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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Great Britian on 10/15/2020. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the GB2016387.9 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/08/26. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 “a regulatory mechanism in communication with the at least one chamber, wherein the regulatory mechanism is configured to control fluid flow into or out of the cavity” of claim 1, “ a control system comprising at least one sensor, wherein the at least one sensor comprises: at least one pressure sensor, the at least one pressure sensor is located within the at least one chamber and operable to determine the pressure of the fluid within the corresponding at least one chamber and the pressure ratio of fluid within the at least one chamber at least one spatial orientation sensor configured to determine the spatial orientation of the at least one chamber” of claim 1, and “the control system is operable to effect movement of the inflatable, moveable structure by controlling operation of the regulatory mechanism “ of claim 1 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.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: “a regulatory mechanism” in claim 1.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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.
Claim(s) 1-4 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jacobs, U.S. Patent 6,532,400 (hereinafter “Jacobs”).
In Reference to Claim 1:
Jacobs discloses an inflatable (via artificial muscles/Mckibben Actuators), moveable structure (anatomical framed segment) comprising: a fluid source (air supply; See, Figure 4); at least one chamber (410) comprising a substantially inelastic outer membrane defining a cavity extending there between, wherein the cavity is in fluid communication with the fluid source (via fluid line 435); a regulatory mechanism (not shown but inherent to operation given the description of only activating certain artificial muscle actuators to achieve a given response) in communication with the at least one chamber, wherein the regulatory mechanism is configured to control fluid flow into or out of the cavity; and a control system (via controller 230) comprising at least one sensor (sensors 240), wherein the at least one sensor comprises: at least one pressure sensor, the at least one pressure sensor is located within the at least one chamber and operable to determine the pressure of the fluid within the corresponding at least one chamber and the pressure ratio of fluid within the at least one chamber at least one spatial orientation sensor (via position sensor as shown in Figure 2 under broad category of sensors configured to determine the spatial orientation of the at least one chamber (See, Col. 6 lines 15-20 which disclose the use of position sensors and pressure sensors to achieve information to get desired motion to inflate certain artificial muscle acutators) ; wherein the control system is operable to effect movement of the inflatable, moveable structure by controlling operation of the regulatory mechanism in response to one or more of the determined spatial orientation of the inflatable, moveable structure as determined by the at least one spatial orientation sensor and fluid pressure within the corresponding at least one chamber and pressure ratio of fluid within the at least one chamber.as determined by the at least one pressure sensor (See, Figure 1 or 2 and also Col. 6 which discloses using the information from the sensors to dictate the controller to control the signal to operate the artificial muscles), one or more chamber arrangements, wherein each chamber arrangement of the one or more chamber arrangements comprises a plurality of chambers, each chamber arrangement of the one or more chamber arrangements is independently in communication with the fluid source, wherein each of the chamber arrangement of the one or more chamber arrangements is linked to bears on, in use, a further chamber arrangement (See, Figure 11 which shows at least four arrangements (two for the upper segment featuring 3 actuators each on the front and back of the upper segment and two for the lower segment featuring two actuators on the back and one on the front; the individual control and combined control of the segments can be seen in Figure 16A and 16B.).
In Reference to Claim 2:
Jacobs further discloses the first chamber arrangement comprising a plurality of first chambers (See, Figure 11: upper segment of the robot contains two chamber arrangements a front and back each containing three segments , each first chamber of the plurality of first chambers comprising a substantially inelastic outer membrane defining a cavity extending there between, wherein each of the first chamber of the plurality of first chambers comprises a first end, and an opposed second end and a longitudinal axis extending there between, the plurality of first chambers are arranged such that the longitudinal axes of each first chamber of the plurality of first chambers are aligned (See, Figure 11 they are all aligned axial with the segment of the robotic leg), within the first chamber arrangement , each cavity is in fluid communication with the fluid source (See, Figure 4 which illustrates each chamber is connected to the air supply), each of the first chamber of the plurality of the first chambers further comprises a regulatory mechanism (inherent in the operation as discussed a combination or individual artificial muscle can be actuated at a time therefore a regulatory device must control this control scheme; See, Figure 16 which shows actuation of one artificial muscle and a plurality of artificial muscles to achieve the desired position (sensed by a sensor); a second chamber arrangement (lower segment of robotic limb as shown in Figure 11) comprising a plurality of second chambers, each of the second chamber of the plurality of second chambers comprising a substantially inelastic outer membrane defining a cavity extending there between, wherein each of the second chamber of the plurality of second chambers comprises a first end, and an opposed second end and a longitudinal axis extending there between, the plurality of second chambers are arranged such that the longitudinal axes of each second chamber of the plurality of second chambers are aligned within the second chamber arrangement, each cavity is in fluid communication with the fluid source, each of the second chamber of the plurality of the second chambers further comprises at least one second valve located on and extending through the outer membrane thereof; the first chamber arrangement is configured in use such that each of the first chamber of the plurality of first chambers is linked to or to bears on the corresponding second chamber provided by the second chamber arrangement, the first chamber arrangement and the second chamber arrangement are independently in fluid communication with the fluid source, at least one third valve located between the fluid source and the first chamber arrangement and the second chamber arrangement; and a control system comprising at least one of: a plurality of pressure sensors, at least one pressure sensor of the plurality of pressure sensors being located within a corresponding chamber of the first chamber arrangement, and at least one pressure sensor of the plurality of pressure sensors being located with a corresponding chamber of the second chamber arrangement, and operable to determine the pressure of the fluid within and the pressure ratio of the fluid between the corresponding chamber of the first chamber arrangement and the corresponding chamber of the second chamber arrangement. See, Figure 16 which shows actuation control
In Reference to Claim 3:
Jacobs further comprises a support substrate (525/550), positioned between the first chamber arrangement( Upper segment actuators associated with 535 of front and back( and the second chamber arrangement (lower segment actuators: actuators associated with 540), wherein the first chamber arrangement and the second chamber arrangement are linked to bear on the support substrate( linked to create rotation on the joint).
In Reference to Claim 4:
Jacobs further discloses wherein each of the first chamber arrangement and the second chamber arrangement comprises a plurality of aligned elongate chambers, and the longitudinal axes of the each of the first chamber and the second chamber extend at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the first chamber arrangement and the second chamber arrangement. See, Figure 5: (lower segment actuators: actuators associated with 540 and upper segment actuators associated with segment 535) and Figure 11.
In Reference to Claim 6:
Jacobs further discloses wherein the control system is operable to independently move the regulatory mechanism to an open position or to a closed position, or to any position there between, in response to the determined pressure and pressure ratio of the fluid within the first chamber and the second chamber. See, Figure 16B which shows that in certain sensory conditions the control system can operate the actuator at 50% of maximal force and as such the regulatory mechanism must be able to besides open and closed position also produce a position therebetween to produce only a 50% maximum force output. See also, Figure 15B which shows the activation level depending on degree of membership being from a range of 0-1 and not just 0 and 1 (off and on).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jacobs, U.S. Patent 6,532,400 (hereinafter “Jacobs”) in view of Ossolinksi, U.S. Patent Publication 2005/064189 (hereinafter “Ossilisnki”)
In Reference to Claim 5:
Jacobs discloses all the limitations except, wherein at least one spatial orientation sensor is an IMU (although disclosing a pivot/angle sensor which commonly an IMU sensor used to determine the structural angle/pivot).
However, in the same field of endeavor, Ossolinksi discloses the use of an IMU spatial orientation sensor to form of a level sensor (60) and a proximity sensor (30). See, Paragraph [0053]
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing to modify Jacobs to includes the teachings of Ossolinksi, specifically to incorporate an IMU sensor because doing so would allow for more accurate positional information for the robotic segments by including the additional information besides level/tilt sensor but also proximity. Thereby, providing for a better feedback control loop and a more accurate and possibly efficient actuation of the Jacobs robot.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL S. COLLINS whose telephone number is (313)446-6535. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH 8:00-5:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nathaniel Wiehe can be reached at (571) 272-4648. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANIEL S COLLINS/Examiner, Art Unit 3745
/NATHANIEL E WIEHE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3745
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