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
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by TENDO et al. (USPGPUB 2022/0144546).
Regarding Claim 1, TENDO et al. disclose a method of storing a container in a storage rack, the method comprising:
moving the container (120) to a position beneath a storage area (see Figure 12) of a storage rack (13);
moving the container (120) until rack engagers (124) of the container (120) are above respective container supports (see “support position” in paragraph [0072]) of the storage rack (see Figures 13-14); and
moving the container until the rack engagers (124) of the container (120) engage the respective container supports and the respective container supports support the container (120) above a support surface (see Figures 3 and 14-15).
Regarding Claim 2, TENDO et al. disclose the method of claim 1, wherein moving the container (120) to the position beneath the storage area (see Figure 12) comprises moving the container to the position beneath the storage area so the rack engagers (124) of the container are horizontally offset from the respective container supports of the storage rack (see Figure 12).
Regarding Claim 3, TENDO et al. disclose the method of claim 1, wherein moving the container until the rack engagers (124) of the container (120) are above the respective container supports of the storage rack (130) comprises moving the container vertically and horizontally until the rack engagers are above and horizontally aligned with the respective container supports (see Figures 13-14).
Regarding Claim 4, TENDO et al. disclose the e method of claim 3, wherein moving the container until the rack engagers of the container are above the respective container supports of the storage rack comprises moving the container vertically until the rack engagers are above the respective container supports (see Figure 13) and then moving the container horizontally until the rack engagers are horizontally aligned with the respective container supports (see Figure 14).
Regarding Claim 5, TENDO et al. disclose the method of claim 3, wherein:
moving the container to the position beneath the storage area of the storage rack comprises controlling a vehicle (140) supporting the container on a lift device (902,904) to, with the lift device in a home position, move the container to the position beneath the storage area (see Figure 12);
moving the container vertically comprises controlling the vehicle to move the lift device vertically (see Figure 13); and
moving the container horizontally comprises one of:
controlling the vehicle (140) to move horizontally (see Figure 14);
controlling the lift device to move horizontally relative to a chassis of the vehicle; and
activating a conveying device of the vehicle.
Regarding Claim 6, TENDO et al. disclose the method of claim 5, wherein moving the container until the rack engagers of the container engage the respective container supports of the storage rack comprises controlling the vehicle to lower the lift device (see Figures 15-16).
Regarding Claim 7, TENDO et al. disclose an automated storage and retrieval system comprising:
a storage rack (130) including multiple container supports and defining a storage area (see Figure 3);
a vehicle (140) including a chassis (906), one or more driven wheels (980), and a lift device (902,904) vertically movable relative to the chassis from a home position (see Figure 9);
a container (120) including multiple walls and multiple rack engagers (124) configured to engage the container supports of the storage rack (see Figure 3); and
a controller (960) communicatively connectable to the vehicle and configured to:
with the lift device (902,904) of the vehicle (140) supporting the container, control the vehicle to move the container to a position beneath the storage area of the storage rack (see Figure 12);
control the vehicle (140) to move the container until the rack engagers (124) of the container are above the container supports (see Figures 13-14); and
control the vehicle (140) to move the container (120) until the rack engagers (124) of the container engage the respective container supports and the container supports support the container above a support surface (see Figures 14-15).
Regarding Claim 8, TENDO et al. disclose the system of claim 7, wherein the controller (960) is configured to control the vehicle (140) to move the container to the position beneath the storage area of the storage rack (130) by controlling the vehicle to drive the one or more driven wheels (see paragraph [0191]).
Regarding Claim 9, TENDO et al. disclose the system of claim 7, wherein the controller (960) is configured to control the vehicle (140) to move the container to the position beneath the storage area of the storage rack (130) so the rack engagers (124) of the container (120) are horizontally offset from the respective container supports of the storage rack (see Figure 12).
Regarding Claim 10, TENDO et al. disclose the system of claim 7, wherein the controller (960) is configured to control the vehicle (140) to move the container (120) until the rack engagers (124) of the container are above the respective container supports by controlling the vehicle to move the container vertically (see Figure 13) and horizontally until the rack engagers (124) are above and horizontally aligned with the respective container supports (see Figure 14).
Regarding Claim 11, TENDO et al. disclose the system of claim 10, wherein the controller (960) is configured to control the vehicle (140) to move the container (120) until the rack engagers (124) of the container are above the respective container supports by controlling the vehicle to move the container vertically until the rack engagers are above the respective container supports (see Figure 13) and then to move the container horizontally until the rack engagers (124) are horizontally aligned with the respective container supports (see Figure 14).
Regarding Claim 12, TENDO et al. disclose the system of claim 10, wherein the controller (960) is configured to:
control the vehicle (140) to move the container vertically by controlling the vehicle to move the lift device (902,904) vertically (see Figure 13); and
control the vehicle (140) to move the container (120) horizontally by one of:
controlling the vehicle (140) to move horizontally (see Figure 14);
controlling the vehicle to move the lift device horizontally relative to the chassis of the vehicle; and
activating a conveying device of the vehicle.
Regarding Claim 13, TENDO et al. disclose the system of claim 12, wherein the vehicle (140) further comprises a lift actuator (944) operably connected to the lift device to move the lift device vertically (see paragraph [0189]).
Regarding Claim 14, TENDO et al. disclose the system of claim 12, the controller (960) is configured to control the vehicle (140) to move the container (120) until the rack engagers (124) of the container engage the respective container supports by controlling the vehicle to lower the lift device (see Figures 15-16).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 85 is allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: independent claim 85 discloses, “control the vehicle to raise the lift device so the engagement fingers of the rack engagers engage the respective container supports, are pivoted away from their home positions by the container supports, and are forced back to their home positions by the respective biasing elements and positioned above the container supports” which, in combination with the rest of the claim language, teaches a system that is novel over the prior art of record.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL COLLINS whose telephone number is (571)272-8970. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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 at (571) 270-3415. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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M.K.C.
7/10/2026
/MICHAEL COLLINS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
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