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
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 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) 8-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shimizu JP 2020-70152 A in view of Akeel U.S. Patent No. 5,423,648.
Claim 8, Shimizu teaches a picking device 3 comprising: a rail 52 that extends over a first area P1 and a second area P2 in a horizontal direction P0009-0012; a first transfer device Fig. 13 to transport an object W from the first area P1 to the second area P2 by picking up the object in the first area P1, traveling along the rail 52, and then releasing the object W in the second area P2, the first transfer device Fig. 13 including a first traveling body 53 that travels while being guided by the rail 52, a first arm 18 that includes a proximal end portion attached to the first traveling body 53, and a first holder 11 that is attached to a distal end portion of the first arm 18 to hold an object by suction via 20; and a second transfer device Fig. 13 to transport an object W from the first area P1 to the second area P2 by picking up the object W in the first area P1, traveling along the rail 52, and then releasing the object W in the second area P2, the second transfer device including a second traveling body 58 that travels while being guided by the rail 52, a second arm 16 that includes a proximal end portion attached to the second traveling body 58, and a second holder 12 that is attached to a distal end portion of the second arm 16 to hold an object W by suction via 20, but does not teach as Akeel teaches the first arm 146 further includes: a first upper arm 120 that includes a proximal end portion attached to the first traveling body 114 to enable rotation of the first upper arm 120 with respect to the first traveling body 114 in a prescribed plane intersecting an extending direction of the rail 100 and prevent motion of the first upper arm 112,120 relative to the extending direction C5 L45-53; and a first forearm 130,132 that includes a proximal end portion attached to a distal end portion of the first upper arm 112,120 to enable rotation of the first forearm 130,132 with respect to the first upper arm 112,120 in a plane parallel to the prescribed plane and prevent motion of the first forearm 130,132 relative to the extending direction C5 L54-68; C6 L1-5; the first holder 144 is attached to a distal end portion of the first forearm 130,132 Fig. 4; the second arm 146 further includes: a second upper arm 112,120 that includes a proximal end portion attached to the second traveling body 114 to enable rotation of the second upper arm 130,132 with respect to the second traveling body 114 in a plane parallel to the prescribed plane and prevent motion of the second upper arm 130,132 relative to the extending direction C5 L45-53; and a second forearm 130,132 that includes a proximal end portion attached to a distal end portion of the second upper arm 112,120 to enable rotation of the second forearm 130,132 with respect to the second upper arm 112,120 in a plane parallel to the prescribed plane and prevent motion of the second forearm 130,132 relative to the extending direction C5 L54-68; C6 L1-5; and the second holder 144 is attached to a distal end portion of the second forearm 130,132 Fig. 3B. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the transport disclosed in Shimizu with the linkage arm configuration taught in Akeel with a reasonable expectation of success because
Claim 9, Shimizu teaches a first transport device to transport 1, to the first area P1, a transfer source box C1 in which one or more objects W are contained Fig. 20, and transport the transfer source box C1 out of the first area P1 after at least one of the one or more objects W contained in the transfer source box C1 has been transported out of the transfer source box C1 by at least one of the first transfer device or the second transfer device Fig. 13; and a second transport device 2 to transport, to the second area P2, a transfer destination box C2 in which the at least one of the one or more objects W is to be contained, and transport the transfer destination box C2 out of the second area P2 after the at least one of the one or more objects W has been transported into the transfer destination box C2 by at least one of the first transfer device or the second transfer device Fig. 13; wherein the rail 52 straddles at least one of the first transport device 1 or the second transport device 2 Fig. 3.
Claim 10, Shimizu does not teach as Akeel teaches the first holder 144 protrudes toward the second transfer device 146 with respect to the first forearm 130,132; and the second holder 144 protrudes toward the first transfer device 146 with respect to the second forearm 130,132 Fig. 3B. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the transport disclosed in Shimizu with the linkage arm configuration taught in Akeel with a reasonable expectation of success because
Claim 11, Shimizu does not teach as Akeel teaches the first upper arm 112,120, the first forearm 130,132, and the first holder 144 are mutually displaceable with respect to the extending direction of the rail 100 to enable the first forearm 130,132 to be located directly below the first upper arm 112,120; and the second upper arm 112,120, the second forearm 130,132, and the second holder 144 are mutually displaceable with respect to the extending direction to enable the second forearm 130,132 to be located directly below the second upper arm 112,120 Figs. 3A,B. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the transport disclosed in Shimizu with the linkage arm configuration taught in Akeel with a reasonable expectation of success because
Claim 12 , Shimizu does not teach as Akeel teaches the first holder 144 includes: a first hand 140 attached to the first forearm 130,132 and kept in a fixed angle by a first link mechanism 138; a first rod 150 attached to the first hand 140; and a first holder 128 attached to a distal end portion of the first rod 150 to hold an object; and the second holder 144 includes: a second hand 140 attached to the second forearm 130,132 and kept in a fixed angle by a second link mechanism 138; a second rod 150 attached to the second hand 140; and a second holder 144 attached to a distal end portion of the second rod 150 to hold an object C5 L65-68; C6 L1-25. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the transport disclosed in Shimizu with the linkage arm configuration taught in Akeel with a reasonable expectation of success because
Claim 13, Shimizu does not teach as Akeel teaches the first holder 144 further includes a first rotator of (robot controller) to rotate the first rod 150 about an axial center with respect to the first hand 140; and the second holder 144 further includes a second rotator (robot controller) to rotate the second rod 150 about an axial center with respect to the second hand 140. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the transport disclosed in Shimizu with the linkage arm configuration taught in Akeel with a reasonable expectation of success because
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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/KAVEL SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651
KS
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