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 § 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 7 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.
In Claim 7, the term “preferably” renders the claim indefinite, because if something is “preferably” present, it is unclear whether it is, or is not, being positively recited as a required element/aspect of 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 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2021/0170574 to Truelsen (hereinafter “Truelsen”).
-From Claim 1: Truelsen discloses a handling system comprising
a tube lifter with:
a lifting tube 12 having a tube interior;
an end effector 5, in particular a suction gripping device; and
a valve device 13, in particular arranged on or in the lifting tube 12 for controlling flow connections;
a manipulator 2 in particular a robot, for displacing the end effector 5; and
a coupling device 9, 10 for coupling the tube lifter to the manipulator; wherein the coupling device has
a first coupling portion 10 on the tube lifter side and
a second coupling portion 9 on the manipulator side,
wherein the first and second coupling portions 10, 9 can be connected to one another by means of a connecting device (¶0027), in particular in a repeatably releasable manner, wherein the first coupling portion 10 is mounted on the lifting tube so as to be axially displaceable along a control axis (See Fig. 2), wherein the first coupling portion 10 interacts with the valve device 13 in such a way that the valve device 13 can be actuated, in particular controlled, by displacing the first coupling portion 10 along the control axis.
-From Claim 10: Truelsen discloses wherein the end effector 5 is connected to the lifting tube via a connecting rod 11, wherein the first coupling portion 10 is arranged on the connecting rod 11 so as to be displaceable along the control axis (27).
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(s) 2 and 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Truelsen in view of US 2022/0363156 to Zhou (hereinafter “Zhou”).
-From Claims 2 and 3: Truelsen does not disclose wherein the connecting device is designed to be controllable in such a way that it can be selectively activated or deactivated, wherein a controller, in particular manipulator controller, is provided for controlling the connecting device; and wherein the connecting device has at least one electromagnet that can be activated or deactivated as required, in particular such that, in an activated state of the at least one electromagnet, the first and the second coupling portion are connected to one another, and in a deactivated state of the at least one electromagnet, the first and the second coupling portion can be detached from one another without tools.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Truelsen by adding an electromagnet to a coupling device, so as to be controllable in such a way that it can be selectively activated or deactivated, and wherein, in an activated state of the at least one electromagnet, the first and the second coupling portion are connected to one another, and in a deactivated state of the at least one electromagnet, the first and the second coupling portion can be detached from one another without tools as taught by Zhou in order to make the two components easily, and readily disconnectable.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-9 and 11-17 are 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, as the cited references include structures similar to that of the presently claimed invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL J WILEY whose telephone number is (571)270-7324. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm PST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amber Anderson can be reached at 5712705281. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANIEL J WILEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3678 7/30/2026
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