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 .
This is in response to Applicant’s communication filed on 7/15/26, wherein:
Claims 1-20 are currently 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.
(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) 1-5, 11, 16-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by PITTALA (US 4,209,939).
As for claim 1, PITTALA discloses a robot {figures 1, 2, col. 1, lines 15-21} comprising:
a frame, a surface skin for covering the frame
{see at least abstract, figures 1, 3, col. 1, lines 15-20, and lines 44-65; col. 3, lines 3-16 which discloses a robot/doll comprises two layers (inner skin 18 and outer skin 16) separated by studs 20 (frame) forming passageways between the layers for the circulation of a fluid of a desired temperature}, and
a heat source housed in the frame, wherein fluid heated by the heat source is configured to flow in between the frame and the surface skin {see abstract, figures 1-3, col. 1, lines 15-21 discloses e.g. robots having heating means and being made of special materials in which a warming fluid is circulated within and near the skin of the doll to thereby serve educational and amusement purposes; col. 1, lines 44-65 discloses e.g. two skin layers separated by studs optionally forming part of or fastened to a supporting shell which surrounds the warming fluid circulating system and electrically heated reservoir within the body of the representation;
col. 3, lines 3-16 e.g. the outer skin layer being identified by reference numeral 16, the inner skin layer being identified by reference numeral 18, the intermediate studs being identified by reference numeral 20 and the longitudinal separation of the studs defining passageways being identified by reference numeral 21. It is in these passageways 21 that a heated fluid may be circulated to impart a feeling of warmth to the outer skin layer 16}.
As for claim 2, PITTALA I discloses wherein the surface skin comprises: an inner surface; and an outer surface, wherein the fluid is configured to flow between the inner surface and the outer surface {see at least figure 3, inner surface 18, outer surface 16 and col. 3, lines 3-16}.
As for claims 3-4, PITTALA discloses wherein the surface skin further comprises a base material and the outer surface is separable from the base material in at least one location of the surface skin, wherein the fluid is configured to flow between the outer surface and the base material at the at least one location {see at least figures 3-4, abstract, col. 2, lines 5-27; col. 3, lines 2-64}.
As for claim 5, PITTALA discloses wherein the frame comprises a head portion; a body portion; and a neck portion between the head portion and the body portion, wherein the at least one location is at the neck portion {see at least figures 4-7 and col. 4, lines 18-36 and claim 1}.
As for claim 11, PITTALA discloses a robot {see at least figures 1-2, col. 1, lines 15-21} comprising:
a frame {see at least figures 3-7, studs 20, 23, 60 col. 1, lines 15-20, and lines 44-65, wherein the frame comprises: a head portion having an aperture {see at least figures 2, 4, 7 and at least col. 2, lines 45-67, col. 3, lines 1-2}
a surface skin for covering the frame, wherein the surface skin comprises an opening at the aperture {see at least abstract, figures 1, 3, col. 1, lines 15-20, and lines 44-65; col. 3, lines 3-16 which discloses a robot/doll comprises two layers (inner skin 18 and outer skin 16) separated by studs 20 (frame) forming passageways between the layers for the circulation of a fluid of a desired temperature}, and
a heat source housed in the frame, wherein a fluid heated by the heat source is configured to flow from the frame into an interior of the surface skin
{see abstract, figures 1-3, col. 1, lines 15-21 discloses e.g. robots having heating means and being made of special materials in which a warming fluid is circulated within and near the skin of the doll to thereby serve educational and amusement purposes; col. 1, lines 44-65 discloses e.g. two skin layers separated by studs optionally forming part of or fastened to a supporting shell which surrounds the warming fluid circulating system and electrically heated reservoir within the body of the representation;
col. 3, lines 3-16 e.g. the outer skin layer being identified by reference numeral 16, the inner skin layer being identified by reference numeral 18, the intermediate studs being identified by reference numeral 20 and the longitudinal separation of the studs defining passageways being identified by reference numeral 21. It is in these passageways 21 that a heated fluid may be circulated to impart a feeling of warmth to the outer skin layer 16}.
As for claims 16-17, the limitations of these claims have been noted in the rejection above. They are therefore rejected for the same reason sets forth above.
Claims 6-10, 13-15, 18-20 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.
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) 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable PITTALA as applied to claim 11 above and in view of WITELSON ET AL (US 2015/0314453).
As for claim 12, PITTALA discloses claimed invention as indicated above except for a filter in the aperture. However, WITELSON discloses such known this limitation at least in figure 5A, abstract, pars. 0131-0137. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective of filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of WITELSON of having a filter into the system of PITTALA in order to allowing the filter to apply a filtering operation on fluid or air that passes through the fluid path.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
YAMANE ET AL (US 2017/0095925): a small toy-sized robot with soft body parts (e.g., a soft skin), and the robot was robust to playful, physical interaction. The upper body, including the arms, pelvis, chest, and back, had a plurality of fluid-filled (e.g., filled with a liquid or with a gas such as air) body parts or segments.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Kira Nguyen whose telephone number is (571)270-1614. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Friday 9:00-5:00 ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Khoi Tran can be reached on 571-272-6919. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KIRA NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3656
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