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 .
This is a final Office Action for serial number 18/773,344, Robotic Arm And Uses Therefor, filed on July 15, 2024.
Allowable Subject Matter
The indicated allowability of claims 21, 30, and 39 are withdrawn in view of the newly discovered reference(s) to U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0012798 from IDS. Rejections based on the newly cited reference(s) follow.
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) 21-22, 24-27, 30-31, 33-36, 39 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0012798 to Blum et al. (Blum).
Regarding claim 21, Blum ‘798 discloses an arm cart (1 - Fig. 1c) and a control mechanism (8) that is configured to cause a surgical robotic arm that is housed within the arm cart to move from a storage position in which the surgical robotic arm is supported by the arm cart to a deployed position in which the surgical robotic arm is supported by a surgical table (4).
Regarding claim 22, Blum ‘798 discloses wherein the surgical robotic arm comprises a coupler (2) that is releasably coupleable to a coupling site of the surgical table, wherein the control mechanism is configured to cause the surgical robotic arm to move from the storage position to the deployed position, once the coupler is coupled to the coupling site.
Regarding claim 24, Blum ‘798 discloses wherein the surgical robotic arm is entirely outside of the arm cart while in the deployed position.
Regarding claim 25, Blum ‘798 discloses an arm container (5) configured to hold the surgical robotic arm, wherein the surgical robotic arm is translatable relative to the arm container between a first position in which a coupler of the surgical robotic arm is not engageable with the surgical table and s second position in which the coupler is engageable with the surgical table.
Regarding claim 26, Blum ‘798 discloses an arm support (above the coupler 2) that is coupled to the movable base, wherein the surgical robotic arm is suspended by and slidably coupled to the arm support such that the surgical robotic arm may slide between the first position and the second position.
Regarding claim 27, Blum ‘798 discloses wherein the control mechanism causes the surgical robotic arm to move from the storage position to the deployed position (Figs. 1a-1c) by lifting a coupler of the surgical robotic arm above a coupling site of the surgical table and by lowering the coupler onto the coupling site.
Regarding claim 30, Blum ‘798 discloses a surgical robotic arm (3), an arm cart (1 - Fig. 1c) and a control mechanism (8) that is configured to cause a surgical robotic arm that is housed within the arm cart to move from a storage position in which the surgical robotic arm is supported by the arm cart to a deployed position in which the surgical robotic arm is supported by a surgical table (4).
Regarding claim 31, Blum ‘798 discloses wherein the surgical robotic arm comprises a coupler (10) that is releasably coupleable to a coupling site (7) of the surgical table, wherein the control mechanism is configured to cause the surgical robotic arm to move from the storage position to the deployed position, once the coupler is coupled to the coupling site.
Regarding claim 33, Blum ‘798 discloses wherein the surgical robotic arm is entirely outside of the arm cart while in the deployed position.
Regarding claim 34, Blum ‘798 discloses an arm container (5) configured to hold the surgical robotic arm, wherein the surgical robotic arm is translatable relative to the arm container between a first position in which a coupler of the surgical robotic arm is not engageable with the surgical table and s second position in which the coupler is engageable with the surgical table.
Regarding claim 35, Blum ‘798 discloses an arm support (above the coupler 2) that is coupled to the movable base, wherein the surgical robotic arm is suspended by and slidably coupled to the arm support such that the surgical robotic arm may slide between the first position and the second position.
Regarding claim 36, Blum ‘798 discloses wherein the control mechanism causes the surgical robotic arm to move from the storage position to the deployed position (Figs. 1a-1c) by lifting a coupler of the surgical robotic arm above a coupling site of the surgical table and by lowering the coupler onto the coupling site.
Regarding claim 39, Blum ‘798 discloses a moveable base (arm cart 1 - Fig. 1c) and a control mechanism (8) that is configured to cause a surgical robotic arm that is housed within the arm cart to move from a storage position in which the surgical robotic arm is supported by the arm cart to a deployed position in which the surgical robotic arm is supported by a surgical table (4).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 23, 28, 29, 32, 37 38, and 40 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
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 TODD M. EPPS whose telephone number is (571) 272-8282. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am - 5pm.
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/TODD M EPPS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3632 April 16, 2026
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