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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 7, 11, 13-15, 17 and 19-26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(1)(1) as being unpatentable by Xie (US 20080289757 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Xie discloses controllable gripper module, comprising: a chamber (see Fig. 1; space between ‘12’ and ‘14’); a flexible membrane (22; see Fig. 1) at least partially sealing the chamber (see Fig. 1), the flexible membrane (22; see Fig. 1) being in a first state and having a first state modulus when at an ambient temperature being in a second state and having a second state modulus when at an elevated temperature (see Fig. 3a-3c and Para. 0017 for first state and second state), the flexible membrane being reversibly convertible between the first state and the second state (see Para. 0017), the conversion optionally being effected by application of heat (see Para. 0017), and the chamber optionally configured to contain a pressure within that exerts the membrane outward relative to the chamber, optionally while the membrane is at the elevated temperature (see Para. 0017-0018).
Regarding claim 2, Xie discloses the controllable gripper module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a heater (26; see fig. 1) disposed within the chamber, the heater being configured to effect heating of the flexible membrane (see Para. 0015).
Regarding claim 7, Xie discloses the controllable gripper module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible membrane comprises one or more conductive traces therein or thereon, the one or more conductive traces being configured to effect heating of the membrane (see Para. 0015 for wires and heating).
Regarding claim 11, Xie discloses the controllable gripper module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible membrane includes at least one material that has a Tg in the range of from about -30 to about 90 C (see Para. 0025; “-90 degree C to 200 degree C”).
Regarding claim 13, Xie discloses the controllable gripper module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a stage configured to effect relative motion between the membrane and a target object (see Para. 0013).
Regarding claim 14, Xie discloses a method comprising: with a flexible membrane (22; see Fig. 1), the flexible membrane capable of reversible conversion between a first state and a second state (see Para. 0017), optionally by application of heat to heat the membrane above a threshold temperature (see Para. 0017), the membrane in the first state having a first modulus that is higher than a second modulus of the membrane in the second state (see Para. 0017), contacting the flexible membrane in the second state to a first target object (see Para. 0017 and Figs. 3a-3c); and effecting adhesion between the flexible membrane and the first target object, optionally by placing the flexible membrane at a temperature below the threshold temperature (see Para. 0018).
Regarding claim 15, Xie discloses the method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the contacting is effected by exerting a pressure on the flexible membrane so as to effect contact between the flexible membrane and the first target object (see Para. 0018 and Fig. 3a-3b for contact target object).
Regarding claim 17, Xie discloses the method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising placing the flexible membrane into the second state, optionally by heating the flexible membrane so as to heat the flexible membrane to above the threshold temperature (see Para. 0017).
Regarding claim 19, Xie discloses the method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the heating is effective by resistive heating or inductive heating or infrared heating of a conductor disposed on or in the flexible membrane (see Para. 0015; inductive heating).
Regarding claim 20, Xie discloses the method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising heating the flexible membrane to above the threshold temperature following adhesion between the flexible membrane and the first target object (see Para. 0017-0018).
Regarding claim 21, Xie discloses the method as claimed in claim 20, further comprising exerting a pressure on the flexible membrane so as to effect termination of adhesion between the flexible membrane and the first target object (see Para. 0018-0019).
Regarding claim 22, Xie discloses the method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising relative motion between the flexible membrane and the target object before adhesion between the flexible membrane and the first target object (see Para. 0013).
Regarding claim 23, Xie discloses the method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising effecting motion of the first target object while the target object is adhered to the flexible membrane (see Para. 0013).
Regarding claim 24, Xie discloses the method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising contacting the flexible membrane in the second state to a second target object (see Para. 0013).
Regarding claim 25, Xie discloses the method as claimed in claim 24, further comprising placing the flexible membrane at a temperature below the threshold temperature so as to effect adhesion between the flexible membrane and the second target object (see Para. 0017-0018).
Regarding claim 26, Xie discloses the method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising heating the flexible membrane to above the threshold temperature following adhesion between the flexible membrane and the first target object (see Para. 0017-0018).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 6, 12 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xie (US 20080289757 A1) in view of Ilievski (US 20140109560 A1).
Regarding claim 6, Xie discloses the controllable gripper module as claimed in claim 1.
Xie fails to disclose wherein the flexible membrane comprises one or more channels therein or thereon, the one or more channels configured to communicate a fluid therein.
However, Ilievski teaches a robotic actuator wherein the flexible membrane comprises one or more channels therein or thereon, the one or more channels configured to communicate a fluid therein (see Para. 0192).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to introduce wherein the flexible membrane comprises one or more channels therein or thereon, the one or more channels configured to communicate a fluid therein, on the controllable gripper module of Xie, as taught by Ilievski, in order to expand the wall when pressurized through an inlet (see Abstract).
Regarding claim 12, Xie discloses the controllable gripper module as claimed in claim 1.
Xie fails to disclose wherein one or more valves configured to (a) modulate a pressure within the chamber, (b) control convective cooling, or both (a) and (b).
However, Ilievski teaches a robotic actuator comprising one or more valves configured to (a) modulate a pressure within the chamber, (b) control convective cooling, or both (a) and (b) (see Para. 0127 for valves; see Para. 0162 for valve regulating pressure).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to introduce a robotic actuator comprising one or more valves configured to (a) modulate a pressure within the chamber, (b) control convective cooling, or both (a) and (b), on the controllable gripper module of Xie, as taught by Ilievski, in order to regulate pressure and bending in bending actuators (see Para. 0162).
Regarding claim 16, Ilievski further teaches wherein the pressure is effected by pressurizing a chamber that is at least partially sealed by the membrane (see Para. 0192 for heating chamber). See motivation of claim 6.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xie (US 20080289757 A1).
Regarding claim 10, Xie discloses the controllable gripper module as claimed in claim 1.
Xie fails to expressly disclose wherein the flexible membrane has a first state modulus that is from about 10 to about 1000 times the second state modulus of the flexible membrane.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to optimize the modulus of the flexible membrane in the first state relative to the second state to arrive at a ratio within the claimed range. The claimed ratio represents no more than a result effective variable that would have been optimized through routine experimentation. See MPEP § 2144.05.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to REHMAN A QURESHI whose telephone number is (571)272-6262. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00am-5:00pm.
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/REHMAN A QURESHI/Examiner, Art Unit 3654
/ROBERT W HODGE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3654
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