Appeal No. 1998-1844
Application No. 08/601,726
BACKGROUND
The disclosed invention is directed to an assembly which provides both linear and
rotary motion in a single output shaft, useful in robotic applications. Claim 1 is reproduced
below.
1. A linear/rotary motor, comprising:
(a) a primary housing;
(b) an output shaft extending from said primary housing;
(c) a rotary motor disposed entirely within said primary housing, said output
shaft being given rotational motion by said rotary motor;
(d) a linear motor disposed entirely within said primary housing;
(e) a linear shaft moveable by said linear motor to impart linear motion to
said output shaft; and
(f) coupling means to join said linear shaft and said output shaft to permit
imparting of said linear motion to said output shaft by said linear shaft, but to isolate
rotational motion of said output shaft from said linear shaft, such that linear and
rotational motions of said output shaft can be controlled independently of one
another.
The examiner relies on the following references:
Westmoreland 3,407,680 Oct. 29, 1968
Balter 4,768,911 Sep. 6, 1988
Claims 1-4, 6-24, 27-31, and 34-41 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being
unpatentable over Balter and Westmoreland. Claims 5, 25, 26, 32, and 33 have been
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