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 .
The following correspondence is a Final Office Action for application #no. 18/855,766, for a MOVEMENT PLATFORM SYSTEM, filed on 10/10/2024. This correspondence is in response to applicant's reply filed on 3/10/2026. Claims 1-20 are pending.
Priority
Applicant is advised of possible benefits under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) and (f), wherein an application for patent filed in the United States may be entitled to claim priority to an application filed in a foreign country.
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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) 1-4 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Edelhauser et al. (U.S. Pat. 8,333,766).
Regarding claim 1, Edelhauser teaches a movement platform system comprising a base, a
platform movable relative to the base and allowing an infinite rotational movement (“[t]he combination of these movements is capable of orienting ring 16 and ring 14 in an infinite number of angular positions with respect to one another), and two or more endless rails following a closed curve to which a number of motors are movably connected, wherein the number of motors (servo motors at 35, Fig. 3A) in turn are connected to the platform by means of one or more push-pull rods, and wherein the movement platform system is an overdetermined movement platform system, the platform being movable along 6 degrees of freedom relative to the base (a combination of three orthogonal translational axes (e.g., typical "X," "Y" and "Z" axes) and three orthogonal rotational axes (e.g., rotation about such typical "X," "Y" and "Z" axes).
[AltContent: textbox (Upper joints)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Lower joints)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Endless rails)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (base)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (platform)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Push pull rods)]
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Regarding claim 2, Edelhauser teaches the system of claim 1, wherein the infinite rotational movement is an infinite yaw movement.
Regarding claim 3, Edelhauser teaches the system of claim 1, wherein each of the two or more endless rails comprises a circular shape.
Regarding claim 4, Edelhauser teaches the system of claim 1, wherein the two or more endless rails are circular shaped endless rails each having a center, and wherein the two or more endless rails run in parallel planes (horizontal), and wherein a common axis (vertical) runs through both centers of the two or more endless rails in a direction perpendicular to the parallel planes.
Regarding claim 13, Edelhauser teaches the system of claim 1, wherein the one or more push-pull rods connecting the number of motors to the platform are connected to the number of motors by means of one or more three degrees of freedom lower joints and are connected to the platform with one or more two degrees of freedom upper joints or wherein the one or more push-pull rods connecting the number of motors to the platform are connected to the number of motors by means of one or more two degrees of freedom lower joints and are connected to the platform with one or more three degrees of freedom upper joints.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-12 and 14-20 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-4 and 13 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NKEISHA J. SMITH whose telephone number is (571)272-5781. The examiner can normally be reached Normal hours: M/Th 7-4; T 9-5; W 7-3; F 7-4.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Terrell McKinnon can be reached at 571-272-4797. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/NKEISHA SMITH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3632 May 30, 2026
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