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) 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hanselman U.S. Patent No. 9,394,117.
Claim 1, Hanselman teaches a storage table 1 of a packaging plant Abstract, comprising: at least one infeed 14; at least one outfeed 13; at least two storage lines 12 that are loadable separately from one another and are arranged between the at least one infeed 14 and the at least one outfeed 13 C6 L50-67; wherein the at least one infeed 14 includes a loading means 10 having a conveyor channel (between 2 and 3) Fig. 2, the loading means 10 having the conveyor channel (between 2 and 3) Fig. 2 is designed to receive packages P from a conveyor apparatus 14 arranged upstream of the storage table 1 and to convey the packages P onwards and deflect the packages P so the packages P are received in at least one of the two storage lines 12 C7 L10-25, the loading means 10 being adaptable such that one or more of a width or a height of the conveyor channel (between 2 and 3) Fig. 2 is adjustable at least in certain areas or sections C5 L30-50.
Claim 2, Hanselman teaches the loading means 10 of the at least one infeed 14 is realized as a linearly operated satellite Fig. 1, which is movable transversely and perpendicularly to the at least two storage lines 12 C5 L30-50.
Claim 3, Hanselman teaches the loading means 10 of the at least one infeed 14 is a linearly operated deflector of 2,3, which is movable transversely and perpendicularly (along the curve of 10) to the at least two storage lines 12 and which is designed to deflect the packages P along a conveying or transport direction TD,TT, starting from the conveyor apparatus 14 arranged upstream of the storage table 1, so that the packages P are moved to a specific, predetermined or determinable storage line 12 of the at least two storage lines 12 C6 L50-67.
Claims 4 and 13, Hanselman teaches the conveyor channel (between 2 and 3) Fig. 2 of the at least one infeed 14 includes two side areas of 2,3 arranged opposite one another and defining a conveying or transport direction TD,TT, wherein at least one of the two side areas of 2,3 arranged opposite one another is segmentally designed and includes guide sections 2,3 adjacent to one another Fig. 2, wherein at least one of the guide sections 2,3 is one or more of movable or adjustable perpendicularly to the conveying or transport direction TD.TT predefined by the conveyor channel (between 2 and 3) Fig. 2 as needed for adjusting the width of the conveyor channel (between 2 and 3) Fig. 2 at least in certain areas or sections C5 L30-50.
Claim 5, Hanselman teaches at least one drive 16,17 is assigned to the guide sections 2,3, the at least one drive 14,17 being a manually operable or electro-motorically operable drive, the at least one drive 16,17 and which is designed to one or more of move or adjust the at least one guide section 2,3 assigned to the at least one drive 16,17 perpendicularly to the conveying or transport direction TD,TT predefined by the conveyor channel (between 2 and 3) Fig. 2 as needed C6 L20-35.
Claim 6, Hanselman teaches the at least one drive 16,17 includes a synchronization apparatus mechanically designed to transfer one or more of a movement or an adjustment of one of the guide sections 2,3 caused by the at least one drive to another of the guide sections 2,3 C6 L20-35.
Claim 7, Hanselman teaches the at least one outfeed 13 includes a removal means 11 having a conveyor channel (between 4 and 5) Fig. 1, the removal means 11 having the conveyor channel (between 4 and 5) Fig. 1 is designed to receive the packages P received in one of the at least two storage lines 12 and to convey the packages P onwards to deflect the packages P so that the packages P are received by a conveyor apparatus 13 arranged downstream of the storage table 1, wherein the removal means 11 is designed to be adaptable as needed in such a way that one or more of a width or a height of the conveyor channel (between 4 and 5) Fig. 1 is adjustable at least in certain areas or sections C5 L30-50.
Claim 8, Hanselman teaches the removal means 11 of the at least one outfeed 13 is a linearly operated satellite Fig. 1, which is movable transversely and perpendicularly to the at least two storage lines 12.
Claim 9, Hanselman teaches the removal means 11 of the at least one outfeed 13 is a linearly operated deflector Fig. 1, which is movable transversely and perpendicularly to the at least two storage lines 12 and which is designed to deflect the packages P along their conveying or transport direction TD,TT, starting from a conveyor apparatus 13 assigned to the at least two storage lines 12, so that the packages P are moved to the conveyor apparatus 13 arranged downstream of the storage table 1 Fig. 1.
Claim 10, Hanselman teaches the conveyor channel (between 4 and 5) Fig. 1 of the at least one outfeed 13 includes two side areas of 4,5 arranged opposite one another and defining a conveying or transport direction TD,TT, wherein at least one of the two side areas of 4,5 arranged opposite one another is segmentally designed and includes guide sections 4,5 adjacent to one another Fig. 1, wherein at least one of the guide sections 4,5 is one or more of movable or adjustable perpendicularly to the conveying or transport direction TD,TT predefined by the conveyor channel (between 4 and 5) Fig. 1 as needed for adjusting the width of the conveyor channel (between 4 and 5) Fig. 1 at least in certain areas or sections C5 L30-50.
Claims 11 and 14, Hanselman teaches a conveyor apparatus 12,13,14 having at least one circulating conveyor belt or having at least one preferably circulating conveyor chain is assigned to the conveyor channel (between 2 and 3; between 4 and 5) Fig. 1, wherein the conveyor belt or conveyor chain is aligned at least substantially vertically and extends over the guide sections adjacent to one another in a guided manner along at least one of the two side areas of 2,3 and of 4,5 arranged opposite one another C4 L50-67; C5 L1-11.
Claim 12, Hanselman teaches a device 1 for in- or out-feeding packages P into a storage line 12 or out of the storage line 12 of the storage table 1 Abstract, according to claim 1, wherein the device 1 includes a linearly operated satellite or deflector 2,3, that is transversely and perpendicularly movable to the storage line 12 of the storage table 1, wherein the satellite or deflector 2,3 includes a conveyor channel (between 2 and 3) Fig. 2 via which the packages P are conveyable to or from the storage line 2, wherein the satellite or deflector 2,3 is designed to be adaptable as needed in such a way that one or more of the width or the height of the conveyor channel (between 2 and 3) Fig. 2 is adjustable at least in the certain areas or sections C5 L30-50.
Claim 15, Hanselman teaches the conveyor channel (between 2 and 3; between 4 and 5) Fig. 1 is curved in such a way that a conveying or transport direction TD,TT of the packages P is deflected as the packages P move through the conveyor channel (between 2 and 3; between 4 and 5) Fig. 1, wherein the device 1 includes an outer concave conveying side and an inner convex conveying side 2,3,4,5 Fig. 1, wherein the conveyor channel (between 2 and 3; between 4 and 5) Fig. 1 is formed at least in certain areas between the outer concave conveying side and the inner convex conveying side 2,3,4,5 Fig. 1, wherein one or more of the outer concave conveying side or the inner convex conveying side 2,3,4,5 Fig. 1 includes the guide sections of 2,3,4,5, which are radially adjustable with regard to the direction of movement of the packages through the conveyor channel C5 L30-50.
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
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