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 .
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.
(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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by the Admitted Prior Art as shown in Figs. 1-2 (hereinafter APA). APA discloses A magnetic transport line driving system, configured for driving an actuating mechanism of a magnetic transport line according to an instruction, the actuating mechanism comprising multiple motor stators and at least one motor mover, wherein the magnetic transport line driving system comprises: a motion control unit, multiple position sensing units, a motor control unit, and multiple motor driving units.
Claims 1, 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Itoh (US 5973459). Itoh discloses a magnetic transport line driving system, configured for driving an actuating mechanism of a magnetic transport line according to an instruction, the actuating mechanism comprising multiple motor stators and at least one motor mover, wherein the magnetic transport line driving system (Col. 1, lines 18-30) comprises: a motion control unit, configured for generating a driving instruction according to the instruction; multiple position sensing units (Col. 1, lines 32-35), of which the number corresponds to that of motor stators, configured for detecting quantity information and position information of motor movers; a motor control unit (Col. 1, lines 46-, configured for calculating quantity information and address information of effective shafts according to the driving instruction, the quantity information and position information of the motor movers, generating a motor stator selection instruction for selecting a specified motor stator, and generating an inversion setting instruction for generating a specified driving current (Col. 4, line 11-45); and multiple motor driving units, of which the number corresponds to that of the motor stators, configured for generating and providing a driving current to the corresponding motor stator according to the motor stator selection instruction and the inversion setting instruction.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 2-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over by Itoh (US 5973459) in view of Sun (US 2006/0100723). Itoh discloses a magnetic transport line driving system with motion control unit, multiple position sensing units, the motor control unit and the multiple motor driving unit as explained supra. Sun discloses a communication and a waveform generation module, configured for generating an inversion control waveform according to the inversion setting instruction; and a power driving inversion module (214) (see [0089]). Since the prior art references art from the same field of endeavor, the purpose disclosed by Sun would have been recognized in the pertinent art of Itoh. Therefore, it would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to provide the device of Itoh with the wave generator as taught by Sun.
Regarding claim 2, Sun discloses a driving communication module, configured for transmitting data between the motor driving unit and the outside; generating and providing driving current for the specified motor stator according to the inversion control waveform (See [0089]).
Regarding claim 3, Sun discloses a collection module, configured for collecting current information, voltage information, and temperature information of each phase in the motor stator, and feedback to the motor control unit (See [0024] [0054]).
Regarding claim 4, Itoh discloses a means for fault processing module, which determines whether there is a fault that affects the operation of the magnetic transport line based on speed information and position information of the motor mover, wherein current information of each phase of the motor stator in the magnetic transport line, and outputting a shutdown instruction to the power driving inversion module when the fault occurs (See Col. 1, line 30 – Col. 2, line 59).
Regarding claim 5, Itoh discloses a means for communication module, configured for transmitting data between the motor control unit and the motor driving unit, and/or the position sensing unit; a second communication module, configured for transmitting data between the motor control unit and the motion control unit; an effective shaft management module, configured for calculating the quantity information and address information of the effective shafts according to the quantity information and position information of the motor movers, and generating the motor stator selection instruction; and at least one motor computing module (See (See Col. 1, line 30 – Col. 2, line 59). Sun discloses configured for generating and outputting the inversion setting instruction to the motor driving unit according to the driving instruction, the motor stator selection instruction, and the current information of each phase in the motor stator (See [0089]).
Regarding claims 6-7, claimed particular function of the motor control unit and motion control , it would have been considered to be an obvious choice of mechanical design because one skilled in this art is familiar with basic control knowledge and normally has the laboratory test facilities. To optimize or select the suitable modules in the assembly would be within the ability of ordinary skill in this art.
Regarding claim 8, the magnetic transport line driving system comprises multiple loops which formed by connecting multiple position sensing units in series in parallel, and multiple loops] [ which formed by connecting multiple motor driving units in series in] parallel (See [0018] [0024] [0074]).
Regarding claim 9, the provision of the swapping control unit, configured for transmitting data between the motor control unit and the position sensing unit, and/or the motor driving unit on each loop according to the motor stator selection instruction, it is considered as a mean for communicating data between the modules. Thus, one skilled in this art is familiar with basic control knowledge and normally has the laboratory test facilities. To optimize or select the suitable modules functions would be within the ability of ordinary skill in this art.
Regarding claim 10, the APA and Itoh (US 5973459)discloses a magnetic transport line, comprises an actuating mechanism, which includes multiple motor stators and at least one motor mover, wherein the magnetic transport line further comprises a magnetic transport line driving system as explained supra.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-13 are allowed.
Regarding claim 11-13, the reasons for the allowance of the claims is that the method for a magnetic transport line driving system which is controlled based on the effective shaft, effective shaft address calculation step, calculating quantity information and address information of effective shafts according to the quantity information and position information of the motor mover; motor stator selection step, generating a motor stator selection instruction according to the address information of the effective shaft; control loop calculation step, calculating the position loop, the speed loop, and the current loop, respectively, based on the position information of the motor mover, current information of each phase of the motor stator is not taught nor rendered obvious over the prior art references.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN KWON whose telephone number is (571)272-4846. The examiner can normally be reached M-F; 9A-5P. EST.
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/JOHN KWON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747 April 18, 2026
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