DETAILED ACTION
The Information Disclosure Statements filed on November 7, 2024, December 30, 2024, and February 12, 2026, have all been reviewed and considered by the Examiner.
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
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) 11-13 and 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Murata (JP 6935846).
Murata discloses a transport system comprised of a plurality of transport vehicles 10 to travel along a track 3 and transport a load. A controller 20 is programmed to control the traveling of the transport vehicles. The track included a first main track 31 and a plurality of branch tracks 33a-33d branching off from the first main track by multiple separate branch points, as shown in figure 4-6. The controller is further programmed to execute entry control to cause the transport vehicles to enter each of the branch tracks from the first main track and to cause the transport vehicles to enter the branch tracks in a priority order according to entry information on entry states of the respective transport vehicles to the branch tracks. The prior art states that it is “possible to give priority to the traveling of the plurality of transport vehicles 10, and to give priority to the increase in the number of deliveries of the load L during the system operation period, and to increase the transport amount limit value. As a result, it becomes possible to improve the transport efficiency of the load L.”
The controller further includes information indicating a number of the transport
vehicles present on each of the branch tracks to control the entry in order to enter a branch track with the fewest number of transport vehicles present among the branch tracks based on the entry information so as to give priority to deliveries.
The track system is further comprised of a second main track and branch track, as shown in figures 4-6.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14-17 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Harasaki discloses a transport system with a main track, branch tracks and a controller.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Robert J McCarry Jr. whose telephone number is (571)272-6683. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:00-3:00.
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/Robert J McCarry Jr/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3615
RJM
September 2, 2026
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