shelNotice 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 .
Detailed Action
Claims 8-10 and 13 are currently pending. Claims 11-12 were canceled per Applicant. Claims 8-10 and 13 remain rejected despite Applicant’s arguments filed 04/15/2026. Amendment necessitated new grounds of rejection presented within this Office action. Claims contain outstanding 112(b) rejections. This Office action is final.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 8-10 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 8 now contains previously indicated allowable claim 12 including intervening claim 11. Since the previous dependent claims are now included within claim 8, further amendments are needed to differentiate the various obstacle detectors and detectable portions being claimed within the independent claim and the dependent claims. The inclusion of the specific obstacle detector including a light receiver and a light emitter and detectable portion including a reflector within the independent claim makes the further dependent claim 9 unclear claiming “the detectable portion includes a light emitter attached to a plate and the obstacle detector includes a light receiver”. Examiner recommends claiming “at least one obstacle detector” and “at least one detectable portion” within lines 1-11 of claim 8 and positively reciting a first and second obstacle detector and detectable portion as follows:
Regarding claim 8: A rail-guided vehicle system comprising:
a plurality of carriers each being movable along a track and including [[an]]at least one obstacle detector to detect a carrier located forward in a traveling direction;
at least one detectable portion in front of each carrier positioned at a predetermined position and detectable by the at least one obstacle detector; and
a controller to determine a state of the at least one obstacle detector based on a detection result of the at least one detectable portion by the at least one obstacle detector; wherein the at least one detectable portion is movable into a travel space of the carrier at a time of inspection to check operation of the obstacle detector and to retreat from the travel space of the carrier at a time of passage when the carrier passes through an advance position of the at least one detectable portion;
in the track, an internal space and a notch are provided, the internal space being separated from an external space and located along an extending direction of the track, the notch allowing [[the]]a first detectable portion to move between the internal space and the external space;
the carrier includes a traveling unit to travel in the internal space;
the at least one obstacle detector is attached to the traveling unit; and
the first detectable portion is movable between the internal space and the external space and to advance into the internal space at the time of inspection and to retreat into the external space at the time of passage, and is provided with a lid to cover an area through which the first detectable portion passes in the notch when the first detectable portion has advanced into the internal space;
[[the]]a first obstacle detector includes a light receiver and a light emitter, and [[the]]a second detectable portion includes a reflector capable of reflecting light emitted from the light emitter;
the reflector is movably attached to a frame-shaped body surrounding the travel space of the carrier so as to allow the carrier to pass therethrough in the traveling direction; and
the reflector is movable to advance into the travel space of the carrier at the time of inspection and to retreat from the travel space of the carrier at the time of passage.
Regarding claim 9, lines 1-4: “The rail-guided vehicle system according to
claim 8, wherein
the first detectable portion includes a light emitter attached to a plate and [[the]]a second obstacle detector includes a light receiver to receive light emitted from the light emitter attached”
The above suggested amendments would establish the two separate embodiments within the amended independent claim 8 and dependent claim 9.
Claims 10 and 13 are rejected due to their dependency upon a rejected claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-10 and 13 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art fails to teach the combination of limitations recited in claims 8-10 and 13.
More specifically, claim 8 now includes previously indicated allowable subject matter of claim 12 including intervening claim 11 (see Non-Final Rejection filed 03/13/2026).
Response to Arguments
In response to Applicant’s argument that claim 8 is now allowable since claim 8 now contains previously indicated allowable claim 12 including intervening claim 11. Examiner submits that with the previous dependent claim limitations that are now included within claim 8, further amendments are needed to differentiate the various obstacle detectors and detectable portions being claimed within the independent claim and the further dependent claim 9. The inclusion of the specific obstacle detector including a light receiver and a light emitter and detectable portion including a reflector, previously within claims 11-12, within the independent claim makes the further dependent claim 9 unclear claiming “the detectable portion includes a light emitter attached to a plate and the obstacle detector includes a light receiver”. Examiner recommended amendments above to positively recite the different embodiments.
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 HEAVEN BUFFINGTON whose telephone number is (703)756-1546. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm ET.
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/HEAVEN R BUFFINGTON/ Examiner, Art Unit 3615
/S. Joseph Morano/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3615
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