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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 12 is objected to because of the following informalities: the phrase “a motor” in line 1 should be re-written as “the motor”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 10, 20, 1, 2, 9 and 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Okumura US 2015/0280627 A1.
Regarding claim 10, Okumura discloses
A motor control system (fig. 3) comprising: a motor (item 11) having a stator (coils 111 and 112 inherently wrapped around a stator) and a rotor (item 113), the stator comprising stator windings (items 111 and 112), the rotor rotatable about a motor axis (rotor inherently follows a motor axis because it is a part of the motor) [0038]; an encoder (item 12) associated with a first encoder count equivalent to a 90-degree rotation of the rotor [0071]; and an electronic processor (item 100) configured to: energize the stator from a power source (via item 134) to rotate the rotor [0050] based on the first encoder count from a known position (Nai) to a final position (Nbi); determine a friction error sweep angle equivalent to a difference (Nbi-Nai) between a desired initiation position and the final position of the rotor; adjust the first encoder count based on the friction error sweep angle to define a second encoder count ((Nbi-Nai)/2), and start the motor by energizing the stator (inherently done because of the coils) with the power source to rotate the rotor based on the second encoder count [0062, 0070, 0071].
Regarding claim 20, Okumura discloses
A non-transitory computer-readable medium (item 100 inherently has a memory to drive the motor 11) [0041] for aligning a motor to a desired initiation position, the motor having a stator and a rotor, the stator comprising a first set of stator windings and a second set of stator windings, the rotor rotatable about a motor axis, the non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions executable by an electronic processor (item 100) to perform a set of functions, the set of functions comprising: determining, with an electronic processor, a first encoder count equivalent to a 90-degree rotation of the rotor; energizing the stator with a power source to rotate the rotor based on the first encoder count from a known position to a final position; determining, with the electronic processor, a friction error sweep angle equivalent to a difference between a desired initiation position and the final position of the rotor; adjusting, with the electronic processor, the first encoder count based on the friction error sweep angle to define a second encoder count; and starting the motor by energizing the stator with the power source to rotate the rotor based on the second encoder count (see claim 10 rejection for detail).
Regarding claim 1, Okumura discloses
A method of operating a motor, the motor having a stator and a rotor, the rotor rotatable about a motor axis, the method comprising: determining a first encoder count for an encoder equivalent to a 90-degree rotation of the rotor; energizing the stator with a power source to rotate the rotor based on the first encoder count from a known position to a final position; determining, with an electronic processor, a friction error sweep angle equivalent to a difference between a desired initiation position and the final position of the rotor; adjusting, with the electronic processor, the first encoder count based on the friction error sweep angle to define a second encoder count; and starting the motor by energizing the stator with the power source to rotate the rotor based on the second encoder count (see claim 10 rejection for detail).
Regarding claim 2, Okumura discloses
, wherein rotating the rotor comprises rotating the encoder [0037].
Regarding claim 9, Okumura discloses
, wherein a difference between the known position and the final position is a final sweep angle equivalent to 90-degrees minus twice the friction error sweep angle [0071].
Regarding claim 11, Okumura discloses
, wherein the encoder is aligned with the motor and rotatable about the motor axis [0037].
Regarding claim 12, Okumura discloses
, wherein the motor control system controls a motor [0038] for at least one camera of a security surveillance system (The bold portion does not have any patentable weight because it is intended use of the motor).
Regarding claim 13, Okumura discloses
,wherein the motor is driven by a field-oriented control algorithm (using flux) [0008].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-8 and 14-19 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. Claims 3 and 14 recite four-pulse method.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
KASUO et al. (US 2009/0206789 A1) disclose four pulses stepping motor.
Davidov (US 6,870,346 B2) a method and apparatus for controlling acceleration and velocity of a stepper motor.
Callaway (US 5,663,624) discloses a closed-loop method and apparatus for controlling acceleration and velocity of a stepper motor.
Matsuo et al. (US 6,906,491 B2) disclose a feed back detector for detecting the position and velocity of the motor.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BICKEY DHAKAL whose telephone number is (571)272-3577. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30-4:30 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eduardo Colon-Santana can be reached at 571-272-2060. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BICKEY DHAKAL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
