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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on Sept. 6, 2024 has been 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.
Claims 8 and 18 recites the limitation "the distal arm". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claims.
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) !!! is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Harris et al. (US 2012/0190981).
Harris discloses and shows an interface for a robotic arm comprising:
a body (215, see Figs. 3A,3B) having a first axial face adapted to be connected to a distal face of a link of a robotic arm (1), a second axial face adapted to be connected to a proximal face of an end effector (3), the second axial face having a geometry differing from a geometry of the proximal face of the end effector so as to define a peripheral band in the second axial face, the peripheral band facing distally;
a connection configuration for the interface to be fixed to the link and for the end effector to be fixed to the interface;
circuitry embedded in the body (not labeled); and
at least one light source (62) in the peripheral band, the at least one light source connected to the circuitry to produce light in a distal direction of the robotic arm.
Cl. 5 – at least one lens of a vision system (61) in the peripheral band, the at least one lens capturing images in a distal direction of the robotic arm.
Cl. 8 – Harris discloses and shows a robot comprising: a robotic arm (1); an interface according to claim 1, the interface being between the distal arm and an end effector.
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.
Claims 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Harris et al. as applied to claim 8.
Harris discloses and shows the invention of claim 8 as described elsewhere above. The embodiment described by Harris does not include a non-powered or non-electrically connected end effector. However, Harris, at paragraph 0039, mentions “Various tools … may be attached to the robot arm…”. As such, it is within the realm of possibility for Harris to have an end effector that is either non-powered and the interface is non-electrically connected to the end effector.
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 Harris robot such that the end effector is non-powered and the interface is non-electrically connected to the end effector.
Claim 6 is are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Harris et al. as applied to claim 1, in view of Kajkut et al. (CN 105640647).
Harris discloses and shows the invention of claim 8 as described elsewhere above. Harris does not specify an electric insulation within the body. Kajkut discloses an interface for a robotic arm that includes electric insulation in the body so it can simply and reliably supply electrical energy to the end effector (page 6, paragraphs 8-9 of English translation).
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 Harris interface to include electric insulation so as to simply and reliably supply electrical energy to the end effector as taught by Kajkut.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4 and 7 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.
Claims 11-17, 19 and 20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art lacks an interface for a robot arm and end effector having a peripheral band extending at least 270 degrees and having a circumferential surface having at least one light source within the circumferential surface.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BOBBY RUSHING, JR whose telephone number is (571)270-0501. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8AM-5PM EST.
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/BOBBY RUSHING, JR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3618