DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to the following communications: Application filed on August 29, 2024.
Claims 1-20 are presented for Examination. Claim 1 is independent.
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 of this title, 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.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over US11831182 (hereinafter "Huang") in view of US 20170267456 A1 (hereinafter "Itoh").
Regarding Independent Claim 1, Huang teaches that a method for operating a linear electric drive conveyor (Fig.1 and Col. 7, lines 5-25: track 14 with driver coils 18 functioning as a linear electric motor stator) having multiple electromagnetically and independently movable moving devices (Huang, Col. 7, lines 11-25: independent movers 16 with permanent magnets 20 interacting with coils 18 to move independently) which are combined into multiple groups (Itoh, [0143]-[0158]: movable engaging members 27a, 27b operating and coupled together as coordinated groups),
wherein the multiple moving devices are movable in each group in order to jointly transport a transport item which is preferably clamped between them or jointly held (Itoh, [0143]-[0158]: movable side conveyor elements engaged by the grouped engaging members 27a, 27b to jointly support and transport article W; Huang, Col. 6, lines 45-47: utilizing clamps for holding products on the movers),
wherein the method comprises:
creating a virtual movement path for each model object in a virtual model that represents the linear electric drive conveyor (Huang, Col. 7, lines 43-46 & Col. 8, lines 1-10: central controller 42 and track controllers 26 holding operating programs that define precise programmable "motion profiles" for the movers along the track),
wherein in the virtual model each group is represented by a model object and the created virtual movement paths each indicate a time-dependent position progression of the respective model object along a static part of the virtual model (Huang, Col. 8, lines 1-10: motion profiles define dynamic, time-dependent destinations and movement speeds for tracked items along the static track 14; Itoh, [0143]-[0158]: standard multi-agent control logic inherently treats grouped mechanical members operating together, such as engaging members 27a, 27b, as a single functional entity or "model object" to prevent collisions and ensure synchronized progression),and
controlling the linear electric drive conveyor in order to move a first moving device and a second moving device, per group, along a static part of the linear electric drive conveyor according to, preferably coupled or comoving with, the virtual movement path of the model object that represents the respective group (Huang, Col. 7, lines 37-45: track controllers 26 sequencing electrical switches 28 to energize driver coils 18, thereby moving the movers 16 along the track 14 precisely according to the programmed motion profiles; Itoh, [0140]-[0143]: moving multiple engaging members integrally and synchronously to the downstream side so they co-move together).
Huang discloses an independent cart technology (ICT) system where individual movers are electromagnetically driven along a track based on programmable motion profiles. While Huang discloses independent control of each cart, it does not explicitly detail coordinating multiple distinct carts into functional groups to jointly hold and transport a single item.
However, Itoh teaches a conveyor system that utilizes coordinated groups of moving elements (Fig. 13, engaging members 27a, 27b) to jointly support, stabilize, and convey a single article (Itoh, [0143]-[0158]). Itoh explicitly provides the motivation for this grouped design, stating that it ensures the conveying surface "is not distorted or lowered" when supporting an article (Itoh, [0016]) and allows the path to be dynamically "widely provided" so that "a larger work vehicle or the like can be made to pass" (Itoh, [0166]) securely without dropping the transport item.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the programmable independent cart system of Huang to coordinate multiple movers into functional, jointly-moving groups (using a shared virtual motion profile/model object) as taught by Itoh. The motivation for this modification would be to safely accommodate transport items that exceed the physical dimensions or weight capacity of a single cart, thereby preventing conveying surface distortion (Itoh, [0016]) and ensuring safe, stable joint transport of varying and larger article dimensions (Itoh, [0158], [0166]) within the highly flexible linear motor system taught by Huang.
Regarding claim 2, Huang fail to teach but Itoh teaches that wherein at least one of: the linear electric drive conveyor is controlled in such a way that the first moving device for each group moves synchronously, preferably in advance, at least temporarily at a first distance from the virtual movement path of the model object representing the respective group; and the linear electric drive conveyor is controlled in such a way that the second moving device for each group moves synchronously, preferably follows, at least temporarily at a second distance from the virtual movement path of the model object representing the respective group (Fig.7, [0130], [0134]: upstream and downstream engaging members acting sequentially as advancing and following devices in the movement direction).
Regarding claim 3,Huang teaches that specifying at least one of the first distance and the second distance preferably by means of via a user interface (Col. 7, lines 44-46: precise motion profiles acting as software terminal boundaries to prevent collisions; Itoh, [0111]: physical blocking members 20, 21 preventing members from falling off the housing, thus establishing a terminal position).
Regarding claim 4, Huang fail to teach but Itoh teaches that at least one of the first distance and the second distance is specified depending on a size of the transport item (Itoh, [0149], [0166]: adjusting spatial configurations and path formations to accommodate widely varying sizes of article W, ensuring the distance matches the larger transport item).
Regarding claim 5, Huang teaches that selecting the transport item from a selection of transport items of different sizes, wherein at least one of the first distance and/or the second distance is specified depending on a size of the selected transport item (Col. 6, lines 35-40: sensing and handling different types of products; Itoh, [0158]: system adapting to handle articles W of varying dimensions).
Regarding claim 6, Huang teaches that changing at least one of the first distance and/or the second distance when at least one of changing the transport item format and, preferably when changing the container format (Col. 8, lines 1-10: controllers dynamically updating motion profiles on the fly; Itoh, [0149], [0166]: dynamically changing the distance and posture of movable sections based on the format/size of the item passing).
Regarding claims 7-9, Claims recite wherein: the temporary overriding of at least one of the first distance and of the second distance is dependent on a variable parameter value, of the model object that represents the respective group (Huang, Col. 8, lines 1-10: overriding previous motion profiles using dynamic controller commands; Itoh, [0134]-[0135]: utilizing cam mechanisms to temporarily lift and alter the relative distance/posture between moving components, fixing one height parameter while altering the other to effect relative movement).
Regarding claim 10, Huang teaches that wherein: the linear electric drive conveyor is controlled in such a way that the first moving device and the second moving device , per group , move along the static part of the linear electric drive conveyor (46) at least temporarily while performing a relative movement to one another for at least one of clamping, holding and releasing the transport item with the virtual movement path of the model object that represents the respective group (Col. 7, lines 5-25: the independent nature of the coils 18 and movers 16 provides for programmatic variations in relative positioning between any movers in the group during transport).
Regarding claim 11, Huang teaches that controlling the linear electric drive conveyor in order to move a third moving device, per group, along a static part of the linear electric drive conveyor according to, the virtual movement path of the model object that represents the respective group (Col. 7, lines 5-25: providing an indefinitely scalable number of movers 16 on the track that can be programmatically grouped).
Regarding claim 12, Huang teaches that wherein: the virtual movement path has, for each model object, a path section which extends from a transport item takeover point for taking over the transport item to a transport item transfer point for transferring the transport item (Col. 6, lines 32-42: defining physical loading stations (takeover points) and unloading stations (transfer points) mapped on the track system; Itoh, [0053]: path section from upstream conveyor 2 to downstream conveyor 3).
Regarding claim 13, Huang teaches that wherein: the linear electric drive conveyor includes one of a long-stator linear drive conveyor, a short-stator linear drive conveyor, and a planar linear drive conveyor (Col. 7, lines 11-12: explicitly teaching the driver coils 18 on the track segments provide a "stator of a linear motor").
Regarding Claim 14, Huang teaches that wherein the linear electric drive conveyor comprises :multiple electromagnetically and independently movable moving devices which are combined into multiple groups , wherein the multiple moving devices are movable in each group in order to jointly transport a transport item which is one of clamped between them or and jointly held; and control unit configured to carry out a method according to any of the preceding claim 1 (Col. 7, lines 5-25 & Col. 8, lines 1-10: physically disclosing the linear track 14, independent movers 16, and control units 26/42; Itoh, [0143]-[0158]: teaching the configuration of these elements into groups. The apparatus is rendered obvious by the same combination and motivation detailed for Claim 1, as the physical structures to execute the method are present in the combined prior art).
Claims 15-20: These claims recite apparatus equivalents of the method limitations found in claims 2-13. They are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 for the exact same reasons, and based on the exact same prior art citations mapped to their corresponding method claims 2-13 detailed above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MUHAMMAD S ISLAM whose telephone number is (571)272-8439. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30am to 6:00pm.
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/MUHAMMAD S ISLAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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