DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
The preliminary amendment, filed 12/10/2024 has been entered. Claims 1-20 have been canceled. Claims 21-40 have been added. Claims 21-40 are pending in the Application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/10/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 21-29, 31-38 and 40 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over He et al US Patent No. 9,358,684 in view of Chan publication US 20210276184.
Regarding claim 21, He teaches a robotic component (see figures 1-5, robot arm 1), comprising:
a first robotic joint at which a first member including a first electromagnetic wave transmitter configured to transmit a data signal and a second member including a first electromagnetic wave receiver configured to receive the data signal are coupled (robotic joint at 10 including receiver-transmitter unit S10 and S11, see col 4 ln 19-31, when desiring the first receiver-transmitter unit S10 and the second receiver-transmitter unit S11 to provide mutual communication, the first and second receiver-transmitter units S10; S11 can modulate the energy and/or data to be transmitted into a second composite signal, and then send out this second composite signal using the electromagnetic coupling); and
a second robotic joint at which the second member including a second electromagnetic wave transmitter configured to transmit the data signal and a third member including a second electromagnetic wave receiver configured to receive the data signal are coupled (robotic joint at 10’ including receiver-transmitter unit S20 and S21, see col 4 ln 64-67, the first and second receiver-transmitter units S10;S11 can be connected in series for two-way communication)
But He fails to teach each of the first electromagnetic wave transmitter, the second electromagnetic wave transmitter, the first electromagnetic wave receiver and the second electromagnetic wave receiver is configured to operate at a data rate of at least 100 Mbps.
However, Chan teaches a transmitter-receiver for a robotic arm system configured to operate at a data rate of at least 100 Mbps (see figure 2, 100-Gb/s transmitter-receiver 52, 54).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to modify the transmitter and receiver of He and incorporate a data rate of at least 100 Mbps.
The motivation for doing so is to provide higher data rate thus improving the operation of the robotic system as taught by Chan (see the abstract, the flexible high-data-rate GbPOF enables robotic arm control using artificial intelligence).
Regarding claim 22, He further teaches the first member comprises at least one of a robot body or a robot limb (see figure 1, first arm member 2).
Regarding claim 23, He further teaches the second member comprises at least one of a robot end effector or a robot limb (see figure 1, second arm member 3).
Regarding claim 24, He further teaches the second member comprises a robot limb and the third member comprises at least one of a robot end effector or another robot limb (see figure 1, third arm member 3).
Regarding claim 25, He further teaches the first electromagnetic wave transmitter is enclosed by the first member and the first electromagnetic wave receiver is enclosed by the second member (see figures 3-4, the transmitter-receiver S10 is enclosed by the axle sleeve 21 of the first arm member 2 and the transmitter-receiver S11 is enclosed by the axle sleeve 22 of arm member 3).
Regarding claim 26, He further teaches the first electromagnetic wave transmitter is coaxial or parallel with the first member and the first electromagnetic wave receiver is coaxial or parallel with the second member (figures 3-4 show the arrangement of the members and the transmitter-receiver).
Regarding claim 27, He further teaches the first electromagnetic wave transmitter is configured to transmit the data signal across the first robotic joint to the first electromagnetic wave receiver (see col 4 ln 19-31, when desiring the first receiver-transmitter unit S10 and the second receiver-transmitter unit S11 to provide mutual communication, the first and second receiver-transmitter units S10; S11 can modulate the energy and/or data to be transmitted into a second composite signal, and then send out this second composite signal using the electromagnetic coupling).
Regarding claim 28, He further teaches the first electromagnetic wave transmitter is configured to transmit the data signal over air to the first electromagnetic wave receiver (see col 4 ln 32-34, the first receiver-transmitter unit S10 and the second receiver-transmitter unit S11 directly use air as a medium for two-way transmission of power and data).
Regarding claim 29, Chan further teaches the first electromagnetic wave transmitter is configured to transmit the data signal through a waveguide to the first electromagnetic wave receiver (see figure 2, optical communication link 50).
Regarding claim 31, Chan further teaches a switch electronically coupled to the first electromagnetic wave transmitter, the switch including multiple ports (see figure 2, transceiver 46 construed as a switch having multiple input/output ports).
Regarding claim 32, He further teaches at least one of the first member or the second member is rotatable about the first robotic joint (see col 3 ln 29-31, the first axle sleeve 21 is rotatably and coaxially mounted in the second axle sleeve 22 by an axle bearing B).
Regarding claim 33, He further teaches the first electromagnetic wave transmitter is enclosed in a first actuator of the first member and the first electromagnetic wave receiver is enclosed in a second actuator of the second member (see figures 3-4, the transmitter-receiver S10 is enclosed by the axle sleeve 21 of the first arm member 2 and the transmitter-receiver S11 is enclosed by the axle sleeve 22 of arm member 3).
Regarding claim 34, He further teaches the data signal is configured to travel within an interior region of the first actuator and an interior region of the second actuator (see col 4 ln 19-31, when desiring the first receiver-transmitter unit S10 and the second receiver-transmitter unit S11 to provide mutual communication, the first and second receiver-transmitter units S10; S11 can modulate the energy and/or data to be transmitted into a second composite signal, and then send out this second composite signal using the electromagnetic coupling).
Regarding claim 35, Chan further teaches a first processor and a second processor, wherein the first and second processors are electronically coupled to a data network switch, and the data network switch is coupled to at least one of the first electromagnetic wave receiver or the first electromagnetic wave transmitter (see figure 2, AI processors 38 are coupled to the switch 46 and the switch 46 is coupled to the transmitter 52 and/or the receiver 54).
Regarding claim 36, Chan further teaches a first sensor and a second sensor, wherein the first and second sensors are electronically coupled to the data network switch, and the data network switch is coupled to at least one of the first electromagnetic wave transmitter or the first electromagnetic wave receiver (see figure 2, sensor 9a-9e coupled to the switch 46 via the transmitter 52).
Regarding claim 37, Chan further teaches the data network switch is configured to route, through a single node, first data traffic between the first sensor and the first processor and second data traffic between the second sensor and the second processor (see para 0045, the transceiver 46 includes five receive channels (not shown in FIG. 2) which respectively convert the optical signals of wavelengths λ1 to λ5 into electrical sensor signals which are output to the AIPS 40. The AIPS 40 processes the sensor data and then sends electrical signals representing motion control signals back to the transceiver 46).
Regarding claim 38, Chan further teaches the data network switch is located within or adjacent to the first robotic joint (see figures 1 and 2 shows that the switch 46 is within or adjacent to the robotic joints).
Regarding claim 40, Chan further teaches at least one of the first member or the second member is configured to rotate continuously about the first robotic joint (see col 3 ln 29-31, the first axle sleeve 21 is rotatably and coaxially mounted in the second axle sleeve 22 by an axle bearing B).
Claim 30 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of he and Chan as applied to claims above, and further in view of Maierbacher et al US 20200228203.
Regarding claim 30, the combination of He and Chan teaches all the features with respect to claim 21 as outlined above.
But the combination of He and Chan fails to teach the first electromagnetic wave transmitter and the first electromagnetic wave receiver are configured to support one or more of PCI Express (PCIe) devices, USB devices, controller area network (CAN) devices, or Ethernet devices.
However, Maierbacher teaches a transceiver for a robotic arm system configured to support one or more of PCI Express (PCIe) devices, USB devices, controller area network (CAN) devices, or Ethernet devices (see para 0034, The transceiver unit of the DIN rail includes a communication connection such as e.g. an Ethernet connection. However, the communication connection can also be a serial connection e.g. according to the USB standard).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to modify the transmitter and receiver of He and further incorporate support for different protocols.
The motivation for doing so is to provide compatibility with different devices having different protocols.
Claim 39 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of he and Chan as applied to claims above, and further in view of Lee et al US 20020156888.
Regarding claim 39, the combination of He and Chan teaches all the features with respect to claim 35 as outlined above.
But the combination of He and Chan fails to teach data traffic routed through the data network switch is controlled by a configuration file executing on a robot processor in electronic communication with the data network switch.
However, Lee teaches data traffic routed through the data network switch is controlled by a configuration file executing on a processor in electronic communication with the data network switch (see para 0025, included in the switch is a processor connected to the first memory, for executing programs resident in the first memory and a second memory having a configuration file resident therein, wherein the configuration file includes a routing table that specifies how packets are to be routed between the plurality of ports).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to modify the switch of Chan and further incorporate a processor and configuration file to control the routing of data in the switch.
The motivation for doing so is to provide configurable and intelligent routing of data.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Motonaga US 20230062371 discloses a robot system and method to control the robot system
Zhang et al US 20210394375 discloses a robot joint having a wireless communication module
Norman et al US 20080263628 discloses system and method for managing communications between robots and controllers
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHONG H DANG whose telephone number is (571)272-0470. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:30AM - 6:00PM.
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/PHONG H DANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2184