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)(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) 1-8 and 11-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Wisdom (USP 11,439,065).
Wisdom disclose an agricultural manipulator (1200) configured to perform agricultural processing comprising: a carrier structure (1230); least one manipulating device (1202) mounted on the carrier structure comprising a gripper (1206) and a cutter (1236); wherein the gripper is mounted on the carrier structure and comprises gripper
Elements (1206(1), 1206(2)) of which at least one is moveable relative to the carrier structure and relative to the other of the gripper elements (see figures 12A and 12B), to selectively grip, when in a closed position (see figure 12A), or release, when in an open position (see figure 12A), a portion of a plant between gripping portions of the gripper elements (see column 39 lines 60-67); and wherein the cutter is mounted on the carrier structure (via gripper 1206, see figures 12A and 12B) and comprises a cutter blade (blade of 1236) which is moveable relative to the carrier structure and relative to the gripper elements (see column 42 lines 13-34), to selectively advance the blade towards or withdraw the cutter blade from the gripping portions of the gripper elements (see column 42 lines 13-34).
With respect to claim 3, Wisdom disclose wherein the carrier comprises a gripper drive connected to the at least one gripper element, that is moveable relative to the other of the gripper elements (see figures 12A and 12B).
With respect to claim 4, Wisdom disclose wherein more than one of the gripper elements is moveable relative to the carrier structure (see figures 12A and 12B).
With respect to claim 5, Wisdom disclose wherein more than one of the gripper elements is moveable relative to the carrier structure and wherein the drive is connected to one of the gripper elements that is movable relative to the carrier structure, wherein a transmission (1210) is arranged between the gripper element that is connected to the drive and at least one other gripper element that is also movable relative to the carrier structure (see figures 12A and 12B).
With respect to claim 6, Wisdom disclose wherein the at least one gripper element, that is moveable relative to the carrier structure, is connected to the carrier in a connection from a group, at least comprising: a rotation shaft, pivot (1210), and a slide mechanism.
With respect to claim 7, Wisdom disclose wherein the gripper elements are curved to define a space there between, when in the closed position (see space 1220 in figure 12A).
With respect to claim 8, Wisdom disclose wherein the carrier structure comprises a cutter drive (1224) connected to the cutter.
With respect to claim 11, Wisdom disclose wherein the translation mechanism is configured to advance the cutter towards or withdraw the cutter from the gripping portions of the gripper elements over sides of the gripper elements (see column 42 lines 13-34, blade moves from the outside of the gripper towards the inside).
With respect to claim 12, Wisdom disclose wherein the cutter comprises a rotary cutter blade (see column 42 lines 13-34).
With respect to claim 13, Wisdom disclose further comprising an image capturing device and a processor, connected with at least one of the gripper and the cutter, and configured to control operation of the at least one of the gripper and the cutter based on captured images acquired through the image capturing device (see column 48 line 49-column 49 line 10).
With respect to claim 14, Wisdom disclose a robot arm (500) comprising a robot arm controller (computing system), wherein the manipulator is mounted on the robot arm via the connector structure arranged on the carrier (see figures 2, 5, and 12A/12B, wherein manipulator 1200 is mounted to 100 and hence 500).
With respect to claim 15, Wisdom disclose wherein the robot arm is an industrial robot arm (500 is considered industrial).
With respect to claim 16, Wisdom disclose the agricultural manipulator further comprising an image capturing device (see column 15 lines 17-33) and a processor (502), connected with at least one of the gripper and the cutter, and configured to control operation of the at least one of the gripper and the cutter based on captured images acquired through the image capturing device and wherein the image capturing device is mounted on the robot arm (wherein it is mounted on 100 and hence the arm).
With respect to claim 17, Wisdom disclose the agricultural manipulator further comprising an image capturing device (see column 3 lines 53-58) and a processor (502), connected with at least one of the gripper and the cutter, and configured to control operation of the at least one of the gripper and the cutter based on captured images acquired through the image capturing device and wherein the processor is incorporated in the robot arm controller (see column 48 line 49-column 49 line 10).
With respect to claim 18, Wisdom disclose wherein the robot arm controller is positioned remote from the assembly (see figure 5).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9 and 10 are 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.
Claims 19 and 20 are allowed.
With respect to claims 9 and 19, the prior art does not disclose the limitation “wherein the cutter drive is connected with the cutter through the space between the curved gripper elements” and in combination with the other limitations of the claims and therefor these claims are allowable.
With respect to claims 10 and 20, the Applicant’s arguments filed 5/20/26 are persuasive and the Examiner agrees that the prior art does not disclose nor would it be obvious to include “wherein the cutter structure is mounted on the carrier structure though a translation mechanism” in combination with the other limitations of claim 20.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 5/20/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
With respect to claim 1, the Applicant argues that claim 1 is amended similarity to claim 20 but without the notion of translation. As noted above, as the cutter is mounted on the carrier through the gripper, Wisdom meets the claim limitations of claim 1.
With respect to claim 20, the arguments are persuasive and the rejection has been withdrawn.
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 NICOLE A COY whose telephone number is (571)272-5405. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 6am-3:30pm.
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/Nicole Coy/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3672
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