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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because under Step 1, software per se (“workpiece supply program”) is not one of the four statutory classes. Under BRI, Claims 8-10 read on a computer program without structure recited. See MPEP 2106.03(I).
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) 1-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Abler (DE 198 34 492 A1).
Claim 1: a magnet floater (7) configured to separate an uppermost workpiece from a group of workpieces stacked on a loading area (4) by magnetizing the group of workpieces; and
a workpiece supply robot (1) configured to be able to transport the uppermost workpiece from among the group of workpieces,
wherein the magnet floater (7) is configured to be able to switch between an on state (Fig. 4-5) where a magnetic force is applied to the group of workpieces and an off state (Fig. 1-3/6) where a magnetic force to be applied to the group of workpieces is reduced compared to the magnetic force in the on state, and
the workpiece supply robot is configured to contact the uppermost workpiece when the magnet floater is in the off state (Fig. 2) and to separate the uppermost workpiece from the group of workpieces when the magnet floater is in the on state (Fig. 4);
Claim 2: wherein the workpiece supply robot is configured to be able to perform a first elevating operation of lifting the uppermost workpiece from among the group of workpieces and a second elevating operation of further lifting the uppermost workpiece after the first elevating operation,
the magnet floater is configured to switch from the on state to the off state between the first elevating operation and the second elevating operation of the workpiece supply robot, and
an amount of elevation in the first elevating operation is less than an amount of elevation in the second elevating operation (the first elevation in Fig. 5 and the second elevation (including workpiece) in Fig. 1);
Claim 3: wherein
the workpiece supply robot is configured to be able to perform a stopping operation of stopping elevation between the first elevating operation and the second elevating operation, and
the magnet floater is configured to switch from the on state to the off state during the stopping operation of the workpiece supply robot (the stopping operation in Fig. 6);
Claim 4: wherein the workpiece supply robot is configured to be able to transport the uppermost workpiece in a state of being separated from the magnet floater (Fig. 6);
Claim 5: bringing a workpiece supply robot (1) into contact with an uppermost workpiece among a group of workpieces stacked on a loading area (Fig. 2);
applying, after the bringing, a stronger magnetic force than a magnetic force before the bringing to the group of workpieces (Fig. 1-3/6); and
separating the uppermost workpiece from the group of workpieces with the workpiece supply robot in a state where the magnetic force is applied to the group of workpieces (Fig. 4);
Claim 6: wherein the separating comprises:
lifting the uppermost workpiece from the group of workpieces, in a first elevating step; and
further lifting the uppermost workpiece after the first elevating step, in a second elevating step,
wherein an amount of elevation of the workpiece supply robot in the first elevating step is less than an amount of elevation of the workpiece supply robot in the second elevating step, and
between the first elevating step and the second elevating step, a magnetic force to be applied to the group of workpieces is reduced compared to the stronger magnetic force in the applying (the first elevation in Fig. 5 and the second elevation (including workpiece) in Fig. 1);
Claim 7: wherein the separating further comprises stopping elevation of the workpiece supply robot between the first elevating step and the second elevating step, and
in the stopping, a magnetic force to be applied to the group of workpieces is reduced compared to the stronger magnetic force in the applying (the stopping operation in Fig. 6);
Claim 8: a robot (1) contact process of contacting an uppermost workpiece before a magnetic force for separating the uppermost workpiece from a group of workpieces stacked on a loading area is applied to the group of workpieces (Fig. 2); and
a workpiece separation process of separating the uppermost workpiece from the group of workpieces in a state where the magnetic force for separating the uppermost workpiece from the group of workpieces is applied (Fig. 1-3/6) to the group of workpieces (Fig. 4);
Claim 9: wherein the workpiece separation process comprises:
a first elevating process of lifting the uppermost workpiece from the group of workpieces; and
a second elevating process of further lifting the uppermost workpiece after the first elevating process,
wherein an amount of elevation of the workpiece supply robot in the first elevating process is less than an amount of elevation of the workpiece supply robot in the second elevating process, and
after a magnetic force to be applied to the group of workpieces is reduced compared to a magnetic force in the first elevating process, the workpiece supply program causes the workpiece supply robot to execute the second elevating process (the first elevation in Fig. 5 and the second elevation (including workpiece) in Fig. 1);
Claim 10: wherein the workpiece separation process further comprises a stopping process of stopping elevation of the workpiece supply robot between the first elevating process and the second elevating process (the stopping operation in Fig. 6).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 2650092 discloses magnets 60.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Gerald McClain whose telephone number is (571)272-7803. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and at gerald.mcclain@uspto.gov (see MPEP 502.03 (II)).
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, Saul Rodriguez can be reached at (571) 272-7097. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Gerald McClain/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3652
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