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
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on December 18th, 2025 has been entered.
By the amendment claims 4,6-15, 17-20 and 23-27 are pending with claims 4 and 17 being amended, claims 24-27 being added and claims 1-2 and 21-22 being newly canceled.
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.
Claims 10, 20 and 23 are 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 10 is rendered indefinite for reciting “one end effector tip…retracts…while a position of another end effector tip of the two end effector tips relative to the end effector device is maintained.” Claim 4 recites “such that one end effector tip of the two end effector tips retracts by a greater amount than another end effector tip of the two end effector tips.” It is unclear how both end effector tips retract while one does not move.
Claim 20 is rendered indefinite for reciting “wherein applying the vacuum force retracts the first end effector tip toward the surface while maintaining a position of the second end effector tip.” Claim 17 recites “such that the first end effector tip retracts by a greater amount than the second end effector tip to impart a curvature to the item.” It is unclear how both end effector tips retract while one does not move.
Claim 23 is rendered indefinite for reciting “wherein the two end effector tips are configured to retract asymmetrically such that while the item adheres to both end effector tips, a side of the item adhered to one of the two end effector tips retracts without moving another side of the item adhered to another of the two end effector tips.” Claim 4 recites “such that one end effector tip of the two end effector tips retracts by a greater amount than another end effector tip of the two end effector tips.” It is unclear how both end effector tips retract while one does not move.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4,6-9, 11-15, 17-19 and 24-27 are allowable.
Independent claims 4, 17 and 24 are allowable for disclosing “one end effector tip of the two end effector tips retracts by a greater amount than another end effector tip of the two end effector tips”
The closest prior art of Eliot (US 5989386 discloses an end effector device (Abstract), comprising: two end effector tips (26) configured to contact an item (Fig. 1), apply a vacuum force to the item that temporarily adheres the item to both end effector tips (Col. 2, L59-61).
Although independently controlled end effectors are known in the art. There is no teaching or suggestion in the prior art that would render it obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have the end effectors retract in the manner recited.
Claims 6-9, 11-15, 18-19 and 25-27 are allowable by virtue of their dependencies.
Conclusion
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/J.L.B./Examiner, Art Unit 3653
/MICHAEL MCCULLOUGH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3653