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 § 102
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, 8-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Hosek et al. (USP 12350821).
Regarding claim 1, Hosek discloses an apparatus comprising:
a robot arm base (fig.12, 136);
a robot arm (fig.12) assembly including one or more arm links (135, 112, 120) and a first set of one or more rotational joints (joint between 118 and 135 or 120), each rotational joint of the first set of one or more rotational joints including a corresponding vacuum-compatible seal (320);
components defining a plurality of coolant flow path segments (depicted schematically in fig.12; there is a coolant path that goes up into the arm and returns back to the base; as discussed throughout the specification, and particularly such as in col.15, lines 54+ the service loop could be a liquid coolant or gaseseous); and
a first set of one or more cooling features (the disclosure discusses the cooling of either the components within the robot to the motors, etc), each cooling feature in the first set of one or more cooling features fluidically connected with, and fluidically interposed between, at least two of the coolant flow path segments (readily visible in for example fig.14; the cooling feature for motors or control modules or the joint are between two flow path segments), wherein:
a base rotational joint of the one or more rotational joints rotatably connects a first arm link of the one or more arm links to the robot arm base (seen in figures), and
at least two of the coolant flow path segments extend from the robot arm base, through the base rotational joint, and into at least the first arm link (seen in figures such as fig.14).
Regarding claim 8, Hosek discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the robot arm assembly includes a first motor (either m1 or m2), and the one or more cooling features includes one or more motor cooling features (the portion of cooling segment that runs adjacent to the motors would read on cooling features), the one or more motor cooling features including a first motor cooling feature that is positioned adjacent to or encircling a portion of the first motor and configured to cool the first motor when a coolant is flowed into the first motor cooling feature via at least one of the coolant flow path segments and out of the first motor cooling feature via at least one other coolant flow path segment of the coolant flow path segments (readily apparent via fig.14; note the use of broad language such as cooling segments or cooling features opens the claim up to a lot of varying interpretations under BRI).
Regarding claim 9, Hosek discloses wherein the one or more cooling features includes one or more arm link cooling features (again the portions of the flow segments, for instance embedded into the links, 137, such as shown in many embodiments would read on this), the one or more arm link cooling features including a first arm link cooling feature that is positioned adjacent to, or within, material forming one of the one or more arm links and configured to cool that arm link when a coolant is flowed into the first arm link cooling feature via at least one of the coolant flow path segments and out of the first arm link cooling feature via at least one other coolant flow path segment of the coolant flow path segments (seen throughout the figures;.
Regarding claim 10, Hosek discloses wherein the first arm link cooling feature extends along at least half of the length of the arm link the material of which the first arm link cooling feature is positioned adjacent to or within (according to the schematics such as shown in fig.14 it is understood the feature would extend through at least half).
Regarding claims 11/1,8,9,10; Hosek discloses further comprising a first sensor located within one of the one or more arm links (there would be sensors for instance located in control module 148 which would then read on this), the one or more cooling features includes one or more sensor cooling features, the one or more sensor cooling features including a first sensor cooling feature that is positioned adjacent to or encircling a portion of the first sensor and configured to cool the first sensor when a coolant is flowed into the first sensor cooling feature via at least one of the coolant flow path segments and out of the first sensor cooling feature via at least one other coolant flow path segment of the coolant flow path segments (the coolant would cool down control module 148 and sensors within).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-6, 12, 14-16, 18-21, 23, 26 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Includes other examples of cooling arrangements in a robot arm.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS C DIAZ whose telephone number is (571)270-5461. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-6pm.
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/THOMAS C DIAZ/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3617
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