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 .
Status of claims
The following claims have been rejected or allowed for the following reasons:
Claim(s) 11 - 21 is rejected under 35 USC § 103
Claim(s) 16 is rejected under 35 USC § 112(a)
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. DE10 2022 108 243.1, filed on 4/6/2022.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement/statements (IDS) were filed on 9/20/24. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are:
Claim 11 - Control Interface
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Claim rejections 112(a)
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claim 16 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the enablement requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and/or use the invention. The currently presented specifications of the claimed invention do not identify any means or method as to what a “safe” or “non-safe” connection would be, as it relates to the claimed invention. Paragraphs [0047 – 0048] of the specifications identifies some means and methods for a “secure” and “non-secure” connections as previously claimed and identifies that safety related data or information may be sent over the previously secured lines. However this is sustainably different that that which is currently claimed in this application.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 11-15 and 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as applied to Guerin (US 20180311831 A1), in further view of Riedel (EP 3081347 B1).
Regarding claim 11 Guerin teaches A robot add-on part, comprising: a casing; a coupling arranged on the casing and designed for releasable coupling in a form-fitting manner to at least one counter-coupling provided on an outer surface of a link of a robot; (Guerin figures 1A and 1B depict a rigid robotic end effector that is designed to be attached, detached or swapped from a robotic arm.);
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wherein the coupling is designed, in a state coupled to the link of the robot via coupling with the corresponding counter-coupling, to position and orient the robot add- on part relative to the link of the robot with a position and orientation accuracy sufficient for the positioning accuracy of the robot; (Guerin [0021] reads “Adaptive robotic retooling apparatus and methods, embodiments of which are described herein, solve several problems that are typical of outfitting a robot in a robotic system with different robotic peripherals (e.g., tools, sensors, end effectors, etc.) to allow the robot to successfully and safely perform actions with the robotic peripherals in the physical world. One, the robotic peripherals must be attached to the robot in a repeatable and rigid manner. This is required so that an attached robotic peripheral does not move or come loose while the robot performs actions with the attached robotic peripheral. Two, the physical properties of the attached robotic peripheral, such as its mass, center of mass, moment of inertia, shape, physical extent, interaction or grasping point, must be programmed into the robotic system. The size information is required so that interaction point of the attached robotic peripheral as well as its shape and extent can be factored into calculations for kinematic movement, collision detection, and other motion calculations.”);
at least one control component arranged on the casing or in the casing, the at least one control component comprising a data memory in which physical data of the robot add-on part are stored; (Guerin [0039] reads “Peripheral adapter 420 includes a communication device 426, which is communicatively linked to a data storage unit 428 that is programmable to store a peripheral profile of the robotic peripheral designated for peripheral adapter 420. … Data storage unit 428 includes a non-volatile, computer-readable storage medium mounted on a substrate (e.g., a circuit board) or embedded in the structure of peripheral adapter 420 in a protected fashion.” And [0023] reads “Peripheral adapter 120 can be programmed to store at least one peripheral profile containing information associated with robotic peripheral 80, such as a set of physical properties of robotic peripheral 80 (e.g., unique identifier, name, model, type, relative mounting offset, size, mass, shape, physical extent, type and/or location of attachment sites 82, etc.),”);
[[and]] a control interface designed and configured to transmit the physical data of the robot add-on part present in the data memory to a control device of the robot when the robot add-on part is coupled to the link of the [[robot]]; (Guerin [0019] reads “When the programmable peripheral adapter is detachably connects the robotic peripheral to the robot, the programmable peripheral adapter can communicate with the robotic system and provide the robotic system with useful information, which the robotic system uses to reconfigure the robot, update operating characteristics of the robot, and/or communicate with and operate the robotic peripheral.”);
Guerin does not teach and at least one input feature communicating with the control device of the robot via the control interface, the at least one input feature configured for actuation by a user to control operation of the robot when the robot add-on part is coupled to the link of the robot.
Riedel in analogous art, teaches and at least one input feature communicating with the control device of the robot via the control interface, the at least one input feature configured for actuation by a user to control operation of the robot when the robot add-on part is coupled to the link of the robot. (Riedel page 3 paragraph 11 reads “In general, at least one mechanical connection between the robot hand-held device and the electronically communicating device is provided by the plug connection means according to the invention. The robot hand-held device, in turn, is generally connected in terms of control technology to a robot controller, such that the robot controller is actuated by operating the safety basic control device of the robot operator's handset in order, for example, to move the robot arm or a mobile robot platform in a controlled manner”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Guerin with that of Riedel to include a method that would allow a user to control a robotic device remotely. This addition would constitute the application of know techniques to yield predictable results. It would be known by one with ordinary skill in the art that a robotic system may be controlled remotely via some form of input device and the addition of this device would allow the current system to be remotely controlled in such a manner.
Regarding claim 12 Guerin/Riedel teaches The robot add-on part of claim 11, wherein the data memory is adapted to store physical data in the form of at least one of: geometry data, center of gravity data, load data, or machine data of the robot add-on part. (Guerin [0019] reads “The embedded storage unit can also store information associated with the programmable peripheral adapter itself, such as physical properties (e.g., a unique identifier, mass, center of mass, thickness, shape, physical extent, type and/or location of one or more attachment points, and the like) of the programmable peripheral adapter, one or more images representative of the peripheral adapter, and the like.”);
Regarding claim 13 Guerin/Riedel teaches The robot add-on part of claim 11, further comprising a sensor assigned to the coupling, the sensor: configured to detect a proper coupling state of the coupling to the counter- coupling provided on the link of the robot; (Guerin [0027] reads “The connection monitor can include a mechanical sensor that senses when peripheral flange 122 and robotic flange 132 are mated and/or when connector 110 is installed to mechanically connect peripheral adapter 120 to robotic adapter 130.”);
and configured to permit transmission of the physical data from the data memory to the control device of the robot when a proper coupling state of the coupling to the counter-coupling is detected by the sensor. (Guerin [0028] reads “When the connection monitor detects a detachable connection forming between peripheral adapter 120 and robotic adapter 130, robotic retooling apparatus 100 generates at least one connection event and establishes a communication link between peripheral adapter 120 and robotic adapter 130. … Subsequent to establishing the communication link, a tool manager (not shown) running on the robotic system or robotic retooling apparatus 100 queries peripheral adapter 120, which then obtains profile information in a stored peripheral profile of robotic peripheral 80 and provides the profile information to robot 90 and/or the robotic system. The profile information associated with robotic peripheral 80 includes physical properties of robotic peripheral 80, such as the mass, center of mass, moment of inertia, shape, physical extent, interaction or grasping point, or required drivers and any other pertinent information that enable robot 90 to use robotic peripheral 80. The tool manager can also query peripheral adapter 120 for profile information in one or more stored adapter profiles of connector 110, peripheral adapter 120, and/or robotic adapter 130.”);
Regarding claim 14 Guerin/Riedel teaches The robot add-on part of claim 11, wherein: the control interface comprises an electrical connector integrated into the coupling; (Guerin [0025] reads “Robotic adapter 130 attaches to robot 90 at a connection site 92 of robot 90 and includes a communication device (not shown) that communicatively links with the communication device of peripheral adapter 120 via a physical connection (e.g., connectors, wired connections, spring contacts, etc.)”);
the electrical connector configured to pass physical data stored in the memory to the control device by an electrical connection routed via the electrical connector when the robot add-on part is coupled to the link of the robot. (Guerin [0019] reads “When the programmable peripheral adapter is detachably connects the robotic peripheral to the robot, the programmable peripheral adapter can communicate with the robotic system and provide the robotic system with useful information, which the robotic system uses to reconfigure the robot, update operating characteristics of the robot, and/or communicate with and operate the robotic peripheral.”);
Regarding claim 15 Guerin/Riedel teaches The robot add-on part of claim 11, wherein the control interface comprises a transmitting device that is part of a wireless connection that operatively connects the control component of the robot add-on part to the control device of the robot. (Guerin [0025] reads “Robotic adapter 130 attaches to robot 90 at a connection site 92 of robot 90 and includes a communication device (not shown) that communicatively links with the communication device of peripheral adapter 120 via a physical connection (e.g., connectors, wired connections, spring contacts, etc.), a wireless connection (e.g., Bluetooth, near-field communication (“NFC”), WiFi, RF, optical, etc.), or other means, such as via detectable changes in one or more physical properties (e.g., capacitance, resistance, magnetic field, etc.).”);
Regarding claim 17 Guerin/Riedel teaches The robot add-on part of claim 11, wherein the robot add-on part is designed as at least one of a manual operating device, a safety emergency switching device, a sensor, or a camera. (Riedel page 2 paragraph 15 reads “The robot hand-held device can in particular be a hand-held robot programming device. The robot hand-held device can also be or be referred to as a manipulator handheld device. The mechanically connecting plug connection means is designed for the manual connection of the robot hand-held device to the respective electronically communicating device. … Thus, a user, such as a robot programmer, can manually release or connect the robotic hand-held device to the electronically-communicating device without the need for tools. The holder is so far for manually releasable, tool-free mechanical coupling of the housing to a different from the robot control handset, electronically communicating with the safety control device ground device formed.”);
Regarding claim 18 Guerin/Riedel teaches A system, comprising: a control device for controlling a robot arm; the control device designed and configured to control electric drive motors of the robot arm, which drive motors move respective joints of the robot arm in order to adjust links of the robot arm relative to one another, either automatically according to a robot program implemented on the control device, or in a manual drive mode by manual control, whereby the robot arm is movable into different poses; (Riedel page 3 paragraph 11 reads “In general, at least one mechanical connection between the robot hand-held device and the electronically communicating device is provided by the plug connection means according to the invention. The robot hand-held device, in turn, is generally connected in terms of control technology to a robot controller, such that the robot controller is actuated by operating the safety basic control device of the robot operator's handset in order, for example, to move the robot arm or a mobile robot platform in a controlled manner”);
the control device comprising an input interface; (Riedel page 4 paragraph 1 reads “Thus, it is also possible to control basic control functions of the robot mechanically by means of input means of the robot control handset. This can be in particular the already mentioned emergency stop triggering means, the approval device and / or the mode selection means. In addition, further possibly non-secure input means and / or display means may be provided on the robot hand-held device. These may be, for example, one or more displays, light sources, switches, buttons, in particular for menu control and for triggering a touch-up and / or start / stop buttons.”);
and a robot add-on part according to claim 11 operatively coupled with the input interface via the control interface of the robot add-on part, to thereby transmit physical data from the data memory to the control device. (Guerin [0019] reads “When the programmable peripheral adapter is detachably connects the robotic peripheral to the robot, the programmable peripheral adapter can communicate with the robotic system and provide the robotic system with useful information, which the robotic system uses to reconfigure the robot, update operating characteristics of the robot, and/or communicate with and operate the robotic peripheral.”);
Regarding claim 19 Guerin/Riedel teaches A robot, comprising: a robot arm with a plurality of links connected by a plurality of joints, wherein the links are adjustable relative to one another by movement of the joints driven by respective electric motors controlled by a control device; (Riedel page 6 paragraph 3 and 4 reads “The robot arm 2 is movable by means of three electric drive motors 11 in its three basic axes and by means of three further electric drive motors 11 in its three hand axes. The robot controller 12 of the robot 1 is configured to execute a robot program by which the joints 14 of the robot arm 2 can be automated according to the robot program or automatically adjusted or rotated in a hand-held operation. For this purpose, the robot controller 12 is connected to the controllable electric drive motors 11, which are designed to adjust the joints 14 of the robot arm 2. With the robot controller 12, an inventive robot control pendant 15 is connected control technology.”);
at least one of the links of the robot arm including at least one counter-coupling configured for coupling with a robot add-on part; and at least one robot add-on part according to claim 11 coupled with the at least one counter-coupling. (Guerin figures 1A and 1B depict a rigid robotic end effector that is designed to be attached, detached or swapped from a robotic arm.);
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Regarding claim 20 Guerin/Riedel teaches A method for controlling electric motors of a robot arm, which motors drive joints of the robot arm in order to move links of the robot arm relative to one another in order to move the robot arm into different poses, the method comprising: attaching a robot add-on part according to claim 11 to a link of the robot arm by connecting, in a form-fitting manner, the coupling of the robot add-on part to a counter- coupling on the link of the robot arm; (Guerin figures 1A and 1B depict a rigid robotic end effector that is designed to be attached, detached or swapped from a robotic arm.);
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automatic transmitting physical data from the data memory of the robot add-on part to a control device designed (Guerin [0039] reads “Peripheral adapter 420 includes a communication device 426, which is communicatively linked to a data storage unit 428 that is programmable to store a peripheral profile of the robotic peripheral designated for peripheral adapter 420. … Data storage unit 428 includes a non-volatile, computer-readable storage medium mounted on a substrate (e.g., a circuit board) or embedded in the structure of peripheral adapter 420 in a protected fashion.” And [0023] reads “Peripheral adapter 120 can be programmed to store at least one peripheral profile containing information associated with robotic peripheral 80, such as a set of physical properties of robotic peripheral 80 (e.g., unique identifier, name, model, type, relative mounting offset, size, mass, shape, physical extent, type and/or location of attachment sites 82, etc.),”);
and configured to control the electric motors of the robot arm; (Riedel page 6 paragraph 3 and 4 reads “The robot arm 2 is movable by means of three electric drive motors 11 in its three basic axes and by means of three further electric drive motors 11 in its three hand axes. The robot controller 12 of the robot 1 is configured to execute a robot program by which the joints 14 of the robot arm 2 can be automated according to the robot program or automatically adjusted or rotated in a hand-held operation. For this purpose, the robot controller 12 is connected to the controllable electric drive motors 11, which are designed to adjust the joints 14 of the robot arm 2. With the robot controller 12, an inventive robot control pendant 15 is connected control technology.”);
and controlling the electric motors of the robot arm to move the links using the control device, automatically according to a robot program implemented on the control device, or in a manual driving mode by manual control, wherein planning of movements of the links of the robot arm is based at least in part on the physical data obtained from the robot add-on part. (Riedel page 3 paragraph 11 reads “In general, at least one mechanical connection between the robot hand-held device and the electronically communicating device is provided by the plug connection means according to the invention. The robot hand-held device, in turn, is generally connected in terms of control technology to a robot controller, such that the robot controller is actuated by operating the safety basic control device of the robot operator's handset in order, for example, to move the robot arm or a mobile robot platform in a controlled manner”);
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as applied to Guerin, in further view of Cookson (US 20170057085 A1).
Regarding claim 16 Guerin/Riedel teaches A robot add-on part, comprising: a casing; a coupling arranged on the casing and designed for releasable coupling in a form-fitting manner to at least one counter-coupling provided on an outer surface of a link of a robot; (Guerin figures 1A and 1B depict a rigid robotic end effector that is designed to be attached, detached or swapped from a robotic arm.);
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wherein the coupling is designed, in a state coupled to the link of the robot via coupling with the corresponding counter-coupling, to position and orient the robot add- on part relative to the link of the robot with a position and orientation accuracy sufficient for the positioning accuracy of the robot; (Guerin [0021] reads “Adaptive robotic retooling apparatus and methods, embodiments of which are described herein, solve several problems that are typical of outfitting a robot in a robotic system with different robotic peripherals (e.g., tools, sensors, end effectors, etc.) to allow the robot to successfully and safely perform actions with the robotic peripherals in the physical world. One, the robotic peripherals must be attached to the robot in a repeatable and rigid manner. This is required so that an attached robotic peripheral does not move or come loose while the robot performs actions with the attached robotic peripheral. Two, the physical properties of the attached robotic peripheral, such as its mass, center of mass, moment of inertia, shape, physical extent, interaction or grasping point, must be programmed into the robotic system. The size information is required so that interaction point of the attached robotic peripheral as well as its shape and extent can be factored into calculations for kinematic movement, collision detection, and other motion calculations.”);
at least one control component arranged on the casing or in the casing, the at least one control component comprising a data memory in which physical data of the robot add-on part are stored; (Guerin [0039] reads “Peripheral adapter 420 includes a communication device 426, which is communicatively linked to a data storage unit 428 that is programmable to store a peripheral profile of the robotic peripheral designated for peripheral adapter 420. … Data storage unit 428 includes a non-volatile, computer-readable storage medium mounted on a substrate (e.g., a circuit board) or embedded in the structure of peripheral adapter 420 in a protected fashion.” And [0023] reads “Peripheral adapter 120 can be programmed to store at least one peripheral profile containing information associated with robotic peripheral 80, such as a set of physical properties of robotic peripheral 80 (e.g., unique identifier, name, model, type, relative mounting offset, size, mass, shape, physical extent, type and/or location of attachment sites 82, etc.),”);
and a control interface designed and configured to transmit the physical data of the robot add-on part present in the data memory to a control device of the robot when the robot add-on part is coupled to the link of the robot; (Guerin [0019] reads “When the programmable peripheral adapter is detachably connects the robotic peripheral to the robot, the programmable peripheral adapter can communicate with the robotic system and provide the robotic system with useful information, which the robotic system uses to reconfigure the robot, update operating characteristics of the robot, and/or communicate with and operate the robotic peripheral.”);
Guerin/Riedel does not teach wherein the control interface comprises: a first data line designed using non-[[secure]] safe technology and configured, when the robot add-on part is coupled to the link of the robot, to transmit data using the non-[[secure]] safe technology to the control device in order to register the robot add-on part with the control device, and to transmit the physical data to the control [[device;]] device, and a second data line designed using -[[secure]] safe technology and configured, when the robot add-on part is coupled to the link of the robot, to connect the control component with at least one of its functionalities to the control device using the - [[secure]] safe technology.
Cookson in analogous art, teaches wherein the control interface comprises: a first data line designed using non-[[secure]] safe technology and configured, when the robot add-on part is coupled to the link of the robot, to transmit data using the non-[[secure]] safe technology to the control device in order to register the robot add-on part with the control device, and to transmit the physical data to the control [[device;]] device, (Cookson [0030] reads “Alternatively, the end effector or tool plate can, upon attachment, emit a characteristic signal that is detected by the robot controller polling for that signal. In either case, the robot controller 125 (or, in some implementations, the robot arm 105) sends commands to the end effector or the tool plate, which responds with data (I/O or status data, or stored configuration/identification data, depending on the command).”);
and a second data line designed using -[[secure]] safe technology and configured, when the robot add-on part is coupled to the link of the robot, to connect the control component with at least one of its functionalities to the control device using the - [[secure]] safe technology. (Cookson [0031] reads “In some embodiments, the configuration information is stored in the memory 405 of the tool plate 150, and upon detecting attachment of an end effector, the control element 415 locates the corresponding configuration information in the memory 405 and transmits this to the robot controller 125. Once again, the configuration information may be the driver itself or a pointer thereto, enabling the robot controller 125 to download the latest version of the driver before self-configuring, or information that enables the robot controller 125 to parameterize a generic driver for the particular end effector.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Guerin/Riedel with that of Cookson to provide a method for transferring data that allows for the proper drivers to be installed when a new tooling attachment is attached. This would allow for the robotic system to better adapt to and unitize the tolling that is attached to it. (Cookson [0004] reads “What is needed, therefore, is a more versatile approach to hot-swapping of end effectors that permits arbitrary replacement by the operator and dynamic accommodation by the robot. The operator, for example, may find during operation that the task being performed by the robot unexpectedly requires finer control than the current set of grippers permits. In such circumstances, the operator will want to replace the existing grippers with a more suitable end effector, but without rewriting the robot's task-execution code.”);
Regarding claim 21 Guerin/Riedel teaches The robot add-on part of claim 11, wherein: the coupling is configured for releasable coupling in a form-fitting manner to a counter-coupling located on a link of the robot other than an end link. (Gombert figure 1 clearly shows that the robotic control device 13 can be positioned away from the end effector of the robotic arm 10.);
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It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Guerin/Riedel with that of Gombert to include a system that would allow the control element to be placed in a variety of locations. This would allow for the system to be more adaptable to a wider range of different operating situations. (Gombert [0007] reads “The user of the robotic arm thus has the possibility of selecting the point of attachment of the input module depending on requirements and if necessary adapting it to the environment in which the robotic arm is used. Input modules which are not required in order to avoid an obstacle need not be fitted, nor do they need to be purchased, so that the user is able to minimize the costs of acquisition of the robotic arm. If it transpires that, in a particular working environment, the number of input modules is not sufficient in order to guide the arm around all obstacles, a further input module can be purchased and fitted. Since the same design of input module can be used at different points on a robotic arm, it can be manufactured in large quantities and offered for sale correspondingly cheaply by the manufacturer.”);
Response to Arguments
Applicant argues <Claim 11 is the only independent claim of this rejected group and has been amended herein to further recite ''at least one input feature ... configured for actuation by a user to control operation of the robot." Support for this amendment can be found with reference to paragraphs 12, 25, 26, and 49 of the Substitute Specification filed September 20, 2024. Applicant asserts that Guerin '831 fails to teach, or even suggest, the combination of features set forth in amended claim 11, including the recited ''at least one input feature.''> [page 8 second paragraph]. The examiner respectfully disagrees. Limitations relating to the inclusion of an user input device for control of the robotic manipulator ware newly included limitations and therefore were not covered by previous office actions. The current rejection of record relies upon Riedel to teach the use of a control device that would allow a user to control the robotic arm. (Riedel page 3 paragraph 11 reads “In general, at least one mechanical connection between the robot hand-held device and the electronically communicating device is provided by the plug connection means according to the invention. The robot hand-held device, in turn, is generally connected in terms of control technology to a robot controller, such that the robot controller is actuated by operating the safety basic control device of the robot operator's handset in order, for example, to move the robot arm or a mobile robot platform in a controlled manner”); Therefore, the combination teaches the claimed invention.
Applicant argues <Claim 16 has been rewritten in independent form to include the subject matter of original claim 11, and to recite ''non-safe technology'' and ''safe technology'' in place of ''non-secure technology'' and ''secure technology,'' respectively. … Cookson '085 fails to cure the deficiencies of Guerin '831 discussed above. Specifically, Cookson '085 was cited with respect to alleged disclosure of first and second data lines that use non-secure and secure technology, respectively. However, there is no disclosure in Cookson '085 of non-secure technology and secure technology (or non-safe technology and safe technology) as required by claim 16. In this regard, there does not appear to be any distinction in Cookson '085 (particularly at cited paragraphs 30-31) related to different technology or methods for transmitting data or connecting functionalities to a robot control device, nor is there anything that suggests that safe technology is necessary or used for transmitting data or connecting functionalities.> [page 9 second paragraph]. The examiner respectfully disagrees. The examiner does note that claim 16 was written in a way to make it independent while also including much of the limitations of claim 11. However, the change from “secure” to “safe” technology as no support in the currently presented specifications of the claimed invention. This is further discussed in the 112(a) rejection discussed above. With the current broadest reasonable interpretation of the claimed invention a “non-secure” or “non-safe” connection is one in which neither of the two connecting parties have identified or are configured to transmit data between each other. This interpretation in made in light of the specification, specifically [0045 – 0048] which details this connection as a standard Bluetooth or wireless radio connection that would be known by one with ordinary skill in the art. This interpretation is then taught by Cookson. (Cookson [0023] reads “A conventional communication interface 138 facilitates communications over a network, such as the Internet and/or any other land-based or wireless telecommunications network or system.”); Therefore, the combination teaches the claimed invention.
Other references not Cited
Throughout examination other references were found that could read onto the prior art. Though these references were not used in this examination they could be used in future examination and could read on the contents of the current disclosure. These references are, Kato (US 20040128029 A1);
Conclusion
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/JOHN MARTIN O'MALLEY/Examiner, Art Unit 3658
/Ramon A. Mercado/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3658
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