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 .
DETAILED ACTION
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 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 13 recites the limitation "the base" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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)(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) 1-7, 9, 10, 14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Thiel (DE102005009734). Regarding claims 1, 14, and 15, Thiel discloses a suction gripper head 3, comprising at least two elementary gripper modules 4,6,7, each module comprising a frame 10,11,12,13 comprising at least one side provided with at least one opening (houses coupling unit 21,22), the two modules 4,6,7,26 being assembled to each other, such that a first side provided with at least one opening (21) of the frame of a first module 6 faces a second side provided with at least one opening (22) of the frame of a second module 7 so that a gas may pass between the two modules 4,6,7, facilitated by the openings of the first side and of the second side, the openings of the first side and of the second side themselves facing each other (Figs. 2,5,6,7).
Regarding claim 2, Thiel discloses that all the modules are identical (Figs 2, 5, 6, 7) to each other, except for the presence of at least one suction orifice 16,17 provided in one of them (free unit 6, Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 3, Thiel discloses at least one blocker 24, shaped to temporarily block at least one of the openings (check valve temporarily blocks the opening due to bias of the spring).
Regarding claim 4, Thiel discloses that at least one connecting interface (21,22) shaped to be arranged at at least one of the openings.
Regarding claim 5, Thiel discloses that at least one of the modules 4,6,7 comprises at least two openings (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 6, Thiel discloses that a first of the two openings (Figs. 2,6) is arranged on a first side of the module and a second of the two openings is arranged on a second side of the module, which is adjacent to the first side, or which is opposite the first side (Figs. 2,6).
Regarding claim 7, Thiel discloses that the modules are arranged, such that the gripper head has a cross-section, at the frames, having an external contour of a shape different from a square or a rectangle (Figs. 2 and 5-8).
Regarding claim 9, Thiel discloses that the modules are arranged so as to define, via their openings, at least two gas circulation paths (upper chambers via port 17 and lower chambers viar port 16 of each module jointly connected, paragraph [0025]) in the gripper head, which are independent from each other.
Regarding claim 10, Thiel discloses that the modules 4,6,7 are arranged so as to define, via their openings, at least one gas circulation path (from 16 or 17) in the gripper head, which comprises at least one baffle (walls of modules 4,6,7 that define the upper or lower chambers, paragraph [0025]).
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, 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.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Thiel, as applied to claim 1 above. Thiel discloses all of the claimed subject matter except that the modules are shaped, so as to each have at least one large side and one small side, the modules being able to be contiguous by their small sides, one through its small side and the other, through its large side.
Since the applicant has not disclosed that having long sides and small sides solves any stated problem or is for any particular purpose above the fact that a different shape is provided and it appears that the modules of Thiel would perform equally well with long sides and small sides as claimed by applicant, it would have been an obvious matter of engineering expedience to further modify module shape of Thiel such that each have at least one large side and one small side, the modules being able to be contiguous by their small sides, one through its small side and the other, through its large side as claimed.
Claims 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Thiel, as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Lee et al. (20180326561). Thiel discloses all of the claimed subject matter except for at least one lower plate, extending under at least two modules, by being fixed to each of said two modules, or at least one base arranged under at least one of the modules and intended to be in contact with a product to be raised, wherein the base is arranged under at least two modules.
Lee et al. teaches for at least two modules 122 and that there is (claim 11) at least one lower plate 128, extending under at least two modules 122, by being fixed to each of said two modules, or (claim 12) at least one base 128 arranged under at least one of the modules 122 and intended to be in contact with a product 108 to be raised, wherein (claim 13) the base 128 is arranged under at least two modules 122 for the purposes of aligning the modules in a single plane to apply the suction force to the product.
Since Thiel and Lee et al. are both in the same field of endeavor the purpose disclosed by Lee et al. would have been recognized in the pertinent art of Thiel. It would have been obvious at a time before the invention was effectively filed to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the suction gripper head of Thiel to include at least one lower plate, extending under at least two modules, by being fixed to each of said two modules, or at least one base arranged under at least one of the modules and intended to be in contact with a product to be raised, wherein the base is arranged under at least two modules for the purposes of aligning the modules in a single plane to apply the suction force to the product.
Prior Art
Prior art made of record but not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure for showing other suction gripper heads with at least two modules.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communication from the examiner should be directed to Thomas Lazo whose telephone number is (571) 272-4818. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor Nathaniel Wiehe, can be reached on (571) 272-8648. The fax phone number for this Group is (571) 273-8300.
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/THOMAS E LAZO/Primary Examiner,
Art Unit 3745
June 24, 2026
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