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 .
This action is in response to the preliminary amendment and documents received on December 4, 2024.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
Claims 27 and 30-32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by LOPES (US 2021/0309401).
In reference to claims 27 and 30, LOPES discloses an apparatus comprising: a reel holder shaft (figure 1) rotable about a first rotation axis and suitable to support a reel 22 of film 24; at least one pair of pre-stretching rollers 30, 32 that rotate about respective second and third rotation axis (figure 1) by a first motor system 36; a dancer roller 38 mounted to rotate freely (paragraph [0122]) about a fourth rotation axis on a supporting arm (paragraph [0122]; figure 2A), the dancer roller 38 movable by the film 1.2 in a first movement direction during wrapping of a load (paragraph [0002]); a second motor system 28 associated with (paragraph [0119]) the reel holder shaft supporting the reel 22 of film such that the reel holder shaft is free to rotate and unwind the film 24 therefrom while moving along the dancer roller 38 in the first movement direction; and a drive unit 51 that controls the first 36 and second 28 motor systems so as to rotate the pre-stretching rollers 30, 32 so as to unwind the film 24 from the reel 22 when the dancer roller 38 is stationary (i.e. “…the dancer bar 38 remains substantially constant”; paragraph [0122]).
Regarding claim 31, LOPES further discloses the dancer roller 38 mounted to a supporting arm that is rotable about a rocking axis (paragraph 123) such that the film 24 moves along a curved trajectory (figure 3A & 6) in the first movement direction.
With respect to claim 32, paragraph 123 of LOPES further discloses sensors 49 configured to detect movement of the dancer roller 38.
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.
Claims 28, 29 and 45-50 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LOPES (US 2021/0309401) in view of TOSA (US 7,444,797).
In reference to claims 28 and 29, LOPES discloses an apparatus comprising a second motor system 28 associated with (paragraph [0119]) the reel holder shaft supporting the reel 22 of film to advance the film in a first direction of movement about a dancer roller 38 that is in a stationary position on a supporting arm, but does not disclose the second motor system configured to brake and rewind the reel holder shaft. LOPES does not disclose the second motor system configured to apply a rewinding torque to the reel holder shaft.
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Diagram I
TOSA teaches an apparatus comprising: a reel holder shaft (figure 1) rotable about a first rotation axis and suitable to support a reel 1 of film 1.2; at least one pair of pre-stretching rollers 3, 4 that rotate about respective second and third rotation axis by a first motor system 7; a dancer roller mounted to rotate freely about a fourth rotation axis on a supporting arm (see Diagram 1 of figure 1 above), the dancer roller 5 movable by the film 1.2 in a first movement direction during wrapping of a load P; a second motor system associated with the reel holder shaft supporting the reel 1 of film 1.2 such that a braking and rewinding torque (column 2 lines 17-22) can be applied to the reel holder shaft and indirectly applied to the pre-stretching rollers 3, 4 (column 2 lines 34-40) while the dancer roller is stationary on the supporting arm. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the invention to have modified the second motor system of LOPES to apply a rewinding torque to the reel holder shaft since column 1 lines 7-9 of TOSA suggests such a modification allows the film of the reel on the reel holder shaft to move in a second movement direction for the purpose of eliminating the trail end of film that has been wrapped around a load.
Regarding claims 45-49, LOPES discloses a method of wrapping a load with a film comprising: providing an unwinding apparatus including a reel holder shaft (figure 1) rotable about a first rotation axis and suitable to support a reel 22 of film 24; at least one pair of pre-stretching rollers 30, 32 that rotate about respective second and third rotation axis (figure 1) by a first motor system 36; a dancer roller 38 mounted to rotate freely (paragraph [0122]) about a fourth rotation axis on a supporting arm (paragraph [0122]; figure 2A); a second motor system 28 associated with (paragraph [0119]) the reel holder shaft supporting the reel 22 of film such that the reel holder shaft is free to rotate and unwind the film 24 therefrom while moving along the dancer roller 38 in the first movement direction; and a drive unit 51 that controls the first 36 and second 28 motor systems. LOPES further discloses detecting (paragraphs [0018-0019]) a movement direction of the dancer roller, the dancer roller 38 movable by the film 1.2 in a first movement direction in a linear and curved trajectory during wrapping of a load (paragraph [0002]); and continuing unwinding of the film 24 from the reel 22 by rotating the pre-stretching rollers 30 when the dancer roller 38 is stationary (i.e. “…the dancer bar 38 remains substantially constant”; paragraph [0122]).
LOPES does not disclose rewinding the film as claimed.
TOSA teaches a method of wrapping a load comprising: providing an unwinding apparatus including a reel holder shaft (figure 1) rotable about a first rotation axis and suitable to support a reel 1 of film 1.2; at least one pair of pre-stretching rollers 3, 4 that rotate about respective second and third rotation axis by a first motor system 7; a dancer roller mounted to rotate freely about a fourth rotation axis on a supporting arm (see Diagram 1 of figure 1 above), the dancer roller 5 movable by the film 1.2 in a first movement direction during wrapping of a load P; stopping (braking) unwinding and applying a rewinding torque (column 2 lines 17-22) to the reel holder shaft to move the film in a second movement direction the torque to applied to the reel holder less than the torque applied to the pre-stretching rollers. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the invention to have modified the method of LOPES to include the step of stopping unwinding and rewinding the film as claimed since column 1 lines 7-9 of TOSA suggests such a modification allows the film of the reel on the reel holder shaft to move in a second movement direction for the purpose of eliminating the trail end of film that has been wrapped around a load.
Claims 33, 34, 36-38 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LOPES (US 2021/0309401) in view of SCHIECK et al. (US 10,384,822)
In reference to claim 33, LOPES discloses at least one pair of pre-stretching rollers 30, 32 that rotate about respective second and third rotation axis (figure 1) by a first motor system 36 and a second motor system including a motor arranged to rotate the reel holder shaft. LOPES does not disclose the first motor system 36 including multiple motors that operate independently of the second motor system.
SCHEICK et al. teaches an apparatus comprising: a reel holder shaft 21 rotable about a first rotation axis (figure 2) and suitable to support a reel 30 of film 35; at least one pair of pre-stretching rollers 23, 25 that rotate about respective second and third rotation axis (figure 2) by a first motor system 36 including a first and second motor that rotate separately and respectively to control rotation of the pre-stretching rollers (column 5 lines 59-61). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the invention to have modified the first motor system of LOPES to include independently operable motors for the first pre-stretching roller and the second pre-stretching roller since column 5 lines 55-59 of SCHEICK et al. suggest such a modification allows tension on the film drawn from the reel on the reel holder shaft to be effectively controlled to avoid breakage in the film.
Regarding claims 34 and 36, paragraph 123 of LOPES further discloses sensors 49 configured to detect movement of the dancer roller 38; however, LOPES does not disclose sensors associated with the pre-stretching rollers as claimed. SCHEICK et al. teaches an apparatus comprising: at least one pair of pre-stretching rollers 23, 25, wherein column 1 lines 34-51 discloses sensors configured to measure the rotation of the pre-stretching rollers 23, 25 about their respective axis access using a wireless transmission device (column 3 lines 46-57). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the invention to have modified pre-stretching rollers of LOPES to include sensors that wirelessly communicate with a controller of the apparatus since column 1 lines 34-53 of SCHEICK et al. suggest such a modification facilitates transmission of rotational data of the pre-stretching rollers for the purpose of effectively monitoring and controlling the amount of film unwound from the reel of film.
With respect to claim 37, LOPES discloses an unwinding apparatus comprising: a reel holder shaft (figure 1) rotable about a first rotation axis and suitable to support a reel 22 of film 24; at least one pair of pre-stretching rollers 30, 32 that rotate about respective second and third rotation axis (figure 1) by a first motor system 36; a dancer roller 38 mounted to rotate freely (paragraph [0122]) about a fourth rotation axis on a supporting arm (paragraph [0122]; figure 2A), the dancer roller 38 movable by the film 1.2 in a first movement direction during wrapping of a load (paragraph [0002]); a second motor system 28 associated with (paragraph [0119]) the reel holder shaft supporting the reel 22 of film such that the reel holder shaft is free to rotate and unwind the film 24 therefrom while moving along the dancer roller 38 in the first movement direction; and a drive unit 51 that controls the first 36 and second 28 motor systems so as to rotate the pre-stretching rollers 30, 32 so as to unwind the film 24 from the reel 22 when the dancer roller 38 is stationary (i.e. “…the dancer bar 38 remains substantially constant”; paragraph [0122]). Although LOPES discloses the unwinding apparatus usable with a wrapping machine, LOPES does not disclose a frame assembly supporting a moving assembly as claimed.
SCHEICK et al. teaches a wrapping machine apparatus 101 comprising: at least one unwinding apparatus (figure 2) including a reel holder shaft 21 rotable about a first rotation axis (figure 2) and suitable to support a reel 30 of film 35; at least one pair of pre-stretching rollers 23, 25 that rotate about respective second and third rotation axis (figure 2) by a first motor system 36 including a first and second motor that rotate separately and respectively to control rotation of the pre-stretching rollers (column 5 lines 59-61); a frame assembly (figure 1B) supporting a moving assembly 7, the moving assembly 7 configured to move the unwinding apparatus parallel to a wrapping axis (column 5 lines). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the invention to have mounted to the unwinding apparatus of LOPES to a moving assembly supported on a frame as claimed since column 5 lines 9-20 of SHEICK et al. states such a modification facilitates movement of the uwinding apparatus relative to a palleted load for the purpose of effectively wrapping loads that are too heavy to rotate relative to the unwinding apparatus.
In reference to claim 38, paragraph 123 of LOPES further discloses a control unit 40 connected to sensors 49 configured to detect movement of the dancer roller 38 and cooperate with the drive unit 51 for the first 36 and second 28 motor systems .
Claim 35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LOPES (US 2021/0309401) in view of LANCASTER, III (US 5,836,140).
Regarding claim 35, LOPES discloses a dancer roller 38 mounted to rotate freely (paragraph [0122]) about a fourth rotation axis on a supporting arm (paragraph [0122]; figure 2A), the dancer roller 38 movable by the film 1.2 in a first movement direction during wrapping of a load (paragraph [0002]). LOPES is found to disclose a brake device associated with the supporting based on paragraphs [0072-0074] which disclose moving the dancer roller 38 from a first position and retaining (braking) the dancer roller at either of the first and second positions to control the tension of the web of film moving in the first movement direction.
Claim 39 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LOPES (US 2021/0309401) in view of SCHIECK et al. (US 10,384,822) as applied to claim 38 above, and further in view of TOSA (US 7,444,797).
With respect to claim 39, LOPES discloses an apparatus comprising a second motor system 28 associated with (paragraph [0119]) the reel holder shaft supporting the reel 22 of film to advance the film in a first direction of movement about a dancer roller 38 that is in a stationary position on a supporting arm, but does not disclose the second motor system configured to brake and rewind the reel holder shaft. LOPES does not disclose the second motor system configured to apply a rewinding torque to the reel holder shaft.
TOSA teaches an apparatus comprising: a reel holder shaft (figure 1) rotable about a first rotation axis and suitable to support a reel 1 of film 1.2; at least one pair of pre-stretching rollers 3, 4 that rotate about respective second and third rotation axis by a first motor system 7; a dancer roller mounted to rotate freely about a fourth rotation axis on a supporting arm (see Diagram 1 of figure 1 above), the dancer roller 5 movable by the film 1.2 in a first movement direction during wrapping of a load P; a second motor system associated with the reel holder shaft supporting the reel 1 of film 1.2 such that a braking and rewinding torque (column 2 lines 17-22) can be applied to the reel holder shaft and indirectly applied to the pre-stretching rollers 3, 4 (column 2 lines 34-40) while the dancer roller is stationary on the supporting arm. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the invention to have modified the second motor system of LOPES to apply a rewinding torque to the reel holder shaft since column 1 lines 7-9 of TOSA suggests such a modification allows the film of the reel on the reel holder shaft to move in a second movement direction for the purpose of eliminating the trail end of film that has been wrapped around a load.
Claims 42 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LOPES (US 2021/0309401) in view of SCHIECK et al. (US 10,384,822) as applied to claim 38 above, and further in view of MITCHELL (US 2021/0070485).
In reference to claim 42, LOPES as modified in view of SCHIECK et al. comprises an unwinding apparatus mounted on a moving assembly supported on an rotable arm of a vertical frame assembly such that the unwinding apparatus moves about a wrapping axis of a load along the vertical frame. However, the modified unwinding apparatus of LOPES in view of SCHIECK et al. does not include a rotable ring as claimed.
MITCHELL teaches a wrapping machine 200 comprising: an unwinding apparatus 212 fixed to a supporting ring 204, the supporting ring 204 rotably supported on a frame assembly. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the invention to have further modified the unwinding apparatus of LOPES to include a rotable supporting ring in lieu of the rotable arm since paragraph [0002] of MITCHELL states the selection of either the rotable supporting ring or the rotable arm would be equally sufficient to dispense a web of film around a load in the art of a wrapping loads.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 40, 41, 43, 44, 51 and 52 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. Refer to the attached PTO-892 for a notice of references cited and recommended for consideration based on their disclosure of limitations related to the claimed invention. In particular: ZITELLA et al. (US 2008/0229707) teaches an apparatus comprising: a reel holder shaft 250 rotable (figure 2, 3b & 3c) about a first rotation axis and suitable to support a reel of film 252; a first motor system 147 that rotates a pair of pre-stretching dancer roller; WILDMOSER (US 4,628,668) teaches motor actuated film rollers that have independent control for the purpose of selective adjustment of tension in a web of film (column 9 lines 60-68); and CARTER et al. (US 2009/0293425) teaches wireless sensors 15-17 that monitor feed of a web of film.Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GLORIA R WEEKS whose telephone number is (571)272-4473. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-2pm & 5pm-7pm EST.
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/GLORIA R WEEKS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3731
August 7, 2026
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