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 .
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)(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.
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Okamoto et al. JP 2018-152447A (hereinafter “Okamoto”).
Regarding claim 1, Okamoto discloses a workpiece carrier (1) for taking over, transporting and transferring a workpiece formed as a segment of a material web, the workpiece carrier comprising:
a support surface (41a, refer to FIG. 6) formed on a carrier body (30 or 41) for placing the workpiece on, and
a suction device (6) for sucking the workpiece onto the support surface, the suction device having at least one movable suction nozzle which protrudes from the support surface in a rest position (FIG. 6a) and, when subjected to vacuum, is configured to be moved against a force holding the at least one movable suction nozzle in the rest position into a retracted position (FIG. 6b) in which the at least one movable suction nozzle does not protrude beyond the support surface.
Regarding claim 2, wherein the suction device has at least one first air circuit (suction connection with a vacuum pump) with at least one first suction nozzle for sucking the workpiece onto the support surface and a second air circuit (refer to Fig. 1 showing multiple section of 30, wherein another of 30 includes another suction connection with a vacuum pump, or alternatively another suction device 6 in the same member 30) another with at least one second suction nozzle (6) for sucking the workpiece onto the support surface, wherein the first and second air circuit are configured to be controlled differently (independently).
Regarding claim 3, wherein that the at least one first suction nozzle is designed as a first movable suction nozzle, or wherein the at least one second suction nozzle is designed as a second movable suction nozzle, or both.
Regarding claim 4, wherein the at least one first suction nozzle is arranged upstream (6 of most upstream 30 in FIG. 1) of the at least one second suction nozzle (6 of a downstream 30 in FIG. 1) in a transport direction.
Regarding claim 5, wherein the first air circuit has a first air chamber (interpreted as opening formed to accommodate 6) in the carrier body, and at least one first movable suction nozzle connected to the first air chamber, and wherein the second air circuit has a second air chamber in the carrier body and at least one second movable suction nozzle connected to the second air chamber.
Regarding claim 6, wherein the first air chamber has a first air connection at a side (implicit, on the lower side of 6, as suction is generated in 6 to contract) or on a side of the carrier body opposite the support surface and the second air chamber has a second air connection at a side (implicit, on the lower side of 6, as suction is generated in 6 to contract) or or on a side of the carrier body opposite the support surface.
Regarding claim 7, wherein air connections of the first and second air circuits are offset relative to each other in a transport direction (assuming one member 6 is in upstream member 30, and another of 6 is in downstream member 30).
Regarding claim 8, wherein the workpiece carrier is configured as a transport unit of a transport system with individually movable transport units.
Regarding claim 9, a transport system comprising: a guide track (31a) and a plurality of workpiece carriers (30) according to claim 1, the workpiece carriers individually movable along the guide track (31a) as transport units.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-13 are allowed.
Claim 10 is 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LUIS A GONZALEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-3094. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5:30pm.
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/LUIS A GONZALEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653