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 .
Responsive to correspondence
This office action is in response to correspondence filed on 10/18/2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed 10/18/2024, 11/13/2024 were filed before the first action on the merits. This submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97.
Accordingly, the IDSs have been fully considered by the Office.
Abstract
The abstract filed 10/18/2024 appears to be acceptable.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 (b)
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 6 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "the one or more cooling devices" in the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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) 1-3, 6, 11-13, 16-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DE 10 2019 119 111 A1 to ASHIR (ASHIR) in view of U.S Publication number 2019/0380857 A1 to GELANYI (GELANYI).
Re: Claim 1:
ASHIR discloses:
A tether system to capture a target in a microgravity environment (See Fig. 5: ¶0003, ¶ 0048: gripping hand which can be used in a plurality of environments, including a microgravity environment), the system comprising:
a main controller (See Fig. 5:¶0056: control device 616 to control actuator of gripping elements 504) to generate a control signal; and
a controllably deformable tether (See Fig. 5:¶0052-¶0053: actuator element 506 with actuator states forming the gripping hand 500 (tether)), comprising:
a core, wherein the core is a shape memory material (See Fig. 5: ¶0005, ¶0052: actuator element 506 made of shape memory alloys in the form of a core-sheath structure); and
a controllable node disposed along the length of the tether (See Figs. 4A-5: ¶0084, ¶0089: multiple segments as described in examples 16 & 21 for further actuation by further actuator element 506), the controllable node including a node controller and a controllable heating source (Figs. 4A & 4B; ¶0044, ¶0058: actuator element 506 and further actuator element 506 can be controlled by temperature through wires that changes actuation states as shown for actuation elements 104 and 404); wherein the node controller to receive the control signal from the main controller and control the heating source to cause controllable deformation of the shape memory material (See Fig. 5: ¶0006, ¶0084: controller 616 affects current through wire of actuator element 506 and further actuator element 506);
ASHIR is silent regarding:
wherein the controllable node further comprising a controllable cooling source and wherein the node controller to receive the control signal from the main controller and control the cooling source to cause controllable deformation of the shape memory material.
However, GELANYI teaches:
wherein the controllable node further comprising a controllable cooling source (¶0023, ¶0058: active orthosis (gripping system) uses an cooling system at a plurality of actuating moving elements containing shape memory material) and wherein the node controller to receive the control signal from the main controller and control the cooling source to cause controllable deformation of the shape memory material (¶0058, ¶0059: active cooling system are individually operated to furth control the grasping states (controllable deformation)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the system of ASHIR wherein the controllable node further comprising a controllable cooling source and wherein the node controller to receive the control signal from the main controller and control the cooling source to cause controllable deformation of the shape memory material as taught by GELANYI to efficiently and reversibly actuate a gripping system to a desired position.
Re: Claims 11 and 16:
ASHIR modified by GELANYI discloses all the limitations of claims 11 and 16
Re: Claim 2:
ASHIR modified by GELANYI discloses:
The system of claim 1, modified ASHIR discloses all the limitations of claim 1, and wherein the core is configured to change shape to envelope a target (ASHIR: ¶0009: actuating elements open and close the gripping hand to grip an object).
Re: Claim 3:
ASHIR modified by GELANYI discloses:
The system of claim 1, modified ASHIR discloses all the limitations of claim 1, and wherein the shape memory material is composed of a shape memory alloy (ASHIR: ¶0052: actuator element 506 has a shape memory alloy).
Re: Claim 6:
ASHIR modified by GELANYI discloses:
The system of claim 1, modified ASHIR discloses all the limitations of claim 1, and wherein the one or more cooling devices are Peltier devices (GELANYI: ¶0058: the active cooling system contains Peltier cells)
Regarding claims 12-13:
ASHIR modified by GELANYI all the limitations of claim 12-13 (see rejections of claims 2-3 above) .
Regarding claims 17-18:
ASHIR modified by GELANYI all the limitations of claim 17-18 (see rejections of claims 2-3 above) .
Claim(s) 4, 14, 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DE 10 2019 119 111 A1 to MONIRUDDOZA ASHIR (ASHIR) in view of U.S Publication number 2019/0380857 A1 to GELANYI (GELANYI) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of U.S Patent number 6,102,917 to MAITLAND, D. et al.(MAITLAND).
Re: Claim 4:
ASHIR modified by GELANYI discloses:
The system of claim 1, modified ASHIR discloses all the limitations of claim 1, ASHIR is silent regarding:
wherein the shape memory material is composed of a shape memory polymer.
However, it is well known in the art that shape memory material may be shape memory polymer, such a system is explicitly taught by US 6,102,917 A to MAITLAND, D. et al.(MAITLAND: col. 1 lines 12-17: gripping system uses shape memory polymer; column 1: lines 12-17)). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the system and tether of modified ASHIR wherein the shape memory material is composed of a shape memory polymer as taught by MAITLAND to bring down production and material costs, and provide biocompatibility as opposed to shape memory alloys or ceramics.
Re: Claim 14:
ASHIR modified by GELANYI discloses:
The tether of claim 11, modified ASHIR discloses all the limitations of claim 11, ASHIR is silent regarding:
wherein the shape memory material is composed of a shape memory polymer.
However, it is well known in the art that shape memory material may be shape memory polymer, such a system is explicitly taught by US 6,102,917 A to MAITLAND, D. et al.(MAITLAND: col. 1 lines 12-17: gripping system uses shape memory polymer; column 1: lines 12-17)). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the system and tether of modified ASHIR wherein the shape memory material is composed of a shape memory polymer as taught by MAITLAND to bring down production and material costs, and provide biocompatibility as opposed to shape memory alloys or ceramics.
Re: Claim 19:
ASHIR modified by GELANYI discloses:
The tether of claim 16, modified ASHIR discloses all the limitations of claim 16, ASHIR is silent regarding:
wherein the shape memory material is composed of a shape memory polymer.
However, it is well known in the art that shape memory material may be shape memory polymer, such a system is explicitly taught by US 6,102,917 A to MAITLAND, D. et al.(MAITLAND: col. 1 lines 12-17: gripping system uses shape memory polymer; column 1: lines 12-17)). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the system and tether of modified ASHIR wherein the shape memory material is composed of a shape memory polymer as taught by MAITLAND to bring down production and material costs, and provide biocompatibility as opposed to shape memory alloys or ceramics.
Claim(s) 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DE 10 2019 119 111 A1 to MONIRUDDOZA ASHIR (ASHIR) in view of U.S Publication number 2019/0380857 A1 to GELANYI (GELANYI) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of U.S Patent number 4964062 to UBHAYAKAR et al. ( UBHAYAKAR).
Re: Claim 7:
ASHIR modified by GELANYI discloses:
The system of claim 1, modified ASHIR discloses all the limitations of claim 1, modified ASHIR discloses the main controller, modified DRESDON is silent regarding:
wherein a controller includes modulation circuitry to generate a modulated control signal and the node controller includes demodulation circuitry to demodulate the modulated control signal and extract commands to control the operation of the heating source.
However, UBHAYAKAR teaches:
wherein a controller includes modulation circuitry to generate a modulated control signal (control circuity includes modulated control signals at unique frequencies for actuators which can include shape memory materials; column 16: line 49-column 17: line 2) and the node controller includes demodulation circuitry to demodulate the modulated control signal and extract commands to control the operation of the heating source (the signals are then demodulated at a baseband filter for control of each actuator; column 16: line 49- column 17: line 2). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the system of ASHIR wherein the main controller includes modulation circuitry to generate a modulated control signal and the node controller includes demodulation circuitry to demodulate the modulated control signal and extract commands to control the operation of the heating source as taught by UBHAYAKAR for a common medium across a signal carrier for multiple control signals.
Re: Claim 8:
ASHIR modified by GELANYI and UBHAYAKAR discloses:
The system of claim 7, the modified ASHIR discloses all the limitations of claim 7, and wherein the modulation circuitry to generate a frequency division multiplexed (FDM) signal (UBHAYAKAR: control circuitry is an FDM control circuit; column 16: line 49- column 17: line 2).
Claim(s) 20-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DE 10 2019 119 111 A1 to MONIRUDDOZA ASHIR (ASHIR) in view of U.S Publication number 2019/0380857 A1 to GELANYI (GELANYI) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of U.S Patent number 10405903 B1 to BIESINGER et al. (BIESINGER).
Re: Claim 20:
ASHIR modified by GELANYI discloses:
The tether of claim 16, modified ASHIR discloses all the limitations of claim 1, the modified ASHIR is silent regarding:
wherein a first plurality of the controllable nodes being concentrated in a selected region of core, and a second plurality of the controllable nodes being disposed at approximately equal spacing in other regions of the core.
However, BIESINGER teaches:
wherein a first plurality of the controllable nodes being concentrated in a selected region of core (BIESINGER: Figs. 6A and 6B: col. 1 lines 15-22, col. 19 lines 28-51: first accordion set 321 of plurality 340 with a plurality of individual folds (nodes) wherein the accordion sections are made of shape memory materials around guide wire 43 (core)), and a second plurality of the controllable nodes being disposed at approximately equal spacing in other regions of the core (BIESINGER: Figs. 6A and 6B: col. 1 lines 15-22, col. 19 lines 28-51: second accordion set 320 of plurality 340 with a plurality of individual folds (nodes) wherein the accordion sections are made of shape memory materials around guide wire 43 (core)). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the tether of ASHIR wherein a first plurality of the controllable nodes being concentrated in a selected region of core, and a second plurality of the controllable nodes being disposed at approximately equal spacing in other regions of the core as taught by BIESINGER to create a desired shape and angle among the plurality of segments.
Re: Claim 21:
ASHIR modified by GELANYI and BIESINGER discloses:
The tether of claim 16, the modified ASHIR discloses all the limitations of claim 16, the modified ASHIR is silent regarding:
wherein the plurality of the controllable nodes being disposed at approximately equal spacing in other regions of the core (BIESINGER : Fig. 7A; column 1: lines 15-22, column 21 lines: 54- col. 22, line 38: accordion section made of shape memory materials shown with uniform folds through its entirety, which would also be disposed around a guide wire). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the tether of ASHIR wherein the plurality of the controllable nodes being disposed at approximately equal spacing in other regions of the core as taught by BIESINGER to create a uniform desired shape and angle among the plurality of segments.
Conclusion
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/SHAFIQ MIAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746
September 26, 2026
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