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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) dated 08/08/2024, 03/12/2025, 09/11/2025, and 08/20/2026 have been received and considered.
Claim Interpretation
Claim 5 limitation “walking degree” is interpreted to be a point in the walking cycle, based on specification page 9 lines 17-21: “For example, the wearable device may determine a point corresponding to the current joint angle among the values of the joint angle pattern, and determine the walking degree indicated by the point to be the current walking degree. For example, when the walking cycle is expressed as 0 to 100%, the current walking degree may be determined to be 49%.”
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jang et al. (US 2019/0083002 A1), hereafter Jang.
Regarding Claim 1, Jang discloses a wearable device (fig. 1, [0069]) comprising: at least one processor, comprising processing circuity (fig. 3, 320 [0086] and [0089]), configured to control the wearable device ([0086] processor 320 is part of system controller 300); at least one sensor ([0075] fig. 1, sensor 120) configured to measure a joint angle ([0075]) of a thigh support frame (fig. 1, [0075]); a motor driver circuit (fig 1, 110 [0074]); a motor electrically connected to the motor driver circuit ([0074]); and the thigh support frame configured to transmit a torque generated by the motor to at least a portion of a lower limb of a user (fig. 1, [0070] and [0073]), wherein the at least one processor is individually and/or collectively configured to perform: generating a walking pattern of the user of the wearable device (fig. 4, 410 [0098]) based on the joint angle ([0153] and fig. 8); outputting a torque corresponding to the walking pattern ([0100]) based on a first value of a control parameter ([0100] assist profile); determining a first value of an objective function for a first torque pattern for the output torque ([0100] assist torque profile); calculating a second torque pattern corresponding to the walking pattern for a second value changed based on the first value of the control parameter (fig. 7, 740 [0145]); determining a second value of the objective function for the second torque pattern ([0104] updated personalized gait policy; fig. 7, 750 [0149]); and determining an optimal value of the control parameter based on the second value of the objective function ([0149]).
Regarding Claim 2, Jang discloses a wearable device of claim 1, wherein the walking pattern comprises at least one of a joint angle pattern (fig. 8, 800 [0153]) and a joint angular velocity pattern corresponding to a walking cycle of the user (fig. 8, the joint angle trajectory is tracked as a rate over time, and thus is a velocity [0153]).
Regarding Claim 3, Jang discloses a wearable device of claim 1, wherein the walking pattern comprises at least one of a left walking pattern for a left thigh support frame (fig. 11, 1110 [0174]) or a right walking pattern for a right thigh support frame (fig. 11, 1120 [0176]).
Regarding Claim 4, Jang discloses a wearable device of claim 1, wherein the control parameter is at least of: a parameter for an output timing of the torque, a parameter for a magnitude of the torque, or a parameter for an offset for the torque ([0180] assist profile parameter).
Regarding Claim 5, Jang discloses a wearable device of claim 1, wherein the outputting of the torque corresponding to the walking pattern based on the first value of the control parameter (fig. 7, 710 [0124]) comprises: receiving a current joint angle of the thigh support frame ([0125]); determining a current walking degree during a walking cycle of the user based on the walking pattern and the current joint angle (fig. 7, 720 [0130-0131]); and outputting a torque corresponding to the current walking degree based on the first torque pattern ([0134]).
Regarding Claim 6, Jang discloses a wearable device of claim 1, wherein the objective function comprises a factor related to a power based on the joint angular velocity pattern of the walking pattern and the first torque pattern (assist torque [0107]).
Regarding Claim 7, Jang discloses a wearable device of claim 6, wherein the factor related to the power is a factor related to a ratio of a period in which the power is negative ([0109]) to a period in which the power is positive ([0108]).
Regarding Claim 8, Jang discloses a wearable device of claim 1, wherein the objective function comprises a factor related to a first power of a right thigh support frame and a second power of a left thigh support frame calculated based on the joint angular velocity pattern of the walking pattern and the first torque pattern ([0107]).
Regarding Claim 9, Jang discloses a wearable device of claim 1, wherein the objective function comprises a factor related to a first power for a first period and a second power for a second period, during a walking cycle of the user, calculated based on the joint angular velocity pattern of the walking pattern and the first torque pattern ([0194]).
Regarding Claim 10, Jang discloses a wearable device of claim 1, wherein the objective function comprises a factor related to a value of a first peak of the first torque pattern for a first period and a value of a second peak of the first torque pattern for a second period, during a walking cycle of the user ([0196] and fig. 15).
Regarding Claim 11, Jang discloses a wearable device of claim 1, wherein the calculating of the second torque pattern corresponding to the walking pattern for the second value changed based on the first value of the control parameter comprises: determining the second value of the control parameter so that the value of the objective function is maximized or minimized based on an operation mode of the wearable device (fig. 7, 750 [0149]; and calculating the second torque pattern for the second value of the control parameter ([0151] an updated assist profile is applied).
Regarding Claim 12, Jang discloses a wearable device of claim 11, wherein the operation mode is at least one of an assistance mode to assist a motion of the user or an exercise mode to impede a motion of the user ([0071] the device is a walking assistance device).
Regarding Claim 13, Jang discloses a method of determining a value of a control parameter, performed by a wearable device (fig. 1, [0070]), the method comprising: generating a walking pattern of a user wearing the wearable device (fig. 1, 410 [0098]) based on a joint angle (fig. 2, sensor 120 measures joint angles [0075]; see also fig. 8 and [0153]) of a thigh support frame of the wearable device (fig. 1, [0070]); outputting a torque corresponding to the walking pattern based on a first value of a control parameter (fig. 4, 420 [0100]); determining a first value of an objective function for a first torque pattern for the output torque ([0100] assist torque profile); calculating a second torque pattern corresponding to the walking pattern for a second value changed based on the first value of the control parameter (fig. 7, 740 [0145]); determining a second value of the objective function for the second torque pattern ([0104] updated personalized gait policy fig. 7, 750 [0149]); and determining a value of the control parameter based on the second value of the objective function ([0149]).
Regarding Claim 14, Jang discloses a method of claim 13, further comprising: receiving a current joint angle of the thigh support frame (fig. 7, 720 [0130]); determining a current walking degree during a walking cycle of the user based on the walking pattern and a current joint angle (fig. 7, 720 [0130-0131]); and outputting a torque corresponding to the current walking degree based on a torque pattern determined based on the determined value of the control parameter ([0134]).
Regarding Claim 15, Jang discloses a method of claim 13, wherein the control parameter is at least one of a parameter for an output timing of the torque, a parameter for a magnitude of the torque, or a parameter for an offset for the torque ([0180] assist profile parameter).
Regarding Claim 16, Jang discloses a method of claim 13, wherein the outputting of the torque corresponding to the walking pattern based on the first value of the control (fig. 7, 710 [0124]) comprises: receiving a current joint angle of the thigh support frame ([0125]); determining a current walking degree during a walking cycle of the user based on the walking pattern and the current joint angle (fig. 7, 720 [0130-0131]); and outputting a torque corresponding to the current walking degree based on the first torque pattern ([0134]).
Regarding Claim 17, Jang discloses a method of claim 13, wherein the objective function comprises a factor related to a power calculated based on the joint angular velocity pattern of the walking pattern and the first torque pattern (assist torque [0107]).
Regarding Claim 18, Jang discloses a method of claim 13, wherein the objective function comprises a factor related to a first power of a right thigh support frame and a second power of a left thigh support frame based on the joint angular velocity pattern of the walking pattern and the first torque pattern ([0107]).
Regarding Claim 19, Jang discloses a method of claim 13, wherein the objective function comprises a factor related to a first power for a first period and a second power for a second period, during a walking cycle of the user, determined based on the joint angular velocity pattern of the walking pattern and the first torque pattern ([0194]).
Regarding Claim 20, Jang discloses an electronic device comprising: a communication module (fig. 6, 610 [0168]), comprising communication circuitry ([0116]), configured to exchange data with an external device ([0116]); and at least one processor (fig. 6, 620 [0117]) configured, comprising processing circuitry, to control the electronic device ([0117]), wherein the at least one processor is individually and/or collectively configured to: receive a joint angle of a thigh support frame from a wearable device connected to the electronic device ([0117] and [0125] the data received include joint angle, which includes hip/thigh angle [0075]); generate a walking pattern of a user wearing the wearable device (fig. 4, 410 [0098]) based on the joint angle ([0153] and fig. 8); receive information about a torque corresponding to the walking pattern output based on a first value of a control parameter ([0100]); determine a first value of an objective function for a first torque pattern for the torque ([0100]); determine a second torque pattern corresponding to the walking pattern for a second value changed based on the first value of the control parameter (fig. 7, 740 [0145]); determine a second value of the objective function for the second torque pattern ([0104] updated personalized gait policy; fig. 7, 750 [0149]); determine a value of the control parameter based on the second value of the objective function ([0149]); and control to transmit the determined value of the control parameter to the wearable device ([0151]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
KR 2021/0133932 A discloses a walking assistance device which sets an optimal assisting force based on joint angle (page 5, fifth full para.).
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/SARA K TOICH/Examiner, Art Unit 3785
/VICTORIA MURPHY/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3785
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