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) 26-30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Velagapudi (US 2022/0297942) in view of Wang et al. (US 2022/0363479).
Regarding claim 24, Wang teaches a warehousing system, comprising:
a goods shelf, 100, configured to storing containers, a lowest floor of the goods shelf comprising a temporary storage position, 120, and a two-way transport channel, 142 and 143, adjacent to the temporary storage position, and the temporary storage position being provided with shelf teeth, see figures 4 and 9 and CN ‘908 specification, reproduced below:
In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the temporary storage plate comprises a plurality of temporary storage plate, each temporary storage plate is provided with a fork groove, the first robot channel comprises a third driving channel 143, the third driving channel is located between 143 at least two temporary storage plates. Thus, the first robot 200 can pass through the shelf from the third driving channel 143, improving the driving efficiency.
In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the first robot channel comprises a fourth driving channel 144, the fourth driving channel 144 located between the two adjacent shelf 100, and connected with two third driving channel 143 or two second driving channel 142. Thus, the first robot 200 through the third travel passage 143 passes through the shelf 100 along the fourth travel passage 144 travel to the adjacent shelf 100, shortens the travel distance of the first robot 200, improves the conveying efficiency of the cargo.; and
a transfer robot, 200, configured to perform at least one of the following actions: taking a container from the temporary storage position, placing the container into the temporary storage position, and traveling in the two-way transport channel when loaded or unloaded, see CN ‘908 specification, reproduced below:
The storage device 1000 according to the embodiment of the invention, because the temporary storage plate 120 provides for the first robot 200 of the fork arm 210 of the fork groove 121, so that the first robot 200 of the fork arm 210 can directly fork into the temporary storage plate 120 of the fork groove 121; so that the first robot 200 can directly access the goods on the temporary storage plate 120, avoiding the mechanical arm extending to the shelf 100 operation, improving the efficiency of storing goods; In addition, the temporary storage layer 120 can temporarily store the goods, storage layer 130 provides storage position can be stored for a long time of the goods, convenient for the temporary storage layer 120 and storage layer 130 for matching to improve the warehousing efficiency of the goods; Further, the first respectively channel and the second robot channel can avoid the first robot 200 and the second robot 300 common driving channel, which can improve the driving efficiency of the first robot 200 and the second robot 300, so as to improve the warehousing efficiency.
In one embodiment, the first robot channel may include the access channel 140, the access channel 140 is located below the temporary storage plate 120, when the first robot 200 is located in the access channel 140, the fork 121 and the first robot 200 on the fork arm 210 to access the goods,
wherein the goods shelf comprises at least two floors and at least four rows of goods stations on each floor, shown in figure 3, two rows of goods stations at both ends of the lowest floor of the goods shelf are configured as temporary storage positions, and other middles space in the lowest floor of the goods shelf except the two rows of temporary storage positions is configured as the two-way transport channel, the two-way transport channel includes at least one first channel and at least one second channel, 144 and 143, figure 9 shows a view which shows first and second channel located in the middle of the lowest floor and flanked by temporary storage spaces on both ends. Under the BRI, the claims does not require that the channels are located in the exact middle or next to each other, as shown in the reproduced figure, nor does it preclude more than one temporary storage space flanking the channels, therefore the CN ‘908 reads on this claimed feature,
wherein the transfer robot comprises:
a robot body, 200, configured to move; and
a carrying device arranged at a top of the robot body;
wherein the carrying device comprises:
a bottom plate, underside of 38; and
a support layer configured to bear an object and comprising a plurality of protrusions, 210, arranged on a first side of the bottom plate and protruding from the first side of the bottom plate along a height direction, wherein the plurality of protrusions are arranged at intervals along a first direction, so that shelf teeth of a warehousing device are configured to enter the support layer, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the height direction, see figure 7, CN ‘908 specification reproduced below,
In one example, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 7, under the condition of storing the goods, the first robot 200 from the temporary storage plate 120 of fork groove side the fork arm 210 aligned fork groove 121 and running to the access channel 140, the fork arm 210 directly fork into the fork groove 121; so that the goods on the temporary storage plate 120, and then the fork arm 210 is reduced so that the container left on the temporary storage layer 120; under the condition of taking goods, the first robot 200 running to the access channel 140, the fork arm 210 is aligned to the fork groove 121 and the fork arm 210 rises to top the container from the lower part of the temporary storage plate 120; then away from the temporary storage layer plate 120 of the fork side direction of travel to leave the access channel 140 to take the packing box. In this way, the first robot 200 can directly carry out the goods under the condition of not stopping driving or short stopping driving, saves the control mechanical arm extends to the operation of the layer plate, can improve the efficiency of the storage container, and access acquisition under the temporary storage plate 120, can effectively use the space of the shelf 100.
wherein a side of the bottom plate facing away the first side faces the robot body, see figure 7.
Regarding claim 25, Wang teaches the temporary storage position is higher than the ground, and a height gap between the temporary storage position and the ground is configured as an additional transport channel, so that the transfer robot is configured to travel in the additional transport channel and move to be below the temporary storage position when unloaded, see figure 2, which shows the unloaded robot, 200 , at a height lower than the temporary storage position.
Regarding claim 27, Wang et al. teaches the goods shelf comprises four rows of goods stations on each floor, see figure 9, the goods shelf comprises two end rows and two middle rows located between the two end rows, see figure 9. Wang et al. teaches a two-way transport channel is located in a spatial position on one of the end rows, see figure 9, Wang et al. further teaches multiple two-way transport channels,143, and 144, see figure 9, of the two middle rows in the lowest floor of the goods shelf. Figure 9 shows a view which shows first and second channel located in the middle of the lowest floor and flanked by temporary storage spaces on both ends. Under the BRI, the claims does not require that there are only four rows of goods, there can be more, and that the channels are located in the exact middle or next to each other, nor does it preclude more than one temporary storage space flanking the channels, therefore the CN ‘908 reads on this claimed feature.
Regarding claim 28, Wang et al. teaches other goods positions in the goods shelf except the temporary storage positions are storage positions, see figure 1, 2 and 5.
Regarding claim 29, Wang et al. teaches a laneway, 310, is arranged between adjacent goods shelves, and the warehousing system further comprises a high- floor working robot, 300, and the high-floor working robot is configured to travel in the laneway, see figures 1, 2, and 9.
Regarding claim 30, Wang et al. teaches the high- floor working robot has a container taking and placing device, the container taking and placing device is configured to perform at least one of the following actions: taking the container from a storage position and placing the container on the temporary storage position, and taking the container from the temporary storage position and placing the container on the storage position, see paragraph 0080.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 3, 4, 10, 13, 15, 16, and 18 are allowed.
In light of the applicant’s amendment to independent claims 1 and 18, the claims are allowed over the prior art.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 1 September 2026 with respect to claims 24, 25, 27-30 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that Wang discloses only one channel and that the channel in not a two-way driving channel. As pointed out in the detailed rejection above, Wang teaches two channels, 143 and 144, arranged in the middle of the shelf as claimed, that allows the robot to pass through the shelf to shorten the driving distance. These channels, 143 and 144, read on the transport channels of the claimed invention.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAITLIN S JOERGER whose telephone number is (571)272-6938. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-5 (CST).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ernesto Suarez can be reached at (571)270-5565. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KAITLIN S JOERGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
6 October 2026
