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 .
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.
Claims 1, 5-18 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1 and 8, it is unclear what is being claimed by “shuttle type” (see MPEP 2173.05(b)).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 5-18 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
The prior art of record fails to disclose or render obvious the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1 and subsequent dependent claims. The prior art of record does not disclose or render obvious a system for storage of goods carriers, said system comprising a plurality of goods carriers, a longitudinally extending rack having storage shelves for the goods carriers on multiple levels, a rack-servicing machine for storage of goods carriers into the storage shelves and for discharge of goods carriers from the storage shelves, the rack-servicing machine running along tracks extending the longitudinal extension of the rack and configured to service at least one level, wherein the storage shelves are formed with ledgers having guide strips and wherein the ledgers are arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the rack, wherein the guide strips on the ledgers are upwards facing raised beadings extending a length of the ledgers along a middle line or along an edge, wherein two ledgers support a goods carriers from below, wherein the goods carriers have grooves on a bottom surface or a recess along bottom edges that are configured to interlock/interface with the guide strips on the ledgers to prohibit the goods carriers from shifting in the rack, and wherein the rack-servicing machine comprises a shuttle type single level servicing automated storage and retrieval machine.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Response to Arguments
The amendment filed 9/3/2025 has introduced a new 112 rejections of claims 1, 5-18, see above.
Applicant’s arguments filed 9/3/2025 with respect to the 102 and 103 rejections of the claims along with the amendments have been fully considered and are persuasive.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ASHLEY K ROMANO whose telephone number is (571)272-9318. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Saul Rodriguez can be reached on 571-272-7097. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SAUL RODRIGUEZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3652
/ASHLEY K ROMANO/Examiner, Art Unit 3652