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 .
Response to Arguments
The rejection to claims 31, 32, 36-38, 40-42, and 46-50 under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph has been withdrawn,
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 31 and 41 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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)(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) 31-34, 36-44 and 46-50 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gordon U.S. Patent No. 5,314,055.
Claims 31 and 41, Gordon teaches a system Fig. 1 for manipulating and sorting non-uniform objects C2 L65-67; C3 L1-20, the system Fig.1 comprising: a conveyor 18 operable to transport non-uniform objects along a first trajectory in a conveying direction 19 C4 L20-40; a detection system 36 operable to identify one or more target objects from the non-uniform objects being transported on the conveyor 18 C5 L50-65; and a rigid body or element 22 for contacting the identified one or more target objects on the conveyor 18, wherein, without grasping the identified one or more target objects via 22, the rigid body or element 22 directly contacts and displaces the identified one or more target objects from the first trajectory onto a second trajectory to separate the identified one or more target objects from the non-uniform objects for subsequent sorting C5 L35-50.
Claims 32 and 42, Gordon teaches one or more robotic arms 23 coupled to the rigid body or element 22, wherein the one or more robotic arms 23 drive the rigid body or element 22 relative to the conveyor 18 to contact the identified one or more target objects C4 L44-60.
Claims 33 and 43, Gordon teaches the one or more robotic arms 23 are in communication with the detection system 36 via 15, and wherein the detection system 36 identifies a position of the one or more target objects on the conveyor 18 and drives the one or more robotic arms 23 based on the identified position of the identified one or more target objects C6 L20-40.
Claims 34 and 44, Gordon teaches the detection system 36 includes a vision system 42 having a field-of-view covering at least a portion of the conveyor 18, the vision system 42 operable to visualize the non-uniform objects on the conveyor 18 and identify the one or more target objects therefrom C6 L20-40.
Claims 36 and 46, Gordon teaches the rigid body or element 22 is movable relative to the conveyor 18 to physically strike the one or more target objects and displace each identified target objects onto the second trajectory in a three-dimensional space relative to the conveyor 18 C6 L20-40.
Claim 37 and 47, Gordon teaches the rigid body or element 22 is configured to directly contact the identified one or more target objects and displace each identified target object by lifting the identified target object off the conveyor 18 C5 L35-50.
Claims 38 and 48, Gordon teaches the rigid body or element 22 directly contacts the identified one or more target objects and accelerates each identified target object via within a three-dimensional space from the first trajectory onto the second trajectory C5 L35-50.
Claims 39 and 49, Gordon teaches the rigid body or element 22 is stationary relative to the conveyor 18 Fig. 1 (when awaiting signal to process).
Claims 40 and 50, Gordon teaches a second rigid body or element 22 spaced apart from the rigid member 22Fig. 1, wherein the second rigid body or element 22 displaces the one or more target objects from the second trajectory onto a third trajectory to further separate the identified one or more target objects from the non-uniform objects C5 L35-60
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Claim(s) 35 and 45 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gordon U.S. Patent No. 95,314,055 in view of Carver U.S. Patent No. 5,023,800.
Claims 35 and 45, Gordon teaches a computer system in communication with the vision system 42 and operable to identify the one or more target objects Abstract, but does not teach as Carver teaches an artificial intelligence system C32 L10-25. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the computer system disclosed in Gordon with the artificial intelligence system taught in Carver with a reasonable expectation of success because
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAVEL SINGH whose telephone number is (571)272-2362. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8am-6pm.
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/KAVEL SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651
KS
