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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 12/12/2025 has been entered.
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.
Claim 3 is 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.
Claim 3 recites the limitation "the pallet" in line 5 of the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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) 1-3, 5, 6, 15-18, 20, and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bergeron (US 2008/0253871 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Bergeron discloses a manufacturing system for processing workpieces (7), comprising a manufacturing cell (10); a plurality of pallets (14) each configured to support one or more workpieces (7); at least one robotic device (11) mounted in the manufacturing cell (10) and configured to operate ([0023], lines 6-10) on the one or more workpieces (7); at least two processing stations (13), including a first processing station (F) and a second processing station (S), each located in the manufacturing cell (10) and each configured to support any one of the plurality of pallets (14) in fixed position relative to the at least one robotic device (11), and the first and second processing stations (F, S) are within reach of a same robotic device (11); a transport device (i.e., forklift; [0028], lines 16-17) configured to transport any one of the plurality of pallets (14) to and from each of the first processing station (F) and the second processing (S) station; a controller (20; Fig. 3) configured to coordinate the operation ([0022]) of the manufacturing cell (10) in a manner allowing the same robotic device (11) to continuously operate on a first workpiece (7) supported by one of the plurality of pallets (14) at the first processing station (F) while another one of the plurality of pallets (14) supporting a second workpiece (7) is transferred to or from the second processing (S) station respectively before or after the same robotic device (11) operates on the second workpiece (7) at the second processing station (S); and wherein the first workpiece (7) and the second workpiece (7) each remain on a respective pallet (14) during transportation to and from the first processing station (F) or the second processing station (S) and while being operated on by the same robotic device (11).
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Regarding claim 2, Bergeron discloses wherein the manufacturing cell (10) includes a plurality of pallet stations (PS), each configured to support one of the plurality of pallets (14).
Regarding claim 3, Bergeron discloses wherein the pallet stations (PS) are configured as a processing station (13).
Regarding claim 5, Bergeron discloses a locating system (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50; [0028] – [0031]; Figs. 4-6) configured to couple any one of the pallets (14) to either one of the first and second processing stations (F, S) in a precise and repeatable location and orientation relative to the robotic device (11).
Regarding claim 6, Bergeron discloses wherein the locating system is a three-point locating system (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50; [0028] – [0031]; Figs. 4-6) having three locating points (45) arranged in a triangular pattern (A, B, C).
Regarding claim 15, Bergeron discloses a manufacturing cell (10) for processing workpieces (7), comprising at least one robotic device (11) configured to operate ([0023], lines 6-10) on a workpiece (7) supported on any one of a plurality of pallets (14), each of the pallets (14) configured to be transported by a transport device (i.e., forklift; [0028], lines 16-17); a first processing station (F) and a second processing station (S), each located within reach of a same robotic device (11) and each configured to support any one of the pallets (14) in fixed position relative to the same robotic device (11); a controller (20; Fig. 3) configured to coordinate the operation ([0022]) of the manufacturing cell (10) in a manner allowing the same robotic device (11) to continuously operate on a workpiece (7) supported by one of the plurality of pallets (14) at the first processing station (F) while another one of the plurality of pallets (14) is transferred to or from the second processing station (S) respectively before or after the same robotic device (11) operates on another workpiece (7) at the second processing station (S); and wherein each workpiece (7) remains on a respective pallet (14) during transportation to and from the first processing station (F) or the second processing station (S) and while being operated on by the same robotic device (11).
Regarding claim 16, Bergeron discloses processing workpieces (7), comprising supporting one or more workpieces (7) on each of a plurality of pallets (14); transporting, using a transport device (i.e., forklift; [0028], lines 16-17), any one of the plurality of pallets (14) to a first processing station (F) located in a manufacturing cell (10) within reach of a robotic device (11); and operating ([0022]; [0023], lines 6-10), using the robotic device (11), on a first workpiece (7) supported by one of the plurality of pallets (14) at the first processing station (F) while another one of the plurality of pallets (14) supporting a second workpiece (7) is transferred to or from a second processing station (S) respectively before or after the same robotic device (11) operates on the second workpiece (7) at the second processing station (S), and the first and second processing stations (F, S) are located within reach of the same robotic device (11); and wherein the first workpiece (7) and the second workpiece (7) each remain on a respective pallet (14) during transportation to and from the first processing station (F) or the second processing station (S) and while being operated on by the robotic device (11).
Regarding claim 17, Bergeron discloses transporting (i.e., forklift; [0028], lines 16-17) any one of the plurality of pallets (14) to and/or from a plurality of pallet stations (PS).
Regarding claim 18, Bergeron discloses transporting any one of the plurality of pallets (14) to and/or from a feed station (FS) configured to support any one of the plurality of pallets (14) prior to transporting, via the transport device (i.e., forklift; [0028], lines 16-17), from the feed station (FS) to one or more processing stations (13).
Regarding claim 20, Bergeron discloses coupling, using a locating system (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50; [0028] – [0030]; Figs. 4-6), any one of the pallets (14) to either one of the first and second processing stations (F, S) in a precise and repeatable location and orientation relative to the robotic device (11).
Regarding claim 21, Bergeron discloses wherein coupling any one of the pallets to either one of the first and second processing stations comprises: coupling ([0029] – [0030]), using at least one three-point locating system (A, B, C), any one of the pallets (14) to either one of the first and second processing stations (F, S).
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.
Claim(s) 9 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bergeron (US 2008/0253871 A1) in view of Hall et al. (US 2007/0024463 A1).
Bergeron discloses all of the claimed subject except for wherein at least one of the processing stations includes at least one of the following: an RFID read/write head configured to read an RFID tag included with each pallet to allow the controller to positively identify the pallet located at the first processing station and/or at the second processing station; and a set of tooling features for verifying the location of the pallet relative to a world coordinate system of the manufacturing cell; or further comprising at least one of the following: reading, via an RFID read/write head, an RFID tag included with each pallet to allow a controller to positively identify the pallet located at the first processing station and/or at the second processing station; and verifying, using a set of tooling features, the location of the pallet relative to a world coordinate system of the manufacturing cell.
Hall discloses providing (pg. 3, [0029] and [0031]) an RFID read/write head (206; Fig. 2) configured to read an RFID tag (204; Fig. 2) included with each pallet (202; pg. 3, [0031], lines 13-14) to allow the controller (210; pg. 3, [0032] – [0033]; Fig. 2) to positively identify the pallet (202) and the operations to be performed at the processing stations. Hall discloses reading, via an RFID read/write head (206), an RFID tag (204; Fig. 3) included with each pallet (202; pg. 3, [0031], lines 13-14) to allow a controller (210) to positively identify the pallet (202) located at the processing stations [pg. 3, [0029]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide an RFID read/write head configured to read an RFID tag included with each pallet to allow the controller to positively identify the pallet located at the first processing station and/or at the second processing station of Bergeron, and to read via an RFID read/write head, an RFID tag included with each pallet to allow a controller to positively identify the pallet located at the first processing station and/or at the second processing station of Bergeron, in light of the teachings of Hall, in order to provide data concerning the operation to be performed at the station.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 7, 8, 10-14, 19, 22, and 24-27 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 15, and 16 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JERMIE E COZART whose telephone number is (571)272-4528. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30am - 7:00pm.
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/JERMIE E COZART/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3799
February 12, 2026