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 § 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 1-10 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kong et al (US 9,171,278).
Regarding 1, Kong discloses a high-density warehousing system comprising:
a set of high-density racking structures (804), each of the high-density racking structures including a set of compartments (Fig.9) for housing a set of bins (730);
an automated picker for retrieving a requested bin or returning a returned bin to a designated compartment within the set of high-density racking structures (Col.4, lines 24+);
a control system for communicating compartment location information, the compartment location information associated with the designated compartment (Col.7, lines 52+);
wherein based on the compartment location information, the automated picker retrieves or returns the bin to the designated compartment (Col.28, lines 30+).
Regarding 2, Kong further discloses the control system comprises: an automated picker controller for communicating with the automated picker (100); and a bin location controller (200).
Regarding 3, Kong further discloses the compartment location information is transmitted via the automated picker controller to the automated picker (Col.8, lines 55+).
Regarding 4, Kong further discloses each of the set of compartments comprises a bin handling system for changing positions of bins within the compartment and a bin handling system controller (Col.39, lines 48+).
Regarding 5, Kong further discloses the bin location controller transmits bin information associated with the requested bin or the returned bin to the bin handling system controller (Col.28, lines 30+).
Regarding 6, Kong further discloses the bin handling system controller controls the bin handling system to position the requested bin at an opening of the designated compartment for retrieval by the automated picker or to position an empty slot at the opening of the designated compartment for receiving the returned bin from the automated picker (Col.28, lines 30+).
Regarding 7, Kong further discloses each of the set of compartments comprises a bin handling system for changing positions of bins within the compartment (Col.7, lines 52+).
Regarding 8, Kong further discloses each of the set of racking structures comprises a racking structure controller (Col.7, lines 52+).
Regarding 9, Kong further discloses the bin location controller transmits bin information associated with the requested bin or the returned bin to the bin racking structure controller (Col.7, lines 52+).
Regarding 10, Kong further discloses the racking structure controller controls the bin handling system of the designated compartment to position the requested bin at an opening of the designated compartment for retrieval by the automated picker or to position an empty slot at the opening of the designated compartment for receiving the returned bin from the automated picker (Col.7, lines 52+ and Col.11, lines 27+).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed 6/18/2025 with respect to the 102 rejection of the claims have been fully considered and are not persuasive.
Regarding Applicant's argument contending that the previously made rejection does not disclose an automated picker, inasmuch as Applicant had claimed this feature, it is disclosed by Kong et al. As can best be seen in column 3, lines 35+, Kong discloses an automated picker:
“Items may be stored in inventory areas by an agent, either randomly, pseudo-randomly or according to one or more guidelines, with an inventory area selected for each item automatically, such as by software executing on a control system, in some embodiments. An agent or control system may record the selected inventory area for each item in a product database, which may include a description, inventory location number, or other data representing the inventory area in which the item is to be stored, along with position and/or descriptive information for the item (e.g., such as an image of the item, or an image-derived position of the item), indexed by a product identification code, for example. In some embodiments, images (e.g., before and/or after images or in real-time with the respective process) of the inventory location may be captured during the stow process and the pick process.”
And further in column 3, lines 57+, Kong discloses an automated picker, inasmuch as Applicant had claimed this feature, it is disclosed by Kong et al:
“In different embodiments, the term “agent” may refer to a human person working in the materials handling facility or to an automated piece of equipment configured to perform the operations of an agent, as described herein. For example, in some embodiments, a robotic device may perform the role of a stowing agent or a picking agent.”
And as such, any arguments pertaining to this element are considered nonpersuasive.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/SAUL RODRIGUEZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3652
/ASHLEY K ROMANO/Examiner, Art Unit 3652