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 § 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) 1-6 and 9-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morimoto et al. US 2012/0305364 in view of Wang et al. US 2007/0198333.
Morimoto discloses a transport system comprising:
(Re claim 1) “a plurality of transport vehicles each configured to transport an article” (3 figure 1,2). “a traveling track on which the transport vehicles travel” (S1,S2 figure 1). “a loading portion on which the article is placed” (1,31 figure 1). “a controller to control the transport vehicles” (para 0040). “the traveling track includes a plurality of intra-section tracks and a connecting track connecting the intra-section tracks” (S1,S2 figure 1). “each of the intra-section tracks includes an entrance area for entering the intra-section track and an exit area for exiting the intra-section track” (S1 figure 1). “the loading portion includes: a first loading portion being the loading portion onto and from which the transport vehicle present on a first intra-section track of the intra-section tracks is able to transfer the article” (1 figure 1). “a second loading portion being the loading portion onto and from which the transport vehicle present on the first intra-section track is able to transfer the article and also onto and from which the transport vehicle present on a second intra-section track of the intra-section tracks is able to transfer the article” (31 figure 1). “in a case-in which the article is to be transported from the first loading portion or the article is to be transported to the first loading portion, … the controller causes the transport vehicles to perform transport for transporting the article from the first loading portion via the second loading portion or transport for transporting the article to the first loading portion via the second loading portion” (3,4,31,D1,D2 figure 2).
Morimoto does not disclose taking into account traffic restrictions.
Wang teaches at time of traffic restriction in which traffic restriction of a predetermined level or more is occurring in at least one of the entrance area and the exit area of the first intra-section track (figure 3).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify the system of Morimoto to take into account traffic restrictions when determining how to transfer an article to optimize transfer time.
(Re claim 2) “at the time of traffic restriction in the case in which the article is to be transported from the first loading portion or the article is to be transported to the first loading portion, the controller divides and assigns, to the transport vehicles, a transport instruction to transport the article from the first loading portion via the second loading portion or a transport instruction to transport the article to the first loading portion via the second loading portion” (3,4,31,D1,D2 figure 2).
(Re claim 3) “at the time of traffic restriction in the case in which the article is to be transported from the first loading portion, the controller assigns a transport instruction to transport the article from the first loading portion to the second loading portion to the transport vehicle present on the first intra-section track, and also assigns a transport instruction to transport the article from the second loading portion to the transport vehicle present on a track other than the first intra-section track” (3,4,31,D1,D2 figure 2).
(Re claim 4) “at the time of traffic restriction in the case-in which the article is to be transported to the first loading portion, the controller assigns a transport instruction to transport the article to the second loading portion to the transport vehicle present on a track other than the first intra-section track, and also assigns a transport instruction to transport the article from the second loading portion to the first loading portion to the transport vehicle present on the first intra-section track” (3,4,31,D1,D2 figure 2).
(Re claim 5) “the intra-section tracks are disposed side by side in one direction, and the first intra-section track and the second intra-section track are adjacent to each other” (S2 figure 1).
(Re claim 6) “each transport vehicle includes a transfer device including: an article holding unit configured to hold the article; a lifting drive unit configured to raise and lower the article holding unit; and a lateral feed mechanism configured to slide and move the lifting drive unit in a horizontal direction, and transfers the article onto and from the second loading portion by causing the lateral feed mechanism to slide and move the lifting drive unit and the article holding unit” (7,8,15,16 figure 4).
(Re claim 9) “the loading portion includes a third loading portion being the loading portion onto and from which the transport vehicle present on the second intra-section track is able to transfer the article and also onto and from which the transport vehicle present on a third intra-section track of the intra-section tracks is able to transfer the article, and in the case-in which the article is to be transported from the first loading portion or the article is to be transported to the first loading portion, when traffic restriction of a predetermined level or more is further occurring in at least one of the entrance area and the exit area of the second intra-section track at the time of traffic restriction, the controller causes the transport vehicles to perform transport for transporting the article from the first loading portion via the second loading portion and the third loading portion or transport for transporting the article to the first loading portion via the second loading portion and the third loading portion” (S1, 31 figure 1). Figure 1 shows three bays with each adjacent tracks having a loading portion in between, further tracks and loading portions would be mere duplication of parts.
(Re claim 10) “at the time of traffic restriction in the case in which the article is to be transported from the first loading portion or the article is to be transported to the first loading portion, the controller performs an entry/exit restriction process of restricting entry and exit of the transport vehicles into and from the first intra-section track such that the number of the transport vehicles present on the first intra-section track becomes closer to a predetermined number set in advance and, after performing the entry/exit restriction process, causes the transport vehicles to perform the transport for transporting the article from the first loading portion via the second loading portion or the transport for transporting the article to the first loading portion via the second loading portion” (3,4,31,D1,D2 figure 2).
(Re claim 11) “the first intra-section track includes a delivery track disposed extending to be closer to the second intra-section track in plan view, the second intra-section track includes a delivery track disposed extending to be closer to the first intra-section track in plan view, and the second loading portion is the loading portion onto and from which the transport vehicle present on the delivery track of the first intra-section track is able to transfer the article and also onto and from which the transport vehicle present on the delivery track of the second intra-section track is able to transfer the article” (S1, 31 figure 1). The track shown in Morimoto is a loop and parts of the loop are closer to the second loading portion than other sections of track.
Claim(s) 7 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morimoto/Wang in view of Ogo et al. US 2021/0162850.
Morimoto/Wang discloses the system as rejected above.
(Re claim 7) Morimoto/Wang does not disclose that the traveling track is a grid-patterned track.
Ogo teaches that the traveling track is a grid-patterned track (figure 1).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify the system of Morimoto/Wang to include that the traveling track is a grid-patterned track because it allows greater flexibility in travel paths and positioning of loading portions.
(Re claim 8) “the entrance area corresponds to a grid cell in the first intra-section track that is passed through when the first intra-section track is entered, the exit area corresponds to a grid cell in the first intra-section track that is passed through when the first intra-section track is exited, and the controller determines a level of traffic restriction based on a ratio of the number of available grid cells corresponding to the entrance area to the number of all grid cells corresponding to the entrance area and a ratio of the number of available grid cells corresponding to the exit area to the number of all grid cells corresponding to the exit area” As modified above The entrances and exits of Morimoto/Wang would be part of the grid-patterned track and determination of traffic would also take into account the grid-patterned track.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 2020/0251366 discloses a loading portion positioned between two tracks to enable transfer of articles.
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TIMOTHY R. WAGGONER
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3655 B
/TIMOTHY R WAGGONER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
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