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 .
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 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kerestes et al. (US. 2017/0225341 A1).
In Regards to Claim 1:
Kerestes teaches a dust tolerant electromechanical interface (Fig. 4), the interface (Fig. 4) comprising:
a parent module (10) comprising a parent mating surface (14), a mechanical alignment feature (66), a rigidizing module (16), and an auxiliary services module (12);a child module (20) comprising a child mating surface (24), a mechanical alignment target (68),a rigidizing target (26), and an auxiliary services reception module (22); wherein the interface includes an unmated configuration (Fig. 4A/4B) and a mated and rigidized configuration (Fig. 4C); wherein when the interface (Fig. 4) is in the mated and rigidized configuration (Fig. 4C):
the parent mating surface (14) and child mating surface (24) are substantially parallel and within a separation distance, the separation distance corresponding to a distance separating the parent mating surface (14) and child mating surface (24) within which the rigidizing module (16) of the parent module (10) is operative to fix the child module (20) to the parent module (10); the mechanical alignment feature (66) engages the mechanical alignment target (66); the rigidizing module (16) engages the rigidizing target (26); the auxiliary services module engages the auxiliary services reception module such that auxiliary services can be passed to the child module (20); and the rigidizing module (16) is enabled, fixing the parent module (10) to the child module (20). (Paragraph 45, Magnetic interengagement of the end effector 20 and drive motor assembly 10 may also be accomplished in a three point connection as shown for the embodiment in FIGS. 4A-4C. This configuration allows implementation of a torque transducer 62 in a floating drive train engaged by a gear 64 as seen in FIG. 4A. The torque transducer 62 is concentric with the center drive interface 12 extending through the center aperture 18 in flange 14 as in the first embodiment.)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-20 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NADER J ALHAWAMDEH whose telephone number is (571)270-0571. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9Am - 6Pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abdullah A Riyami can be reached at (571)270-3119. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NADER J ALHAWAMDEH/Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831 /ABDULLAH A RIYAMI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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