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 1-3, 6-12, 15-20 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Leblond et al (US 3,696,949).
Regarding claim 1, Leblond discloses an intelligent logistics system for wheels, which is configured to access a first rim and a second rim (Fig.1), and the intelligent logistics system for the wheels comprising:
a conveyor belt (11) configured to convey the first rim and the second rim (Fig.1);
a material rack (12) comprising a plurality of placement assemblies (13, 14, 15), wherein two of the placement assemblies are configured to place the first rim and the second rim (Fig.1); and
a moving member (60) reciprocating between the conveyor belt and the material rack, wherein the moving member comprises:
two drivers (81, 100);
a moving frame (59) driven by one of the two drivers (81); and
two moving carriers (105, 104) disposed on the moving frame and driven by another of the two drivers (100), wherein the two moving carriers respectively load the first rim and the second rim from the conveyor belt (Fig.5), the two moving carriers respectively limit the first rim and the second rim (Fig.5), and the two moving carriers unload the first rim and the second rim to the two of the placement assemblies of the material rack (12) (Fig.8).
Regarding claim 2, Leblond further discloses wherein the first rim and the second rim have a first size and a second size, respectively, and the first size and the second size are different from each other (Abstract).
Regarding claim 3, Leblond further discloses wherein, each of the placement assemblies (13, 14, 15) of the material rack comprises: two placement plates corresponding to each other and separated by a gap distance; and each of the two moving carriers (105, 104) has a carrier width, and the carrier width is smaller than the gap distance (Fig.9).
Regarding claim 6, Leblond further discloses wherein the first size is larger than the second size (Abstract), and the moving member further comprises: a plurality of carrier stoppers disposed on each of the two moving carriers (Fig.9), wherein there is a stopper distance between two of the carrier stoppers, and the stopper distance is smaller than the second size (Fig.9).
Regarding claim 7, Leblond further discloses wherein the conveyor belt comprises: a conveyor track (11) configured to carry one of the first rim and the second rim, wherein the conveyor track has a central location; and a central positioning device located at one end of the conveyor track and configured to position the one of the first rim and the second rim to the central position (Fig.5).
Regarding claim 8, Leblond further discloses wherein, the moving frame (59) is driven by the one of the two drivers (81) to move in a first direction (vertically) or a second direction (optional), and the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other (optional); and one of the two moving carriers (105, 104) is driven by the another of the two drivers (100) to move in a third direction (horizontally), and the first direction, the second direction (optional) and the third direction are perpendicular to each other (Fig.5).
Regarding claim 9, Leblond further discloses wherein the another of the two drivers drives the one of the two moving carriers to move according to a loading movement path (Fig.1), so that one of the first rim and the second rim is loaded, the loading movement path comprises a horizontal moving-in path (along 11), a vertical upward path (up 59) and a horizontal moving-out path (along 106), the horizontal moving-in path and the horizontal moving-out path are both parallel to the third direction, and the vertical upward path is parallel to the second direction (Fig.5).
Regarding claim 10, Leblond further discloses wherein the another of the two drivers drives (100) the one of the two moving carriers to move according to an unloading movement path, so that one of the first rim and the second rim is unloaded, the unloading movement path comprises a horizontal moving-in path, a vertical downward path and a horizontal moving-out path, the horizontal moving-in path and the horizontal moving-out path are both parallel to the third direction, and the vertical downward path is parallel to the second direction (Figs,1,5).
Regarding claim 11, Leblond discloses an intelligent logistics system for wheels, which is configured to access a first rim and a second rim (Fig.1), and the intelligent logistics system for the wheels comprising:
a conveyor belt (11) configured to convey the first rim and the second rim (Fig.1);
a material rack (12) comprising a plurality of placement assemblies, wherein two of the placement assemblies (13, 14, 15) are configured to place the first rim and the second rim (Fig.1), and each of the placement assemblies (13, 14, 15) comprises two placement plates which are corresponding to each other and separated by a gap distance (Fig.9); and
a moving member (60) reciprocating between the conveyor belt and the material rack, wherein the moving member comprises:
two moving carriers (105, 104) respectively loading the first rim and the second rim from the conveyor belt, wherein the two moving carriers respectively limit the first rim and the second rim (Fig.5), the two moving carriers unload the first rim and the second rim to the two of the placement assemblies of the material rack (Fig.8), each of the two moving carriers (105, 104) has a carrier width, and the carrier width is smaller than the gap distance (Fig.9).
Regarding claim 12, Leblond further discloses wherein the first rim and the second rim have a first size and a second size, respectively, and the first size and the second size are different from each other (Abstract).
Regarding claim 15, Leblond further discloses wherein the first size is larger than the second size (Abstract), and the moving member further comprises: a plurality of carrier stoppers disposed on each of the two moving carriers, wherein there is a stopper distance between two of the carrier stoppers, and the stopper distance is smaller than the second size (Fig.9).
Regarding claim 16, Leblond further discloses, wherein the conveyor belt comprises: a conveyor track (11) configured to carry one of the first rim and the second rim, wherein the conveyor track has a central location; and a central positioning device located at one end of the conveyor track and configured to position the one of the first rim and the second rim to the central position (Fig.5).
Regarding claim 17, Leblond further discloses wherein the moving member (60) further comprises: two drivers (81, 100); and a moving frame (59) driven by one of the two drivers to move in a first direction (vertically) or a second direction (optional), wherein the first direction and the second direction (optional) are perpendicular to each other; wherein the two moving carriers (105, 104) are disposed on the moving frame and driven by another of the two drivers (100) to move in a third direction (horizonatally), and the first direction, the second direction (optional) and the third direction are perpendicular to each other (Fig.5).
Regarding claim 18, Leblond further discloses wherein the another of the two drivers drives the one of the two moving carriers to move according to a loading movement path (Fig.1), so that one of the first rim and the second rim is loaded, the loading movement path comprises a horizontal moving-in path (along 11), a vertical upward path (up 59) and a horizontal moving-out path (along 106), the horizontal moving-in path and the horizontal moving-out path are both parallel to the third direction, and the vertical upward path is parallel to the second direction (Fgi.5).
Regarding claim 19, Leblond further discloses wherein the another of the two drivers drives (100) the one of the two moving carriers to move according to an unloading movement path, so that one of the first rim and the second rim is unloaded, the unloading movement path comprises a horizontal moving-in path, a vertical downward path and a horizontal moving-out path, the horizontal moving-in path and the horizontal moving-out path are both parallel to the third direction, and the vertical downward path is parallel to the second direction (Figs,1,5).
Regarding claim 20, Leblond discloses an intelligent logistics system for wheels, which is configured to access a first rim and a second rim (Fig.1), and the intelligent logistics system for the wheels comprising:
a carrier rack (11) configured to carry the first rim and the second rim (Fig.1);
a material rack (12) comprising a plurality of placement assemblies (13, 14, 15), wherein two of the placement assemblies are configured to place the first rim and the second rim (Fig.1); and
a moving member (60) reciprocating between the carrier rack and the material rack, wherein the moving member comprises:
two drivers (81, 100);
a moving frame (59) driven by one of the two drivers (81); and
two moving carriers (105, 104) disposed on the moving frame and driven by another of the two drivers (100), wherein the two moving carriers respectively load the first rim and the second rim from the carrier rack (Fig.5), the two moving carriers respectively limit the first rim and the second rim (Fig.5), and the two moving carriers unload the first rim and the second rim to the two of the placement assemblies of the material rack (Fig.8).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-5 and 13-14 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.
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 4 and subsequent dependent claims. The prior art of record does not disclose or render obvious wherein each of the placement assemblies of the material rack further comprises: a plurality of first placement blocks configured to limit the first rim, wherein one part of the first placement blocks is disposed on one of the two placement plates, another part of the first placement blocks is disposed on another of the two placement plates, and a position of the one part of the first placement blocks corresponds to a position of the another part of the first placement blocks.
The prior art of record fails to disclose or render obvious the claimed invention as set forth in claim 13 and subsequent dependent claims. The prior art of record does not disclose or render obvious wherein each of the placement assemblies of the material rack further comprises: a plurality of first placement blocks configured to limit the first rim, wherein one part of the first placement blocks is disposed on one of the two placement plates, another part of the first placement blocks is disposed on another of the two placement plates, and a position of the one part of the first placement blocks corresponds to a position of the another part of the first placement blocks.
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. Matikainen, Apaprecido Casthilho, Hamilton, Allen, Clark and Weeden further disclose elements of an intelligent logistics system for wheels, which is configured to access a first rim and a second rim.
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