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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because Figure 7G is out of order from the rest of the drawings. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 1, 4, 5, 7, 26 and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being unpatentable by Grosse (US 20180346242 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Grosse teaches an automated storage system for suspended goods comprising:
an autonomous transport vehicle (goods transport device 7 shown in Figures 2 and 4) that is configured for automated movement between a processing location away from the storage area and a predetermined region of the storage area, and that transports GOH items between the processing area and the storage area (described in paragraph 0028-0032);
and an automated storage/retrieval apparatus (storage and removal device 33) that is configured to hold and manipulate a GOH item, and that is configured to place a GOH item transported from the processing area in any of a plurality of designated storage locations of the storage area, and/or to retrieve a GOH item from any of a plurality of designated storage locations in the storage area to be subsequently transported to the processing area (described in paragraph 0052).
Regarding Claim 4, Grosse further teaches wherein the transport vehicle is one of a plurality of transport vehicles that operate simultaneously in the system (described in paragraph 0094 and 0158).
Regarding Claim 5, Grosse further teaches wherein the storage area has multiple vertical levels with designated storage locations on each level (shown in Figure 1, wherein the levels are planes 6) and wherein the system further comprises an elevator that can support the transport vehicle or the storage/retrieval apparatus, and that is configured to move at least one of the transport vehicle and the storage/retrieval apparatus between said vertical levels (wherein the elevator is the lifting device described in paragraph 0158).
Regarding Claim 7, Grosse further teaches a plurality of standardized mounting hooks from which the hangers of the GOH items are suspended, wherein the storage/retrieval apparatus holds the GOH items by the mounting hooks, wherein the mounting hooks are used to suspend GOH items at each of the designated storage locations and/or wherein the mounting hooks are used to suspend GOH items on the transport vehicle (goods receiving carrier 12 shown in Figure 3 described in the abstract).
Regarding Claim 26, Grosse teaches a storage and retrieval apparatus comprising:
a base and a support frame mounted to and extending vertically from the base (wherein the base and support frame make up the goods transport device 7 which rests on 4 wheels 31 and extends at least partially downward from them as shown in Figures 6 and 18);
a head mounted to the support frame, the head being rotatable through a predetermined rotation range relative to the base and being vertically displaceable relative to the base and horizontally displaceable relative to the support frame (traction drive described in paragraph 0123 rotates with a range that extend and retract the rails 58-60 relative to the base, the traction drive can be displaced horizontally and vertically via the goods transport device 7 and lifting device described in paragraph 0158 respectively);
and a picker arm mounted to the head that is extendible along a horizontal plane, the picker arm having a receptacle configured to capture the mounting hook such that the hook and GOH item may be held by the picker arm and displaced by movement of any of the picker arm, the head and the base (wherein the picker arm comprises rails 58-60 and the goods receiving carriers 12 shown in Figures 2, 3 and 5 which hold the hooks of the hangers).
Regarding Claim 27, Grosse further teaches wherein the base is a wheeled base powered by at least one electric motor by which the apparatus can move autonomously within a designated areas (drive unit 32 for wheels 31 comprises electric motor 35 described in paragraph 0111 and 0112).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 28 and 29 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. The closest prior art: the system of Grosse (US 20180346242 A1) does not teach a plurality of blades that extend from the head, the blades being movable relative to each other in a horizontal direction such that the blades may be inserted to either side of a first designated storage location at which the GOH item is located and moved apart from each other so as to displace any GOH items stored in designated storage locations to either side of said first designated storage location prior to placing a GOH item in the first designated storage location or retrieving a GOH item from the first designated storage location.
Claim 30 is 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. The closest prior art: the system of Grosse (US 20180346242 A1) does not teach wherein the support frame is displaceable horizontally relative to the base.
Claim 31 is 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. The closest prior art: the system of Grosse (US 20180346242 A1) does not teach wherein the mounting hook has a horizontal standoff that is received in the receptacle of the picker arm when the picker arm is positioned with the receptacle beneath the standoff and the head is raised vertically.
Claim 32 is 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. The closest prior art: the system of Grosse (US 20180346242 A1) does not teach a camera that moves with the head and enables verification of the presence of a mounting hook to be captured by the picker arm.
Claim 33 is 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. The closest prior art: the system of Grosse (US 20180346242 A1) does not teach wherein the picker arm comprises a proximity sensor that provides a signal output when the sensor makes contact with a surface adjacent to the mounting hook.
Claim 34 is allowed.
None of the prior art discloses or renders obvious an autonomous transport vehicle for use in a storage area in which garment-on-hanger (GOH) items are stored comprising all of the elements of Claim 34. The closest prior art: the system of Grosse (US 20180346242 A1) does not teach “a pair of compression bars attached to the support frame that extend horizontally therefrom such that GOH items suspended from the mounting hook tray are located between the compression bars, the compression bars being horizontally movable relative to each other to compress the GOH items between them and limit any inertial movement thereof during transport.”
Claims 35-39 are allowed due to their dependency on Claim 34.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Klein (US 6558102 B2) for a storage system that transports GOH items on a vehicle and incorporates an elevator for moving it vertically.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MIRAJ T PATEL whose telephone number is (571)272 -9330. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:00.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jacob Scott can be reached on 571-270-3415. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format . For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/M.T.P./Examiner, Art Unit 3655
/JACOB S. SCOTT/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3655
Prosecution Insights