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 .
DETAILED ACTION
The application of Christoph Foll-Laubengeiger for Work Apparatus for use in the Plumbing Industry, in Particular a Pressing Tool for Pipes and the like, and Method for Operating the Work Apparatus filed 10/17/24 has been examined. Claims 1-25 are pending.
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) 1-4,6,9-13,and 16-25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kruezer US Patent Application Publication 20200272124.
Regarding claim 1, Kruezer teaches a work apparatus, comprising:
a tool (20);
a drive unit (557) for driving the tool (paragraph 0123); and
an electronic tool controller operatively connected to the drive unit, the electronic
tool controller including a microcontroller with a communication module (paragraph 058),
wherein the communication module is configured to independently establish
a network connection between the microcontroller and a cloud
or a server/data storage via the communication module and to
exchange data (paragraph 033, 053-054).
Regarding claim 2, Kreuzer teaches the microcontroller (37, 50) establishes the network connection via the communication module (38) at regular or irregular time intervals or times (paragraph 0113).
Regarding claim 3, Kreuzer teaches the microcontroller establishes the network connection via the communication module during or after certain operating states (paragraph 0113).
Regarding claim 4, Kreuzer teaches the communication module (38) is a Wi-Fi module (paragraph 057).
Regarding claim 6, Kreuzer teaches the microcontroller comprises
a first microcontroller, and a further microcontroller (controller 130 represent one more controller, paragraph 058).
Regarding claim 9, Kruezer teaches the microcontroller include interface to the internal or external memory (paragraph 058).
Regarding claim 10, Kreuzer teaches an HMI (human machine interface) control is connected to an interface of the first microcontroller (switches, paragraph 061).
Regarding claim 11, Kreuzer teaches the microcontroller is operatively connected to a memory,
and wherein a transmission of data from the memory to the cloud takes place
asynchronously of processing by the work apparatus (data is transmitted at a selected user time and is therefore asynchronously, paragraph 088,0124-0125).
Regarding claim 12, Kreuzer teaches he work apparatus has a display for operating data and/or setting data (paragraph 0118).
Regarding claim 13, Kreuzer teaches the work apparatus is provided with control elements (26, 27) with which operating data and/or control data of the work apparatus can be set (switches, paragraph 061).
Regarding claim 16, Kreuzer teaches the microcontroller includes a first microcontroller (37) and a
second microcontroller, and wherein sensors (58) and actuators (60) are connected to the second
microcontroller (controller 130 represents one more controllers, paragraph 058).
Regarding claim 17, Kreuzer teaches a power supply is connected to the second microcontroller (battery 170 connected to controller 172, fig.4).
Regarding claim 18, Kreuzer teaches the electronic tool controller has a microphone and/or a camera and wherein the electronic tool controller is configured for recording voice and/or
image/video (paragraph 033, 036,049, 053-054).
Regarding claim 19, Kreuzer teaches the microcontroller is configured to transmit a voice recording
and/or an image/video recording to the cloud or the server/data storage (paragraph 049,066).
Regarding claim 20, Kreuzer teaches a method, comprising:
providing a work apparatus for pipes and fittings (cutting, paragraph79), including
a tool (fig. 1),
a drive unit for driving the tool (557, paragraph 0123),
an electronic tool controller operatively connected to the drive unit (paragraph 0123), the
electronic tool controller including
a microcontroller (paragraph 0123) with a communication module (paragraph 0125);
independently establishing a wireless network connection between the
microcontroller and a cloud or a server/data storage via the
communication module (paragraph 033, 053-054); and
exchanging data between the microcontroller and the cloud or the
server/data storage after the work apparatus is powered on and/or at time
intervals/times and/or after certain operating states (paragraph 033, 053-054).
Regarding claim 21, Kreuzer teaches the wireless network connection is established at regular time intervals or at regular times (paragraph 035,113).
Regarding claim 22, Kreuzer teaches activating an access point of the work apparatus and transmitting a wireless network to be used to the work apparatus, whereby the work apparatus can
independently connect to the wireless network during further use (paragraph 031-032)
Regarding claim 23, Kreuzer teaches transmitting work data including one or more of a date, a time, a number of work performed, and a position determination of the work apparatus to the work apparatus via the wireless network connection (paragraph 0113-0114).
Regarding claim 24, Kreuzer teaches feeding data recorded in the work apparatus during a work process to the cloud or the server/data storage during and/or after the work process (paragraph 0113-0114).
Regarding claim 25, Kreuzer teaches updating a firmware of the microcontroller via the wireless network connection (paragraph 0119).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 5,8, and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kruezer US Patent Application 20200272124 in view of White US Patent Application Publication 20240323648.
Regarding claim 5, Kruezer is silent on teaching the communication module is a GSM module. White in an analogous art teaches a tool device communicating using a GSM module (paragraph 033).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art at the time of the invention to modify the system of Kruezer as disclosed by White because such modification represents the substitution of one communication means for another and producing the predictable result of providing effective and reliable network communication to the tool device.
Regarding claims 8 and 14, Kruezer is not explicit in teaching the first microcontroller is located on a circuit board which is accommodated in a housing of the work apparatus or of a
battery pack. White in an analogous art teaches the first microcontroller is located on a circuit board which is accommodated in a housing of the work apparatus (fig. 1, paragraph 032). White also teaches the use of multiple circuit boards (paragraph 032)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the system of Kruezer as disclosed by White because such modification represents an improvement over the system of Kruezer by providing a circuit board to securely mount the microcontroller circuitry and further improving the reliability of the tool device.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kruezer US Patent Application 20200272124 in view of Davis et al. US Patent Application 20240265407.
Regarding claim 7, Kreuzer teaches having multiple controller (paragraph 058) but is silent on teaching the first microcontroller and the further microcontroller are bidirectionally connected to one another. Davis in an analogous art teaches controller communicating using a bidirectional data bus (paragraph 032).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the system of Kruezer as disclosed by Davis because such modification represents selection of particular connection means from a limited number of available options and produces the predictable result of providing reliable communication to the microcontrollers.
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kruezer US Patent Application 20200272124 in view of White US Patent Application Publication 20240323648 and further in view of Takeda US Patent Application Publication 20210234225
Regarding claim 15, Kruezer is silent on teaching one of the two circuit board parts is accommodated in handle portion of the work apparatus housing and another of the two circuit board parts. White in in an analogous art teaching mounting the printed circuit board in any suitable cavity of the tool (paragraph 054). Takeda in an analogous art teaches mounting the printed circuit board in the handle cavity of the tool (paragraph 034) and also teaches the circuit board is accommodated in the battery pack (paragraph 070).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the system of Kruezer in view of White as disclosed by Takeda because such modification represents an improvement over the system of Kruezer by providing a circuit board to securely mount the microcontroller circuitry and further improving the reliability of the tool device.
Conclusion
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/VERNAL U BROWN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2686
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