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 § 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) 1-8 and 12-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lopez U.S. Patent No. 8,783,439.
Claim 1, Lopez teaches a cap feeder 1 for supplying caps 2; the cap feeder Fig. 1 comprising: a cap track 17 defining a cap pathway along which the caps 2 move, one after another C12 L19-21; a cap orientation detector 60 arranged to be contacted by the caps 2 as the caps 2 move along the cap pathway 17, the cap orientation detector 60 configured to detect when one cap 2 of the caps 2 is in a first orientation and is arranged to stop said one cap 2 in the first orientation from continuing to move along the cap pathway 17 C18 L50-67; C19 L1-15.
Claim 2, Lopez teaches the cap orientation detector 60 is configured to permit one cap 2 of the caps 2 in a second orientation to continue to move along the cap pathway 17, past the cap orientation detector 60 Abstract.
Claim 3, Lopez teaches the cap orientation detector 60 is arranged relative to the cap pathway 17 in such a way that: said one cap 2 in the first orientation is oriented so that a mouth of said one cap 2 in the first orientation faces away from the cap orientation detector 60 when said one cap 2 in the first orientation contacts the cap orientation detector 60; and said one cap 60 in the second orientation is oriented so that a mouth of said one cap 60 in the second orientation faces toward the cap orientation detector 60 when said one cap in the second orientation contacts the cap orientation detector 60 (being ejected) C18 L50-67; C19 L1-15.
Claim 4, Lopez teaches the cap orientation detector 60 is configured to rotate about an axis of rotation of 51 C18 L24-30.
Claim 5, Lopez teaches the cap orientation detector 60 is freely rotatable about the axis of rotation of 51 C18 L24-30.
Claim 6, Lopez teaches the cap orientation detector 60 includes a bearing 71,72 C21 L20-26 Fig. 25.
Claim 7, Lopez teaches the cap orientation detector 60 is supported by the cap track 17 Fig. 17 C22 L29-35.
Claim 8, Lopez teaches the cap track 17 includes a cap opening sized via 50 and shaped to permit a cap 2 of the plurality of caps 2 to pass through the cap opening via 50, the cap opening 50 being proximate to the cap orientation detector 60 and arranged to permit said one cap 2 in the first orientation to leave the cap pathway 17.
Claim 12, Lopez teaches a cap ejector 63 configured to eject said one cap 2 in the first orientation from the cap pathway 17 C18 L59-67.
Claim 13, Lopez teaches a first cap sensor 57 arranged to detect the presence of at least one cap 2 at a location downstream of the cap orientation detector 60 and a second cap sensor 60 arranged to detect the presence of at least one cap 2 at a location at or upstream of the cap orientation detector 60 C19 L10-15.
Claim 14, Lopez teaches at least one cap guide 33 configured to reduce a thickness of the cap pathway 17 to conform the cap pathway 17 to different sizes of caps 2 C14 L59-67.
Claim 15, Lopez teaches the at least one cap guide 33 is a detector cap guide 28 supported by the cap track 17, the detector cap guide 28 including a cap guide surface 32 disposed along the cap pathway 17 opposite the cap orientation detector 60, wherein the cap guide surface 32 is arranged such that the caps 2 move along the cap guide surface 32 as the caps 2 move past the cap orientation detector 28 C14 L59-67.
Claim 16 Lopez teaches the at least one cap guide 32 is an alignment cap guide 18 supported by the cap track 17, the alignment cap guide 18 being disposed along the cap pathway 17 at an outlet of the cap track 17 and arranged to guide the caps 2 as the caps 2 move through the outlet of 18 C12 L15-30.
Claim 17, Lopez teaches a cap feeder Fig. 1 for supplying caps 2; the cap feeder Fig. 1 comprising: a cap track 17 defining a cap pathway along which the caps 2 move, one after another; a cap orientation detector 6 including a plurality of lobes 60 arranged to be contacted by the caps 2 as the caps 2 move along the cap pathway 17, the lobes 60 configured to detect when one cap 2 of the caps 2 is in a first orientation, the cap orientation detector 6 arranged along a centerline of the cap pathway 17 Fig. 1.
Claim 18, Lopez teaches the plurality of lobes 60 is configured such that there is always one lobe of the plurality of lobes 60 arranged to be contacted by the caps 2 as the caps 2 move along the cap pathway 17.
Claim 19, Lopez teaches each lobe of the plurality of lobes 60 is sized and shaped to be able to extend into mouths of the caps 2 Fig. 17.
Claim 20, Lopez teaches each lobe of the plurality of lobes 60 has a rounded end Fig. 19.
Claim 21, Lopez teaches each lobe of the plurality of lobes 60 is sized and shaped to not extend through the cap pathway 17 Fig. 17.
Claim 22, Lopez teaches each lobe of the plurality of lobes 60 is configured to jam said one cap 2 in the first orientation in the cap track 17.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-11 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAVEL SINGH whose telephone number is (571)272-2362. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8am-6pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gene Crawford can be reached at (571) 272-6911. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KAVEL SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651
KS