Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
This action is in response to the application field on 06/30/25.
Claims 1-19 are pending and have been examined.
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 1-10 and 13 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.
In claims 1 and 13, the phrase “prescribed change in the variable-voltage signal” renders the claims indefinite in that it is unclear what constitutes a “prescribed change”, as for example: is it a voltage increase, a threshold, a rate of change? Clarification is requested.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-10 would be allowable if rewritten 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 and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 11-12 and 14-19 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
The prior art of record, including U.S. Patent No. 5,835,676, teaches electronically controlled power tools employing an electric motor, an electronic controller, and trigger-based speed control. However, the prior art fails to teach or suggest a control unit including an input detection unit configured to generate an ON/OFF signal based on detection of a prescribed change in a variable-voltage signal indicative of an initial actuation of the trigger switch, as recited in Claims 1 and 13. The cited prior art instead relies on conventional trigger sensing and motor control and does not disclose activating the controller in response to detecting a prescribed change in the variable-voltage signal generated by the input unit.
Additionally, the prior art does not teach or suggest controlling the supply of power to the electric motor by applying a pulse-width modulated (PWM) signal to a first semiconductor switch while applying a synchronously rectified signal to a second semiconductor switch based on the variable-voltage signal, as recited in Claims 1 and 11. The Examiner has not identified any teaching or suggestion in the prior art of employing the claimed control strategy in the context of the claimed power tool.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHELLE LOPEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-4464. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anna Kinsaul can be reached at (571) 270 - 1926. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MICHELLE LOPEZ/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3731
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