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 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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Bergman et al. (U.S. PGPUB 2014/0253913).
Regarding claims 1-3, 14, Bergman et al. disclose (Figs. 14) a method and a system for determining bore characteristics of a hole, the system comprising: a measuring tool (1406) configured to measure the hole and generate data representing the hole (280); and a controller (256, 270) in communication with the measuring tool and configured to determine at least one of the bore characteristics (tolerance, crack, profile; Fig. 27) based on the data from the measuring tool. Bergman et al. also disclose a user interface (1404) as claimed and an optical probe (1406) to be positioned in the hole, scan a wall of the hole and generate the data; a probe drive (person or end effector; Fig. 2) configured to translate and rotate the optical probe within the hole.
Claim(s) 1-4, 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Sisco et al. (U.S. PGPUB 2022/0326004).
Regarding claims 1-4, 14, Sisco et al. disclose (Figs.) a method and a system for determining bore characteristics of a hole, the system comprising: a measuring tool (114) configured to measure the hole and generate data representing the hole (130); and a controller (120) in communication with the measuring tool and configured to determine at least one of the bore characteristics (profile, gap) based on the data from the measuring tool. Sisco et al. also disclose a user interface (1403) as claimed and an optical probe (114) to be positioned in the hole, scan a wall of the hole and generate the data; a probe drive (112, 450, person) configured to translate and rotate ([0065]) the optical probe within the hole. Sisco et al. further disclose ([0037]) scanning a hole using laser interferometry.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5, 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Segall (U.S. PGPUB 2011/0080588).
Regarding claims 1-3, 5, 14, Segall discloses (Figs.) a method and a system for determining bore characteristics of a hole, the system comprising: a measuring tool (10) configured to measure the hole and generate data representing the hole (12); and a controller (28) in communication with the measuring tool and configured to determine at least one of the bore characteristics ([0102] defects) based on the data from the measuring tool. Segall also discloses a user interface (30) as claimed and an optical probe (10) to be positioned in the hole, scan a wall of the hole and generate the data; a probe drive (18) configured to translate and rotate the optical probe within the hole. Segall further discloses ([0107]) a linear drive and rotary drive (linear encoder and rotary encoder measures linear/rotary drive/movement) as claimed.
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) 4, 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Segall in view of Sisco et al.
Regarding claims 4, 15, Segall discloses the claimed invention as set forth above. Segall does not disclose laser interferometry. Sisco et al. teach ([0037]) scanning a hole using laser interferometry. Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filing of the invention to provide laser interferometry in the apparatus of Segall in view of Sisco et al. to obtain more accurate measurements as taught, known and predictable.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Segall in view of Zenou et al. (U.S. PGPUB 2021/0331196).
Regarding claim 6, Segall discloses the claimed invention as set forth above. Segall further disclose a linear encoder ([0107]) which inherently includes a motor and a transmission to transfer motion to the optical probe and an encoder. Segall does not disclose a pair of limiting switches. Zenou et al. teach ([0036]) a linear encoder having two limit switches (122a, 122b). Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filing of the invention to provide such limiting switches in the apparatus of Segall in view of Zenou et al. to mark the minimum and maximum range of the movement as taught, known and predictable.
Claim(s) 7, 9, 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Segall in view of Troy et al. (U.S. PGPUB 2018/0104820).
Regarding claims 7, 13, Segall discloses the claimed invention as set forth above. Segall also discloses (Fig. 3) a housing (204) and a collet ([0087] not shown) coupled to the housing and the optical probe extends through the collet. Segall does not disclose the collet engaging a portion of the hole. Troy et al. teach (Fig. 12) a collet (424) engaged with a portion of a hole (1102). Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filing of the invention to provide such engagement in the apparatus of Segall in view of Troy et al. to stabilize or anchor the probe as taught, known and predictable.
Regarding claim 9, Segall in view of Troy et al. disclose the claimed invention as set forth above. Segall and Troy et al. do not disclose interchangeable collets. However, interchangeable collets are well known. Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filing of the invention to provide interchangeable collets in the apparatus of Segall in view of Troy et al. to accommodate various size tools as known and predictable.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Segall in view of Troy et al., further in view of Bergman et al.
Regarding claim 12, Segall in view of Troy et al. disclose the claimed invention as set forth above. Segall and Troy et al. do not disclose measuring smoothness. Bergman et al. teach ([0052]) a bore characteristic being a smoothness of the hole. Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filing of the invention to provide a smoothness measurement in the apparatus of Segall in view of Troy et al. and Bergman et al. to obtain conventional, desired measurement characteristics as taught, known and predictable.
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Segall in view of Neddermeyer et al. (2024/0085170), in further in view of Oikawa et al. (U.S. PGPUB 2012/0230579)
Regarding claim 16, Segall disclose the claimed invention as set forth above. Segall does not disclose generating a 3D point cloud having XYZ coordinates. Neddemeyer et al. teach ([0005]) a method for determining bore characteristics comprising generating a 3D point cloud, which inherently includes XYZ coordinates. Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filing of the invention to provide such a 3D point cloud in the method of Segall in view of Neddermeyer al. to provide more detailed information as taught, known and predictable. Segall and Neddemeyer et al. do not disclose generating a reflective intensity of a wall of the hole as claimed. Oikawa et al. teach ([0044]) generating reflective intensities of a wall of a hole. Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filing of the invention to provide such reflective intensities in the method of Segall in view of Neddermeyer et al. and Oikawa et al. to detect defects as taught, know and predictable.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8, 10, 11, 17-20 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.
Conclusion
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/THANH LUU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2878
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