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 Objections
Claims 7-9 are objected to because of the following informalities: The claims point to a method claim, but do not present itself with language of a method claim (as claim 6). Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 5 recites the limitation "the inline conveyor" in lines 1-2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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.
Claim(s) 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lamb U.S. Patent No. 11,097,903.
Claim 1, Lamb teaches an apparatus 40 for lowering a stream of boards 36 inline with a conveyor 34 or similar equipment comprising a first ramp 42 for receiving a singulated and oriented (S&O) board having an entrance, a slide and a tipping radius, a second ramp 50 adjacent the first ramp 42 and adapted to receive the S&O board from the first ramp 42 having a containment radius, a linear slide and a tipping radius, and a third ramp 58 adjacent to the second ramp 50 and adapted to receive the S&O board from the second ramp 50 having a containment radius, a linear slide and a direction change radius, wherein the S&O board exits the third ramp 58 to a further operation via 60,80 on the S&O board C8 L20-50 Figs. 3-4.
Claims 2 and 7, Lamb teaches the second ramp 50 includes a top shield 44 and the third ramp 58 includes a bottom shield 48.
Claims 3 and 8, Lamb teaches the stream of boards are boards for assembling a pallet C1 L15-60.
Claim 4, Lamb teaches the third ramp 58 exits to a conveyor 60 moving the boards 36 to a board stacking machine C4 L64-67; C5 L1-3.
Claims 5 and 9, Lamb teaches the inline conveyor 34 is downstream from a board unscrambling machine 30.
Claim 6, Lamb teaches a method for lowering a stream of boards 36 comprising the steps of a. providing a board feeding apparatus 40 which singulates and orients (S&O) a plurality of boards via 30; b. moving the S&O boards 35 on a first conveyor 34 to an apparatus 40 for lowering the S&O boards 35; c. lowering the S&O boards 35 on the board lowering apparatus 40 wherein the board lowering apparatus 40 comprises a first ramp 42 for receiving the S&O boards 36 having an entrance, a slide and a tipping radius, a second ramp 50 adjacent the first ramp 42 and adapted to receive the S&O boards 36 from the first ramp 42 having a containment radius, a linear slide and a tipping radius, and a third ramp 58 adjacent to the second ramp 50 and adapted to receive the S&O boards 36 from the second ramp 50 having a containment radius, a linear slide and a direction change radius, wherein the S&O boards 36 exit the third ramp 58 to a second conveyor 60; and d. moving the S&O boards 36 on the second conveyor 50 to a board handling machine 80 C8 L20-50 Figs. 3-4.
Conclusion
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/KAVEL SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651
KS