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 .
Examiner’s Comments
This office action is in response to the application filed on 8/28/2025.
Claims 1-13 are pending.
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 8/28/2025 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 13 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 13 recitation is redundance and unclear.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claim8-10 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 8, recites “each electric gripping tool” in line 4. This indicates multi-tool claim, after which “each” is referred to.
Claims 9 and 10 recite the same limitation. The claims do not show multi-tool claim. It is unclear if applicant intends to recite multi-tool claim, and afterward refer to “each” recited in claims 8-10.
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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1, 6-8, 10-11 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C.
102(a)(1)(a)(2) as being anticipated by Brown (US 2006/0155582).
With regard to claim 1, Brown discloses a usage status management apparatus (1000, 1100 figs.1 &2) for managing a usage status of an electric gripping tool (1014, 2014), the usage status management apparatus comprising: a usage status acquisition unit (figs.6, 7&11) configured to acquire, from the electric gripping tool (2014), information about a work duration and safe operation status of each user as information related to a usage status of the electric gripping tool (1014, 2014); and a storage unit (10) configured to store information related to the usage status acquired by the usage status acquisition unit.
With regard to claim 6, Brown discloses a usage status management apparatus (1000, 1100 figs.1 &2), wherein the usage status acquisition unit communicates with an operator terminal (48) owned by each user of the electric gripping tool (1014, 2014).
With regard to claim 7, Brown discloses a usage status management apparatus for an electric gripping tool (1014, 2014), wherein the usage status includes a determination result related to whether the electric gripping tool is usable (see figs.7 & 8), as determined in the electric gripping tool.
With regard to claim 8, Brown discloses a usage status management apparatus for an electric gripping tool (1014, 2014), wherein the usage status includes unique ID information ([0047]) assigned to each electric gripping tool.
With regard to claim 10, Brown discloses a usage status management apparatus for an electric gripping tool (1014, 2014), wherein the usage status includes unique ID information ([0047]) assigned to each of the operator terminals.
With regard to claim 11, Brown discloses a usage status management apparatus for an electric gripping tool (1014, 2014), further comprising a display unit (264 see also fig.6) configured to display the usage status of the electric gripping tool for each user, which is stored in the storage unit.
With regard to claim 13, Brown discloses a usage status management system (figs.2, 4-11) including an electric gripping tool (1014, 2014),
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5, 9 and 12 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
With respect to claim 2, the prior art of record does not disclose or teach in combination the usage status management apparatus for an electric gripping tool, wherein the electric gripping tool is used in a state in which an auxiliary handle has been mounted, and the usage status includes a result of detecting a user's gripped state of the auxiliary handle and an input of a specific operation.
Conclusion
Refer to attachment for notice of references cited and recommended for
consideration based on their disclosure of limitations of the claimed invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHANIEL C. CHUKWURAH whose telephone number is (571)272-4457. The examiner can normally be reached M-F & T-F 7-4:30 IFP.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anna Kinsaul can be reached at 571-260-1926. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NATHANIEL C CHUKWURAH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3731 6/2/2025
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