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 .
Response to Arguments
1. Applicant's arguments filed on 04/30/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding claim 1, Applicant argued that Yoon does not discloses
wherein the first and second signals comprise respective opposite-polarity portions of an alternating current (AC) signal. Examiner respectively disagrees with the argument.
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Yoon discloses a signal generator 604 configured to generate different AC waveforms (see the attached figure 6 above), wherein each AC waveform includes the first and second signals comprise respective opposite-polarity portions ( the AC signals, shown in the attached figure 6, includes opposite polarity signals such as a positive signal portion P and a negative signal portion N).
Applicant further argued that Yoon does not disclose a processor circuit configured to receive a clutch force indication. Examiner respectively disagrees with applicant’s argument.
Yoon discloses a processor (a MCU 602) configured to receive a clutch force indication (an amount of clutch force applied to the electrodes depends on a displacement (overlapping) between the first and second electrodes, less overlapping between the electrodes, there are more clutch electrostatic force applied, Thus the processor 602 receives a clutch force indication based on an amount of displacement between the electrodes that is sensed by a displacement sensor 302, indicating see par. 0032).
Noting that “clutch force indication is provided, by a displacement sensor, based on the displacement between the electrodes (see claim 2).
Therefore, applicant’s arguments do not distinguish over the Yoon reference.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
2. Claims 1, 2, 5-7, 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Yoon et al (USPN 2020/0081532).
Regarding claim 1, Yoon discloses an electro-adhesive device (300 shown in figure 3, also figures 6-8) comprising:
a first electrode assembly (first electrodes 302) comprising a first conductive portion (314) that is at least partially covered by a first insulator (the dielectric layer 316 at least partially coated on a surface of the conductive portion 314, see par. 0031);
a second electrode assembly (306) comprising a second conductive portion (314) that is at least partially covered by a second insulator (316) (see figure 3, par. 0031);
an electrical signal generator (a waveform generator 604 of a controller 318, see par. 0040) configured to provide first and second signals to the first and second conductive portions (314) of the electrode assemblies (302, 306), respectively, wherein the first and second signals comprise respective opposite- polarity portions of an alternating current (AC) signal (such as the waveform generator 604 provides a sinusoidal signals to the conductive portions 314 of the electrodes 302, 306, see par. 0042, 0051); and
a processor circuit (such as a processor 602 of the controller 318, see par. 0040) configured to receive a clutch force indication (a clutch force indication is related to a motion of the first and second electrode assemblies which is detected by a displacement sensor 320, see par. 0032) and, in response, control the electrical signal generator (604) to change a characteristic of the AC signal based
on the clutch force indication (such as adjusting the AC control signal, see par. 0032, 0069);
wherein the first and second electrode assemblies (302, 306) are at least partially overlapping and configured to slide relative to each other at their respective surfaces that comprise the first and second insulators (316) (see figure 3).
Regarding claim 2, Yoon discloses a displacement sensor (such as a displacement sensor 320, see figure 3) configured to provide the clutch force indication (such as a displacement between electrodes) based on information about a relative displacement of the first and second electrode assemblies (see par. 0032).
Regarding claim 5, Yoon discloses wherein the processor circuit (602) is configured to control the electrical signal generator (604) to change a magnitude characteristic of the AC signal based on the clutch force indication (e.g. see par. 0032, 0069).
Regarding claim 6, Yoon discloses wherein the processor circuit (602) is configured to control the electrical signal generator (604) to change a frequency characteristic of the AC signal based on the clutch force indication (see par. 0032, 0069).
Regarding claim 7, Yoon discloses wherein the processor circuit (602) is configured to control the electrical signal generator (604) to change a duty cycle characteristic of the AC signal (such as by adjusting an amplitude of the AC control signal of the generator 604) based on the clutch force indication (see par. 0032, 0051).
Regarding claim 9, Yoon discloses wherein the electrical signal generator (604) is configured to generate the AC signal as a pulse-width modulated signal with a duty cycle of about 50% (see par. 0042, and waveforms in figure 6).
3. Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoon et al (USPN 2020/0081532) in view of Collins et al (USPN 5315473).
Regarding claim 8, Yoon discloses the AC signal has a frequency, but does not explicitly disclose the frequency as claimed.
Collins discloses an electrostatic device comprises a signal generator device configured to generate an AC signal has a frequency of at least about 10 Hz and less than about 50 Hz (see col. 6, lines 10-13, lines 42-44).
It 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 to have modified the AC signal of Yoon to incorporate an AC signal frequency as disclosed by Collins in order to facilitate electrostatic force without vibration and free clamping force decay.
Allowable Subject Matter
4. Claims 12-20 are allowed over prior art of record.
The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance:
The prior art of record neither anticipates nor renders obvious the claimed subject matter of the instant application as a whole either taken alone or in combination, in particular, prior art of record does not teach:
A system comprising: a motion sensor configured to identify motion of a wearer of the wearable garment; and a processor circuit configured to determine a clutch indication based on information from the motion sensor and, in response, control the clutch device of the wearable garment to couple or release the first and second portions of the garment as recited in claim 12.
A wearable device comprising: the clutch device including the first conductive portion is coupled to the first portion of the garment, and the second conductive portion is coupled to the second portion of the garment, and the first and second conductive portions of the clutch device are at least partially overlapping at respective surfaces that comprise the first and second insulators; and a processor circuit configured to determine a clutch indication based on oscillatory motion information from the accelerometer and, in response, control the clutch device to couple or release the first and second portions of the garment as recited in claim 19.
5. Claims 3-4, 10, 11 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.
Conclusion
6. THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
7. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANNY NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2054. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00AM-4:30PM.
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, Monica Lewis can be reached at 571-271-1838. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANNY NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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