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 .
1. This action is responsive to application filed July 11, 2024.
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.
2. Claims 1-7, 10-15 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Howard et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0250261 (referred to hereafter as Howard) in view of Menon et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0122056 (referred to hereafter as Menon).
As to claims 1, 10 and 19, Howard teaches a method and system of producing a passive gripper for an object (para [0008] "In one broad form an aspect of the present invention seeks to provide a method of manufacturing a robotic manipulator, wherein the method includes, in one or more processing devices:
determining desired manipulator properties including a manipulator shape and manipulator jamming properties "), the method comprising:
generating a template for the passive gripper (para [0012] the packing element configuration defines a mesh shape and location...") and fabricating the passive gripper based on the template (para [0008]; para [0012]).
Howard does not disclose identifying a set of grasp configurations for the object, selecting, from the set, a particular grasp configuration configured for performing passive engagement and disengagement with the object, based on the particular grasp
configuration.
Menon discloses identifying a set of grasp configurations for the object (para [0041] may have recognized a feature associated with item 112 as having a cube geometry and selected a grasp strategy for cube geometries prior to picking up item..."),
selecting, from the set, a particular grasp configuration configured for performing passive engagement and disengagement with the object (para [0041]), based on the particular grasp configuration (para [0041]).
It would have been obvious for one of the ordinary skill in the at the effective filling data of the application to select a particular grasp configuration configured for performing passive engagement and disengagement in Howard as taught by Menon. Motivation to do so comes from the teachings of Menon because items with different properties may require different grasp configurations (see para [0040]).
As to claims 2 and 11, Howard in view of Menon teach the method and system of claims 1 and 11. Howard further discloses wherein fabricating the passive gripper comprises fabricating the passive gripper by a 3D printer, a computer numerical control (CNC) machine, a laser direct metal laser melting additive machine, or other additive or subtractive manufacturing machine (para [0008] controlling an additive printing machine in accordance with the packing element configuration and manipulator shape to thereby manufacture the robot manipulator).
As to claims 3 and 12, Howard in view of Menon teach the method and system of claims 1 and 11. Menon further discloses determining a trajectory for contacting the object at the particular grasp configuration without colliding with the object (para [0055] "selects one of the grasping strategies based on the corresponding scores associated with each of the grasping strategies para [0054] ...height at which a robotic arm is to grasp the feature (to prevent collision at the top of the gripper...").
As to claims 4 and 13, Howard in view of Menon teach the method and system of claims 1 and 11. Howard further discloses generating a generalization of passive gripper geometry, the generalization connecting the particular grasp configuration to a grasping base (para [0012]; para [0097] element configuration may be determined based on the manipulator shape. Thus, different shape manipulators could be used for different applications, such as gripping different shaped objects...").
As to claims 5 and 14, Howard in view of Menon teach the method and system of claims 4 and 13. Menon further discloses co-optimizing the trajectory and the generalization of passive gripper geometry (para. 72).
As to claim 6, Howard in view of Menon teach the method and system of claims 1 and 11. Menon further discloses the grasping base corresponds to or is included on a robotic arm (para [0075] '...end effector 200 includes a body or housing 202 attached to robotic arm...").
As to claims 7 and 15, Howard in view of Menon teach the method and system of claims 4 and 13. Menon further discloses generating the template for the passive gripper includes performing a discrete topology optimization over a collision-free volume associated with the optimized generalization of passive gripper geometry (see para. 72).
As to claim 18, Howard in view of Menon teach the method and system of claims 4 and 13. Menon further discloses a scanning apparatus capable of collecting shape and position data for the object (para [0041]).
As to claim 20, Howard in view of Menon teach the method and system of claims 19. Menon further discloses each of the particular grasp configurations in the combination of the particular grasp configurations is connected to the other particular grasp configurations in the combination by a series of paths (see para. 40-41 and 72).
Allowable Subject Matter
3. Claims 8-9 and 16-17 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.
4. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUSSEIN A EL CHANTI whose telephone number is (571)272-3999. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Navid Mehdizadeh can be reached at 571-272-7691. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HUSSEIN ELCHANTI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3669
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