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 .
Response to Amendment
This Office Action is responding to applicant’s amendment filed on 5/2/2026. Claims 1-15 have been cancelled. Claims 16-29 are newly added.
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.
Claims 25 & 28 are 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 25 recites the limitation "said tilt plane" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Applicant might have intended for claim 25 to depend from claim 18 instead? Applicant is invited to verify such potential dependency.
Claim 28 recites the limitation "the different parts" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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 16-17 and 28-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Asbeck (U.S. Patent No. 10,870,198).
Regarding independent claim 16, Figures 1-5 discloses applicant’s claimed
exoskeleton (100, 200) comprising:
a rigid main body (140, column 2 lines 49-50), and a hip engagement member (502) for engagement of the rigid main body (140) with a hip of a person when wearing the supporting exoskeleton (100, 200),
a first lower member (560) rotatably attached to the main body (140, 502) such that an axis of the rotation (pivot 241) of the first lower member (560) substantially coincides with an axis of a rotation of a left hip joint of said person, and comprising a left leg engagement member (504) for engagement with a left leg of said person, and a second lower member (561) rotatably attached to the main body (140) such that an axis of the rotation of the second lower member (561) substantially coincides with an axis of a rotation of a right hip joint of said person, and comprising a right leg engagement member (503) for engagement with a right leg of said person,
a differential coupler (differential mechanism described in column 3 lines 40-65), adapted for, in an engagement mode of the differential coupler, differentially coupling the rotation of the first lower member (560) to the rotation of the second lower member (561),
wherein the vertical elastic element (110, 111) of the supporting exoskeleton (100, 200) is coupled to an upper torso engagement member (12) for engagement with an upper part of a torso of said person, and fixedly coupled to the main body (140),
wherein the differential coupler (differential coupler, column 3 lines 40-65) comprises a flexible shaft (vertical carbon fiber leaf springs and rigid element, column 3 lines 40-47), connected to first gears located at a left hip of the person and to second gears located at a right hip of the person (column 3 lines 40-47 describe pivots on either side of legs), wherein the first gears and the second gears are configured for generating a differential coupling between the first lower member (560) and the second lower member (561).
Regarding independent claim 17, the Asbeck reference, presented above, discloses applicant’s claimed supporting exoskeleton according to claim 16, wherein the differential
coupler (column 3 lines lines 44-54 describes the differential mechanism allows the movement between locked/stationary mode and walking/motion mode) is switchable to a disengagement mode, comprising disengaging the movement of the first lower member (560) and the movement of the second lower member (561).
Regarding independent claim 28, the Asbeck reference, presented above, discloses applicant’s claimed method for making the supporting exoskeleton according to claim 16,
comprising obtaining the different parts, and assembling said parts so as to form the
supporting exoskeleton (see assembled exoskeleton in Figures 1-5).
Regarding independent claim 29, the Asbeck reference, presented above, discloses applicant’s claimed us of the supporting exoskeleton according to claim 16 for lifting an object (see Figures 1-5).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 18-24 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.
Claim 25 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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 CAMTU TRAN NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-4799. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday.
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/CAMTU T NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3786
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