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 § 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 of this title, 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 21 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu (US Pub App 2023/0159274) in view of Stutz et al (US Pub App 2023/0113731) and CN201218774Y, attached.
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Regarding claim 21, Liu discloses a pallet lifting rack (Fig.3), comprising:
a pair of lifting devices (lifting mechanism, 2 of, annotated Fig.3, above), each including:
a frame (F, annotated Fig.3, above);
a movable bracket (MB, annotated Fig.3, above) mounted on the frame and movable in a vertical direction relative to the frame;
a support member (SM, annotated Fig.3, above) connected to the movable bracket; and
a driving device driving the movable bracket and the support member to move along the vertical direction (Para.56), the support members of the pair of lifting devices support a bottom surface of a pallet from a pair of sides of the pallet, so that the pallet is supported on the support members (Fig.3) and movable to different height positions in the vertical direction by the support members (Para.56);
a control device (110) controlling the driving device.
Liu does not further specifically disclose the control device (110) including a PLC controller.
Stutz teaches an automated storage and retrieval system wherein a controller device wherein a processor can include a programmable logic controller (PLC) (Para.167).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to have modified Liu in view of Stutz to include a PLC controller in order to ease the burden of the user.
Liu does not further specifically disclose a safety light curtain device, detecting whether an object enters a channel between the pair of lifting devices, the control device controlling the driving device to stop when the safety light curtain device detects an object entering the channel.
CN201218774Y teaches a drop tester with a safety protection light curtain device comprising an emitter (2), a receiver (3) on both sides of the drop tester working area, a light curtain pathway (5) formed between the emitter (2) and receiver (3), the receiver (3) outputs a monitoring electrical signal about the light curtain pathway (5) on and off, which is input into the control meter, which is connected to the control meter via the monitoring electrical signal of the light curtain output on and off, to ensure complete evacuation of staff within the working area of the drop tester while the drop tester is in operation and to avoid the occurrence of a safety accident (Figs.1-2, Pages 3-5).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to have modified Liu in view of CN201218774Y to include a safety light curtain device, detecting whether an object enters a channel between the pair of lifting devices, the control device controlling the driving device to stop when the safety light curtain device detects an object entering the channel in order to increase safety of the system.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-20 allowed.
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 pallet lifting rack, comprising a pair of lifting devices, each including a frame, a movable bracket mounted on the frame and movable in a vertical direction relative to the frame, a support member connected to the movable bracket, a driving device driving the movable bracket and the support member to move along the vertical direction, the support members of the pair of lifting devices support a bottom surface of a pallet from a pair of sides of the pallet, so that the pallet is supported on the support members and movable to different height positions in the vertical direction by the support members, and a housing accommodating the movable bracket, the frame, and the driving device, the support member is arranged outside the housing.
The prior art of record fails to disclose or render obvious the claimed invention as set forth in claim 16 and subsequent dependent claims. The prior art of record does not disclose or render obvious a pallet handling system, comprising a pallet lifting rack and a housing, the pallet lifting rack includes a pair of lifting devices each having a frame, a movable bracket mounted on the frame and movable in a vertical direction relative to the frame, a support member connected to the movable bracket, and a driving device driving the movable bracket and the support member to move along the vertical direction, the support members of the pair of lifting devices support a bottom surface of a pallet from a pair of sides of the pallet, so that the pallet is supported on the support members and movable to different height positions in the vertical direction by the support members, the housing accommodates the movable bracket, the frame, and the driving device, the support member is arranged outside the housing and an automatic guided vehicle movable into a channel between the pair of lifting devices, the automatic guided vehicle loads the pallet and unloads the pallet onto the support members.
The prior art of record fails to disclose or render obvious the claimed invention as set forth in claim 20 and subsequent dependent claims. The prior art of record does not disclose or render obvious a pallet handling system, comprising a pallet lifting rack and a housing, the pallet lifting rack includes a pair of lifting devices each having a frame, a movable bracket mounted on the frame and movable in a vertical direction relative to the frame, a support member connected to the movable bracket, and a driving device driving the movable bracket and the support member to move along the vertical direction, the support members of the pair of lifting devices support a bottom surface of a pallet from a pair of sides of the pallet, so that the pallet is supported on the support members and movable to different height positions in the vertical direction by the support members, the housing accommodates the movable bracket, the frame, and the driving device, the support member is arranged outside the housing and a sorting system including a roller conveyor that conveys the pallet, the support members are movable to a height position flush with the roller conveyor to transfer the pallet to the support members by the roller conveyor.
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
Applicant’s arguments filed 8/29/2025 with respect to the 102 and 103 rejection of claims 1-20, together with the amendment filed 8/29/2025, have been fully considered and are persuasive. Claims are allowed.
Newly filed claim 21 is rejected, see above.
Applicant's arguments filed 8/29/2025 with respect to claim 21 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply based on the new grounds of rejection and new interpretation of the references being used in the current rejection, necessitated by amendment.
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.
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/SAUL RODRIGUEZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3652
/ASHLEY K ROMANO/Examiner, Art Unit 3652