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 § 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 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over NIWA US publication no.: US 2018/0226976 A1 in view of Yoshida et al. US Patent No.: 8,660, 172 B2.
Regarding claim 1, Niwa teaches, A control device that performs communication with a command device (CPU unit 13, figure 1) based on a synchronization signal generated by the command device (see paragraph 36, where it is written that the CPU unit commands the pulse output unit enabling a communication via signal wiring 3) and controls driving of a control target (stepping motors 4a and 4b, figure 1) , the control device comprising: a specified value information storage unit (main memory 104 and non-volatile memory 106, figure 2) configured to store, as specified value information, a specified value specifying an oscillation frequency of the synchronization signal generated by the command device; a clock signal generation unit (clock generation unit 163, figure 5) configured to generate a clock signal having a predetermined oscillation frequency (see paragraph 82 and 84); a correction value calculation unit configured to calculate, based on the specified value information and the measured value information, a correction value for correcting command value information transmitted from the command device (see paragraph 83, where the processing unit corrects the calculated pulse frequency based on measured values by the pulse counter);a command value information acquisition unit (communication unit 161, figure 5; paragraph 82 where it is explained that it receives command from the CPU unit 13) configured to acquire the command value information indicating a command value for the control target from the command device; a corrected command value calculation unit (processing unit 162, figure 5) configured to calculate a corrected command value obtained by correcting a cycle of the command value information based on the correction value (see paragraphs 97-100 and figures 9-10; where it can be seen that the speed is corrected by the processing unit); and a control unit configured to control the driving of the control target based on the corrected command value (see figure 1 where the pulse output unit outputs a signal to the motor drivers 3a and 3b; paragraph 78)
Niwa has a similar teaching to the claim limitation below as the pulse counter 165 in figure 5 is utilized to count the pulse corresponding to the frequency which is output by the pulse output unit 164 as seen in figure 5 and paragraphs 82-84. However, Niwa is silent on specifically teaching: a measured value information acquisition unit configured to acquire, as measured value information, a measured value obtained by measuring the oscillation frequency of the synchronization signal transmitted from the command device based on the clock signal;
However, Yoshida et al. is in the same field of art and teach: a measured value information acquisition unit configured to acquire, as measured value information, a measured value obtained by measuring the oscillation frequency of the synchronization signal transmitted from the command device based on the clock signal (see edge internal measuring timer 22a; time implies a clock signal having a predetermined oscillator frequency , figure 1).
In view of Yoshida et al. teachings, it would’ve been obvious to one with the ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, with the apparatus as taught by Niwa to include; a measured value information acquisition unit configured to acquire, as measured value information, a measured value obtained by measuring the oscillation frequency of the synchronization signal transmitted from the command device based on the clock signal, for the purpose of improving the positioning of the motor control system.
Regarding claim 2, Niwa teaches, The control device according to claim 1, wherein the correction value is a value obtained by dividing the specified value by the measured value (see paragraphs 84, 106 and 111) .
Regarding claims 3 and 4, Niwa teaches, The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control target is a motor (stepping motor 4a-4b, figure 1) , and the command value is a command rotation speed of the motor (see paragraph 82 where the command is speed).
Claims 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over NIWA US publication no.: US 2018/0226976 A1 in view of Yoshida et al. US Patent No.: 8,660, 172 B2 and further in view of Vandensande US Patent No.: US 7,636,410 B2.
Regarding claims 5 and 6, Niwa teaches master-slave communication as seen in paragraph 39 but is silent on specifically teaching, The control device according to claim 1, wherein the communication is LIN communication in which the command device controls transmission and reception as a master device, or PWM communication.
However, Vandensande is in the same field of art and teach: wherein the communication is LIN communication in which the command device controls transmission and reception as a master device, or PWM communication (see col.3, lines 45-58).
In view of Vandensande’s teachings, it would’ve been obvious to one with the ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, with the apparatus as taught by Niwa as modified to include; wherein the communication is LIN communication in which the command device controls transmission and reception as a master device, or PWM communication, for the purpose of providing alternative communication means.
Conclusion
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/ZOHEB S IMTIAZ/ Primary Examiner , Art Unit 2837
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