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 § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter because the claimed invention is directed to a judicial exception (i.e., a law of nature, a natural phenomenon, or an abstract idea) without significantly more.
MPEP 2106 Step 2A-Prong 1
The claims recite:
, the method comprising:
when receiving, target material picking information sent, controlling the material cabinet to open a target cabinet door according to the target material picking information to indicate taking a target material away, and
controlling the socket selector to perform target socket indication processing, wherein the target socket indication processing is used to indicate a target container in the socket selector, the target socket is stored in the target container, and a cabinet body corresponding to the target cabinet door includes the target material;
when determining that the target socket has been taken away, enabling the tightening gun controller;
executing, when enabled, assembly processing of the target material through the target socket if a tightening trigger instruction is received; and
when determining that the target socket has not been taken away, not enabling the tightening gun controller.
The claims falls into the abstract idea groupings of (b) Certain Methods Of Organizing Human Activity ** fundamental economic principles or practices (including hedging, insurance, mitigating risk) commercial or legal interactions (including agreements in the form of contracts; legal obligations; advertising, marketing or sales activities or behaviors; business relations) managing personal behavior or relationships or interactions between people (including social activities, teaching, and following rules or instructions)** and (c) mental processes—concepts performed in the human mind- (including an observation, evaluation, judgment, opinion).
The limitations under their broadest reasonable interpretation, covers performance of business relations and following rules and instructions but for the recitation of generic computer components. That is, other than recited, “a control device, a material cabinet, a socket selector, a host computer, and a tightening gun controller”, nothing in the claim element precludes the step from practically being certain methods or organizing human activity. Accordingly, the claims recite an abstract idea.
MPEP 2106 Step 2A-Prong 2
The recited limitations are not indicative of integration into a practical application. In particular, the claims only recite the following additional elements, a control device, a material cabinet, a socket selector, a host computer, and a tightening gun controller. These additional elements are recited at a high-level of generality such that in conjunction with the abstract limitations, they amount to no more than:
Adding the words “apply it” (or an equivalent) with the judicial exception, or mere instructions to implement an abstract idea on a computer, or merely uses a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea - see MPEP 2106.05(f);
- (a control device, a host computer)
iv. Generally linking the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use, -(a material cabinet, a socket selector, a tightening gun controller)
The claims do not include additional elements individually or in an ordered combination that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. Integration into a practical application requires the additional element(s) to apply, rely on, or use the judicial exception in a manner that imposes a meaningful limit on the judicial exception, such that the claim is more than a drafting effort designed to monopolize the exception. This is not the case in the instant application. Further, as discussed above with respect to integration of the abstract idea into a practical application, the additional elements amount to no more than: mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component; generally linking the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use.
MPEP 2106 Step 2B
Eligibility requires that the claim recites additional elements that amount to an inventive concept (aka “significantly more”) than the recited judicial exception. As discussed above, this is where the instant application falls short. The claims do not include additional elements individually or in an ordered combination that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
Dependent Claims Step 2A:
The limitations of the dependent claims but for those addressed below merely set forth further refinements of the abstract idea without changing the analysis already
presented (that is, they further limit the organizing of human activities at step 2A —
Prong One without adding any new additional elements other than those already
analyzed above with respect to the independent claims at 2A — Prong Two; moreover
claims 2-9 and their analogous claims also further recite certain methods of organizing human activity; except for the claims described below.
Claims (7 and 11) and 9 recite a human-machine interaction module and barcode scanning gun respectively. However, these merely use a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea for the same reasons as in the independent claims.
Claim 13 describes a manual station frame; cross beam assembly and two vertical beams, but these additional elements generally link the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use.
Dependent Claims Step 2B:
The dependent claims merely use the same general technological environment
and instructions to implement the abstract idea as the independent claims without
adding any new additional elements. Accordingly, they are not directed to significantly
more than the exception itself, and are not eligible subject matter under § 101.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Kim et al 20180264648 A1 describes generating workflow of the robot motion based upon the received information on the work type of the robot motion; measuring information on work environment in which the robot motion is performed in accordance with the work type and the workflow of the robot motion by controlling the robot; receiving work information on the robot motion in accordance with the work type and the workflow of the robot motion by controlling the robot; and performing the robot motion in accordance with the work type and the workflow of the robot motion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TONYA S JOSEPH whose telephone number is (571)270-1361. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6:30-2:30, First Fridays Off.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Shannon Campbell can be reached at (571) 272-5587. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TONYA JOSEPH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3628
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