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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 8, 9, 11 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 5/21/2026.
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-7, 10 in the reply filed on 5/21/2026 is acknowledged.
Priority
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-7, 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Umemoto (US 20130144275 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Umemoto teaches A method of estimating a pose of an endoscopic scope, the method being performed by a computing device including at least one processor, the method comprising:
estimating a pose of an endoscopic scope based on pose information of a drive unit (fig. 1, element 9, [0053], motor 9) configured to control movement of the scope by using a backlash model in which control parameters have been identified for backlash that occurs in the scope ([0100], fig. 1a, element 26a, comparison portion 26a, the comparison portion 26a can also detect the backlash state from reference symbol A1 to A2).
Regarding claim 2, Umemoto teaches The method of claim 1,
wherein the backlash model is determined according to an angle range of the scope ([0082], Further, in a case where a backlash occurs and the backlash is eliminated, the storage portion 29 updates the characteristics information with respect to the motor rotation angle and the pulley rotation angle that corresponds to that portion).
Regarding claim 3, Umemoto teaches The method of claim 2,
wherein the backlash model is set such that an amount of backlash is constant when an angle of the scope is within a first range ([0098], a state in which a state where a change amount of the pulley rotation angle is 0 continues from reference symbol A8 to reference symbol A9 in FIG. 5 corresponds to a bending state in which the motor 9 and the pulley 13 do not engage due to the backlash portion 18, that is, a backlash state).
Regarding claim 4, Umemoto teaches The method of claim 2,
wherein the backlash model is set such that an amount of backlash increases when an angle of the scope is within a second range ([0100], by utilizing a comparison result of the second comparator 61b such that a change amount of the pulley driving amount is within the threshold value 62b that is close to 0, the comparison portion 26a can also detect the backlash state from reference symbol A1 to A2. However, in this case, it is good that the configuration is adapted in which the first comparator 61a side also detects a case where a change amount of the motor rotation angle is positive, that is, is constituted by a window-type comparator).
Regarding claim 5, Umemoto teaches he method of claim 1,
wherein estimating the pose of the scope comprises determining whether the scope is in a backlash state based on the backlash model and a state of the drive unit ([0100], fig. 1a, element 26a, comparison portion 26a, the comparison portion 26a can also detect the backlash state from reference symbol A1 to A2).
Regarding claim 6, Umemoto teaches The method of claim 5,
wherein estimating the pose of the scope comprises estimating that the pose of the scope is constant in a backlash state ([0100], fig. 1a, element 26a, comparison portion 26a, the comparison portion 26a can also detect the backlash state from reference symbol A1 to A2).
Regarding claim 7, Umemoto teaches The method of claim 5,
wherein estimating the pose of the scope comprises estimating a bending angle of the scope based on an angle of the motor when the scope is not in a backlash state ([0068] Based on the identified result from the identification portion 26, the motor control portion 21 can recognize a specific bending state position as a specific bending state that the bending portion 10 has reached at the aforementioned boundary under the restoring force, and can change the control method of the motor 9 or the like).
Regarding claim 10, Umemoto teaches A computing device for estimating a pose of an endoscopic scope, the computing device comprising:
a processor including at least one core (fig. 1a, element 4, [0045], control apparatus 4); and
memory including program codes executable on the processor (In addition, the control apparatus 4 includes a comparison portion 26a, nonmental calculative processes);
wherein the processor estimates a pose of an endoscopic scope based on pose information of a drive unit configured to control movement of the scope by using a backlash model in which control parameters have been identified for backlash that occurs in the scope ([0100], fig. 1a, element 26a, comparison portion 26a, the comparison portion 26a can also detect the backlash state from reference symbol A1 to A2).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TIMOTHY TUAN LUU whose telephone number is (703)756-4592. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Tuesday, Thursday-Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Carey can be reached at 5712707235. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TIMOTHY TUAN LUU/ Examiner, Art Unit 3795
/MICHAEL J CAREY/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3795
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