DETAILED ACTION
This is the first Office Action on the merits based on the 19/126,521 application filed on 05/01/2025. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . Claims 1-2 and 5-23, as originally filed, are currently pending and considered below.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the water of claim 15 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 05/01/2025 was filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
On line 1, “system for reducing” should be corrected to --- system configured for reducing ---
On line 1, “a subject” should be corrected to --- a user ---
On line 3, “of said subject” should be removed.
On lines 14-15, “to reduce the gravity load of said subject” should be corrected to --- configured to reduce the gravity load of said user ---
On lines 19-20, “a camera, for example a camera of the RGB, RGB-Depth or Depth type” should be corrected to --- a camera, wherein the camera is one of a RGB, RGB depth, or Depth type camera, ---
On line 21, “of said subject” should be corrected to --- of said user ---
On line 23, “of said subject” should be corrected to --- of said user ---
Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities:
On line 1, “an unweighting system” should be corrected to --- the unweighting system ---
On line 2, “an unweighting system” should be corrected to --- the unweighting system ---
Claim 6 is objected to because of the following informalities:
On line 1, “a subject” should be corrected to ---the subject---
On line 4, “a plurality of articular joints” should be corrected to --- the plurality of articular joints ---
On line 4, “said subject” should be corrected to ---said user---
Claim 7 is objected to because of the following informalities:
On line 10, “said subject” should be corrected to --- said user ---
Claim 8 is objected to because of the following informalities:
On line 2, “said subject” should be corrected to ---said user---
On line 3, “said subject” should be corrected to ---said user---
Claim 9 is objected to because of the following informalities:
On line 6, “said subject” should be corrected to --- said user ---
Claim 10 is objected to because of the following informalities:
On lines 5-6, “said subject” should be corrected to --- said user ---
Claim 11 is objected to because of the following informalities:
On line 3, “said subject” should be corrected to --- said user ---
On lines 5-6, “an electronic board” should be corrected to --- the electronic board ---
Claim 12 is objected to because of the following informalities:
On line 3, “said subject” should be corrected to --- said user ---
Claim 13 is objected to because of the following informalities:
On line 2, “said subject” should be corrected to --- said user ---
Claim 15 is objected to because of the following informalities:
On line 3, “said subject” should be corrected to --- said user ---
On line 5, “a base” should be corrected to --- said base ---
On line 6, “said subject” should be corrected to --- said user ---
On line 7, “said subject” should be corrected to --- said user ---
On line 8, “said subject” should be corrected to --- said user ---
Claim 16 is objected to because of the following informalities:
On line 1, “a subject” should be corrected to --- said user ---
On line 3, “said subject” should be corrected to --- said user ---
Claim 17 is objected to because of the following informalities:
On line 1, “a subject” should be corrected to --- said user ---
On line 3, “said subject” should be corrected to --- said user ---
Claim 20 is objected to because of the following informalities:
On line 4, “said subject” should be corrected to --- said user ---
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.
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 1-2 and 5-23 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.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the gravity load" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claims 2-23 are rejected as being dependent off of rejected claim 1.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the position" in line 21. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Regarding claim 6, the limitation “markerless technology algorithm” in line 5 lacks antecedent basis and clarity. It is unclear if the “markerless technology algorithm” is the same as the “markerless technology” claimed in claim 1.
Regarding claim 7, the limitation “an electronic control board” in line 9 lacks antecedent basis and clarity. It is unclear if the “an electronic control board” is the same as the “an electronic board” claimed in claim 1.
Claim 12 recites the limitation "the length" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 19 recites the limitation "the length" in line 7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 23 recites the limitation "the length" in lines 2-3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-2 and 5-23 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
None of the prior art of record either alone or in combination teach or suggest all the structural and functional limitations as recited in the claim, and more specifically, wherein said support structure is placed on a base in contact with the ground and said unweighting system further comprises a plurality of sensors, for example force and/or pressure sensors, for determining a weight applied by said subject on said base.
The prior art of record Stockmaster (US Patent No. 10,478,371; DP: 11/19/2019), He (CN113184234; DP: 07/30/2021), Sankai (US Patent Pub. No. 2018/0140496; PD: 05/24/2018), Oestergaard (US Patent Pub. No. 2022/0054340; PD:02/24/2022), and Dungan (US Patent No. 9,194,977; DP: 11/24/2015) fail to teach or render obvious claims 1-2 and 5-23.
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Regarding claim 1, Ostergaard discloses an unweighting system for reducing the gravity load of a subject due to the weight acting along a first axis (i.e., a vertical axis), said unweighting system comprising: a support structure (Omnidirectional wheel assemblies 40; Figure 1A); a motor (Motor 112; Figure 1A); and a movement system (Tower members 20 and transverse member 50; Figure 1A) of said subject mounted on said support structure, wherein said movement system includes the following elements:- a first rail (Left tower member 20; Figure 1A) and a second rail (Right tower member 20; Figure 1A) a support element for said subject, associated with said cable; wherein said first axis, said second axis and said third axis form a Cartesian coordinate system, wherein said unweighting system further comprises a camera (Sensor 26; Figure 1A; Para. [0029] “The sensors 26 and 28 may be a time-of-flight camera, a radar sensor, a LiDAR sensor, time-of-flight sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and/or an RGB camera.”), for example a camera of the RGB, RGB-Depth or Depth type, and an electronic board (User interface element 160; Figure 1A) configured to locate the position of a plurality of articular joints of said subject in space by means of markerless technology on the basis of the data acquired by said camera (Para. [0214]) but does not teach a first rail and second rail parallel to a second axis and integral with said support structure;- a third rail parallel to a third axis perpendicular to said second axis, wherein said third rail extends between said first rail and said second rail and is configured to slide along said first and second rails so as to move along said second axis; a sliding element configured to slide along said third rail in the direction of said third axis; a cable associated with said sliding element and driven by said motor to reduce the gravity load of said subject;-; and wherein said support structure is placed on a base in contact with the ground and said unweighting system further comprises a plurality of sensors, for example force and/or pressure sensors, for determining a weight applied by said subject on said base.
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Regarding claim 1, He discloses an unweighting system (Moving platform seen in Figure 1 above) for reducing the gravity load of a subject due to the weight acting along a first axis (i.e., the vertical axis), said unweighting system comprising: a support structure (i.e., the support trusses seen in Figure 1); a motor (Truss driver 5; Figure 1); and a movement system (Rails 1 and 2; Figure 1) of said subject mounted on said support structure, wherein said movement system includes the following elements: a first rail (Left rail 1; Figure 1) and a second rail (Right rail 1; Figure 1) parallel to a second axis (i.e., the horizontal axis of the rails 1) and integral with said support structure; a third rail (Rail 2; Figure 1) parallel to a third axis (i.e., the horizontal axis extending between rails 1) perpendicular to said second axis, wherein said third rail extends between said first rail and said second rail and is configured to slide along said first and second rails so as to move along said second axis; a sliding element (Truss driver 4; Figure 1) configured to slide along said third rail in the direction of said third axis; a cable (Main sling 13; Figure 3) associated with said sliding element and driven by said motor to reduce the gravity load of said subject; a support element (Parallelogram b racket 14; Figure 3) for said subject, associated with said cable; wherein said first axis, said second axis and said third axis form a Cartesian coordinate system (i.e., the movement of the user is in a cartesian coordinate system of the x, y ,and z plane) but does not teach for example a camera of the RGB, RGB-Depth or Depth type, and an electronic board configured to locate the position of a plurality of articular joints of said subject in space by means of markerless technology on the basis of the data acquired by said camera; and wherein said support structure is placed on a base in contact with the ground and said unweighting system further comprises a plurality of sensors, for example force and/or pressure sensors, for determining a weight applied by said subject on said base.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW M KOBYLARZ whose telephone number is (571)272-8096. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 7:30-5:00.
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/ANDREW M KOBYLARZ/Examiner, Art Unit 3784
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