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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being Anticipated by Osborne (US 20110067781 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Osborne discloses:
Production facility, in particular for producing biological-pharmaceutical products [abstract], the production facility comprising:
a clean-room area [0051 & 0052 & 0053 & 0054 & 0065];
a lock device (18) for feeding an object from an environment of the production facility into the clean-room area and/or for removing an object from the clean-room area [0081 & 0082];
a handling device (R1) for moving the object within the clean-room area [0018 & 0020 & 0057 & 0058 & 0079 & 0014 & 0015 & 0016 & 0017];
a storage device (20) arranged within the clean-room area, which comprises a plurality of storage locations for receiving a plurality of objects [0113 & 0118].
Regarding Claim 2, Osborne discloses:
the production facility comprises a plurality of workpiece carriers (89 & 104 & 110 & 120) which serve to receive objects, in particular starting materials and/or tools and/or consumable materials [0124 & 0143 & 0148 & 0160 & 0161 & 0179 & 0180 & 0181 & 0182 & 0183 & 0184 & 0196 & 0197 & 0198 & 0199 & 0200 & 0202].
Regarding Claim 3, Osborne discloses:
the workpiece carriers remain permanently, in particular over one or a plurality of complete production processes, within the clean-room area [0139 & 0140 & 0141 & 0204].
Regarding Claim 4, Osborne discloses:
the production facility comprises a plurality of types of workpiece carriers (89 & 104 & 110 & 120) which differ from one another in respect of shape and/or dimensions of a receiving area of the relevant workpiece carrier (Fig. 19 & Fig. 20 & Fig. 26 & Fig. 28 & Fig. 35) [0124 & 0143 & 0148 & 0160 & 0161 & 0179 & 0180 & 0181 & 0182 & 0183 & 0184 & 0196 & 0197 & 0198 & 0199 & 0200 & 0202].
Regarding Claim 5, Osborne discloses:
one type of workpiece carriers serves to receive a vessel for receiving a starting material [0005 & 0010 & 0143 & 0148 & 0160 & 0161 & 0179 & 0180 & 0181 & 0182 & 0183 & 0184 & 0196 & 0197 & 0198 & 0199 & 0200 & 0202].
Regarding Claim 6, Osborne discloses:
one type of workpiece carriers serves to receive one or a plurality of tool units and/or tool consumables for carrying out a treatment process on a starting material and/or for carrying out a maintenance operation within the clean-room area [0083 & 0160 & 0197 & 0198 & 0199].
Regarding Claim 7, Osborne discloses:
one type of workpiece carriers serves to receive consumable materials for supplying said consumable materials to a starting material and/or for carrying out a treatment process on a starting material [0083 & 0160 & 0197 & 0198 & 0199].
Regarding Claim 8, Osborne discloses:
one or a plurality of workpiece carriers each comprise one or a plurality of action units for carrying out an action on a starting material and/or on a tool [0083 & 0160 & 0197 & 0198 & 0199 & 0200 & 0201 & 0202].
Regarding Claim 9, Osborne discloses:
one or a plurality of action units are designed as a treatment unit for carrying out a treatment process on the starting material [0117 & 0156 & 0157 & 0158 & 0159 & 0160 & 0161 & 0162 & 0168 & 0169 & 0170 & 0171 & 0173 & 0174 & 0192 & 0193 & 0194 & 0195 & 0198].
Regarding Claim 10, Osborne discloses:
one or a plurality of action units are designed as a sensor unit for determining a current value of a parameter of the relevant workpiece carrier and/or of a starting material arranged thereon and/or of a tool arranged thereon and/or of consumable materials arranged thereon [0057 & 0127 & 0128 & 0129 & 0193 & 0194 & 0198 & 0255].
Regarding Claim 11, Osborne discloses:
one or a plurality of workpiece carriers comprises a storage device for storing energy and/or one or a plurality of consumables [0083 & 0160 & 0197 & 0198 & 0199].
Regarding Claim 12, Osborne discloses:
the workpiece carriers can be reused several times, in particular in that the storage device can be electrically recharged and/or can be refilled with consumable material [0083 & 0160 & 0197 & 0198 & 0199].
Regarding Claim 13, Osborne discloses:
the production facility comprises a charging station arranged within the clean-room area for charging the storage device and/or a refilling station arranged within the clean-room area for filling the storage device [0113 & 0114 & 0115 & 0116 & 0117 & 0136 & 0137 & 0138 & 0139 & 0140 & 0141 & 0142 & 0143 & 0144 & 0145 & 0146 & 0147 & 0148 & 0149 & 0162 & 0163 & 0176 & 0177 & 0178 & 0189].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Patent publications US 20130192165 A1, US 8800608 B2, US 20160228329 A1, US 9808402 B2, US 20190077526 A1, US 20220041309 A1, US 11142355 B2, US 11897640 B2, US 20190315004 A1, US 11485030 B2, US 20240199265 A1, and US 12649603 B2 have been cited by the examiner as pertinent to the applicant’s disclosure because they teach: automated processing systems for manufacturing pharmaceuticals.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRENDAN P TIGHE whose telephone number is 571-272-4872. The Examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday, 7:00-5:30 EST
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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/BRENDAN P TIGHE/Examiner, Art Unit 3652
/SAUL RODRIGUEZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3652
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