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 . Pursuant to communications filed on 30 January 2025, this is a First Action Non-Final Rejection on the Merits. Claims 1-7 are currently pending in the instant application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 30 January 2025, 25 November 2025 and 06 April 2026 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) have been considered by the Examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Regarding claim 1, Applicant provides the claim limitation “set, in the calibration operation, a plurality of calibration postures of the robot arm based on the reference image that has been acquired such that the imager images the identification member in a state in which the identification member is included in a field of view of the imager”, which is based on the prior limitation of acquiring a reference image. However, based on the currently provided claim language, Applicant’s disclosure (i.e. written description) fails to teach in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art how this step is carried out, and therefore claim 1 is rejected under this section.
Specifically, in the context of this claim limitation, it is only positions or postures in an imager coordinate system that could be determined based on the previously acquired reference image, “such that the imager images the identification member in a state in which the identification member is included in a field of view of the imager”. In contrast, the “plurality of calibration postures of the robot arm” are position or postures that are defined in a robot coordinate system.
Therefore, the realization of the feature wherein based on the acquired reference image, “set, in the calibration operation, a plurality of calibration postures of the robot arm based on the reference image that has been acquired such that the imager images the identification member in a state in which the identification member is included in a field of view of the imager” requires it to be possible to associate positions or postures in an imager coordinate system with position or postures that are defined in a robot coordinate system. The present invention, however, determines the calibration postures in order to perform calibration operation in which robot arm position information and captured image position information are associated with each other; thus, it would not be possible for positions or postures in the imager coordinate system and positions or postures that are defined in the robot coordinate system to be associated with each other in the middle of this process.
Applicant appears to discuss the above referenced limitation in paragraphs [0032] and [0034] of Applicant’s disclosure (i.e. written description of the invention), however there is no written description provided in Applicant’s disclosure that makes any specific mention of any specific process of obtaining a command to move the robot to a definite location in an image, or provides any instruction as to how a command for moving the robot to a particular location in an image would be obtained to realize the above-referenced feature detailed in the above claim limitation of claim 1 in states where the calibration operation for associating robot arm position information and captured image position information with each other is not being performed. As such, Applicant’s disclosure fails to set forth a sufficiently clear and complete written description for said invention to be carried out by a person skilled in the art and therefore is rejected under this section for failing to satisfy the written description requirement. Accordingly, appropriate correction and/or clarification are earnestly solicited.
Regarding claims 2-6, these claims are either directly or indirectly dependent upon independent claim 1 and therefore are also rejected under this section for at least their dependency upon a rejected base claim. Accordingly, appropriate correction and/or clarification are earnestly solicited.
Regarding claim 7, Applicant provides the claim limitation “setting a plurality of calibration postures of the robot arm based on the reference image that has been acquired such that the imager images the identification member in a state in which the identification member is included in a field of view of the imager”, which is based on the prior limitation of acquiring a reference image. However, based on the currently provided claim language, Applicant’s disclosure (i.e. written description) fails to teach in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art how this step is carried out, and therefore claim 7 is rejected under this section.
Specifically, in the context of this claim limitation, it is only positions or postures in an imager coordinate system that could be determined based on the previously acquired reference image, “ such that the imager images the identification member in a state in which the identification member is included in a field of view of the imager”. In contrast, the “plurality of calibration postures of the robot arm” are position or postures that are defined in a robot coordinate system.
Therefore, the realization of the feature wherein based on the acquired reference image, “setting a plurality of calibration postures of the robot arm based on the reference image that has been acquired such that the imager images the identification member in a state in which the identification member is included in a field of view of the imager” requires it to be possible to associate positions or postures in an imager coordinate system with position or postures that are defined in a robot coordinate system. The present invention, however, determines the calibration postures in order to perform calibration operation in which robot arm position information and captured image position information are associated with each other; thus, it would not be possible for positions or postures in the imager coordinate system and positions or postures that are defined in the robot coordinate system to be associated with each other in the middle of this process.
Applicant appears to discuss the above referenced limitation in paragraphs [0032] and [0034] of Applicant’s disclosure (i.e. written description of the invention), however there is no written description provided in Applicant’s disclosure that makes any specific mention of any specific process of obtaining a command to move the robot to a definite location in an image, or provides any instruction as to how a command for moving the robot to a particular location in an image would be obtained to realize the above-referenced feature detailed in the above claim limitation of claim 7 in states where the calibration operation for associating robot arm position information and captured image position information with each other is not being performed. As such, Applicant’s disclosure fails to set forth a sufficiently clear and complete written description for said invention to be carried out by a person skilled in the art and therefore is rejected under this section for failing to satisfy the written description requirement. Accordingly, appropriate correction and/or clarification are earnestly solicited.
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1, Applicant provides the claim limitation “set, in the calibration operation, a plurality of calibration postures of the robot arm based on the reference image that has been acquired such that the imager images the identification member in a state in which the identification member is included in a field of view of the imager”, which is based on the prior limitation of acquiring a reference image. However, based on the currently provided claim language, it is unclear how the claimed “plurality of calibration postures of the robot arm” which are based on the reference image (i.e. in an imager coordinate system) correlate with postures of said robot arm (i.e. in a robot coordinate system), and therefore claim 1 is rendered indefinite. Specifically, given the broadest reasonable interpretation of the currently provided claim language, it is unclear how “calibration postures of the robot arm” in the imager coordinate system (as currently claimed) are associated with and/or transformed into “calibration postures of the robot arm” in a robot coordinate system and therefore claim 1 is rejected under this section. Accordingly, appropriate correction and/or clarification are earnestly solicited.
Regarding claims 2-6, these claims are either directly or indirectly dependent upon independent claim 1 and therefore are also rejected under this section for at least their dependency upon a rejected base claim. Accordingly, appropriate correction and/or clarification are earnestly solicited.
Regarding claim 7, Applicant provides the claim limitation “setting a plurality of calibration postures of the robot arm based on the reference image that has been acquired such that the imager images the identification member in a state in which the identification member is included in a field of view of the imager”, which is based on the prior limitation of acquiring a reference image. However, based on the currently provided claim language, it is unclear how the claimed “plurality of calibration postures of the robot arm” which are based on the reference image (i.e. in an imager coordinate system) correlate with postures of said robot arm (i.e. in a robot coordinate system), and therefore claim 7 is rendered indefinite. Specifically, given the broadest reasonable interpretation of the currently provided claim language, it is unclear how “calibration postures of the robot arm” in the imager coordinate system (as currently claimed) are associated with and/or transformed into “calibration postures of the robot arm” in a robot coordinate system and therefore claim 7 is rejected under this section. Accordingly, appropriate correction and/or clarification are earnestly solicited.
Examiner notes wherein the claims have been addressed in view of the prior art below, as best understood by the Examiner, in light of the 35 USC 112(a) & 112(b) rejections provided herein.
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) 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Drixler et al (US 2020/0238525 A1, hereinafter Drixler).
Regarding claim 1, Drixler teaches a robot system (Figure 2, vision-guided robot arrangement 200; at least as in paragraph 0024) comprising:
a robot arm (Figure 2, multi-axis robot arm assembly 210) to which a hand operable to perform an operation on a workpiece is attached (Figure 2; at least as in paragraph 0024);
an imager (Figure 2, camera assembly 220) to image the workpiece (Figures 1 & 2; at least as in paragraphs 0017 & 0024); and
a controller (Figures 1 & 2, processor 140) configured or programmed to perform a calibration operation to associate position information of the robot arm with position information of a captured image captured by the imager in order to operate the robot arm based on the captured image (Figures 1 & 2; at least as in paragraphs 0017-0018 and 0024);
wherein the controller is configured or programmed to:
acquire a reference image, which is the captured image obtained by imaging an identification member (Figure 2, calibration object/plate 230) for calibration with the imager while the robot arm is placed in one posture (Figures 2-5; at least as in paragraphs 0024 and 0027-0030, specifically as in at least paragraph 0030);
set, in the calibration operation, a plurality of calibration postures of the robot arm based on the reference image that has been acquired such that the imager images the identification member in a state in which the identification member is included in a field of view of the imager (Figures 3-5; at least as in paragraph 0027-0029 and 0032, specifically as in at least paragraph 0032); and
acquire, for each of the plurality of calibration postures that have been set, a calibration image, which is the captured image for calibration obtained by imaging the identification member with the imager (Figures 3-5; at least as in paragraph 0027-0029 and 0033, specifically as in at least paragraph 0033).
Regarding claim 2, Drixler further teaches wherein the controller is configured or programmed to set the plurality of calibration postures of the robot arm based on a distance of an identification position on an actual identification member and a distance of an identification position on an on-image identification member in the reference image (Figures 2-5; at least as in paragraphs 0024, 0027-0030 and 0032-0034).
Regarding claim 3, Drixler further teaches wherein the identification member includes a plurality of identification points (Figures 2-5; at least as in paragraphs 0024, 0027-0030 and 0032-0034); and
the controller is configured or programmed to acquire the distance of the identification position on the actual identification member based on an actual distance between the plurality of identification points, and acquire the distance of the identification position on the on-image identification member based on a distance between a plurality of on-image identification points in the reference image in which the plurality of identification points are imaged so as to set the plurality of calibration postures of the robot arm (Figures 2-5; at least as in paragraphs 0024, 0027-0030 and 0032-0034).
Regarding claim 4, Drixler further teaches wherein the identification member includes a plate-shaped member on which the plurality of identification points are arranged in a lattice pattern (Figures 2-5; at least as in paragraphs 0024, 0027-0030 and 0032-0034); and
the controller is configured or programmed to acquire the distance of the identification position on the actual identification member based on an actual distance between identification points at four corners among the plurality of identification points arranged in the lattice pattern, and acquire the distance of the identification position on the on-image identification member based on a distance between on-image identification points at the four corners in the reference image in which the plurality of identification points arranged in the lattice pattern are imaged so as to set the plurality of calibration postures of the robot arm (Figures 2-5; at least as in paragraphs 0024, 0027-0030 and 0032-0034).
Regarding claim 5, Drixler further teaches wherein the imager includes a first imager fixed to a first position different from the robot arm to image the workpiece, and a second imager fixed to a second position different from the robot arm separately from the first imager to image the workpiece together with the first imager (Figures 2-5; at least as in paragraphs 0024, 0027-0030 and 0032-0034); and
the controller is configured or programmed to:
perform the calibration operation to associate the position information of the robot arm to position information of each of a first captured image, which is the captured image captured by the first imager, and a second captured image, which is the captured image captured by the second imager, in order to operate the robot arm based on the first captured image and the second captured image (Figures 2-5; at least as in paragraphs 0024, 0027-0030 and 0032-0034);
acquire, in the calibration operation, a first reference image, which is the first captured image obtained by imaging the identification member arranged on the hand with the first imager while the robot arm is placed in the one posture, and a second reference image, which is the second captured image obtained by imaging the identification member arranged on the hand with the second imager while the robot arm is placed in the one posture (Figures 2-5; at least as in paragraphs 0024, 0027-0030 and 0032-0034);
set, in the calibration operation, the plurality of calibration postures of the robot arm based on the first reference image and the second reference image that have been acquired such that the first imager and the second imager image the identification member in a state in which the identification member is included in both a field of view of the first imager and a field of view of the second imager (Figures 2-5; at least as in paragraphs 0024, 0027-0030 and 0032-0034); and
acquire, for each of the plurality of calibration postures that have been set, the calibration image captured by each of the first imager and the second imager (Figures 2-5; at least as in paragraphs 0024, 0027-0030 and 0032-0034).
Regarding claim 6, Drixler further teaches wherein the controller is configured or programmed to:
acquire the reference image captured such that the identification member is located at an approximate center of the image (Figures 2-5; at least as in paragraphs 0024, 0027-0030 and 0032-0034);
set four postures of the robot arm such that the identification member is located at each of four corners of the calibration image by moving the identification member to four positions in a predetermined reference plane including a position of the identification member at a time of capturing the reference image based on the reference image that has been acquired (Figures 2-5; at least as in paragraphs 0024, 0027-0030 and 0032-0034); and
set eight postures of the robot arm such that the identification member is moved to each of positions between the four positions in the reference plane and a point on a first side in a direction perpendicular to the reference plane, and each of positions between the four positions in the reference plane and a point on a second side in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane (Figures 2-5; at least as in paragraphs 0024, 0027-0030 and 0032-0034).
Regarding claim 7, Drixler teaches a method for controlling a robot system (Figure 2, vision-guided robot arrangement 200; at least as in paragraph 0024), the method comprising:
performing a calibration operation to associate position information of a robot arm (Figure 2, multi-axis robot arm assembly 210) to which a hand operable to perform an operation on a workpiece is attached with position information of a captured image captured by an imager (Figure 2, camera assembly 220) operable to image the workpiece (Figures 1 & 2; at least as in paragraphs 0017-0018 and 0024); and
controlling operation of the robot arm based on the captured image captured by the imager after performing the calibration operation (Figures 1 & 2; at least as in paragraphs 0017-0018 and 0024);
wherein the performing the calibration operation includes:
acquiring a reference image, which is the captured image obtained by imaging an identification member (Figure 2, calibration object/plate 230) for calibration with the imager while the robot arm is placed in one posture (Figures 2-5; at least as in paragraphs 0024 and 0027-0030, specifically as in at least paragraph 0030);
setting a plurality of calibration postures of the robot arm based on the reference image that has been acquired such that the imager images the identification member in a state in which the identification member is included in a field of view of the imager (Figures 3-5; at least as in paragraph 0027-0029 and 0032, specifically as in at least paragraph 0032); and
acquiring, for each of the plurality of calibration postures that have been set, a calibration image, which is the captured image for calibration obtained by imaging the identification member with the imager (Figures 3-5; at least as in paragraph 0027-0029 and 0033, specifically as in at least paragraph 0033).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See attached PTO-892 – Notice of References Cited form. Examiner additionally notes the following prior art references, in the same field of endeavor as the instant invention and also appear to read on several of the currently provided claim limitations above;
US 2022/0230348 A1, issued to Huber et al, which is directed towards a method and system for determining a three-dimensional position and pose of a fiducial marker.
US 2018/0126553 A1, issued to Corkum et al, which is directed towards a system and calibration, registration and training method for robotic arms.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JONATHAN L SAMPLE whose telephone number is (571)270-5925. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:00am-4:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Adam Mott can be reached at (571)270-5376. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JONATHAN L SAMPLE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3657
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