The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 7/23/26 has been entered.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-3 and 5-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Austrheim (WO 2019/238641) in view of Heggebo et al (US 11,390,461 or corresponding WO 2019/086237) and Ootmar Ten Cate (WO 92/18399, hereinafter referred to as Cate).
Austrheim shows an access station for presentation of storage containers 106, wherein the access station comprises:
a receiving area 140 for receiving storage containers from an automated storage and retrieval system 104 (Figs. 4-5);
a first picking position located in a first picking area (i.e., one side adjacent to either of pickers 160’ in Fig. 5);
a second picking position located in a second picking area (the side adjacent to the other picker 160’ in Fig. 5);
a guiding frame 50 extending between the first picking position and the second picking position; and
a primary carriage 30 for transporting a storage container along the guiding frame;
wherein the primary carriage comprises:
a primary carriage base 31 movable along the guiding frame;
a first storage container support 35 connected to the primary carriage base; and
a transfer device 36 for displacement of a storage container positioned on the first storage container support (Fig. 3C; could also be 41/45 in Fig. 3D);
wherein the access station further comprises:
a secondary carriage for transporting a storage container along the guiding frame (i.e., as readily apparent in at least Fig. 5, there are multiple carriages, any of which, other than the primary carriage, could be considered a secondary carriage);
wherein the secondary carriage comprises:
a secondary carriage base 31 movable along the guiding frame; and
wherein the transfer device comprises a conveyor (Fig. 3C).
Austrheim does not show a latch for releasably connecting the primary carriage to the secondary carriage, or that the conveyor extends inside a perimeter of the secondary carriage base when the primary carriage and the secondary carriage are connected to each other or at least moved close together.
Heggebo shows an access station 32 in a similar automated storage and retrieval system, wherein a multi-trolley vehicle 100 comprised of at least first and second trolleys (carriages) 70, 71 and/or 72 releasably latched to each other via latches 17 are configured to transport storage containers along a guiding frame 31 of the access station (see Figs. 7A-B, 9B, 11 and 12, and col. 14:52-67, col. 15:41-60 and col. 19:3 to col. 20:30).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the apparatus of Austrheim by providing a latch for releasably connecting the primary carriage to the secondary carriage, as taught by Heggebo, to enable at least one (secondary) carriage to be towed or otherwise manipulated by at least one other (primary) carriage, thereby negating the need for every carriage to be self-propelled.
Cate shows a method and apparatus for transferring objects O (which can be crates, i.e., containers) between aligned support surfaces of a vehicle 3 (primary carriage) and a loading/unloading station S when they are moved close together (note that although the station is not a wheeled carriage, in at least the Fig. 5 embodiment it is configured as an easily portable device and as such is considered analogous to the claimed secondary carriage), wherein the primary carriage comprises a primary carriage base 3, a first storage container support 2 connected to the primary carriage base, and a transfer device 4/5 for displacement of a storage container positioned on the first storage container support, wherein the transfer device comprises a conveyor, and wherein the conveyor extends inside a perimeter of the loading/unloading station (secondary carriage base) when the primary carriage and the secondary carriage are moved close together, thus providing at least the following advantages: reduces the load on the carriage and rails, compact/simple construction, allows loading/unloading on both sides of the carriage, the secondary carriage does not need to have a driven conveyor (see Figs. 2B-D and 5, page 3:28 to page 4:11, and page 5:18-37).
Therefore, it also would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the apparatus of Austrheim by configuring the conveyor such that it extended inside a perimeter of the secondary carriage base when the primary carriage and the secondary carriage were connected to each other or at least moved close together, as suggested by Cate, to provide one or more of the following advantages: reduced load on the carriage and rails, compact/simple construction, ability to load/unload on both sides of the carriage, utilization of a non-powered conveyor on the secondary carriage.
Re claim 2, in at least the Fig. 6 embodiment Austrheim shows that the access station further comprises an access cabinet 168 for interfacing with a human picker. In this embodiment such an access cabinet is considered to be the second picking position located in a second picking area. Also note Fig. 10E.
Re claim 3, Austrheim shows that the receiving area comprises a plurality of receiving positions, as readily apparent in at least Fig. 5.
Re claim 5, Austrheim shows that (at least) the primary carriage is configured for transporting a storage container to the first picking position; and (at least) the secondary carriage is configured for transporting a storage container to the second picking position.
Re claim 6, Austrheim shows that the primary carriage comprises:
a primary carriage displacement motor (not shown but note page 21:33) configured to move the primary carriage along the guiding frame; and
wherein the secondary carriage comprises:
a secondary carriage displacement motor (equivalent to that noted above) configured to move the secondary carriage along the guiding frame; and
a second storage container support 35 connected to the secondary carriage base; and
wherein the secondary carriage is configured to receive a storage container being displaced from the first primary carriage by means of the transfer device (inherent from the disclosure on page 23:26 to page 24:2 that the rollers of conveyor 36 allow a container to be shifted onto or off the container carrier).
Re claim 7, Austrheim as modified above shows an automated storage and retrieval system 1 comprising (see Figs. 1-2):
an access station for presentation of storage containers, wherein the access station comprises all of the limitations previously noted above with respect to claim 1;
a rail system 108 comprising a first set of parallel rails 110 arranged in a horizontal plane and extending in a first direction X and a second set of parallel rails 111 arranged in the horizontal plane and extending in a second direction Y which is orthogonal to the first direction, which first and second sets of rails form a grid pattern in the horizontal plane comprising a plurality of adjacent access openings 115 defined by a pair of neighboring rails of the first set of rails and a pair of neighboring rails of the second set of rails;
a plurality of stacks 107 of storage containers 106 arranged in storage columns 105 located beneath a storage section of the rail system, wherein each storage column is located vertically below an access opening;
at least one port column 119 located beneath a delivery section of the rail system and vertically aligned with a receiving position of the access station, the at least one port column being void of storage containers (Figs. 4-5); and
a container handling vehicle 200/300 comprising a lifting device (not shown but note page 2:30) for lifting storage containers stacked in the stacks above the storage section and drive means 201/301 configured to drive the vehicle along the rail system in at least one of the first direction and the second direction.
Re claims 8-10, Austrheim shows that the automated storage and retrieval system further comprises a robotic picker 160’ configured to pick products from the storage containers being presented in the first picking position (Fig. 5), wherein inspecting means for inspecting the storage container being presented in the first picking position are arranged on the robotic picker (inherent from page 32:22 to page 35:12, noting in particular the disclosure that the robotic picker may include suitable auxiliary equipment such as a camera to perform the described rearranging or reorganizing of items in the containers).
Re claim 11, Austrheim shows that the automated storage and retrieval system comprises at least two port columns 119, 120.
Re claim 12, Austrheim shows that the automated storage and retrieval system comprises at least two access stations arranged side by side (Fig. 5).
Re claim 13, Austrheim as modified above discloses a method of presenting a storage container at an access station, wherein the access station comprises all of the limitations previously noted above with respect to claim 1, wherein the method comprises:
receiving, in the receiving area, storage containers 106 from an automated storage and retrieval system 104;
transporting a storage container of the storage containers along the guiding frame by means of the primary carriage;
transporting a storage container of the storage containers along the guiding frame by means of the secondary carriage; and
releasably connecting the primary carriage to the secondary carriage using a latch 17 of the access station
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Austrheim in view of Heggebo et al and Ootmar Ten Cate, as applied to claim 13 above, and further in view of Sellner et al (US 10,947,045, previously cited).
Austrheim as modified shows the method to comprise moving the storage container to the first picking position but does not show the method to comprise:
after moving the storage container to the first picking position, inspecting the storage container for errors; and
if an error is detected,
moving the storage container to the second picking position for correction of the detected error; or
if no error is detected,
returning the storage container to the receiving area for retrieval by means of a container handling vehicle.
Sellner discloses a warehouse order fulfillment system and method wherein, at a step 230, a picking robot and/or human picker(s) transfer(s) items from a storage container for outbound shipment, and at a step 232, if an error is detected, moves the storage container to the second picking position for correction of the detected error; or if no error is detected, returns the storage container to a receiving area (see Fig. 2 and col. 10:51 to col. 11:16).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have further modified the method of Austrheim by, after moving the storage container to the first picking position, inspecting the storage container for errors, and if an error was detected, moving the storage container to the second picking position for correction of the detected error, or if no error was detected, returning the storage container to the receiving area for retrieval by means of a container handling vehicle, as suggested by Sellner, to enhance and optimize the movement of storage containers throughout the system.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Austrheim in view of Heggebo et al and Ootmar Ten Cate, as applied to claim 13 above, and further in view of Naylor (US 9,020,632, previously cited).
As noted above, Austrheim as modified shows that the primary carriage is configured for transporting a storage container to the first picking position, and the secondary carriage is configured for transporting a storage container to the second picking position, and the method comprises picking from the storage container [and/or inspecting the storage container for errors], but does not explicitly disclose that the method, after picking from the storage container [and/or inspecting the storage container for errors], further comprises:
transferring the storage container from the primary carriage to the secondary carriage.
However, as noted above with respect to claim 6, the carriages are configured to transfer the storage container from one to the other.
Naylor shows a generally similar automated storage and retrieval system wherein storage containers 22 are transferred from a primary carriage to a secondary carriage at an access station 64 (see Figs. 14-18, 27-29, 31-33 and col. 6:41 to col. 7:28).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have further modified the method of Austrheim by transferring the storage container from the primary carriage to the secondary carriage, as taught by Naylor, to provide a sort function.
Note that the claim as written does not require both picking and inspecting for errors to be selectively performed by the method, but rather only one or the other (as indicated by the examiner’s use of brackets above). Further note that even if the claim was further amended to require such a selective performance of both functions, it would be subject to a rejection further in view of Sellner, as similarly applied to claim 14 above.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-3 and 5-15 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to James Keenan whose telephone number is (571)272-6925. The examiner can normally be reached Mon. - Thurs.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ernesto Suarez can be reached at 571-270-5565. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/James Keenan/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3652
8/13/26
Prosecution Insights