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 .
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 2/29/24, 5/2/24, 1/13/25, and 4/16/25 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being 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 9 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 9 recites the limitation " based on the deviation and the current deviation between the target rotation speed of the motor and the actual rotation speed of the motor," in lines 19-21. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. The claims limitation does not differentiate between what the deviation and the current deviation is, essentially “the deviation” is indefinite because it does not disclose what kind of deviation is occurring. 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) 1-3, and 8-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Okamoto et al. (US 2019/0085762).
Regarding claim 1,
Okamoto discloses (fig. 2A):
A device (Fig. 2A all elements) for controlling a motor (31) which drives, under speed feedback control (¶0076), rotation of a rotary body (32a) with a stopper (37a) that regulates a rotation angle (¶0054) and is configured to limit a current supplied (Fig. 5A, CL0) to the motor when an absolute value of a deviation between a target rotation speed of the motor and an actual rotation speed of the motor remains within a predetermined range (¶0127) for a predetermined time (e.g. the instant rotation velocity reaches predetermined rotation velocity RSL2).
Regarding claim 2,
Okamoto discloses (fig. 2A):
wherein when the absolute value of the deviation between the target rotation speed of the motor and the actual rotation speed of the motor remains within the predetermined range for the predetermined time (¶0127), it is determined that the rotation angle of the rotary body is regulated by the stopper (¶0128).
Regarding claim 3,
Okamoto discloses (fig. 2A):
wherein the current supplied to the motor is limited to a predetermined current limit value (CL1, CL2, CL3, CL4, ¶0127).
Regarding claim 8,
Okamoto discloses (fig. 2A):
wherein when the current supplied to the motor is limited (CL2) and the rotation of the motor is consequently stopped, the current limit value is gradually increased (increased from CL2 to CL3, ¶0119, ¶0123).
Regarding claim 9,
Okamoto discloses (fig. 2A):
wherein when the current supplied to the motor is limited, if the absolute value of the deviation between the target rotation speed of the motor and the actual rotation speed of the motor remains within the predetermined range for the predetermined time (¶0127), whether the rotation angle of the rotary body is regulated by the stopper is determined, based on the deviation and the current deviation between the target rotation speed of the motor and the actual rotation speed of the motor (¶0093), and wherein when it is determined that the rotation angle of the rotary body is not regulated by the stopper, the current limit value is gradually increased (¶0119, ¶0123).
Regarding claim 10,
Okamoto discloses (fig. 2A):
A method for controlling a motor (Fig. 2A all elements), the method comprising causing a device for controlling a motor (31) which drives, under speed feedback control, rotation of a rotary body (32a) with a stopper (37a) that regulates a rotation angle (¶0054) to limit a current supplied to the motor (Fig. 5A, CL0) when an absolute value of a deviation between a target rotation speed of the motor and an actual rotation speed of the motor remains within a predetermined range (¶0127) for a predetermined time (e.g. the instant rotation velocity reaches predetermined rotation velocity RSL2).
Regarding claim 11,
Okamoto discloses (fig. 2A):
wherein when the absolute value of the deviation between the target rotation speed of the motor and the actual rotation speed of the motor remains within the predetermined range for the predetermined time (¶0127), it is determined that the rotation angle of the rotary body is regulated by the stopper (¶0128).
Regarding claim 12,
Okamoto discloses (fig. 2A):
wherein the current supplied to the motor is limited to a predetermined current limit value (CL1, CL2, CL3, CL4, ¶0127).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-7 and 13-15 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Okamoto (US 2018/0058314) – VVT device
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/C.S.L./Examiner, Art Unit 2846 /KAWING CHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2846