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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
The specification recites the terms: “first-1 guide”, “first-2 guide”, “second-1 guide” and “second-2 guide” throughout. The terminology used and how they are further written in the specification and the claimed language is confusing to interpret. The examiner suggests amending the claims to properly recite the structure shown in the drawings such as: “a first guide”, “a second guide”, “a third guide”, and “a fourth guide” OR “a first guide rail”, “a first guide nut”, “a second guide rail” and “a second guide nut” to prevent confusion when trying to interpret the claim language.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim(s) 2 and 12-13 is/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 recites “first-1 guide” and “first-2 guide” and claims 12-13 recite “second-1 guide” and second-2 guide”. As previously mentioned in the specification objection it is confusing to the examiner the terminology used. It appears applicant is referring to the guide screw rail and nut assembly. The examiner suggests amending the specification and claims to avoid confusion. The claims have been interpreted as best understood.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4-6 and 9-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li CN 205089011U in view of Jackson US 2682349.
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Li discloses a lift device (3) coupled to a robot body (1) of a vehicle parking robot that lifts a vehicle having a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels and parks it in a parking lot, the lift device comprising: a frame (31) lift ably coupled to the robot body; a first driving part (34) for elevating the frame with respect to the robot body; and a fork part (4) coupled to the frame and supporting the pair of front wheels or the pair of rear wheels.
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Li does not specify an elastic support part that elastically supports the frame with respect to the robot body when the frame descends with respect to the robot body. However, the use of elastic support parts for supporting a movable lifting frame with respect to a body when the frame descends is well known in the lifting art as evidence by Jackson who teaches a lifting device (see Fig. 7 above) having a frame (42,43,44,45) lift ably coupled to a body (35,36,37,38,39); a first driving part (50, 50a) for elevating the frame with respect to the body; an elastic support (46, 55, 56, 58, 59) that elastically supports the frame with respect to the body when the frame descends with respect to the body; and a fork part (44, 48) coupled to the frame (col. 4, lines 11-38). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to modify the lifting device frame of Li to include an elastic support as taught by Jackson in order to provide a means for lowering the lifting frame smoothly and expeditiously (Jackson, col. 4, lines 25-34).
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As for claim 2, the modified Li teaches wherein a first guide nut (34) extending in the up-down direction is formed in the frame, and a first guide rail slidably (guide rails formed in 1, see Figs. 1 and 2) coupled to the first guide is formed in the robot body.
As for claim 4, the modified Li teaches wherein the first driving part (see annotated fig 1 above, 1st and 2nd guides) comprises: a first screw (lifting device connecting robot body to lifting frame) extending up and down, an upper end of which is supported so as to rotate idly with respect to the frame; a first driving motor that provides driving force to rotate the first screw; a first power transmission member that transmits the driving force of the first driving motor to the first screw; and a first nut (34) coupled to the first screw, supported by the robot body, and movable along the first screw when the first screw rotates. Li discloses the use of motorized screws and nut assembly for horizontal movement of the fork assembly which is well known in the lifting art. Li further discloses in the written specification and claims a lifting device drive for lifting the frame (31) relative to the robot body and shows said lifting device drive Figs. 1-2. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to modify and/or substitute through routine engineering the lifting device drive to be a screw and nut drive assembly as claimed and it would be a mere reversal of parts for placement of the nut (Li, 34) on the robot body and the driven screw on the frame.
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As for claim 5, the modified Li teaches wherein the first nut is coupled to a bracket that is fixedly coupled to the robot body (see Li. Fig. 3 annotated above, the nut is fixedly coupled to the frame 31 through an extended bracket on the frame, reversal of parts modification from claim 4 would place the nut and bracket on the robot body).
As for claim 6, the modified Li teaches wherein a hollow open (placement of 34, see Li, Fig. 3 annotated above) up and down is formed in the bracket, and the first nut is inserted into the hollow.
As for claim 9, the modified Li teaches a first and second screw (See Figs. 1-2) located at quarter lengths of the frame (31) but does not specify wherein one screw is located at the center of the length of the frame in the extension direction. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, through routine engineering to modify and/or substitute the dual screw lifting mechanism of Li to a single central screw lifting mechanism as taught by applicant as applicant has not specified that said configuration provides an advantage and/or solves a stated problem other than for lifting the fork assembly. Thus, it would have been a mere design modification through routine engineering to modify the dual screw configuration to a single central screw configuration as both configurations would perform the same function of lifting and lowering the frame assembly relative to the robot body.
As for claim 10, the modified Li teaches wherein the fork part comprises a pair of forks (4) respectively supporting a front side and rear side of the pair of front wheels or the pair of rear wheels.
As for claim 11, the modified Li teaches wherein the respective fork (4) is coupled to the frame (31) to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
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As for claim 12, the modified Li teaches wherein a second guide rail (6) extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is formed in the frame, and a second guide nut (42) slidably coupled to the second guide rail (6) is formed in the respective fork.
As for claim 13, the modified Li teaches wherein the respective fork comprises: a fork body (4) on which the second guide nut (42) is formed and slidably coupled to the second guide rail (41); and a fork bar (4) extending from the fork body toward the vehicle.
As for claim 14, the modified Li teaches (see Fig. 3-4) a pair of second driving parts for moving the respective fork in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle with respect to the frame, wherein the second driving part comprises: a second screw (6) extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and rotatably supported by the frame; a second driving motor (see Figs. 3-4, not labeled but shown connected to 6 and frame 31) that provides driving force to rotate the second screw; a second power transmission member (inside motor housing) that transmits the driving force of the second driving motor to the first screw; and a second nut (42) coupled to the second screw, supported by the respective fork, and movable along the second screw when the second screw rotates.
As for claim 15, the modified Li teaches a vehicle parking robot that lifts a vehicle having a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels and parks it in a parking lot, the vehicle parking robot comprising: a drivable robot body (1); and a pair of lift devices (3) coupled to the robot body and lifting the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, respectively, wherein the respective lift device comprises: a frame (31) lift ably coupled to the robot body; a first driving part (34, lifting device) for elevating the frame with respect to the robot body; an elastic support part (as taught by Jackson) that elastically supports the frame with respect to the robot body when the frame descends with respect to the robot body; and a fork part (4) coupled to the frame and supporting the pair of front wheels or the pair of rear wheels.
As for claim 16, the modified Li teaches wherein the robot body (1) comprises: a robot frame (11, 12, 13) to which the pair of lift devices (3) are coupled; and a driving module (12, 13) coupled to the robot frame to drive the robot frame.
As for claim 17, the modified Li teaches wherein the first driving part comprises: a first screw (see Figs. 1-2) extending up and down, an upper end of which is supported so as to rotate idly with respect to the frame; a first driving motor (not shown, similar to 6) that provides driving force to rotate the first screw; a first power transmission member that transmits the driving force of the first driving motor to the first screw; and a first nut (34) coupled to the first screw, supported by the robot body, and movable along the first screw when the first screw rotates (see claim 4 rejection).
As for claim 18, the modified Li teaches wherein the first nut is coupled to a bracket that is fixedly coupled to the robot body (see claims 4-6 rejection above).
As for claim 19, the modified Li teaches wherein a hollow open up and down is formed in the bracket, and the first nut is inserted into the hollow (see claims 4-6 rejection above).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 7-8 and 20 is/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 TYRONE V HALL JR whose telephone number is (571)270-5948. The examiner can normally be reached Mon.-Fri. 7:30am-3:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Monica Carter can be reached at (571) 272-4475. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TYRONE V HALL JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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