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 Application EP20161507.7 dated 03/06/2020 and applicant has filed a certified copy of this application on 09/05/2022.
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 6 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 6 is rejected, because it is not clear to which claim it depends on. For the purpose of this examination, claim 6 is interpreted to be dependent on claim 1.
Claims 7-8 are rejected due to dependency on rejected claim 6.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
(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.
Claims 1-5 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Petrovski (US 10369706 B2).
Regarding claim 1, Petrovski teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. below) an end effector assembly (assembly shown in figs. 2 and 5 below) for a picking robot (Fig. 1, par. 12: “a robot 150”), the end effector assembly comprising a first end effector part (630), a second end effector part (650), and an end effector device (Bernoulli cup 370) mounted on the second end effector part, wherein the first end effector part and the second end effector part are connected via a joint connection (joint connection comprising at least pivot 660/universal joint, compression spring 620 and ) comprising a first joint (pivot 660/universal joint) having at least a first degree of freedom (pivot 660/universal joint has two degrees of freedom), the joint connection comprising a first spring construction (compression spring 620) having a first end (top end) and a second end (bottom end), the first end connected to the first end effector part and the second end connected to the second end effector part.
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Regarding claim 2, Petrovski teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the first joint has a second degree of freedom (pivot 660/universal joint has two pivots/two degrees of freedom).
Regarding claim 3, Petrovski teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the first joint is a dual axis joint (pivot 660/universal joint has two pivots/two axis/two degrees of freedom).(Par. 27: “ Pivot 660 (e.g., a type of universal joint) enables head 670 to pivot along one or more axes with respect to shaft 632”).
Regarding claim 4, Petrovski teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the first spring construction comprises a coil spring (compression spring 620).
Regarding claim 5, Petrovski teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the coil spring encircles the first joint.
Regarding claim 13, Petrovski teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the joint connection comprises a second joint having at least one degree of freedom (pivot 660/universal joint has two pivots/two axis/two joints/two degrees of freedom).
Claims 1-2, 4-5, 9-11 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Lin et al. (US 20090292298 A1) hereinafter Lin.
Regarding claim 1, Lin teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. below) an end effector assembly for a picking robot (robot shown in Fig. 1), the end effector assembly comprising a first end effector part (72), a second end effector part (124), and an end effector device (cup 78) mounted on the second end effector part, wherein the first end effector part and the second end effector part are connected via a joint connection (joint connection comprises shaft 120 and spring 122) comprising a first joint (shaft 120) having at least a first degree of freedom (up and down movement in Z direction), the joint connection comprising a first spring construction (spring 122) having a first end (top end) and a second end (bottom end), the first end connected to the first end effector part and the second end connected to the second end effector part.
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Regarding claim 2, Lin teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the first joint has a second degree of freedom (rotation around shaft 96).
Regarding claim 4, Lin teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the first spring construction (122) comprises a coil spring.
Regarding claim 5, Lin teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the coil spring (122) encircles the first joint (120).
Regarding claim 9, Lin teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the end effector assembly comprising a locking mechanism (par. 0026-0028) configured to, in a locking position, fix the first end effector part in relation to the second end effector part (locking movement of the second end effector 124 relative to the first end effector 72).
Regarding claim 10, Lin teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the locking mechanism (par. 0030: 106, 108, 114) comprises a locking part movably (106) mounted on the first end effector part, wherein the locking part, in the locking position, engages the second end effector part (via shaft 120) and locks the second end effector part in relation to the first end effector part (see par. 0030).
Regarding claim 11, Lin teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the locking part in an unlocked position is disengaged with the second end effector part and allows the second end effector part to move in relation to the first end effector part (see par. 0030).
Regarding claim 15, Lin teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) a tool unit for a picking robot, the tool unit comprising a slider device (slider device comprises 80 movable on 48 in X direction and shaft 48) and an end effector assembly according to claim 1, the slider device comprising a first slider part (48) and a second slider part (80), the second slider part slidably connected to the first slider part, wherein the first end effector part is mounted on the second slider part.
Claims 1-2, 4-5 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Amsden et al. (US 20130136565 A1) hereinafter Amsden.
Regarding claim 1, Amsden teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. below) an end effector assembly for a picking robot (robot 312 shown in Fig. 3-4), the end effector assembly comprising a first end effector part (530), a second end effector part (520), and an end effector device (suction cup 560) mounted on the second end effector part, wherein the first end effector part and the second end effector part are connected via a joint connection comprising a first joint (standoff 540) having at least a first degree of freedom (par. 0055: lateral or pivotal motion and Z-axis translation), the joint connection comprising a first spring construction (compression spring 542) having a first end (top end) and a second end (bottom end), the first end connected to the first end effector part and the second end connected to the second end effector part.
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Regarding claim 2, Amsden teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the first joint has a second degree of freedom (par. 0055: lateral or pivotal motion and Z-axis translation).
Regarding claim 4, Amsden teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the first spring construction comprises a coil spring.
Regarding claim 5, Amsden teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the coil spring encircles the first joint.
Regarding claim 13, Amsden teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the joint connection comprises a second joint having at least one degree of freedom.
Regarding claim 14, Amsden teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the joint connection comprises a second spring construction having a first end (top end) and a second end (bottom end), the first end connected to the first end effector part and the second end connected to the second end effector part.
Claims 1, 4 and 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Jonas et al. (US 10913165 B1) hereinafter Jonas.
Regarding claim 1, Jonas teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. below) an end effector assembly for a picking robot (robot shown in Fig. 1), the end effector assembly comprising a first end effector part (top plate 192), a second end effector part (bottom plate 190), and an end effector device (suction manifold 106) mounted on the second end effector part (fixed lower limiter 200), wherein the first end effector part and the second end effector part are connected via a joint connection comprising a first joint having at least a first degree of freedom (linear vertical movement), the joint connection comprising a first spring construction (coil spring 186) having a first end and a second end, the first end connected to the first end effector part and the second end connected to the second end effector part (via 194).
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Regarding claim 4, Jonas teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the first spring construction comprises a coil spring (coil spring 186).
Regarding claim 6, Jonas teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the end effector device comprises a frame part and one or more first end effectors (nine suction devices 180) including a first primary end effector mounted on the frame part.
Regarding claim 7, Jonas teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the first primary end effector is a suction end effector.
Regarding claim 8, Jonas teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the end effector device comprises a first secondary end effector mounted on the frame part, wherein the first secondary end effector is a suction end effector.
Claims 1 and 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen (CN 209224076 U).
Regarding claim 1, Chen teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. below) an end effector assembly for a picking robot (15), the end effector assembly comprising a first end effector part (2), a second end effector part (11), and an end effector device (12, 13) mounted on the second end effector part, wherein the first end effector part and the second end effector part are connected via a joint connection (joint connection comprises spring 9, and items 3, 8, 7, 6) comprising a first joint having at least a first degree of freedom (rotational about Y), the joint connection comprising a first spring construction (spring 9) having a first end (top end) and a second end (bottom end), the first end connected to the first end effector part and the second end connected (via the first joint) to the second end effector part.
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Regarding claim 6, Chen teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the end effector device comprises a frame part (12) and one or more first end effectors including a first primary end effector (13) mounted on the frame part.
Regarding claim 7, Chen teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. above) the first primary end effector is selected from the group consisting of a magnetic end effector, a suction end effector, an angular and/or parallel gripper, and a hook end effector (parallel gripper to 12).
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 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin.
Regarding claim 12, Lin is silent regarding stiffness of the first spring construction.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before effective filing date of the claimed invention to use spring with certain stiffness range based on the object being picks and shock absorbing needs.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MAHDI H NEJAD whose telephone number is (571)270-0464. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30am-4pm EST.
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MAHDI H. NEJAD
Examiner
Art Unit 3723
/MAHDI H NEJAD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723