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 .
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.
(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.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Dey, IV et al (US 2017/0173768), hereinafter Dey.
Regarding claim 1, Dey discloses an impact tool (Fig. 1, item 104) comprising:
a measurer (Para. 0070--0075) (Para. 0068, controller 226 uses sensors 218a to monitor the rotational position of the shaft of motor 214, which corresponds to angle of rotation of hammer 1205) that measures a hammer advance angle (Para. 0070--0075) per strike for a target part (Para. 0070--0075);
a determiner (Para. 0070-0080, controller 225 evaluates whether drive angle is less than a drive angle threshold) that uses a predetermined reference database (Fig. 5, item 232, memory) including a threshold (Para. 0080) to determine whether the hammer advance angle measured by the measurer is an angle corresponding to normal fastening (Para. 0061-0065) or an angle corresponding to anomalous fastening based on the threshold (Para. 0061-0065, normal fastening occurs when parameters are within acceptable range, anomalous fastening occurs when parameters are outside of acceptable range); and
a presenter (Para. 0061-0065) that presents information indicating anomalous fastening (Para. 0061-0065, error message is displayed when parameters are outside of acceptable range) when the determiner determines that anomalous fastening has been applied (Para. 0061-0065).
Regarding claim 2, Dey discloses the impact tool according to claim 1, comprising:
an estimator (Para. 0070--0075) (Para. 0068) that estimates an anvil angle using the hammer advance angle per strike measured by the measurer (Para. 0070--0075) (Para. 0068, controller 226 uses sensors 218a to monitor the rotational position of the shaft of motor 214, which corresponds to angle of rotation of hammer 1205, and then controller estimates the position of anvil 1210).
Regarding claim 3, Dey discloses the impact tool according to claim 1,
wherein the predetermined reference database is a database (Fig. 5, item 232, memory) generated from actual measured data (Para. 0054-0057, parameters can be updated and stored based on recorded data) that is obtained from previously performed measurement (Para. 0054-0057) by using a hammer advance angle per strike of the impact tool (Para. 0070--0075) (Para. 0068) when normal fastening is applied to the target part (Para. 0070--0075) (Para. 0068) or a part corresponding to the target part (Para. 0070--0075) (Para. 0068), and a hammer advance angle per strike (Para. 0070--0075) (Para. 0068) of the impact tool when anomalous fastening is applied (Para. 0070--0075) (Para. 0068).
Regarding claim 4, Dey discloses the impact tool according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined reference database is updatable (Para. 0054, mode profile can be updated live while using the impact driver 104).
Regarding claim 5, Dey discloses the impact tool according to claim 1, wherein the threshold is variable (Para. 0078-0080, user can input different drive angle thresholds).
Regarding claim 6, Dey discloses the impact tool according to claim 1, comprising: a transmitter (Fig. 3A, item 226) (Para. 0029) that transmits a determination result (Para. 0070--0075) (Para. 0068) by the determiner (Para. 0070--0075) (Para. 0068) to an external device (Fig. 1, item 108).
Regarding claim 7, Dey discloses the impact tool according to claim 1, comprising: a receiver (Fig. 3A, item 226, 250) that receives a setting of the threshold (Para. 0036) from an external device (Fig. 1, item 108).
Regarding claim 8, Dey discloses an impact tool management system comprising:
the impact tool (Fig. 2, item 104) according to claim 1; and
a management device (Fig. 1, item 112, 114, 108) that manages information (Para. 0019-0022) indicating about a determination (Para. 0019-0022) by the determiner included in the impact tool (Para. 0019-0022).
Regarding claim 9, Dey discloses an impact tool management method comprising:
measuring a hammer advance angle (Para. 0070-0075) (Para. 0068, controller 226 uses sensors 218a to monitor the rotational position of the shaft of motor 214, which corresponds to angle of rotation of hammer 1205) per strike for a target part (Para. 0070-0075);
determining, by using a predetermined reference database (Fig. 5, item 232, memory) including a threshold (Para. 0080), whether the hammer advance angle (Para. 0070-0080, controller 225 evaluates whether drive angle is less than a drive angle threshold) measured by the measuring is an angle corresponding to normal fastening (Para. 0061-0065) or an angle corresponding to anomalous fastening based on the threshold (Para. 0061-0065, normal fastening occurs when parameters are within acceptable range, anomalous fastening occurs when parameters are outside of acceptable range); and
presenting information (Para. 0061-0065) indicating anomalous fastening (Para. 0061-0065, error message is displayed when parameters are outside of acceptable range) when it is determined in the determining that anomalous fastening has been applied (Para. 0061-0065).
Regarding claim 10, Dey discloses a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium (Fig. 1, item 112, 114, 108) having recorded thereon a program (Para. 0019-0022) for causing a computer (Para. 0019-0022) to execute the impact tool management method according to claim 9 (Para. 0019-0022).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VERONICA MARTIN whose telephone number is (571)272-3541. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 8:00-6:00.
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/VERONICA MARTIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3731