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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-5 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(1) as being anticipated by Del Popolo et al. (US 2023/0140603).
Regarding claim 1, Del Popolo et al. teaches an unmanned warehouse shuttle, configured to move along warehouse rail structures and retrieve and depose crates from and to warehouse shelves, said unmanned warehouse shuttle comprising:
a platform, 22, having a width and a depth, and having at least four wheels, 240, underneath the platform configured to drive the unmanned warehouse shuttle along the warehouse rail structures;
two stationary compartments, 30, on top of the platform on opposite edges of the platform in moving direction of the unmanned warehouse shuttle;
two telescopic arms, 34A and 34B, located in inner sides of the two stationary compartments and leaving a loading space between the arms;
the telescopic arms being configured to extend in synchrony to two directions perpendicular to the moving direction of the unmanned warehouse shuttle so as to reach toward the warehouse shelves;
each telescopic arm comprising a first, a second, and a third part, 341, 342, and 343, each having a length equal to the depth of the platform, and the first part being stationary, the second part being configured to extend almost half of its length over an edge of the platform toward the warehouse shelves, and the third part being configured to move more than half of its length over a distal end of the second part, whereby each telescopic arm has an extension length that is more than twice the depth of the platform, see figure 9.
Regarding claim 2, Del Popolo et al. teaches the telescopic arms are connected to each other with an attachment element, 40, from underneath of the platform such that a distance between the telescopic arms can be adjusted by moving the attachment element, thereby adjusting the width of the loading space in between the telescopic arms.
Regarding claim 3, Del Popolo et al. teaches in each distal part of the third part there is a lever and optionally an optical sensor, 50A and 50B.
Regarding claim 4, Del Popolo et al. teaches he lever is motor driven or mechanical, see paragraph 0090.
Regarding claim 5, Del Popolo et al. teaches the unmanned warehouse shuttle has at least four rollers having a horizontal rotation axis attached on the platform below the at least four wheels and wherein the at least four rollers are configured to roll along a vertical side of a warehouse rail structure and to hold a standard distance between the platform and the warehouse rail structures, see figure 6.
Regarding claim 9, Del Popolo et al. teaches a telescopic arm assembly for an unmanned warehouse shuttle, the assembly comprising two parallel telescopic arms assembled on a platform of the unmanned warehouse shuttle such that a loading space is between the telescopic arms; each telescopic arm comprising:
a first part; a second part and a third part each having an equal length; and
the first part being stationary, the second part being configured to extend almost half of its length over an edge of the platform toward shelves of the warehouse, and the third part being configured to extend more than half of its length over a distal end of the second part, whereby each telescopic arm has an extension length that is more than twice of a depth of the platform, see figure 9.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-8 and 10-12 are 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.
After an extensive search of the prior art the examiner was unable to find a teaching of the telescopic arms and multiple pinion configuration as claimed in claims 6 and 10. Del Popolo et al. is considered to be the best prior art and does teach that the extension of the telescopic arm is enabled by a pinion, but does not teach the motor driven pinion in the middle of the first part and the pinion complex as claimed. This feature was not found to be taught among the prior art and as such, is found to be allowable.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Prior art cited on the PTO-892 and not relied upon show further examples of unmanned warehouse shuttles with telescopic arms and are included to show the general state of the prior art.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAITLIN S JOERGER whose telephone number is (571)272-6938. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-5 (CST).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Saul Rodriguez can be reached at (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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/KAITLIN S JOERGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3652
21 October 2025