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`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria1 Virginia 22313- 1450
`www.uspto.gov
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`APPLICATION NO.
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` F ING DATE
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`FIRST NAMED INVENTOR
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`ATTORNEY DOCKET NO.
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`CONF {MATION NO.
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`13/687,128
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`11/28/2012
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`Kazumasa YOSHIMA
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`MAT—10428US1
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`2571
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`EXAMINER
`RATNERPRESTIA —
`09’0”“ —
`7590
`52473
`PO BOX 980
`CALVETTI, FREDERICKF
`VALLEY FORGE, PA 19482-0980
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`PAPER NUMBER
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`ART UNIT
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`3742
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`NOT *ICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`09/09/2013
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`ELECTRONIC
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`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
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`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
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`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above—indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e—mail address(es):
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`ptocorrespondence @ratnerprestia.c0m
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`PTOL—90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`

`

`
`
`Applicant(s)
`Application No.
` 13/687,128 YOSHIMA ET AL.
`
`
`AIA (First Inventorto File)
`Art Unit
`Examiner
`Office Action Summary
`
`
`Frederick Calvetti a?” 3742
`-- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`
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`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLY IS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTH(S) OR THIRTY (30) DAYS,
`WHICHEVER IS LONGER, FROM THE MAILING DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a).
`In no event however may a reply be timely filed
`after SIX () MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, even if timely filed, may reduce any
`earned patent term adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
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`-
`-
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`Status
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`1)I:I Responsive to communication(s) filed on
`[I A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2b)lX| This action is non-final.
`a)I:| This action is FINAL.
`3)I:I An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
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`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
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`4)|:I Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`Closed in accordance with the practice under EX parte Quay/e, 1935 CD. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`Disposition of Claims
`5)|XI Claim(s) 1and2 is/are pending in the application.
`5a) Of the above Claim(s)
`is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`6)|:l Claim(s) _ is/are allowed.
`7)IZ| Claim(s) 1and2is/are rejected.
`8)I:I Claim(s) _ is/are objected to.
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`9)|:l Claim((s)
`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement.
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
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`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`htt
`://www.usoto. ov/ atents/init events"
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`
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`h/index.‘s or send an inquiry to PF"I-Ifeedback{<‘buspto.qov.
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`Application Papers
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`10)I:I The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)|Z| The drawing(s) filed on 11/28/2012 is/are: a)IXI accepted or b)I:I objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
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`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
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`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12)IZI Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
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`b)I:I Some * C)I:I None of the:
`a)I:I All
`1.IZI Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.I:I Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.|:I Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
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`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`* See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
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`Attachment(s)
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`1) E Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
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`3) I] Interview Summary (PTO-413)
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`Paper NOISIIMa” Date —
`PTO/SB/08
`t
`St t
`I
`D'
`t'
`f
`2 IXI I
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`4) I:I Other:
`a emen (s)(
`Isc osure
`n orma Ion
`)
`)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date 1 1/28/2012'12/19/2012'1/31/2013'8/9/2013.
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`US. Patent and Trademark Office
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 08-13)
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`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20130823
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`Office Action Summary
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 13/687,128
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`Page 2
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`Art Unit: 3742
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`1.
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`The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent
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`provisions.
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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`2.
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`The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis
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`for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
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`(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described
`as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to
`be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been
`obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which
`said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the
`invention was made.
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`3.
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`This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the
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`claims under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a), the examiner presumes that the subject matter
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`of the various claims was commonly owned at the time any inventions covered therein
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`were made absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation
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`under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and invention dates of each claim that was
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`not commonly owned at the time a later invention was made in order for the examiner to
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`consider the applicability of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(0) and potential pre-AIA 35 U.S.C.
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`102(e), (f) or (g) prior art under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a).
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`Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Shigeyoshi
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`(JP 2008-93670 which was supplied by applicant and has an English counterpart US
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`2008/0083716, now US patent No. 7,999,208) in view of Peters (US 2008/0011728).
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`The references are applied alternatively. Reference will be made to at least the
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`counterpart publication.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 13/687,128
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`Page 3
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`Art Unit: 3742
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`Shigeyoshi discloses: A welding system(abstract, 6,7) comprising: a plurality of
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`welding robot systems each including a manipulator holding a welding torch for a single
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`electrode; a control device which controls an operation of the manipulator(multiple
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`tandem single electrodes, 2a,b) on the basis of an operation program which is stored in
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`advance(figure 2 element 12,paragraphs 4,58); and a welding power-supply unit which
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`supplies electric power between a welding wire which is a single electrode(elements
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`4,5), and a welding object (W), wherein a movement of the single electrode by the
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`manipulator of one of the welding robot systems is followed by the movement of the
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`single electrodes by the manipulators of an other of the welding robot systems(tandem,
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`paragraph 10), and the single electrode of the one manipulator and the single
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`electrodes of the other manipulators perform welding simultaneously in a same direction
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`on a same welding line(paragraph 10), and welding is performed while forming one
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`melting pool (85) by an arc generated between the single electrode of the one of the
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`welding robot systems, and a base material, and other arcs generated between the
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`single electrodes of the other of the welding robot systems, and the base material
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`(abstract, 85).
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`The claims at best differ in that more than one manipulator is recited.
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`Peters (US 2008/0011728) discloses tandem multiple weld machines
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`(manipulators) and sensors for a same welding puddle (background, figures 2,19 at
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`least) with lead and trailing electrodes for simultaneous same direction welding and
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`alternative use of multiple electrode systems and multiple welding machines with
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`Application/Control Number: 13/687,128
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`Page 4
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`Art Unit: 3742
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`electrodes (paragraphs 2,3) to increase productivity, sophistication, adjustment and
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`control (paragraphs 1,2).
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`It would have been obvious at the time of the invention to modify Shigeyoshi so
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`that more than one welding machine is used to increase productivity
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`control and
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`accuracy.
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`Alternatively, it would have been obvious at the time of the invention to modify
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`Peters multiple machines with the method taught by Shigeyoshi as described above to
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`increase productivity, sophistication, adjustment, accuracy and control.
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`For claim 2, see the teachings in Peters drawn to multiple machines.
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to Frederick Calvetti whose telephone number is (571 )272—
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`5501. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 8:30-5:00 EST.
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, Tu Hoang or Henry Yuen can be reached on 571 -272—4780 or 571-272-
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`4856. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding
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`is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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