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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in CN202210719094 on 06/23/2022. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the Chinese application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statement filed on 05/07/2026, 09/08/2025 and 06/09/2025 have been considered. An initiated copy of form 1449 is enclosed herewith.
The information disclosure statement filed 12/19/2024 fails to comply with 37 CFR 1.98(a)(3)(i) because it does not include a concise explanation of the relevance, as it is presently understood by the individual designated in 37 CFR 1.56(c) most knowledgeable about the content of the information, of each reference listed is not relevant. It has been placed in the application file, but the information referred to therein has not been considered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
Claims 2, 9, 12 and 17 are 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.
Claims 2, 9, 12 and 17 recite the electrical parameters resistance, inductance, rotational inertia, and/or flux linkage been estimated and used by the processor. However, it’s not clear whether those parameters are being estimated and processes are all in conjoint matter or in selective matter according to a selection control structure.
The concept of estimating and processing electrical parameters inductance, rotational inertia, and/or flux linkage recited in claims , 9, 12 and 17 renders the claims indefinite, because the claims include elements and functions not actually disclosed, thereby rendering the claims confusing, vague, and indefinite.
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.
Claims 1- 3, 13- 16, 18 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Trinkle et al. (US 20190280639 A1).
Re. claims 1 and 19, Trinkle disclose a power tool/control method (abstract), comprising:
a mounting portion (Fig. 2) for optionally mounting one working accessory of a plurality of working accessories (see a set of different types of tool units WE in Fig. 3 and ¶. [0107]).
a motor configured to drive the working accessory mounted on the mounting portion (¶. [0108]); and
a control device configured to control rotation of the motor according to a target control program (¶. [0111]) matching the working accessory and configured to,
when the motor is in a pre-starting stage (“identification control mode” ¶. [0020]), estimate an electrical parameter of the motor (¶. [0115]) and identify the working accessory currently mounted to the mounting portion based on the estimated electrical parameter (¶. [0119]).
Re. claim 16, Trinkle disclose a mower (Fig. 3 and ¶. [0073]), comprising:
a blade mounting portion (See tools in Fig. 3 with cutting blade) for optionally mounting one blade cutting assembly of a plurality of blade cutting assemblies (Fig. 3;)
a motor configured to drive the blade cutting assembly mounted on the blade mounting portion (¶. [0108]); and
a control device configured to control rotation of the motor according to a target control program (¶. [0111]) matching the blade cutting assembly mounted to the blade mounting portion and configured to,
when the motor is in a pre-starting stage (“identification control mode” ¶. [0020]), estimate an electrical parameter of the motor (¶. [0115]) and identify the blade cutting assembly currently mounted to the blade mounting portion based on the estimated electrical parameter (¶. [0119]).
Re. claim 2, Trinkle disclose wherein the electrical parameter comprises resistance, inductance (¶. [0142]), rotational inertia, and flux linkage of the motor (¶. [0053]).
Re. claim 3, Trinkle disclose wherein the control device is configured to, when the motor is in the pre-starting stage (getting “operating data” ¶. [0020], “identification control mode” ¶. [0024]), control a current loop to give a current instruction to estimate rotational inertia of the motor (¶. [0053]).
Re. claim 13, Trinkle disclose a power supply device configured to supply power to the motor (¶. [0109]).
Re. claims 14- 15, 18 refer to Fig. 3
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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
Claims 4, 9- 12, 17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Trinkle et al. (US 20190280639 A1) in view of Hu et al. (CN 109940533 A).
Re. claims 4, 10 and 20, Trinkle disclose estimating an electrical parameter of the motor (¶. [0115]) and identify the blade cutting assembly currently mounted to the blade mounting portion based on the estimated electrical parameter (¶. [0119]) using a current loop to give a current instruction to estimate rotational inertia of the motor (¶. [0053]) using current vector (Id, ¶. [0114]- [0145] and Iq, ¶. [0112], [0143]- [0145]). However, it is silence regarding implementing vector control. Hu discloses the implementation of the vector control in current control loop of Fig. 8 using high-frequency voltage signal and direct current voltage signal. Hence, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the invention of Trinkle with the teaching of Hu to implement vector control algorithm “to realize digital control, the operation process is simple, intuitional and accurate parameter setting, decrease the technical requirement of the operator” Hu, Example II.
Re. claims 9 and 17, Trinkle disclose the drive unit is speed-controlled when the motor is in the pre-starting stage, control a current/voltage loop (¶. [0022]). However, it is silent with regard to estimating resistance or inductance of the motor. Since the resistance and reluctance can be derived from the acquired current and voltage using Ohm’s law; it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art to use current/voltage to derive the resistance and reluctance.
Re. claim 11, the combination of Trinkle and Hu disclose wherein the control device is configured to, when the motor is in the pre-starting stage, control a speed loop to give a preset rotational speed (Trinkle, ¶. [0022]) and acquire three phase voltages and currents of the motor (Trinkle, ¶. [0112]- [0113]).
Re. claim 12, Trinkle disclose the drive unit is speed-controlled when the motor is in the pre-starting stage, control a current/voltage loop (¶. [0022]). However, it silence with regard to estimating flux linkage of the motor. Since the flux linkage can be derived from the acquired current and voltage using Faraday's law; it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art to use current/voltage to derive flux linkage of the motor.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5- 8 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SAID BOUZIANE whose telephone number is (571)272-7592. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 6:00-15:00.
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/SAID BOUZIANE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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