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 filed 4/5/2024 fails to comply with 37 CFR 1.98(a)(3)(i) because it does not include a concise explanation of the relevance, as it is presently understood by the individual designated in 37 CFR 1.56(c) most knowledgeable about the content of the information, of each reference listed that is not in the English language. It has been placed in the application file, but the information referred to therein has not been considered.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the power control module must be shown, including a reference number, or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because of the implied language in the first sentence “The present disclosure provides” and the language expressing benefits in the last sentence “so that the surgical robot can work safely and reliably”. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Response to Amendment
The examiner notes the submission of a preliminary amendment at the time of filing the instant application 4/5/2024. The examiner has examined the amended claims.
Claim Objections
Per 37 CFR 1.75 (i) please paragraph (further indent) the following claims 2 & 3.
Claims 2 & 3 objected to because of the following informalities: each claim has the grammatically awkward phrases “to that a” and “to that the”, these should be changed to eliminate “that”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
(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.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by Steinberg (US2016/0067006).
A power supply control method for a surgical robot (Abstract), wherein the surgical robot comprises a power control module for outputting power (¶0449, ¶0450, ¶0805 “a multi-functional controller 253 which includes a plurality of electric power sockets 254”, ¶0806 “Multifunctional controller 253 typically receives electric control and power inputs from the operator”, ¶0885), and the control method comprises:
reading starting time sequence information of corresponding electrical devices of the surgical robot (¶0175 to ¶0181 “time starting operation”, ¶0200, ¶1081 to ¶1088 “real time starting operation plan…sequence of coordinated movements…in response to inputs supplied thereto by a controller”);
controlling the power control module to supply power to the electrical devices, according to the starting time sequence information (¶0198 to ¶0202 “….sequence is derived from the final real time starting operation plan…”, ¶1088 “final real time starting operation plan as modified interactively in real time by the surgeon, a desired sequence of coordinated movements”, ¶1104).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
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 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al (US9837853) in view Zhang et al (US2023/0376436).
A power supply protection circuit (fig. 1 & col. 2 ll 28-36) for a surgical robot, comprising a main power supply module (10), a backup power supply module (11) and at least one selection circuit (20), wherein,
the main power supply module and the backup power supply module are located at an input end (fig. 2) of the selection circuit and are respectively configured to provide main power and backup power to the selection circuit (col. 8 ll 24-26); and
the selection circuit is configured to determine one of the main power supply module and the backup power supply module (fig. 3) as power inputted according to input voltages detected (“voltage regulating circuit” & “voltage converting circuit” in for example fig. 3) from the main power supply module and the backup power supply module (“voltage regulating circuit” & “voltage converting circuit” in for example fig. 3), and output power to supply power to the surgical robot.
Chen does not disclose that the power supply protection circuit is usable with a surgical robot.
Zhang discloses power supply control (¶0019 1st sentence) with a power selection circuit (¶0027 1st sentence, ¶0039 1st sentence) usable with a surgical robot (¶0076 last few lines “an intelligent robot” & “medical surgery”). At the time the invention was made to one of ordinary skill in this art, it would have been well known to utilize the power control device of Chen with a surgical robot as disclosed by Zhang. One motivation for this improvement to Zhang would be to provide an all-important reliable backup power for a robot performing surgery on a human. This art combination follows the KSR case law for obviousness rationale C; use of a known technique to improve similar devices (methods, or products) in the same way.
Claim 2 Chen discloses the power supply protection circuit according to claim 1, wherein the selection circuit is configured to: select the main power supply module as the power inputted in response to that a first input voltage (“main power supply of 12VDC”) corresponding to the main power supply module is not less than a second input voltage (“backup power supply of 9VDC”) corresponding to the backup power supply module; and select the backup power supply module as the power inputted in response to that the first input voltage is less than the second input voltage (col. 3 ll 16-20, col. 4 ll 23-27, col. 7 41-52).
Claim 3 Chen discloses the power supply protection circuit according to claim 2, wherein the backup power supply module is configured to: output power to the selection circuit in response to that the backup power supply module is used as the power inputted (in various figures “backup power supply” is shown as a supply to “selection circuit”), and store power in response to that the main power supply module is used as the power inputted (col. 7 ll 38-40, col. 16 ll 25-26).
Claim 4 Zhang discloses a power supply protection circuit for the surgical robot according to claim 3, wherein the power supply protection circuit comprises at least two selection circuits (“selection circuit (SW1)” & “selection circuit (SW2)”) with different output voltages (fig. 3 for example SW1 & SW2 will see different voltages).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5 and 7 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Michael C Zarroli whose telephone number is (571)272-2101. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9-5 ET IFP.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ramon Mercado can be reached at 5712705744. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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MICHAEL C. ZARROLI
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3658B
/MICHAEL C ZARROLI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3658 /M.C.Z/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3658.