonably be understood to be a curved polar coordinate line; see Figs. 24-27; see [0118]).
Regarding claim 5, Lee teaches wherein the metallic target is dimensioned such that an extent of the metallic target surrounds at least portions of the first field coil and the first receiving coil arrangement in a plan view when the metallic target moves along the first coordinate line (a coupler element would be understood to surround portions of the field coils as illustrated by coupler element 18 in Fig. 1A, coupler element 28 in Fig. 2A, coupler element 88 in Fig. 8A,and ferromagnetic material 286 of Fig. 25; see [0122]).
Regarding claim 12, Lee teaches wherein the metallic target is in the form of a metal plate or in the form of a metallization arranged on a carrier substrate (the coupler element may comprise a metal plate; see [0007]).
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) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2010/0141245 (Lee).
Regarding claim 3, Lee fails to explicitly teach wherein the curvature of the flexible substrate substantially corresponds to a curvature of the curved path on which the metallic target moves such that the metallic target moves with a substantially constant air gap relative to the first field coil and the first receiving coil arrangement. Lee teaches wherein a coupling element is a curved plate rotating about a central axis (see [0118]), and one of ordinary skill in the art would understand the gap would move “with a substantially constant air gap relative to the first field coil and the first receiving coil arrangement as claimed. While Lee teaches wherein the system can correct for any variation in the gap between the coupler element and the plane on which the exciter and receiving coils are wound, which leads to a variation of the receiving coil, one of ordinary skill in the art would reasonably understand the gap would be substantially constant and any variations would arise due to manufacturing variations, for example variations in part separations (see [0005], [0014]), and any variations in gap are corrected to improve accuracy of the measurement.
Claim(s) 6, 9-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2010/0141245 (Lee) in view of US 2023/0152075 (Pichler).
Regarding claim 6, Lee fails to explicitly teach further comprising: a second field coil and a second receiving coil arrangement, the second field coil and the second receiving coil arrangement each running in a second straight line, wherein the moving component together with the metallic target is able to be deflected along a second coordinate line on a second curved path, and wherein the second field coil running in the second straight line and the second receiving coil arrangement running in the second straight line are each curved and extend along the second coordinate line.
Pichler teaches a second field coil and a second receiving coil arrangement, the second field coil and the second receiving coil arrangement each running in a second straight line, wherein the moving component together with the metallic target is able to be deflected along a second coordinate line on a second curved path, and wherein the second field coil running in the second straight line and the second receiving coil arrangement running in the second straight line are each curved and extend along the second coordinate line (at least two inductive position sensors are arranged to detect a position of a moving conductive target 2 which rotates around a rotating shaft; see Fig. 6; see [0068]-[0069]).
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 features of Pichler into Lee in order to gain the advantage of a high-resolution position sensor comprising two inductive position sensors to determine a position using a Nonius scale.
Regarding claims 9-11, Lee and Pichler fail to explicitly teach wherein the metallic target is dimensioned such that an extent of the metallic target surrounds at least portions of the second field coil and the second receiving coil arrangement in a plan view when the metallic target moves along the second coordinate line; and wherein the metallic target is dimensioned such that an extent of the metallic target surrounds at least portions of both the first field coil and first receiving coil arrangement and the second field coil and second receiving coil arrangement in a plan view when the metallic target moves along the first coordinate line and the second coordinate line, respectively; and wherein the metallic target is dimensioned such that an extent of the metallic target surrounds at least portions of the first field coil and the first receiving coil arrangement in a plan view even if the metallic target moves as far as a predetermined deflection along the second coordinate line, or wherein the metallic target is dimensioned such that an extent of the metallic target surrounds at least portions of the second field coil and the second receiving coil arrangement in a plan view even if the metallic target moves as far as a predetermined deflection along the first coordinate line.
However, the limitations as claimed would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art in order to determine a position of a conductive target 2 using at least two inductive position sensors as shown in Fig. 6 of Pichler in order for the inductive position sensors to be operable as a Nonius scale to determine a position of the target.
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2010/0141245 (Lee) in view of US 2014/0132253 (Bertin).
Regarding claim 13, Lee fails to teach wherein the metallic target is in the form of a geometric hollow body.
Bertin teaches wherein the metallic target is in the form of a geometric hollow body (a target may be a hollow or closed loop target; see Fig. 4C; see [0045]).
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 features of Bertin into Lee as both solid and hollow targets are known in the art as targets for inductive sensors and substituting one known element for another provides an alternative arrangement for achieving the same result in a predictable manner without providing any new or unexpected results or requiring any undue experimentation. See MPEP 2143 I.(B).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-8 and 15 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:
Regarding claim 7, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest an inductive position measuring system wherein the first coordinate line and the second coordinate line run at right angles to one another such that the first field coil and the first receiving coil arrangement are arranged at right angles to the second field coil and the second receiving coil arrangement, in combination with all other limitations of claims 1 and 6. It would not be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the first field coil and first receiving coil arrangement Lee to include a second field coil and a second receiving coil arrangement as recited in claim 6 such that that the first coordinate line and the second coordinate line are arranged at right angles. A direction along a right angle of the coil arrangement of Lee would align along the radial direction or the central axis X and it would not be obvious to arrange such a coil in combination “with the limitations wherein the moving component together with the metallic target is able to be deflected along a second coordinate line on a second curved path, and wherein the second field coil running in the second straight line and the second receiving coil arrangement running in the second straight line are each curved and extend along the second coordinate line” as recited in claim 6.
Regarding claim 8, the prior art of record fails to teach an inductive position measuring system wherein the moving component together with the metallic target is able to be deflected both along the first coordinate line and along the second coordinate line on respective curved paths such that the metallic target carries out a pivoting movement in two degrees of freedom with a resultant movement space of the metallic target being spherical-segment-shaped. Lee teaches wherein a sensor is able to detect a position of a target able to move with one degree of freedom. It would not be obvious to modify Lee for movement in two degrees of freedom in combination with all other limitations of claim 6 for similar reasons as outlined above for claim 7.
Regarding claim 15, wherein the metallic target is of a multipiece design, wherein in an undeflected resting position of the metallic target: a first target portion is positioned across from an intersection point at which the first field coil and the first receiving coil arrangement cross the second field coil and the second receiving coil arrangement, second target portion is positioned on a diagonal running through the intersection point and through the first target portion, and a third target portion is positioned on the diagonal, but, viewed from the first target portion, is arranged across from the second target portion, in combination with claims 1 and 6. It would not be obvious to modify Lee to have “an intersection point at which the first field coil and the first receiving coil arrangement cross the second field coil and the second receiving coil arrangement” in combination with all other limitations of claim 6 as outlined above for claim 7.
Claim 14, if amended to depend on claim 6, would be objected to for allowable subject matter for similar reasons as claims 7 and 15.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN LEE YENINAS whose telephone number is (571)270-0372. The examiner can normally be reached M - F 10 - 6.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Judy Nguyen can be reached at (571) 272-2258. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/STEVEN L YENINAS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858