DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nagasaka et al. (“Nagasaka”) (International Application Publication No. WO2020/136705; citations are to the figures and the English machine translation of the disclosure).
Regarding claim 1, Nagasaka discloses an optical communication device comprising: an optical receiving device configured to execute optical communication using an optical signal (fig. 3 elements 81 and 82 and lines 183-191); a detection device configured to detect an error of data in received data received by the optical receiving device, and a determination device configured to determine an increase in the number of times of detection of the error detected in the detection device based on a number of times of detection of the error within a predetermined time, and make a notification of notification information related to a communication abnormality based on the determination that the number of times of detection has been increased (fig. 3 element 85 and 45 and lines 335-359 and figs. 4/5 and lines 386-396, where setting BIT6 for errors exceeded reads on making notification of communication abnormality based on the error detection increase; further, the basis of 3 or more consecutive errors in the multiplex communication reads on a number of times of detection of error within the time for 3 blocks, where each frame is 8 nsec).
Regarding claim 2, Nagasaka disclose the optical communication device according to Claim 1, wherein the determination device determines whether the number of times of detection performed in the detection device within the predetermined time is equal to or greater than a threshold number, and determines that the number of times of detection has been increased when it is determined that the number of times of detection is equal to or greater than the threshold number (lines 386-396, where three or more consecutive errors reads on within a predetermined time, as a symbol period inherently has a predetermined time).
Regarding claim 4, Nagasaka discloses the optical communication device according to claim 1, wherein, in the received data, multiple pieces of data are multiplexed (lines 335-353), an error correction code is assigned to each of the multiple pieces of data, the detection device executes error correction based on the error correction code for each of the multiple pieces of data separated from the received data (lines 361-378), and the determination device determines the increase in the number of times of detection using the number of times an error of at least one piece of data in the multiple pieces of data is corrected as the number of times of detection (lines 386-396).
Claim 6, Nagasaka discloses an operating machine comprising: the optical communication device according to claim 1; a head configured to perform work with respect to a workpiece (figs. 2 and 3 element 25 and lines 80-97); a first moving device configured to move the head in a first movement direction, and a second moving device configured to move the head in a second movement direction different from the first movement direction (fig. 2 elements 27A and 27B and lines 99-103); a head-side optical transmission device connected to the optical receiving device via a first wired cable and provided in the head (fig. 3 elements 25, 82 and 45 and lines 254-263); and a first moving device-side optical transmission device connected to the optical receiving device via a second wired cable and provided in the first moving device (fig. 3 elements 27A, 81 and 45 and lines 241-252), wherein the detection device detects an error of data in the received data received by the optical receiving device via each of the first wired cable and the second wired cable, and the determination device individually determines the increase in the number of times of detection of the error detected in the detection device for each of the first wired cable and the second wired cable, and makes notification of the notification information (lines 346-353 and figs. 4/5 and lines 386-396, where setting BIT6 for errors exceeded reads on making notification of communication abnormality based on the error detection increase).
Regarding claim 7, Nagasaka disclose a communication method in an operating machine including the optical communication device according to claim 1, a head configured to perform work with respect to a workpiece (figs. 2 and 3 element 25 and lines 80-97), a first moving device configured to move the head in a first movement direction, a second moving device configured to move the head in a second movement direction different from the first movement direction (fig. 2 elements 27A and 27B and lines 99-103), a head-side optical transmission device connected to the optical receiving device via a first wired cable and provided in the head (fig. 3 elements 25, 82 and 45 and lines 254-263), and a first moving device-side optical transmission device connected to the optical receiving device via a second wired cable and provided in the first moving device (fig. 3 elements 27A, 81 and 45 and lines 241-252), the communication method comprising: a detection step of detecting, with the detection device, an error of data in the received data received by the optical receiving device via each of the first wired cable and the second wired cable; and a notification step of individually determining, with the determination device, the increase in the number of times of detection of the error detected in the detection device for each of the first wired cable and the second wired cable, and of making, with the determination device, notification of the notification information (lines 346-353 and figs. 4/5 and lines 386-396, where setting BIT6 for errors exceeded reads on making notification of communication abnormality based on the error detection increase).
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.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nagasaka (International Application Publication No. WO2020/136705; citations are to the figures and the English machine translation of the disclosure).
Regarding claim 5, Nagasaka discloses the optical communication device according to claim 4, but does not disclose that the determination device notifies a device that has processed, on a transmission side, data with the increased number of times of error correction among the multiple pieces of data, of the notification information for prompting execution of maintenance. However, Nagasaka is communicating the BIT6 to the transmission side (lines 346-353 and figs. 4/5 and lines 386-396), and is using a user display for operational status information based on processing at the transmission side (fig. 7 and lines 581-613). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to indicate on the user display the error exceeded information of the multiplex communication so the user can become aware of that status to be able to perform maintenance.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3 is 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 19 March 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that Nagasaka’s detecting, when three or more consecutive blocks contain errors, is not counting separate detections of errors within a predetermined time. This argument is not persuasive. For three or more errors to be identified, they have to be individually counted, and that necessarily occurs over the respective frames, which each have a specified duration.
Applicant further argues that Nagasaka does not disclose storing a history of such detections, or determining that the number of detections has increased relative to a different, cumulative detection number within a monitoring period. This argument is not persuasive because these limitations are not claimed.
Conclusion
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHAN M CORS whose telephone number is (571)272-3028. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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/NATHAN M CORS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2634
