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.
(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.
Claims 1, 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306).
Regarding Claim 1, Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. discloses a system for handling separation layers(46) in a production process, the system comprising: at least one separation layer(46) having at least one slot(50); and a handling apparatus(124) configured to move the separation layer(46), Col 8 line 4-24 “Referring to FIG. 8, an insert infeed station 150 is illustrated where the layer separation inserts 42, 44 and 46 are transported to the insert building station 128 (FIG. 7). In this embodiment, a robotic lift assembly 152 of the conveying system 124 includes an arm 154 and three spaced-apart retaining features 156, 158 and 160 are located to grasp and move the layer separation inserts 42, 44 and 46 to three conveying areas 162, 164 and 166. These conveying areas 162, 164 and 166 correspond to the ends and middle regions of the glass article layers 40 where the layer separation inserts 42, 44 and 46 reside. Insert pushers 168 (e.g., belt-driven, actuator-driven) may be provided at each of the areas 162, 164 and 166 that can push the layer separation inserts 42, 44 and 46 toward the insert building station 128”, Col 1 line 62 “According to one embodiment, a method of forming bundles of glass articles is provided. The method includes transporting individual glass articles to an insert building station using a conveying system. The glass articles are individually located within article receiving slots of a layer separation insert using the conveying system. Each slot of the layer separation insert receives a single glass article forming a glass article layer of side-by-side glass articles. Multiple glass article layers that include layer separation inserts are stacked using the conveying system forming a bundle. The layer separation inserts provide a barrier between adjacent glass articles of each of the glass article layers”, see Fig 3-5, Col 6 line 65 “Referring to FIG. 5, an automatic packing method and apparatus 100 is illustrated for forming the multiple bundles 14 that are stacked to form the palletized package 10 of FIG. 1. The packing apparatus 100 includes a glass article infeed station 102 where individual glass articles 12 are provided to a conveying system 104 (e.g., using a conveyor or other transport mechanism) that separates and/or maintains separation of the glass articles 12 and feeds the glass articles 12 to an insert building station 106. A control unit 105 may include a processor and machine readable instructions providing logic to control operation of various components of the apparatus 100 including the conveying system 104. At the insert building station 106, the end layer separation inserts 42 and 46 and the middle layer separation insert 44 may be received from an insert infeed station 108 using the conveying system 104. As the layer separation inserts 42, 44, 46 are fed through the insert building station 106, the glass articles 12 may be placed (e.g., one by one) in the article receiving slots 50, 64 (FIGS. 3 and 4) of each of the end layer separation inserts 42 and 46 and the middle layer separation insert 44. Sensors may be used to provide a signal to the control unit 105 if any of the slots 50, 64 remain unfilled”.
As of Claim 11, Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. discloses a system for handling separation layers according to Claim 1.
Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. further discloses the system for handling separation, wherein the at least one slot(50) of the separation layer(46) includes a plurality of slots(50), the plurality of slots(46) being arranged uniformly and/or symmetrically, see Fig 3 show at least one slot of the separation layer comprising of plurality of slots, where the plurality of slots are arranged uniformly, Col 4 line 14 “The slots 50 may have a shape (e.g., round) that is complementary with an outer shape of the glass articles 12 to allow the glass articles 12 to nest within the article receiving slots 50. Each article receiving slot 50 includes a side wall 52 that extends along a length of the article receiving slot 50 to an end protection feature 54. The side walls 52 and end protection feature 54 extend outwardly from a continuous base 56 that extends along each of the article receiving slots 50”.
As of Claim 12, Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. further discloses the system for handling separation, wherein the at least one separation layer is formed of a flexible plastic material including, thin films, silicon and amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (APET, Col 5, line 61 “The layer separation inserts 42, 46 may be formed of any suitable material, such as amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (APET), silicone, etc. that can contact and protect the glass articles 12, while providing the desired separation between the glass article layers 40 (FIG. 2B). Any suitable process may be used to form the layer separation inserts 42, 44 and 46, such as molding”, Col 7, lines 22-36 ” Once the layer separation inserts 42, 44 and 46 are filled, the glass article layer 40 is provided. The glass article layer 40 may be moved using the conveying system 104 (e.g., by a robotic arm or other transport mechanism) to a bundle building station 110. At the bundle building station 110, the glass article layers 40 may be stacked by the conveying system 104, one on top of the other to form the bundle 14 (FIG. 1). The bundle 14 of the stacked glass article layers 40 may then be transported by the conveying system 104 to a film supply and seal station 112, where the bundle 14 may be wrapped in a plastic film (e.g., a shrink or stretch wrap) and the plastic film sealed (e.g., using an adhesive and/or heat sealed). In some embodiments, the wrapped bundle 14 may be transported to a heating station 114, where the plastic film may be heated, for example, for a shrink operation, . In some embodiments, the bundle 14 may be wrapped at only certain locations. Referring briefly to FIG. 6A, for example, the bundle 14 may be wrapped at locations 115, 117 and 119 around the layer separation inserts (42, 44 and 46). In FIG. 6B, the bundle 14 may be wrapped about a majority of its periphery, such as continuously over its entire length L. Once the bundles 14 are wrapped, they may be transported (e.g., conveyed or other suitable transport mechanism) to a palletized package building station 116 (FIG. 5)”,
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 of this title, 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306) in view of Wick(US11292680).
As of Claim 1, Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. discloses a system for handling separation layers according to Claim 1.
Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. does not explicitly disclose a system for handling separation layers, wherein the handling apparatus is a vacuum gripper.
Wick discloses a system for handling separation layers, wherein the handling apparatus is a vacuum gripper(12), see Fig 7, show a suction gripper (12) vacuum gripper with suction cup (44) for gripping a sheet. Col 1 line 45 “Preferably multiple suction grippers are provided, which are arranged in multiple groups, which are spaced apart from one another in axial direction of the drive shaft. In this connection the expedient number of groups and the spacing of the groups in relation to one another depend on the characteristics of the sheets to be removed from the stack. In this connection between four and ten groups are particularly preferred”.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to utilize Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306) system for handling separation layers comprising of robotic arms with suction/vacuum gripper as taught by Wick(US11292680) to provide gripping of the separation layer, hence improving the efficiency of the production process, see Fig 7.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306) in view of Wick(US11292680).
As of Claim 3, Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. discloses a system for handling separation layers according to Claim 1.
Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. does not explicitly disclose a system for handling separation layers, wherein the at least one slot is angular or in the form of a circular arc.
Wick discloses a system for handling separation layers, wherein the at least one slot(20) is angular or in the form of a circular arc, see Fig 9, shows a guide slot(20) with an angular configuration, where the slot(20) allow the holding of rod(14) repositioning in the radial direction, Col 4 line 4 “The guide slots 20 make it possible for the holding rods 14 to reposition themselves in radial direction relative to the rotational axis of the drive shaft 10. The radius, on which each holding rod 14 is located, is determined by a guide track 22, which can be seen more particularly in FIG. 3. The guide track 22 has a circular configuration in the widest sense, whereby it is flattened on the side facing the stack 3”.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306) at least one slot separation layer with angular slot configuration as taught by Wick(US11292680) to provide guided positioning to move the separation layer see Fig 9.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306) in view of Wick(US11292680).
As of Claim 4, Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. discloses a system for handling separation layers according to Claim 1.
Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. discloses a system for handling separation layers comprising of a handling apparatus(124), see Fig 3-5, the layer separation inserts provide a barrier between adjacent glass articles of each of the glass article layers”, Col 6 line 65 “Referring to FIG. 5, an automatic packing method and apparatus 100 is illustrated for forming the multiple bundles 14 that are stacked to form the palletized package 10 of FIG. 1. The packing apparatus 100 includes a glass article infeed station 102 where individual glass articles 12 are provided to a conveying system 104 (e.g., using a conveyor or other transport mechanism) that separates and/or maintains separation of the glass articles 12 and feeds the glass articles 12 to an insert building station 106. A control unit 105 may include a processor and machine readable instructions providing logic to control operation of various components of the apparatus 100 including the conveying system 104. At the insert building station 106, the end layer separation inserts 42 and 46 and the middle layer separation insert 44 may be received from an insert infeed station 108 using the conveying system 104. As the layer separation inserts 42, 44, 46 are fed through the insert building station 106, the glass articles 12 may be placed (e.g., one by one) in the article receiving slots 50, 64 (FIGS. 3 and 4) of each of the end layer separation inserts 42 and 46 and the middle layer separation insert 44. Sensors may be used to provide a signal to the control unit 105 if any of the slots 50, 64 remain unfilled”.
Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. does not explicitly disclose a system for handling separation layers, wherein the handling apparatus includes at least one gripping device configured to grip the separation layer at least at one predetermined location.
Wick discloses a system for handling separation layers, wherein the handling apparatus includes at least one gripping device configured to grip the separation layer at least at one predetermined location, see Fig 7, show a suction gripper (12) vacuum gripper with suction cup (44) for gripping a sheet and vacuum is produced to move and grip the sheets, Col 1 line 45 “Preferably multiple suction grippers are provided, which are arranged in multiple groups, which are spaced apart from one another in axial direction of the drive shaft. In this connection the expedient number of groups and the spacing of the groups in relation to one another depend on the characteristics of the sheets to be removed from the stack. In this connection between four and ten groups are particularly preferred”.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to utilize Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306) system for handling separation layers with suction/vacuum gripper as taught by Wick(US11292680) to provide gripping of the separation layer at a predetermined location , hence improving the efficiency of the production process, see Fig 7.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306) in view of Wick(US11292680).
As of Claim 5, Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. in view of Wick discloses a system for handling separation layers according to Claim 4.
Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. further discloses the system for handling separation, comprising of a separation layer, Col 1 line 62 “According to one embodiment, a method of forming bundles of glass articles is provided. The method includes transporting individual glass articles to an insert building station using a conveying system. The glass articles are individually located within article receiving slots of a layer separation insert using the conveying system.
Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. does not explicitly disclose the system for handling separation layers, wherein the handling apparatus further includes at least one spacer provided adjacent to the at least one gripping device, the at least one spacer extending parallel with a surface normal of the separation layer and being configured to at least partially space apart the separation layer from the handling apparatus.
Wick discloses the system for handling separation layers, wherein the handling apparatus further includes at least one spacer(42) provided adjacent to the at least one gripping device(44), see Fig 7-8 show a telescopically extendable ram(42) spacer adjacent to the suction cup/gripper(44), where the ram(42) extends parallel to the surface normal of the sheet(3) as the suction gripper(44) comes in contact with the sheet and acts as a spacer to the sheet from the body(40) of the handling device, Col 4 line 39 “Each suction gripper 12 has a body 40 (see FIG. 3), which is fastened non-rotationally on one of the holding rods 14. Mounted displaceably in the body 40 is a telescopically extendable ram 42, on the front side of which the actual suction cup 44 is attached”.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to utilize Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306) system for handling separation layers with spacer that is adjacent to the suction/vacuum gripper as taught by Wick(US11292680) to provide and maintain separation between the body of the handling apparatus and the separation layers during gripping process , see Fig 7-8.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306) in view of Wick(US11292680).
As of Claim 6, Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. in view of Wick discloses the system for handling separation layers according to Claim 5.
Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. further discloses the system for handling separation layers comprising of slots, Col 1 line 62 “According to one embodiment, a method of forming bundles of glass articles is provided. The method includes transporting individual glass articles to an insert building station using a conveying system. The glass articles are individually located within article receiving slots of a layer separation insert using the conveying system.
Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. does not explicitly disclose the system for handling separation layers, wherein the at least one spacer and the at least one gripping device are arranged such that the at least one spacer is located adjacent to the at least one slot when the separation layer is gripped by the handling apparatus.
Wick discloses the system for handling separation layers, comprising of at least one spacer and the at least one gripping device, Fig 7-8 show a telescopically extendable ram(42) spacer adjacent to the suction cup/gripper(44), where the ram(42) extends parallel to the surface normal of the sheet(3) as the suction gripper(44) comes in contact with the sheet and acts as a spacer to the sheet from the body(40) of the handling device, Col 4 line 39 “Each suction gripper 12 has a body 40 (see FIG. 3), which is fastened non-rotationally on one of the holding rods 14. Mounted displaceably in the body 40 is a telescopically extendable ram 42, on the front side of which the actual suction cup 44 is attached”.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306) system for handling separation layers having slots with arranging the ram(42) spacer and at least one gripping device such that the spacer(42) is located adjacent to the at least one slot as taught by Wick(US11292680) to provide spacing and support of the separation layer and handling apparatus hence, enhance controlled gripping of the separation layer by the handling apparatus, see Fig 7-8.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306) in view of Wick(US11292680).
As of Claim 7, Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. in view of Wick discloses a system for handling separation layers according to Claim 6.
Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. further discloses system for handling separation layers comprising of slots(50), Col 1 line 62 “According to one embodiment, a method of forming bundles of glass articles is provided. The method includes transporting individual glass articles to an insert building station using a conveying system. The glass articles are individually located within article receiving slots of a layer separation insert using the conveying system.
Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. does not explicitly disclose the system for handling separation layers, wherein the at least one slot at least partially surrounds the at least one predetermined location at a predetermined spacing.
Wick discloses the system for handling separation layers, comprising of at least one spacer and the at least one gripping device, Fig 7-8 show a telescopically extendable ram(42) spacer adjacent to the suction cup/gripper(44), where the ram(42) extends parallel to the surface normal of the sheet(3) as the suction gripper(44) comes in contact with the sheet and acts as a spacer to the sheet from the body(40) of the handling device, Col 4 line 39 “Each suction gripper 12 has a body 40 (see FIG. 3), which is fastened non-rotationally on one of the holding rods 14. Mounted displaceably in the body 40 is a telescopically extendable ram 42, on the front side of which the actual suction cup 44 is attached”. Wick does not disclose the positioning of the slot and the predetermined location at a predetermined spacing.
However, it will be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to be motivated to arrange the slot to at least partially surround the at least one predetermined gripping location at a predetermined spacing to preserve separation between slot and the gripping location, see MPEP 2144.05 (ii)(a) with the predictable result of having a separation with slot available at a predetermined distance around a portion of the gripping location.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306) system for handling separation layers having slots with arranging the ram(42) spacer and at least one gripping device such that the spacer(42) is located adjacent to the at least one slot as taught by Wick(US11292680) to provide spacing and support of the separation layer and handling apparatus hence, enhance controlled gripping of the separation layer by the handling apparatus, see Fig 7-8.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306) in view of Wick(US11292680).
As of Claim 8, Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. in view of Wick discloses a system for handling separation layers according to Claim 4.
Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. further discloses system for handling separation layers, wherein the separation layer(46) has an outer edge, and the at least one predetermined location on the separation layer includes a plurality of predetermined locations, see Fig 11 shows the separation layer(inserts) with an outer edge with one at least one predetermined location on the separation layer includes a plurality of predetermined locations, previously in claim 4 the predetermined location is the location where the handling apparatus grips the separation layer.
Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. does not explicitly disclose the system for handling separation layers, wherein the separation layer has an outer edge and the at least one predetermined location on the separation layer includes a plurality of predetermined locations located adjacent to the edge of the separation layer and distributed circumferentially.
Wick further discloses the system for handling separation layers, comprising a plurality of vacuum grippers(suction grippers(12) possessing suction cups(44) spaced apart in a circumferential configuration, hence providing a plurality of predetermined gripping locations that are distributed circumferentially, Col 1 line 62 “According to one embodiment, a method of forming bundles of glass articles is provided. The method includes transporting individual glass articles to an insert building station using a conveying system. The glass articles are individually located within article receiving slots of a layer separation insert using the conveying system. Each slot of the layer separation insert receives a single glass article forming a glass article layer of side-by-side glass articles. Multiple glass article layers that include layer separation inserts are stacked using the conveying system forming a bundle.
See Claim 4 for Justification.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306) in view of Wick(US11292680).
As of Claim 9, Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. in view of Wick discloses a system for handling separation layers according to Claim 4.
Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. further discloses the system for handling separation, comprising of a separation layer, Col 1 line 62 “According to one embodiment, a method of forming bundles of glass articles is provided. The method includes transporting individual glass articles to an insert building station using a conveying system. The glass articles are individually located within article receiving slots of a layer separation insert using the conveying system.
Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. does not explicitly disclose the system for handling separation layers, wherein the at least one gripping device is configured to be positioned obliquely with respect to a surface normal of the separation layer when the at least one gripping device engages with the separation layer to a surface normal
Wick further discloses the system for handling separation layers, wherein the at least one gripping device is configured to be positioned obliquely with respect to a surface normal when the at least one gripping device engages, see Fig 10, show a plurality of vacuum grippers(suction grippers(12) possessing suction cups(44) configured to be arranged obliquely with respect to the surface normal of the sheet when the gripping device engages the sheet.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306) system for handling separation layers having slots with obliquely arranged suction gripper as taught by Wick(US11292680) to allow the gripper to change its angular orientation as it engages with the separation layer.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306) in view of Wick(US11292680) in further view of Hoehn et al.(US20210170550).
As of Claim 10, Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. in view of Wick discloses a system for handling separation layers according to Claim 4.
Wick further discloses the system for handling separation layers, comprising of a gripping device, Fig 7-8 show a telescopically extendable ram(42) spacer adjacent to the suction cup/gripper(44), where the ram(42) extends parallel to the surface normal of the sheet(3) as the suction gripper(44) comes in contact with the sheet and acts as a spacer to the sheet from the body(40) of the handling device, Col 4 line 39 “Each suction gripper 12 has a body 40 (see FIG. 3), which is fastened non-rotationally on one of the holding rods 14.
Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. in view of Wick does not explicitly disclose the system for handling separation layers, wherein the at least one gripping device is in the form of a bellows suction cup.
Hoehn et al.(US20210170550) discloses a gripping device in the form of a bellows suction cup, see Fig 1, paragraph 54 “FIG. 1 shows a valve device 10 which is structurally connected to a suction device 12. In the depicted example, the suction device 12 comprises a suction body 14 (e.g., a bellows suction cup), which defines a suction point 16 which is brought toward and applied to an object (not depicted) for holding the object in place by means of negative pressure. The suction point 16 can be, for example, a suction opening of the bellows suction cup”.
Hoehn et al. is pertinent to the problem of gripping mechanisms and discloses gripping device that is in the form of a bellows suction cup.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306) system for handling separation layers having slots(50) and further modify by Wick(US11292680) suction/vacuum gripper with gripping device in the form of bellows suction cup as taught by Hoehn et al.(US20210170550) to provide required vacuum gripper engagement with the separation layer, hence allowing variation in orientation and position, hence obtaining secure and effective gripping during the production process, see MPEP 2143 Rationale B, with predictable result of substituting vacuum gripper with handling apparatus comprising of bellows suction cup capable of conforming with the separation layer during gripping.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306) as evidenced by “ABS vs PVC Plastic: A Comprehensive Guide for Choosing the Right Material”.
As of Claim 13, Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. discloses a system for handling separation layers according to Claim 12.
Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. further discloses the system for handling separation, wherein the at least one separation layer is formed of a plastic material including plastic film, silicon and amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (APET), Col 5, line 61 “The layer separation inserts 42, 46 may be formed of any suitable material, such as amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (APET), silicone, etc. that can contact and protect the glass articles 12, while providing the desired separation between the glass article layers 40 (FIG. 2B). Any suitable process may be used to form the layer separation inserts 42, 44 and 46, such as molding”, Col 7, lines 22-36 ” Once the layer separation inserts 42, 44 and 46 are filled, the glass article layer 40 is provided. The glass article layer 40 may be moved using the conveying system 104 (e.g., by a robotic arm or other transport mechanism) to a bundle building station 110. At the bundle building station 110, the glass article layers 40 may be stacked by the conveying system 104, one on top of the other to form the bundle 14 (FIG. 1). The bundle 14 of the stacked glass article layers 40 may then be transported by the conveying system 104 to a film supply and seal station 112, where the bundle 14 may be wrapped in a plastic film (e.g., a shrink or stretch wrap) and the plastic film sealed (e.g., using an adhesive and/or heat sealed). In some embodiments, the wrapped bundle 14 may be transported to a heating station 114, where the plastic film may be heated, for example, for a shrink operation, . In some embodiments, the bundle 14 may be wrapped at only certain locations. Referring briefly to FIG. 6A, for example, the bundle 14 may be wrapped at locations 115, 117 and 119 around the layer separation inserts (42, 44 and 46). In FIG. 6B, the bundle 14 may be wrapped about a majority of its periphery, such as continuously over its entire length L. Once the bundles 14 are wrapped, they may be transported (e.g., conveyed or other suitable transport mechanism) to a palletized package building station 116 (FIG. 5),
Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. does not explicitly disclose the system for handling separation layers, wherein the flexible plastic material is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer (“ABS”).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to be motivated to substitute the plastic film of Kittanakere-Naagaraj et al. (US11299306) with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer (ABS) thermoplastic in forming at least one separation layer, plastic films such as PVC and ABS are considered functional equivalents and are known flexible plastic materials in the materials handling sector, “Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)” are two thermoplastics commonly selected for industrial applications due to their distinct mechanical and processing characteristics., ABS vs PVC: Properties and Uses, https://salesplastics.com/abs-vs-pvc-plastic/, hence protecting the separation layer while preserving the separation of the glass articles, see MPEP2144.06(II). The predictable result would be a separation layer formed from a flexible material that prevents deterioration and provides resistance to oils and fats.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL T KIO whose telephone number is (571)270-0743. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8a.m -5 p.m. 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) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Robert W Hodge can be reached at 571-272-2097. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/MTK./
Examiner, Art Unit 3654
/ROBERT W HODGE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3654
