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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Group II, claims 20-22, in the reply filed on 09/08/2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that Group IV, claims 42-44, as currently amended has a shared special technical feature with Group II that distinguishes both groups from the previous art Lalicki (US 20180185527).
This is argument has been fully considered and is persuasive. Therefore, the restriction of Group IV, claims 42-44, has been withdrawn and claims 20, 22, 42, and 44 are currently pending and being examined herein.
The requirement between Group I, claims 1-19, and Group III, claims 23-41, is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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.
Claims 20, 22, 42, and 44 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Almasy (US 20150028228 A1).
Regarding claim 20, Almasy teaches a system for sanitizing a movable surface ([abstract], title, conveyor belt = movable surface), comprising:
at least one illumination module positioned to radiate the movable surface with sanitizing electromagnetic radiation (SER) (Fig. 1, ultraviolet treatment system 30 = illumination module, [0023]);
a use sensor positioned to detect movement of the movable surface (sensors 130 and 131 can be a motion sensor or speed sensor configured to detect motion and speed of the belt [0038]); and
a control system in communication with the use sensor to determine an appropriate level of SER to be provided to the movable surface at least partially based on the detected movement of the movable surface, and control the at least one illumination module to radiate the movable surface with the determined appropriate level of SER (controller 140 is in communication with sensors [0038] to determine how much UV light to provide to belt based on the speed of the conveyor belt and housing length, [0040-0042]).
Regarding claim 22, Almasy teaches the system of claim 20, wherein the use sensor detects a rate of the movement of the movable surface and determines the appropriate level of SER to be provided to the movable surface at least partially based on the rate of movement of the moving movable surface ([0039-0042]).
Regarding claim 42, Almasy teaches a method for sanitizing a movable surface in an area to be sanitized 9 [abstract], [0039] controller includes programmable instructions to perform sterilization method), comprising:
detecting, via a use sensor, movement of the movable surface (sensors 130 and 131 can be a motion sensor or speed configured to detect motion and speed of the belt respectively [0038]);
determining, via a control module, an appropriate level of sanitizing electromagnetic radiation (SER) to be provided by at least one illumination module to the movable surface at least partially based on the detected movement of the movable surface (controller 140 is in communication with sensors [0038] to determine how much UV light to provide to belt based on the speed of the conveyor belt and housing length, [0039-0042]); and
controlling, via a control system, the at least one illumination module to radiate the movable surface with the determined appropriate level of SER ([0039-0042]).
Regarding claim 44, Almasy teaches the method of claim 42, wherein the detecting comprises detecting a rate of the movement of the movable surface ([0039-0042]), and wherein the determining comprises determining the appropriate level of SER to be provided to the movable surface at least partially based on the rate of movement of the movable surface (UV light dosage based on the speed of the conveyor belt and housing length, [0039-0042]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 20200289687 A1 teaches a method and apparatus for sterilizing a conveyor belt with UV light.
US 20120211645 A1 teaches a conveyor belt sterilizer with an ultraviolet light source.
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/N.S.S./Examiner, Art Unit 1758
/MARIS R KESSEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1758