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 1 is objected to for minor informalities.
In the second to the last line of claim 1, the phrase “one of first connector” should be replaced with --one of the first connector--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “a support disposed under the main body… and wherein the support surrounds an outer circumferential surface of at least a portion of the main body” which is unclear as to how an element can be both below and surrounding of another. It appears from applicant’s figure 4 that the support SP has a flat bottom plate portion that is below the main body of BP and a cylindrical wall portion that surrounds a portion of the main body of BP. No single portion of the support SP is both below and surrounding of BP. Nor is the entirety of the support both below and surrounding of BP. See MPEP 2173.03 which states that a claim may be "indefinite when a conflict or inconsistency between the claimed subject matter and the specification disclosure renders the scope of the claim uncertain as inconsistency with the specification disclosure or prior art teachings may make an otherwise definite claim take on an unreasonable degree of uncertainty."
The remaining claims 2-11 depend from claim 1 and are thus similarly unclear/rejected.
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.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or (a)(2) as being anticipated by Ichimiya US20220193931.
Claim 1 (as best understood, see 35 USC 112 rejection). An articulated robot, comprising: a first rotating part (16);a second rotating part (12) rotatably connected to the first rotating part; a connector (22, 22a) connecting the first rotating part and the second rotating part, wherein a first connector hole (hole in 22a receiving 34b) and a second connector hole (hole in 22a receiving 32) are defined through the connector; and a stopper (34, 28/29, 35) including a portion (34b) detachably inserted into a corresponding one of the first connector hole and the second connector hole, wherein the stopper comprises: a main body (34) including the portion inserted into the corresponding one of the first connector hole and the second connector hole; a support (9 and 11) disposed under the main body (as best understood noting the 35 USC 112 rejection, 11 is under 34), wherein a support hole (hole in 11 receiving 35 therethrough) is defined through the support; and a fastener (35) including a portion (portion of 35 within 11) detachably inserted into the support hole, and wherein the support surrounds (as best understood noting the 35 USC 112 rejection, 9 surrounds 34) an outer circumferential surface of at least a portion (portion of 34 within and surrounded by 9) of the main body that is not inserted into the corresponding one of [the] first connector hole and the second connector hole.
Claims 2. The articulated robot according to claim 1, wherein the stopper is in a first state in which the main body does not protrude further than an upper surface of the connector (see fig.2) or in a second state in which the main body protrudes further in a first direction than the upper surface of the connector.
Claims 3. The articulated robot according to claim 1, wherein the main body comprises: a first body part (a first end of 34) positioned on a first end; a second body part (a second end of 34) positioned on a second end; and a third body part (threaded portions of 34 between ends) positioned between the first body part and the second body part, wherein the third body part has a first shape (shape of threads of 34).
Claim 4. The articulated robot according to claim 3, wherein each of the first connector hole and the second connector hole has a second shape (shape of threads of connector holes) corresponding to the first shape, and wherein the third body part is detachably fastened into the corresponding one of the first connector hole and the second connector hole (see figure 2).
Claim 5. The articulated robot according to claim 4, wherein each of the first shape and the second shape corresponds to a threaded shape (threads of 34 and threaded holes receiving 34).
Claim 6. The articulated robot according to claim 1, wherein the main body (34/29/28) includes a body hole (hole in 28 threadably receiving 35), and wherein the fastener includes a portion (portion of 35 inserted into 28) detachably inserted into the body hole.
Claim 7. The articulated robot according to claim 1, wherein the support has an outer diameter greater than an outer diameter of the main body, in a plan view (see fig.2).
Claim 8. The articulated robot according to claim 1, wherein the fastener comprises a first fastening part (shaft of 35) and a second fastening part (head of 35), wherein the first fastening part has an outer diameter less than an outer diameter of the second fastening part, in a plan view, and wherein the second fastening part is not inserted into the support hole (see fig.2).
Claim 9. The articulated robot according to claim 1, wherein the main body moves along an inner surface of the corresponding one of the first connector hole and the second connector hole when a pressure (unthreading pressure from tool etc., see MPEP 2112.01 and 2114 regarding inherency of functions/properties and applicants’ burden to obtain/test to prove otherwise) or an electrical signal is applied thereto.
Claim 10. The articulated robot according to claim 1, wherein the stopper further comprises a movable part (e.g., 26, or bearing thereon) disposed adjacent to the main body, and wherein the movable part comprises at least one selected from a spring, a cylinder (26, or bearing thereon), and a worm gear.
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 of this title, 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 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ichimiya US20220193931 in view of Kitahara US20140331807.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Ichinomiya to further comprise an optical sensor disposed over or under the stopper, wherein the optical sensor senses a movement of the stopper since Kitahara teaches such to have been known to be desirable (see Kitahara optical sensor 61, stopper 45/46/62, and written descriptions thereof).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12, 14, 16-20 are allowed.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments regarding independent claim 12 and claims 14 and 16-20 that depend therefrom are persuasive, e.g., claim 12 has been amended to incorporate the allowable subject matter of former claim 15 (now canceled) as well as former intervening claim 13 (now canceled).
Applicant argues that the 7/24/2026 amendment render claims 1-11 allowable. This is not persuasive. Claims 1-11 are unclear and suggested by the prior art as is detailed in the reworded rejections elsewhere above.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new grounds of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VICTOR L MACARTHUR whose telephone number is (571)272-7085.
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/VICTOR L MACARTHUR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3618
