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 § 112
Claims 2-7, 9-12, and 14 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 2 is vague and indefinite. On line 7, what does MCP, PIP, and DIP stand for? Note that terms within a parenthesis are ignored.
Claim 3 is vague and indefinite. On lines 2-3, 5-6, and 8, what does MCP, PIP, and DIP stand for? Note that terms within a parenthesis are ignored.
Claim 4 is rejected due to its dependency upon Claim 3.
Claim 5 is rejected due to its dependency upon Claim 4.
Claim 6 is rejected due to its dependency upon Claim 5.
Claim 7 is rejected due to its dependency upon Claim 4.
Claim 3 is vague and indefinite. On lines 2-3, 6, and 8-9, what does MCP, PIP, and DIP stand for? Note that terms within a parenthesis are ignored.
Claim 10 is rejected due to its dependency upon Claim 9.
Claim 11 is rejected due to its dependency upon Claim 10.
Claim 12 is rejected due to its dependency upon Claim 11.
Claim 14 is vague and indefinite. On line 1, what does A/A stand for? Note that terms within a parenthesis are ignored.
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.
Claim(s) 1-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tadano (JP 2005-349489).
With respect to Claim 1, Tadano, Figures 1-32, teaches a robot hand having a high degree of freedom, the robot comprising:
a palm module having a set volume (See Figures 1-4);
a first finger module B,C,D,E including a first base frame detachably coupled to one side of the palm module, and at least two first finger portions connected to the first base frame b1,c1 in one direction and including a plurality of first segments (See Figure 1);
a second finger module A including a second base frame detachably coupled to an opposite side of the palm module, and a second finger portion a1 connected to the base frame (at 102) and including a plurality of second segments (See Figure 2); and
a driving module A11,B11 mounted inside the palm module, and configured to operate the at least two first finger portions and the second finger portion,
wherein the driving module includes:
a wire driving portion A51 configured to provide a driving force to wires that are individually connected to the first segments and the second segments, respectively; and
a gear driving portion DE32 configured to provide a driving force to gears that are individually connected to the at least two first finger portions and the second finger portion so as to enable abduction/adduction (A/A) operations of the at least two first finger portions and the second finger portion.
With respect to Claim 2, Tadano further teaches wherein each of connection between the first finger portion and the first base frame and connection between the second finger portion and the second base frame is performed through a metacarpal (MCP) joint (near e1),
each of connection between the first segments adjacent to each other and connection between the second segments adjacent to each other is performed in a lengthwise direction through a proximal phalanx (PIP) joint (near e2) and a distal phalanx (DIP) joint (near e3), and
the MCP joint provides 2 degrees of freedom, and each of the PIP joint and the DIP joint provides 1 degree of freedom.
With respect to Claim 3, Tadano further teaches wherein the first segment includes a first-first segment connected to the first base frame through the MCP joint, a first-second segment connected to the first-first segment through the PIP joint, and a first-third segment connected to the first-second segment through the DIP joint, and
the first finger module further includes a first-first wire and a first-second wire connected to the first-first segment to bend/unfold the first-first segment about the MCP joint, a first-third wire and a first-fourth wire connected to the first-second segment to bend/unfold the first-second segment about the PIP joint, and a first-fifth wire and a first-sixth wire connected to the first-third segment to bend/unfold the first-third segment about the DIP joint.
With respect to Claim 4, Tadano further teaches wherein the wire driving portion includes a first motor configured to provide a driving force to adjust tension of the first-first wire and the first-second wire, a second motor configured to provide a driving force to adjust tension of the first-third wire and the first-fourth wire, and a third motor configured to provide a driving force to adjust tension of the first-fifth wire and the first-sixth wire,
the first to third motors constitute one motor set connected to one of the first finger portions, and,
when a plurality of first finger portions are provided, the wire driving portion includes a plurality of motor sets that are in one-to-one correspondence with the first finger portions.
With respect to Claim 5, Tadano further teaches wherein the first finger module further includes a first bearing array, and
the first bearing array is configured to provide movement paths of the first-first wire and the first-second wire from the first motor to the first-first segment, provide movement paths of the first-third wire and the first-fourth wire from the second motor to the first-second segment, and provide movement paths of the first-fifth wire and the first-sixth wire from the third motor to the first-third segment.
With respect to Claim 6, Tadano further teaches wherein the first-first wire and the first-second wire are fixed to both widthwise sides of the first-first segment,
the first-third wire, the first-fourth wire, the first-fifth wire, and the first-sixth wire pass between the first-first wire and the first-second wire,
the first-third wire and the first-fourth wire are fixed to both widthwise sides of the first-second segment, and
the first-fifth wire and the first-sixth wire pass between the first-third wire and the first-fourth wire so as to be fixed to both widthwise sides of the first-third segment.
With respect to Claim 7, Tadano further teaches wherein the first base frame includes a plurality of motor connection ports through which rotation shafts of the first to third motors are coupled, respectively,
each of the motor connection ports includes a stopper member configured to restrict a rotation range of each of the rotation shafts, and the stopper member includes:
a rotation member axially coupled to the rotation shaft, and including a protrusion protruding in a radial direction on one circumferential side of the rotation member; and
a stopper facing both sides of a rotation path of the protrusion, and configured to restrain further rotation of the protrusion when the protrusion collides with the stopper while rotating.
With respect to Claim 8, Tadano further teaches wherein the gear driving portion includes a fourth motor, and
the first base frame includes a bevel gear connected to the first finger portion and the fourth motor, and configured to transmit a driving force provided from the fourth motor to the first finger portion.
With respect to Claim 9, Tadano further teaches wherein the second segment includes a second-first segment connected to the second base frame through the MCP joint, a second-second segment connected to the second-first segment through the PIP joint, and a second-third segment connected to the second-second segment through the DIP joint, and
the second finger module further includes a second-first wire and a second-second wire connected to the second-first segment to bend/unfold the second-first segment about the MCP joint, a second-third wire and a second-fourth wire connected to the second-second segment to bend/unfold the second-second segment about the PIP joint, and a second-fifth wire and a second-sixth wire connected to the second-third segment to bend/unfold the second-third segment about the DIP joint.
With respect to Claim 10, Tadano further teaches wherein the wire driving portion includes a fifth motor configured to provide a driving force to adjust tension of the second-first wire and the second-second wire, a sixth motor configured to provide a driving force to adjust tension of the second-third wire and the second-fourth wire, and a seventh motor configured to provide a driving force to adjust tension of the second-fifth wire and the second-sixth wire.
With respect to Claim 11, Tadano further teaches wherein the second finger module further includes a second bearing array, and the second bearing array is configured to provide movement paths of the second-first wire and the second-second wire from the fifth motor to the second-first segment, provide movement paths of the second-third wire and the second-fourth wire from the sixth motor to the second-second segment, and provide movement paths of the second-fifth wire and the second-sixth wire from the seventh motor to the second-third segment.
With respect to Claim 12, Tadano further teaches wherein the second-first wire and the second-second wire are fixed to both widthwise sides of the second-first segment, the second-third wire, the second-fourth wire, the second-fifth wire, and the second-sixth wire pass between the second-first wire and the second-second wire, the second-third wire and the second-fourth wire are fixed to both widthwise sides of the second-second segment, and the second-fifth wire and the second-sixth wire pass between the second-third wire and the second-fourth wire so as to be fixed to both widthwise sides of the second-third segment.
With respect to Claim 13, Tadano further teaches wherein the gear driving portion includes an eighth motor, the second base frame includes a gear group connected to the second finger portion and the eighth motor, and configured to transmit a driving force provided from the eighth motor to the second finger portion, and the gear group includes: a first spur gear axially coupled to a rotation shaft of the eighth motor; a second spur gear gear-coupled to the first spur gear; a third spur gear axially coupled to an opposite lengthwise side of a shaft having one lengthwise side to which the second spur gear is axially coupled; and a bevel gear having one side gear-coupled to the third spur gear and an opposite side connected to an end of the second finger portion.
With respect to Claim 14, Tadano further teaches wherein the second finger portion is configured to perform the A/A operation in a path that reciprocates in a direction parallel to a palm surface provided as one side surface of the palm module and in a direction perpendicular to the palm surface.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM ARAUZ RIVERA whose telephone number is (571)272-6953. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM MDT.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Victoria P. Augustine can be reached at 313-446-4858. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WILLIAM A. RIVERA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3654
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