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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 5/11/26 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1 and 3-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fukuda et al (US 2019/0172292 A1) in view of Ichikawa et al (US 2004/0245066 A1), further in view of Mande et al (US 11,620,878 B1) and further in view of Tagashira et al (US 2022/0230502 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Fukuda teaches
an automated teller machine, i.e., banknote handling device (1), as illustrated in figures 1 and 2, for example, comprising:
a main body, i.e., upper handling unit (11) and lower safe unit (13), as illustrated in figure 2, having an entrance for replenishment and recovery, i.e., depositing unit (21) having inlet (211), first dispensing unit (22) having first outlet (221) and second dispensing unit (23) having second outlet (231) as illustrated in figure 3, noting also the connection paths (414) into external storage (35) suggests an inlet/outlet constituting an entrance, to which a transit cassette, i.e., external storage (35), is connected, as illustrated in figure 3, for example;
a reception unit, i.e., depositing unit (21) having inlet (211), first dispensing unit (22) having first outlet (221) and second dispensing unit (23) having second outlet (231) as illustrated in figure 3, through which deposit or withdrawal of a medium is made, as mentioned at paragraphs 145-147, for example;
a temporary holding unit, i.e., temporary storage unit (34), in which the medium is temporarily stored, as mentioned in paragraphs 167 and 168 and as illustrated in figure 4;
an identification unit, i.e., recognition unit (24) as illustrated in figures 1-4, serving to identify whether a medium is a normal banknote, a rejection banknote, or a non-replenishment banknote, as mentioned at paragraphs 148 and 149, for example;
a recycle cassette, i.e., either large storages (311-313) or small storages (321-323), as illustrated in figures 3 and 4, in which the medium recognized as the normal banknote is stored, as mentioned at paragraphs 153-155, for example;
a reject cassette, i.e., either multi-purpose storage (33) or external storage (35), in which the medium recognized as the rejection banknote is stored, as mentioned at paragraphs 157 and 173-175;
a utility cassette, i.e., multipurpose storage/cassette (33), disposed in a lower portion of the main body (11, 13), the utility cassette (33) serving to store various types of mediums for universal purposes, as mentioned at paragraph 157, for example;
a conveyance path, i.e., loop transport path (411), upper path (4111), lower path (4112), connection paths (412-418), as illustrated in figures 3 and 4, for example, through which the medium is conveyed between the entrance for replenishment and recovery, as illustrated in figures 3 and 4, the reception unit, i.e., any of (21, 211, 22, 221, 23, 231), the temporary holding unit (34), the identification unit (24), the recycle cassette, i.e., any of (311-313, 321-323), the reject cassette, i.e., any of (33, 35), and the utility cassette (33); and
a control unit, i.e., controller (15) as illustrated in figure 5 and as mentioned at paragraph 180, configured to control the conveyance path (411, 4111, 4112, 412-418), such that when the medium is replenished through the transit cassette (35), the medium recognized as the normal banknote by the identification unit (24), among the mediums stored in the transit cassette, i.e., any of (311-313, 321-323, 33), is temporarily stored in the temporary holding unit (34), and among the mediums temporarily stored in the temporary holding unit (34), the medium recognized as the normal banknote by the identification unit (24) is transferred to the transit cassette (35), as mentioned at paragraphs 14, 89-97, 167-168, 217-219, 330, 405 and as illustrated in figures 4, 14, 24, 27, 28 and 36, for example.
Regarding Claim 1, Fukuda does not expressly teach sending banknotes determined as normal banknotes by the identification unit to the temporary holding unit and then sending normal banknotes to the transit cassette.
Regarding Claim 1, Fukuda does not expressly teach, but Ichikawa teaches sending banknotes determined as normal, i.e., construed as including genuine, banknotes by the identification unit, i.e., banknote discrimination unit (101), to the temporary holding unit, i.e., temporary storage box (103), and then sending normal banknotes to the transit cassette, i.e., the cassette for feed and collection (105), as illustrated in figures 2 and 13 and as mentioned at paragraphs 93 and 94, which states as follows.
[0093] In the collection process, the banknotes fed from the banknote storage boxes 104a through 104d are conveyed one by one to the banknote discrimination unit 101 as shown by the arrows of thick line. Any banknote determined as counterfeit by the banknote discrimination unit 101 is collected in the forgery collection box 102. The banknote source data 210 are updated here for management of the source of the counterfeit banknote as in the case of the money-out process. The banknotes determined as genuine by the banknote discrimination unit 101 are temporarily kept in the temporary storage box 103. The processing to this stage is the `discrimination process`.
[0094] As shown by the arrows of broken line, the banknotes are then conveyed from the temporary collection box 103 to the cassette 105 for collection via the banknote discrimination unit 101. The banknotes may be subjected to banknote discrimination again in the course of conveyance. This arrangement further enhances the accuracy of banknote discrimination. The clerk at the financial institution detaches the cassette 105 from the feed-collection cassette module 25 to collect the banknotes. Even when the banknotes received in a deposit transaction or in a banknote feed operation include any counterfeit banknote, this arrangement advantageous detects such forgery, prior to collection into the cassette 105. This arrangement also ensures management of the banknote source data and improves the convenience.
Emphasis provided.
Regarding Claim 1, before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have provided algorithms and structure to send banknotes determined as normal banknotes by the identification unit to the temporary holding unit and then send normal banknotes to the transit cassette, as taught by Ichikawa, in Fukuda’s automated teller machine for the purpose of detecting forgeries/counterfeit banknotes before collection in the recovery transit cassette.
Regarding Claim 1, Fukuda does not expressly teach
a sensor disposed in the recycle cassette to detect in real time whether a predetermined amount of mediums is stored in the recycle cassette and to output a detection signal to the control unit indicating a necessity of replenishing or recovering the mediums in the recycle cassette, whereby the control unit notifies a management company of the necessity of replenishing or recovering the mediums based on the detection signal;
wherein the control unit is configured to recognize, as the non-replenishment banknote, among the replenishment banknotes transferred to the identification unit, mediums remaining in excess of a preset quantity stored in the recycle cassette, the excess arising from mediums deposited by customers into the recycle cassette while a person of a management company is traveling to replenish the mediums.
Regarding Claim 1, Fukuda does not expressly teach, but Mande teaches
a sensor, as mentioned in col. 7, lines 10-18, and figure 2b, for example, disposed in the recycle cassette (202) to detect in real time whether a predetermined amount of mediums is stored in the recycle cassette (202) and to output a detection signal, i.e., “[c]assette 202 and/or teller station 104 may transmit a notification identifying cassette 202 and indicating that cassette 202 is nearly full to server 102 (e.g., via network 110) and, in some cases, also indicating a denomination of the bill stored in cassette 202”, as mentioned at col. 7, lines 18-22, to the control unit, i.e., server (102) or processing circuit (402) of host device/teller/ATM (332), as illustrated in figures 2a, 2b, 3 and 4, for example, thus suggesting indicating a necessity of replenishing or recovering the mediums in the recycle cassette (202).
Regarding Claim 1, before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have provided a sensor, disposed in the recycle cassette to detect in real time whether a predetermined amount of mediums is stored in the recycle cassette and to output a detection signal, to the control unit, indicating a necessity of replenishing or recovering the mediums in the recycle cassette, as taught by Mande, in Fukuda’s automated teller machine for the purpose of sensing the amount of banknotes/medium in the recovery transit cassette.
Regarding Claim 1, Fukuda does not expressly teach, but Tagashira teaches indicating a necessity of replenishing or recovering the mediums in the recycle cassette, i.e., storage unit numbers (01, 02, CST-01 or COL-01), noting the mention for each storage unit number, the full quantity, denomination, quantity of change fund, current quantity, replenishment threshold and collection threshold, as illustrated in figures 2 and 4 and as mentioned at paragraph 44,
wherein the control unit, i.e., control unit (110, 210) as illustrated in figure 3 and as mentioned at paragraphs 21, 23, 30, 32, 36, 38, 105 and 106, for example, recognizes as the non-replenishment banknote, among replenishment banknotes transferred to the identification unit, i.e., recognition unit (40), as illustrated in figure 2, for example, mediums not to be replenished to the recycle cassette (01, 02, CST-01 or COL-01) since the number of the mediums stored in the automated teller machine, i.e., money handling apparatuses (100, 100a, 100b), as illustrated in figures 1-5, comes to satisfy a preset quantity, i.e., interpreted as the full quantity, denomination, quantity of change fund, current quantity, replenishment threshold and/or collection threshold for any or each storage unit number, as illustrated in figure 4, for example, due to a customer's deposit, as mentioned in paragraph 20, second sentence, stating that “[e]ach money handling apparatus 100 can perform a depositing process of receiving money from outside the apparatus and storing the received money inside the apparatus, and/or a dispensing process of discharging the money to outside the apparatus from inside the apparatus”, while a person of the management company goes to replenish mediums, noting that customers may make deposits during the time the person of the management company gets to the particular apparatus for replenishment.
Regarding Claim 1, before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have provided whereby the control unit notifies a management company of the necessity of replenishing or recovering the mediums based on the detection signal;
wherein the control unit is configured to recognize, as the non-replenishment banknote, among the replenishment banknotes transferred to the identification unit, mediums remaining in excess of a preset quantity stored in the recycle cassette, the excess arising from mediums deposited by customers into the recycle cassette while a person of a management company is traveling to replenish the mediums, as taught by Tagashira, in Fukuda’s automated teller machine for the purpose of communicating the correct and accurate amount of banknotes/media required to replenish a particular cassette.
Regarding Claim 3, Fukuda teaches wherein the control unit (15) is configured to control the conveyance path, i.e., loop transport path (411), upper path (4111), lower path (4112) and connection paths (412-418), such that the medium recognized as the rejection banknote by the identification unit (24), among the mediums stored in the transit cassette, is accommodated in the utility cassette (33), as mentioned at paragraph 157, for example.
Regarding Claim 4, Fukuda teaches wherein the control unit (15) is configured to control the conveyance path, i.e., loop transport path (411), upper path (4111), lower path (4112) and connection paths (412-418), such that when the medium stored in the recycle cassette, i.e., any of (311-313, 321-323) is recovered to the transit cassette (35), among the mediums stored in the recycle cassette (311-313, 321-323), the medium recognized as the normal banknote by the identification unit (24) is temporarily stored in the temporary holding unit (34, 35), and the medium recognized as the rejection banknote by the identification unit (24) is accommodated in the reject cassette, i.e., any of (33, 35).
Regarding Claim 5, Fukuda teaches wherein the control unit (15) is configured to control the conveyance path, i.e., loop transport path (411), upper path (4111), lower path (4112) and connection paths (412-418), such that when the medium stored in the recycle cassette, i.e., any of (311-313, 321-323) is recovered to the transit cassette (35), among the mediums stored in the temporary holding unit (34, 35), the medium recognized as the normal banknote by the identification unit (24) is recovered to the transit cassette (35), and the medium recognized as the rejection banknote by the identification unit (24) is accommodated in the reject cassette, i.e., any of (33, 35).
Regarding Claim 6, Fukuda teaches wherein the control unit (15) is configured to control the conveyance path, i.e., loop transport path (411), upper path (4111), lower path (4112), connection paths (412-418), as illustrated in figures 3 and 4, such that when the medium is replenished through the transit cassette (35), among the mediums stored in the temporary holding unit (34, 35), the medium recognized as the rejection banknote by the identification unit (24) is accommodated in the utility cassette (33), and the medium recognized as the non-replenishment banknote by the identification unit (24) is accommodated in the transit cassette (35).
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fukuda et al (US 2019/0172292 A1) in view of Ichikawa et al (US 2004/0245066 A1), further in view of Mande et al (US 11,620,878 B1), further in view of Tagashira et al (US 2022/230502 A1) and further in view of Fukuda et al (US 2021/0125449 A1), a.k.a., Fukuda ‘449.
Regarding Claim 2, Fukuda teaches the system as described above.
Regarding Claim 2, Fukuda does not expressly teach wherein the main body includes: an upper body in which the reception unit, the temporary holding unit and the identification unit are provided, the entrance for replenishment and recovery being provided in a rear portion of the upper body; and a lower body in which the recycle cassette, the reject cassette and the utility cassette are provided.
Regarding Claim 2, Fukuda does not expressly teach, but Fukuda ‘449 teaches wherein the main body, i.e., banknote processing apparatus (1), as illustrated in figure 1, includes:
an upper body, i.e., upper housing (11) as illustrated in figure 1 and as mentioned at paragraph 34, in which the reception unit, i.e., depositing unit (12), the temporary holding unit, i.e., temporary storage unit (17) as mentioned at paragraph 40, and the identification unit, i.e., recognition unit (16), are provided, the entrance for replenishment and recovery being provided in a rear portion of the upper body, as illustrated in figure 3, noting the containers/cassettes (2, 4) with transport path/fourth diversion path (155), construed as including an entrance in either the front or rear portion of the upper housing (11); and a lower body , i.e., lower housing (21), in which the recycle cassette, i.e, any one of multipurpose cassette (23), first storage unit (24), and second storage units (25), the reject cassette, i.e, multipurpose storage unit (23), as mentioned at paragraph 45, and the utility cassette, i.e., any one of (23, 24, 25), are provided.
Regarding Claim 2, before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have provided wherein the main body includes: an upper body in which the reception unit, the temporary holding unit and the identification unit are provided, the entrance for replenishment and recovery being provided in a rear portion of the upper body; and a lower body in which the recycle cassette, the reject cassette and the utility cassette are provided, as taught by Fukuda ‘449, in Fukuda’s automated teller machine for the purpose of enabling ease of access to the transport cassette in either or both the front and/or rear of the ATM.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fukuda et al (US 2019/0172292 A1) in view of Ichikawa et al (US 2004/0245066 A1), further in view of Mande et al (US 11,620,878 B1), further in view of Tagashira et al (US 2022/230502 A1) and further in view of Watanabe et al (US 5,256,862).
Regarding Claim 7, Fukuda teaches the system as described above.
Regarding Claim 7, Fukuda teaches wherein the utility cassette (33) is disposed in a lower front portion of the main body, i.e., upper handling unit (11) and lower safe unit (13), as illustrated in figure 2.
Regarding Claim 7, Fukuda teaches does not expressly teach wherein the utility cassette is disposed in a lower front portion of the main body and positioned at an upper side of the reject cassette.
Regarding Claim 7, Fukuda does not expressly teach, but Watanabe teaches wherein the utility cassette, i.e., stacking space (66), as illustrated in figure 6, is disposed in a lower front portion of the main body, i.e., lower safe unit (61), as illustrated in figure 6, and positioned at an upper side of the reject cassette (64), as mentioned at col. 4, lines 36-50.
(14) A first safe 57 as the 10,000 bank note safe and a second safe 58 as the 1,000 bank note safe are arranged in the lower unit 51 to constitute bank note storage sections 59 and 60, respectively. A third safe 61 is provide in the lower unit 51 and serves as a bank note reception safe for storing a bank note, e.g., 5,000 bank notes, reject bank notes, or recovery bank notes inappropriate to be dispensed. The safe 61 has a bank note storage section 62, a stacking section 63, and a recovery box 64. A stacking and taking mechanism 65 is provided at the upper portion of each of the safes 57, 58, 61, and 3, and flaps 67a for defining a stacking space 66 capable of stacking, e.g., 100 bank notes therein, are provided in each safe. Each mechanism 65 has a take-out roller 67, an elevator 68, and a press plate 69.
Emphasis provided.
Regarding Claim 7, before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have provided wherein the utility cassette is disposed in a lower front portion of the main body and positioned at an upper side of the reject cassette, as taught by Watanabe, in Fukuda’s automated teller machine for the purpose of adding appropriate capacity for utility banknotes as balanced with the need for rejected banknotes.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to Claim(s) 1-7 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant is encouraged to contact the Examiner should there be any questions about this rejection or in an endeavor to explore potential amendments or potential allowable subject matter.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Nakashima ‘198 is cited as teaching a currency handling system (100) as illustrated in figures 1-21c, having a money storage unit (153, 154), each having a weight sensor (153a, 153b) as illustrated in figure 7 and as mentioned at paragraphs 95-97, for example.
Chen ‘102 is cited as teaching a money depositing/dispensing unit which tracks the amount of currency/cash/banknotes/media, i.e., the cassette full quantity (CF), storage unit full quantity (Af, Bf), replenishment start quantity (A1, B1), transaction start quantity (change fund) (A2, B2), storage unit full quantity (Df, Ef) and collection start quantity (D1, E1) as illustrated in figures 4-6, for example.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEFFREY ALAN SHAPIRO whose telephone number is (571)272-6943. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday generally between 8:30AM and 6:30PM.
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, Anita Y Coupe can be reached at 571-270-3614. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JEFFREY A SHAPIRO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3619
May 30, 2026
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