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 .
This action is in response to the documents received on May 23, 2025.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claims 1-4, 6, 8-11, 16 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MORIMURA (US 2021/0354277) in view of BABA (US 11,648,653) and RAJANI et al. (US 2014/0263535).
In reference to claim 1, MORIMURA discloses a reciprocating tool comprising: a reciprocating member 24 configured to reciprocated between a first dead center (paragraph [0021]); an electric motor 18 configured to generate a driving force; a transmission device (see Diagram I of figure 1 below) configured to transmit the driving force of the electric motor 18 to the reciprocating member 24 at least in a stroke of the reciprocating member from the second dead center to the first dead center; a drive circuit 20A configured to receive a drive signal (from trigger/manual switch 15) for driving the electric motor 18 and deliver a motor current from a battery 30 to the electric motor 18 to thereby drive the electric motor 18 in accordance with the drive signal; and a control circuit 20A configure to (i) output the drive signal to the drive circuit 20C, (ii) adjust the drive signal in response to a first condition being satisfied (e.g. heat generation), the drive circuit thereby reducing the motor current to continue to drive the electric motor 18 (paragraph [0049]).
Although paragraph [0098-0100] of MORIMURA discloses the control circuit configured to detect a voltage drop, MORIMURA does not definitively disclose the control circuit configured to monitor a battery voltage threshold as claimed. RAJANI et al. teaches a reciprocating tool comprising: a motor 270 configured to drive a reciprocating member (piston; paragraph [0025]); and a control circuit 215 configured to output a drive signal and determine a battery voltage falling below a first threshold voltage (6V), the battery voltage being output from a battery 135, the first threshold voltage (6V) being lower than a rated voltage (18V; paragraph [0022]) of the battery (paragraphs [0043] & [0046]); a third threshold voltage defining a fourth condition and a fourth threshold defining a fifth condition (paragraph [0028]- “e.g. greather than 12 V, greater than 14V, greater than 16V, greater than 18V, etc…”). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the invention to have modified the configuration of the control circuit of MORIMURA to respond to a battery voltage threshold that is lower than a rated voltage of the battery or various other voltage thersholds as claimed since paragraphs [0028] and [0046] of RAJANI et al. suggests that such a modification ensure that there is sufficient voltage to effectively drive the reciprocating member of the tool.
Regarding claims 2, 8 and 9, paragraph [0026] of MORIMURA discloses the reciprocating tool further comprising a power supply circuit 20 configured to generate a power-supply voltage and current, wherein the circuit adjusts the drive signal in response to a first condition being satisfied (e.g. heat generation), the drive circuit thereby reducing the motor current to continue to drive the electric motor 18 (paragraph [0049]). MORIMURA does not disclose the circuit responsive to a second voltage threshold. Paragraph [0046] of RAJANI et al. further teaches the control circuit configured to respond to a first voltage threshold (value Y) and a second (lower) voltage threshold (value X), such that when the battery voltage exceeds the second (lower) voltage the control circuit adjusts the drive signal. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the invention to have modified the configuration of the control circuit of MORIMURA to respond to a battery voltage threshold that is lower than a rated voltage of the battery since paragraph [0046] of RAJANI et al. suggests that such a modification ensure that there is sufficient voltage to effectively drive the reciprocating member of the tool.
With respect to claim 3, paragraph [0028] of MORIMURA discloses the drive signal in the form of a pulse-width modulated (PWM) signal having an output duty ratio that effects the current delivered to the electric motor (paragraph [0044]).
In reference to claims 4 and 6, paragraph [0049] of MORIMURA discloses the control circuit configured to reduce the output duty ratio (to an appropriate duty ratio-e.g. lower limit) in response to the first condition (e.g. heat generation) to generate a driving force sufficient to drive the reciprocating member (paragraph [0044]).
With respect to claim 10, MORIMURA discloses the transmission including a planetary gear set which acts as a deceleration mechanism of the electric motor1
In reference to claim 11, MORIMURA further discloses a first manual switch 15 manually operated by a user to signal the drive circuit to output a drive signal.
Regarding claim 16, paragraph [0021] of MORIMURA discloses the battery 30 as a detachable portion of the reciprocating tool.
With respect to claim 17, MORIMURA discloses a method for controlling an electric motor of a reciprocating tool comprising: outputting a drive signal (via trigger 15) to a drive circuit to deliver a motor current from a battery to the electric motor 18; transmitting a driving force of the electric motor to a reciprocating member to reciprocate between a first (top) dead center position and a second (bottom) dead center position (paragraph [0021]); and adjusting the drive adjust the drive signal in response to a first condition being satisfied (e.g. heat generation), the drive circuit thereby reducing the motor current to continue to drive the electric motor 18 (paragraph [0049]).
Although paragraph [0098-0100] of MORIMURA discloses the control circuit configured to detect a voltage drop, MORIMURA does not definitively disclose adjusting current to the electric motor in response to a battery voltage threshold as claimed. RAJANI et al. teaches a method of controlling a reciprocating tool comprising: outputting a drive signal (via trigger 130) to an electric motor 270 configured to drive a reciprocating member (piston; paragraph [0025]); and providing a control circuit 215 configured to transmit an output based on a battery voltage falling below a first threshold voltage (6V), the battery voltage being output from a battery 135, the first threshold voltage (6V) being lower than a rated voltage (18V; paragraph [0022]) of the battery (paragraphs [0043] & [0046]); a third threshold voltage defining a fourth condition and a fourth threshold defining a fifth condition (paragraph [0028]- “e.g. greather than 12 V, greater than 14V, greater than 16V, greater than 18V, etc…”). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the invention to have modified the process of operating a reciprocating tool as disclosed by MORIMURA to include the step of adjusting the motor current in response to a battery voltage threshold that is lower than a rated voltage of the battery or various other voltage thersholds as claimed since paragraphs [0028] and [0046] of RAJANI et al. suggests that such a modification ensure that there is sufficient voltage to effectively drive the reciprocating member of the tool.
Claim 12 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as applied to claim 11, and further in view of BIERDEMAN et al. (US 2020/0114500.
With respect to claim 12, MORIMURA discloses a first manual switch 15 configured to send a drive signal to the control circuit but does not disclose a second manual switch and pressing member as claimed. BIERDEMAN et al. teaches a reciprocating tool comprising: an electric motor 46 powered by a battery 90; a first manual switch 48 that sends a drive signal to a drive circuit (paragraphs [0074-0075]) to control a motor current to an electrical motor; and a second manual switch (paragraph [0076]) coupled to a pressing member 410. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the invention to have further modified the firing tool of MORIMURA to include a second manual switch and pressing member since paragraph [0076] of BIERDEMAN et al. suggests that such a modification allows for an actuation mode in which the lift time between the first and second positions is decreased.
In reference to claims 13-15, MORIMURA discloses a reciprocating tool comprising: a reciprocating member 24 configured to reciprocated between a first dead center (paragraph [0021]); an electric motor 18 configured to generate a driving force; a transmission device (see Diagram I of figure 1 below) configured to transmit the driving force of the electric motor 18 to the reciprocating member 24 at least in a stroke of the reciprocating member from the second dead center to the first dead center; a drive circuit 20A configured to receive a drive signal (from trigger/manual switch 15) for driving the electric motor 18 and deliver a motor current from a battery 30 to the electric motor 18 to thereby drive the electric motor 18 in accordance with the drive signal; and a control circuit 20A configure to (i) output the drive signal to the drive circuit 20C, (ii) adjust the drive signal in response to a first condition being satisfied (e.g. heat generation), the drive circuit thereby reducing the motor current to continue to drive the electric motor 18 (paragraph [0049]).
The transmission of MORIMURA drives a piston 22 coupled to the reciprocating member 24 to a first (top) dead center position within a cylinder and a second (bottom) dead center position within a cylinder to eject a fastener from the tool, but does not disclose the cylinder containing compressed gas, nor is there disclosure of a cam transmission mechanism as claimed. BABA teaches a reciprocating tool comprising: an electric motor 21 that delivers motion to a transmission 20 that drives a piston 4 supporting a reciprocating member 11 within a cylinder 3 from a bottom dead center position (figures 1 & 11H) to a first top dead center position (figure 11F) and a second top dead center position (figure 11G); the cylinder containing compressed gas (column 4 lines 40-45); and a cam 41 including an outer circumference having pins 41a aligned in a circumferential direction (figures 11F-11K) of the cam to rotate by the driving force of the electric motor 21 such that the pins 41a that engage racks 12 of the reciprocating member 11. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the invention to have modified the tool of MORIMURA to include pressurized gas within the cylinder, as well as a cam & pin transmission configuration that interacts with a rack of the driving member as claimed since column 1 lines 49-62 of BABA suggests such a modification reduces wear on the reciprocating member.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5 and 7 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 of claim 5: Upon examination, the art considered as a whole, alone or in combination, neither anticipated nor renders obvious the claimed reciprocating tool control circuit configured to gradually increase the output duty ratio of an electric motor at a specified rate of increase over time in response to a second condition increasing a battery voltage from a first magnitude to a second magnitude that is greater than or equal to a first battery voltage threshold for the purpose of effectively operating the reciprocating tool even if the battery voltage falls below a first threshold voltage. Although paragraph [0049] of MORIMURA discloses the control circuit configured to reduce the output duty ratio to an appropriate duty ratio and RAJANI et al. teaches the knowledge to configure the control circuit monitor multiple conditions (i.e. voltage thresholds), there is no disclosure of the output duty ration adjusting over a specified rate of time in response to a second condition. Thus, it is Examiner’s opinion that it would not have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to combine or modify the prior art in order to arrive at Applicant's invention as claimed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter of claim 7: Upon examination, the art considered as a whole, alone or in combination, neither anticipated nor renders obvious the claimed reciprocating tool control circuit configured to gradually decrease the output duty ratio of an electric motor at a specified rate of reduction over time in response to a condition decreasing a battery voltage to a lower limit duty ratio below a first threshold voltage for the purpose of effectively operating the reciprocating tool even if the battery voltage falls below the first threshold voltage. Although paragraph [0049] of MORIMURA discloses the control circuit configured to reduce the output duty ratio to an appropriate duty ratio and RAJANI et al. teaches the knowledge to configure the control circuit monitor multiple conditions (i.e. voltage thresholds), there is no disclosure of the output duty ration adjusting over a specified rate of time in response to a second condition. Thus, it is Examiner’s opinion that it would not have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to combine or modify the prior art in order to arrive at Applicant's invention as claimed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Refer to the attached PTO-892 for a notice of references cited and recommended for consideration based on their disclosure of limitations related to the claimed invention. In particular, SHIOYA et al. (US 2022/0134524) explicitly teaches the knowledge in the art of providing a planetary gear as a transmission unit that acts as a deceleration mechanism for an electric motor.
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/GLORIA R WEEKS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3731
April 7, 2026
1 Working principle and composition of planetary gearbox - Knowledge (https://sang-automation.com/info/working-principle-and-composition-of-planetary-101225750.html)