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 1-12, 18 and 20 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yamashita (US Pub App 2014/0124462).
Regarding claim 1, Yamashita discloses an inter-floor transport system comprising:
a first interface unit (34) at a first floor (Fig.1) and configured to receive containers from a transport vehicle (conveyor); and
a car (28) configured to:
receive containers (P) from the first interface unit at the first floor (Para.35, Fig.1-2); and
move containers to a second floor (along arrow, Fig.2), wherein the car comprises:
a cage (30L,R),
a storage unit in the cage and comprising a plurality of storage areas (Fig.2, P on 30L, R), and
an arrangement unit in the cage, the arrangement unit being configured to:
receive containers from the first interface unit (Para.35), and
store containers in respective storage areas of the plurality of storage areas of the storage unit (Fig.2).
Regarding claim 2, Yamashita further discloses the arrangement unit is configured to change positions of containers while the car is moving (Para.59).
Regarding claim 3, Yamashita further discloses the arrangement unit comprises a plurality of unit conveyors (32), configured to move containers (Para.33), and wherein the plurality of unit conveyors are further configured to:
move containers to a respective neighboring unit conveyor of the plurality of unit conveyors, or
temporarily hold containers (Fig.6).
Regarding claim 4, Yamashita further discloses the cage comprises a first side, a second side, a third side, and a fourth side,
wherein an entrance and an exit are on the first side and the second side (Fig.3, arrows to and from 32 and 34), respectively,
wherein the arrangement unit comprises arrangement conveyors on the third side or the fourth side (Para.33, conveyance directions), and
wherein buffers are between the arrangement conveyors (Fig.6, space between P).
Regarding claim 5, Yamashita further discloses the storage unit further comprises buffers (50L, R), wherein a first container and a second container are positioned in the cage, and wherein the arrangement unit is further configured to move the first container is moved to one of the buffers, and to move the second container to a position that is closer to an exit of the car than a position of the first container (Para.45), when the first container is to be loaded in the cage prior to the second container and is to be unloaded from the car after the second container (Fig.4).
Regarding claim 6, Yamashita further discloses the arrangement unit comprises:
a body (32),
a plurality of supports at the body and configured to support containers (Fig.6, 32 supports containers), and
a driver configured to move the body within the cage (Para.33, 47).
Regarding claim , Yamashita further discloses the cage comprises a first side, a second side, a third side, and a fourth side,
wherein an entrance and an exit are on the first side and the second side (Fig.3, arrows to and from 32 and 34), respectively,
wherein the arrangement unit further comprises arrangement conveyors on the third side or the fourth side (Para.33, conveyance directions), and
wherein the storage unit is on at least one of the third side and the fourth side.
Regarding claim 8, Yamashita further discloses wherein a layout of the plurality of supports corresponds to a layout of the plurality of storage areas (P on surface).
Regarding claim 9, Yamashita further discloses the driver comprises: a lift (12) configured to move the body upward or downward, and a slider configured to move the body horizontally (Para.33, 47).
Regarding claim 10, Yamashita further discloses a first container and a second container are in the cage (Fig.6), and wherein the first container is held by the arrangement unit (Fig.6), and the second container is stored in the storage unit (Fig.6), when the first container is to be unloaded at the second floor and the second container is to be unloaded at a third floor after the first container is to be unloaded at the second floor (Para.45) (Fig.6).
Regarding claim 11, Yamashita further discloses the first interface unit comprises: loading/unloading points where containers are to be loaded and unloaded by the transport vehicle (Fig.1), in/out points where the arrangement unit is configured to receive containers (Fig.1), and interface conveyors configured to move containers from the loading/unloading points to the in/out points (Para.35).
Regarding claim 12, Yamashita further discloses each of the interface conveyors comprises a plurality of unit conveyors, and wherein the plurality of unit conveyors are configured to move containers to a respective neighboring unit conveyor or to temporarily hold containers (Fig.1) (Para.35).
Regarding claim 18, Yamashita further discloses a second interface unit at the second floor, wherein the second interface unit is configured to receive containers from the car, and wherein the transport vehicle is configured to pick up and transport containers received by the second interface unit (Para.35).
Regarding claim 20, Yamashita discloses a method of driving an inter-floor transport system (Figs.1-6), the inter-floor transport system comprising a first interface unit (34) at a first floor and a car (28) configured to move between the first floor and a second floor (Fig.2), the car comprising a storage unit and an arrangement unit, the method comprising:
receiving, by the first interface unit, containers from a transport vehicle (Para.35),
delivering, by the first interface unit, the containers to the arrangement unit of the car (Para.35); and
changing, by the arrangement unit, positions of the containers in the car by moving the containers while the car is moving (Para.59).
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 13 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamashita (US Pub App 2014/0124462) in view of Stutz et al (US Pub App 2023/0113731).
Regarding claim 13, Yamashita does not further specifically disclose at least one of the plurality of unit conveyors comprises a diverter conveyor configured to change a moving direction of containers.
Stutz teaches dynamic control in automated storage and retrieval systems wherein a device controller of a rack feeding conveyor may cause the rack feeding conveyor to be activated/operated so as to divert the article from the one or more common conveyors to the rack feeding conveyor (Para.95, Fig.2C).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to have modified Yamashita in view of Stutz to include a diverter conveyor configured to change a moving direction of containers allow for more precise sorting.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14-17 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 19 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 14 and subsequent dependent claims. The prior art of record does not disclose or render obvious the first interface unit comprises a first interface layer and a second interface layer on the first interface layer, wherein the storage unit comprises a first inner layer and a second inner layer, respectively corresponding to the first interface layer and the second interface layer, wherein the first inner layer is configured to store containers delivered from the first interface layer, and wherein the second inner layer is configured to store containers delivered from the second interface layer.
The prior art of record fails to disclose or render obvious the claimed invention as set forth in claim 19 and subsequent dependent claims. The prior art of record does not disclose or render obvious an inter-floor transport system comprising a first interface unit at a first floor and configured to receive containers from a transport vehicle and a car configured to: receive containers from the first interface unit at the first floor, and move containers to a second floor, wherein the car comprises a cage, a storage unit in the cage and comprising a plurality of storage areas, and an arrangement unit in the cage, the arrangement unit being configured to receive containers from the first interface unit, and store containers in respective storage areas of the plurality of storage areas of the storage unit, wherein, while the car is moving, the arrangement unit is configured to change positions of containers, wherein the first interface unit comprises a first interface layer and a second interface layer on the first interface layer, wherein the storage unit further comprises a first inner layer and a second inner layer respectively corresponding to the first interface layer and the second interface layer, wherein containers delivered from the first interface layer are stored in the first inner layer, wherein containers delivered from the second interface layer are stored in the second inner layer, wherein the arrangement unit further comprises a plurality of unit conveyors in each of the first inner layer and the second inner layer, the plurality of unit conveyors being configured to move containers, wherein the plurality of unit conveyors are configured to move containers to respective neighboring unit conveyors of the plurality of unit conveyors, or temporarily hold containers, wherein the first interface unit is configured to receive containers at first loading/unloading points, and wherein, when viewed from above, the first loading/unloading points are not covered by the second interface layer.
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.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Beer, Perry-Eaton, Joo, Timenes, Bestic, Kalouche, Bastian II, Sai, Lindbo and Mohanarajah further disclose elements of an inter-floor transport system.
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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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
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