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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1-20 are currently pending in application 18/646,468.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 15 are objected to because of the following informalities: Independent Claims 1 and 15 have been amended to recite, “… grasp and place each page ….”. The Examiner believes this to be a grammatical error, and that the Applicant meant to amend the claims to recite, “… grasp and place each package …”, similar to the amendment made to independent Claim 9 (and is Examined as such below). Appropriate correction is requested.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Independent Claims 1, 9, and 15 have all been amended to recite, “… comprising one or more robotic actuators including at least one end effector configured to physically grasp …” and/ or “… control movement of the one or more robotic actuators”. Applicant’s specification does describe that the data output may be used/ consumed by industrial robot arms or autonomous systems for automatic placement in the containers (Applicant’s Specification - Para 0065, Para 0071, Para 0077, Para 0121, and Para 0123); however, neither the specification, drawings, nor original claims describe a specific type of robotic arm or specific components of a robot arm (i.e., one or more robotic actuators including at least one end effector configured to physically grasp) in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention (Actuators are not inherent to robotic arms, as not all robotic arms require actuators. Alternative systems use passive mechanics, gravity, or external manipulation to achieve movement).
Claims 2-8, 10-14, and 16-20 are also rejected as being dependent from claims 1, 9, 15, under the same rationale and reasoning as identified above.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed on 6/9/2026, with respect to the rejection Claims 1-20, have been considered but are moot, based on the new grounds of rejection.
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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JONATHAN P OUELLETTE whose telephone number is (571)272-6807. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8am-6pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lynda C Jasmin, can be reached at telephone number (571) 272-6782. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from Patent Center. Status information for published applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Patent Center for authorized users only. Should you have questions about access to Patent Center, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) Form at https://www.uspto.gov/patents/uspto-automated- interview-request-air-form.
July 21, 2026
/JONATHAN P OUELLETTE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3629
Prosecution Insights