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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 5, 9, 10, 14, 15-17, 21 and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
A broad range or limitation together with a narrow range or limitation that falls within the broad range or limitation (in the same claim) may be considered indefinite if the resulting claim does not clearly set forth the metes and bounds of the patent protection desired. See MPEP § 2173.05(c). In the present instance, claim 9 recites the broad recitation “a carriage with coupling means”, and the claim also recites “preferably a plurality of suction cups” which is the narrower statement of the range/limitation. The claim(s) are considered indefinite because there is a question or doubt as to whether the feature introduced by such narrower language is (a) merely exemplary of the remainder of the claim, and therefore not required, or (b) a required feature of the claims.
A broad range or limitation together with a narrow range or limitation that falls within the broad range or limitation (in the same claim) may be considered indefinite if the resulting claim does not clearly set forth the metes and bounds of the patent protection desired. See MPEP § 2173.05(c). In the present instance, claim 16 recites the broad recitation “wherein said elongated element is made of polymeric material”, and the claim also recites “preferably PVC” which is the narrower statement of the range/limitation. The claim(s) are considered indefinite because there is a question or doubt as to whether the feature introduced by such narrower language is (a) merely exemplary of the remainder of the claim, and therefore not required, or (b) a required feature of the claims.
A broad range or limitation together with a narrow range or limitation that falls within the broad range or limitation (in the same claim) may be considered indefinite if the resulting claim does not clearly set forth the metes and bounds of the patent protection desired. See MPEP § 2173.05(c). In the present instance, claim 16 recites the broad recitation “said support inserts are made of polymeric material”, and the claim also recites “preferably nitrile rubber” which is the narrower statement of the range/limitation. The claim(s) are considered indefinite because there is a question or doubt as to whether the feature introduced by such narrower language is (a) merely exemplary of the remainder of the claim, and therefore not required, or (b) a required feature of the claims.
A broad range or limitation together with a narrow range or limitation that falls within the broad range or limitation (in the same claim) may be considered indefinite if the resulting claim does not clearly set forth the metes and bounds of the patent protection desired. See MPEP § 2173.05(c). In the present instance, claim 17 recites the broad recitation “a lower layer with a high friction coefficient”, and the claim also recites “preferably nitrile rubber” which is the narrower statement of the range/limitation. The claim(s) are considered indefinite because there is a question or doubt as to whether the feature introduced by such narrower language is (a) merely exemplary of the remainder of the claim, and therefore not required, or (b) a required feature of the claims.
A broad range or limitation together with a narrow range or limitation that falls within the broad range or limitation (in the same claim) may be considered indefinite if the resulting claim does not clearly set forth the metes and bounds of the patent protection desired. See MPEP § 2173.05(c). In the present instance, claim 17 recites the broad recitation “an upper layer in non-stick material”, and the claim also recites “preferably teflon” which is the narrower statement of the range/limitation. The claim(s) are considered indefinite because there is a question or doubt as to whether the feature introduced by such narrower language is (a) merely exemplary of the remainder of the claim, and therefore not required, or (b) a required feature of the claims.
A broad range or limitation together with a narrow range or limitation that falls within the broad range or limitation (in the same claim) may be considered indefinite if the resulting claim does not clearly set forth the metes and bounds of the patent protection desired. See MPEP § 2173.05(c). In the present instance, claim 17 recites the broad recitation “made by coupling two different materials”, and the claim also recites “even more preferably an insert is interposed between the two layers of material which is adapted to confer mechanical stiffness features to the separating means” which is the narrower statement of the range/limitation. The claim(s) are considered indefinite because there is a question or doubt as to whether the feature introduced by such narrower language is (a) merely exemplary of the remainder of the claim, and therefore not required, or (b) a required feature of the claims.
A broad range or limitation together with a narrow range or limitation that falls within the broad range or limitation (in the same claim) may be considered indefinite if the resulting claim does not clearly set forth the metes and bounds of the patent protection desired. See MPEP § 2173.05(c). In the present instance, claim 25 recites the broad recitation “through repetition of steps (b) and (c)”, and the claim also recites “and possibly also of steps (b’) and (c’)” which is the narrower statement of the range/limitation. The claim(s) are considered indefinite because there is a question or doubt as to whether the feature introduced by such narrower language is (a) merely exemplary of the remainder of the claim, and therefore not required, or (b) a required feature of the claims.
The term “substantially” in claim 5 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “substantially” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. It is unclear to the Examiner what degree of parallel orientation the Applicant requires.
The term “substantially” in claim 10 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “substantially” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. It is unclear to the Examiner what degree of perpendicularity to the transit direction the Applicant requires.
The term “substantially” in claim 14 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “substantially” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. It is unclear to the Examiner what degree of rigidity of the element the Applicant requires.
The term “substantially” in claim 15 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “substantially” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. It is unclear to the Examiner what degree of rectangularity of the elongated element the Applicant requires.
Claim 21 is unclear in the way they are written whether they are independent claims or dependent claims. If they are intended to be independent claims, they should include all the limitations of the claims they are referring to, without reference of another claim. If they are dependent, they should include the same preamble as the independent claim from which they depend.
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.
(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.
Claims 1-4, 7, 9-10, 12-16, 18-22, 24 and 26-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Vianello (European Patent Application EP 2460971 A2).
Regarding Claim 1, Vianello teaches An apparatus for unloading insulating glass panels from a production line(Paragraph 0001: "The present invention relates to an automatic machine and an automatic method for the sealing of the perimetric rim of an insulating pane.") comprising an insertion device provided with a conveyor adapted to transport the insulating glass panels according to a transit direction (x) from an entrance area near the production line to an exit area for said insulating glass panels;(Paragraph 0040: "A common characteristic of the two conveyors 101, 151 is that of carrying, on the extrados of the chain 107, 157, a series of inserts 108, 158, deployed at intervals in the direction of the axis H, the upper surface of which forms an acute angle with the sliding plane 901 of the insulating pane 1 (as can be seen in the details in Figures 12b , 13b, 14b and in Figures 22, 23 ). The function of these inserts is to limit contact with the outer edge (outer with respect to the insulating pane 1) of the glass sheets 2, 2', 2,", 2"', etc. and, since they are deformable, to adjust to any irregularities of the lower edge of the glass sheets 2, 2', 2,", 2"', etc., and to form a contact of the soft type in order to prevent the glass from cracking. This is essentially useful for glass sheets that are particularly heavy or particularly large (and therefore also heavy) and constitutes the preferred embodiment of the invention.") and a vertical support structure for keeping the insulating glass panels in an inclined position with respect to a vertical direction, (Paragraph 0024: "The following preliminary remarks should be kept in mind regarding the planes of arrangement and the orientations: when we speak of "vertical" we mean slightly inclined with respect to the vertical (also called pseudo-vertical); in fact the transport of the insulating pane 1 occurs on conveyors wherein the resting surface 901 acting on the face of the glass sheet 2 opposite to the operator is inclined by approximately 6 degrees with respect to the vertical plane (in compliance with a safety aspect of transport, as required by regulations deriving from the machine directive), and wherein the resting/supporting surface acting on the lower horizontal side 1a of the insulating pane 1 (constituted by the conveyor 100, the main subject matter of the present application) has a plane of arrangement inclined by around 6 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane; thus when we speak of "horizontal" we mean slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal (also called pseudo-horizontal).")wherein in said insertion device, separating means are positioned above said conveyor, so that the separating means can be interposed between said insulating glass panels and said conveyor.(Figure 22: Inserts 108, 158).
Regarding Claim 2, Vianello teaches the apparatus of Claim 1, as seen above. Vianello further discloses further comprising a positioning device adapted to position said separating means above said conveyor.(Paragraph 0033: "The rear conveyor 101 is provided with two motions, one, synchronous, actuated (together with the synchronous movement of the pane actuated by the known suction cup slider 100') at the end of the movement of the insulating pane 1 along the horizontal axis H, and one, for adjustment, actuated in order to locate the position of the elements 108 for supporting the glass sheet 2, which are deployed on the endless chain 107 for transport, at the exact height required for the process of sealing the lower perimetric rim 1a of the insulating pane 1. Respectively the first motion is actuated by the synchronous motor 102 by means of the kinematic chain: reduction gear 103, transmission 103a, cardan shaft 104, shaft 105, pinion 106, 106a (not shown since it is the idle return pinion, as are the various pinions of which at least one is on a slide for tensioning the chain 107), chain 107; the second motion is actuated by the synchronous motor (the advantage of the synchronous motor is knowing the absolute position so as to simplify the identification of the position of the actuated element) 112 through the kinematic transmission: reduction gear 113, pinion 114, chain 115, pinion 116, ball volute 117, ball screw 118 (it goes without saying that the actuated part can either be the volute or the screw), whereas the vertical guiding of the semi-conveyor 101 is achieved by means of pins 119 and bushings 120.")
Regarding Claim 3, Vianello teaches the apparatus of Claim 2, as seen above. Vianello further discloses wherein said insertion device comprises handling means for said conveyor between a transport position for said insulating glass panels and a lowered position with respect to the transport position, for inserting said separating means by the positioning device .(Paragraph 0033: "The rear conveyor 101 is provided with two motions, one, synchronous, actuated (together with the synchronous movement of the pane actuated by the known suction cup slider 100') at the end of the movement of the insulating pane 1 along the horizontal axis H, and one, for adjustment, actuated in order to locate the position of the elements 108 for supporting the glass sheet 2, which are deployed on the endless chain 107 for transport, at the exact height required for the process of sealing the lower perimetric rim 1a of the insulating pane 1. Respectively the first motion is actuated by the synchronous motor 102 by means of the kinematic chain: reduction gear 103, transmission 103a, cardan shaft 104, shaft 105, pinion 106, 106a (not shown since it is the idle return pinion, as are the various pinions of which at least one is on a slide for tensioning the chain 107), chain 107; the second motion is actuated by the synchronous motor (the advantage of the synchronous motor is knowing the absolute position so as to simplify the identification of the position of the actuated element) 112 through the kinematic transmission: reduction gear 113, pinion 114, chain 115, pinion 116, ball volute 117, ball screw 118 (it goes without saying that the actuated part can either be the volute or the screw), whereas the vertical guiding of the semi-conveyor 101 is achieved by means of pins 119 and bushings 120.")
Regarding Claim 4, Vianello teaches the apparatus of Claim 3, as seen above. Vianello further discloses wherein said handling means comprise an electric, electro-pneumatic, pneumatic, hydraulic and/or combined lift cylinder.(Paragraph 0033: "The rear conveyor 101 is provided with two motions, one, synchronous, actuated (together with the synchronous movement of the pane actuated by the known suction cup slider 100') at the end of the movement of the insulating pane 1 along the horizontal axis H, and one, for adjustment, actuated in order to locate the position of the elements 108 for supporting the glass sheet 2, which are deployed on the endless chain 107 for transport, at the exact height required for the process of sealing the lower perimetric rim 1a of the insulating pane 1. Respectively the first motion is actuated by the synchronous motor 102 by means of the kinematic chain: reduction gear 103, transmission 103a, cardan shaft 104, shaft 105, pinion 106, 106a (not shown since it is the idle return pinion, as are the various pinions of which at least one is on a slide for tensioning the chain 107), chain 107; the second motion is actuated by the synchronous motor (the advantage of the synchronous motor is knowing the absolute position so as to simplify the identification of the position of the actuated element) 112 through the kinematic transmission: reduction gear 113, pinion 114, chain 115, pinion 116, ball volute 117, ball screw 118 (it goes without saying that the actuated part can either be the volute or the screw), whereas the vertical guiding of the semi-conveyor 101 is achieved by means of pins 119 and bushings 120.")
Regarding Claim 7, Vianello teaches the apparatus of Claim 2, as seen above. Vianello further discloses wherein said insertion device comprises an automatic loader adapted to automatically feed the positioning device.(Paragraph 0040: " A common characteristic of the two conveyors 101, 151 is that of carrying, on the extrados of the chain 107, 157, a series of inserts 108, 158, deployed at intervals in the direction of the axis H, the upper surface of which forms an acute angle with the sliding plane 901 of the insulating pane 1 (as can be seen in the details in Figures 12b , 13b, 14b and in Figures 22, 23 ). The function of these inserts is to limit contact with the outer edge (outer with respect to the insulating pane 1) of the glass sheets 2, 2', 2,", 2"', etc. and, since they are deformable, to adjust to any irregularities of the lower edge of the glass sheets 2, 2', 2,", 2"', etc., and to form a contact of the soft type in order to prevent the glass from cracking. This is essentially useful for glass sheets that are particularly heavy or particularly large (and therefore also heavy) and constitutes the preferred embodiment of the invention.")
Regarding Claim 9, Vianello teaches the apparatus of Claim 1, as seen above. Vianello further discloses wherein the vertical support structure of said insertion device comprises a carriage with coupling means, preferably a plurality of suction cups.(Figure 6: Suction cups 500)
Regarding Claim 10, Vianello teaches the apparatus of Claim 1, as seen above. Vianello further discloses further comprising a storage module for said insulating glass panels coming from said insertion device comprising a plurality of panel warehouses, arranged along a direction (z) substantially perpendicular to said transit direction (x).(Paragraph 0016: "Figure 21 is a view of an example of installation of the device 100 and of the automatic sealing machine 1000 in the production line of the insulating pane 1 (plan view) and includes: electrical/electronic switchboard 11, control desk 12 and protection devices, indicated generically with 13 whether they are of the mechanical shield type or optical barrier type or laser barrier type or electrosensitive mat type etc., since particular attention is devoted, in addition to the functional, qualitative, productive and peculiar aspects of the content of this invention, to accident prevention aspects as well. In particular, with reference to accident prevention the present invention has a number of peculiarities which are described in more detail below.", wherein a storage area of unloaded sheets are an obvious part of the production line)
Regarding Claim 12, Vianello teaches the apparatus of Claim 1, as seen above. Vianello further discloses further comprising at least one unloading conveyor comprising retaining means for detaching the separating means from the insulating glass panels before removal thereof from the at least one unloading conveyor(Paragraph 0016: "Figure 21 is a view of an example of installation of the device 100 and of the automatic sealing machine 1000 in the production line of the insulating pane 1 (plan view) and includes: electrical/electronic switchboard 11, control desk 12 and protection devices, indicated generically with 13 whether they are of the mechanical shield type or optical barrier type or laser barrier type or electrosensitive mat type etc., since particular attention is devoted, in addition to the functional, qualitative, productive and peculiar aspects of the content of this invention, to accident prevention aspects as well. In particular, with reference to accident prevention the present invention has a number of peculiarities which are described in more detail below.", wherein a storage area of unloaded sheets are an obvious part of the production line)
Regarding Claim 13, Vianello teaches the apparatus of Claim 12, as seen above. Vianello further discloses wherein said retaining means comprise at least one parallel pneumatic gripper adapted to actuate jaws to retain the separating means during lifting of the insulating glass panels from the separating means.(Paragraph 0015: " Another object of the invention is to make it possible to unload the insulating pane 1, once the sealing of its perimetric rim is completed, by means of gripping under its lower horizontal side 1a.")
Regarding Claim 14, Vianello teaches the apparatus of Claim 1, as seen above. Vianello further discloses wherein said separating means comprise a substantially rigid element adapted to be reused.(Paragraph 0048: " As indicated in the comments on Figure 21 , the accident prevention aspect is nowadays of primary importance, even a priority over the functionality and productivity of the machine. From this point of view the invention under discussion is in an advantageous position with respect to the state of the art for the following fundamental reasons: the devices for supporting the insulating pane 1 below the lower horizontal side 1a, although they are provided with the necessary adjustment motions for mating with the edges 1f and 1r of the lower horizontal side 1a (see Figures 22 and 23 ), do not have discontinuities in the direction transversal to the plane 901 and therefore the insulating pane 1 cannot be inserted between the semi-conveyors 101 and 151 that make up the conveyor 100; the load constituted by the insulating pane 1, which is of large size and great thickness and therefore massive, can be easily supported by the conveyor 100 because it has a rigid structure, all overhanging solutions of the shelf type (a situation that is widespread in the known art) being avoided; the monolithic constitution of the semi-conveyors 101, 151 (made possible by the solution recited in claim 1) and the adoption of actuators 112, 162 of the synchronous type enable a positioning of the elements 108, 158 that is reliably mated with the edges 1f and 1r of the end sheets of the insulating pane 1; the shape of the supporting elements 108, 158 enables the use and the easy substitution of inserts of hardness adapted to the fragility of the glass. These are all elements that, in addition to improving the safety factor, also considerably improve the functionality and maintainability aspects.")
Regarding Claim 15, Vianello teaches the apparatus of Claim 1, as seen above. Vianello further discloses wherein said separating means comprise a substantially rectangular elongated element provided with support inserts adapted to support at least one insulating glass panel.(Paragraph 0033: "The rear conveyor 101 is provided with two motions, one, synchronous, actuated (together with the synchronous movement of the pane actuated by the known suction cup slider 100') at the end of the movement of the insulating pane 1 along the horizontal axis H, and one, for adjustment, actuated in order to locate the position of the elements 108 for supporting the glass sheet 2, which are deployed on the endless chain 107 for transport, at the exact height required for the process of sealing the lower perimetric rim 1a of the insulating pane 1. Respectively the first motion is actuated by the synchronous motor 102 by means of the kinematic chain: reduction gear 103, transmission 103a, cardan shaft 104, shaft 105, pinion 106, 106a (not shown since it is the idle return pinion, as are the various pinions of which at least one is on a slide for tensioning the chain 107), chain 107; the second motion is actuated by the synchronous motor (the advantage of the synchronous motor is knowing the absolute position so as to simplify the identification of the position of the actuated element) 112 through the kinematic transmission: reduction gear 113, pinion 114, chain 115, pinion 116, ball volute 117, ball screw 118 (it goes without saying that the actuated part can either be the volute or the screw), whereas the vertical guiding of the semi-conveyor 101 is achieved by means of pins 119 and bushings 120.")
Regarding Claim 16, Vianello teaches the apparatus of Claim 15, as seen above. Vianello further discloses wherein said elongated element is made of polymeric material, preferably PVC (polyvinyl chloride), and/or said support inserts are made of polymeric material, preferably nitrile rubber (NBR).(Paragraph 0048: " As indicated in the comments on Figure 21 , the accident prevention aspect is nowadays of primary importance, even a priority over the functionality and productivity of the machine. From this point of view the invention under discussion is in an advantageous position with respect to the state of the art for the following fundamental reasons: the devices for supporting the insulating pane 1 below the lower horizontal side 1a, although they are provided with the necessary adjustment motions for mating with the edges 1f and 1r of the lower horizontal side 1a (see Figures 22 and 23 ), do not have discontinuities in the direction transversal to the plane 901 and therefore the insulating pane 1 cannot be inserted between the semi-conveyors 101 and 151 that make up the conveyor 100; the load constituted by the insulating pane 1, which is of large size and great thickness and therefore massive, can be easily supported by the conveyor 100 because it has a rigid structure, all overhanging solutions of the shelf type (a situation that is widespread in the known art) being avoided; the monolithic constitution of the semi-conveyors 101, 151 (made possible by the solution recited in claim 1) and the adoption of actuators 112, 162 of the synchronous type enable a positioning of the elements 108, 158 that is reliably mated with the edges 1f and 1r of the end sheets of the insulating pane 1; the shape of the supporting elements 108, 158 enables the use and the easy substitution of inserts of hardness adapted to the fragility of the glass. These are all elements that, in addition to improving the safety factor, also considerably improve the functionality and maintainability aspects.", wherein the hardness of inserts adapted to the fragility of the glass could be a result of a polymeric material)
Regarding Claim 18, Vianello teaches the apparatus of Claim 1, as seen above. Vianello further discloses further comprising side wheels for lateral guidance of the separating means during transit on the conveyors.(Figure 10: Wheels 503)
Regarding Claim 19, Vianello teaches the apparatus of Claim 1, as seen above. Vianello further discloses further comprising means for applying a non-stick substance to said separating means before the separating means are used.(Paragraph 0016: "Figures 22 and 23 are views of enlargements of the details of Figures 12b and 14b and a final summing-up of the inventive concept which consists in the adjustment of the elements 108, 158 for supporting the insulating pane 1 only along planes with vertical arrangement (or rather pseudo-vertical as defined elsewhere in the description), paired with one of the possible types of supporting elements. The lower contouring of the supporting elements 108 is, for example, shown as mating with two rails on which to slide and with a simple entrainment chain 107; the lower contouring of the supporting elements 158 is, for example, shown as mating with three rails on which to slide and with a double entrainment chain 157 (rails and chains are not shown in the figures).", wherein the contour of the supporting elements allow them to slide on rails)
Regarding Claim 20, Vianello teaches the apparatus of Claim 1, as seen above. Vianello further discloses further comprising a programmable control unit, operatively connected to drives of the apparatus for managing movements of components of the apparatus.(Paragraph 0028: " It can immediately be seen that in the step of sealing the first corner connecting the first vertical side 1b with the first upper horizontal side 1c, the synchronously actuated horizontal axis H and vertical axis V are also electrically/electronically coordinated for correct filling of the corner, particularly but not exclusively if that corner is connected by means of a radius of curvature and particularly but not exclusively for the finishing of the troweling (not the troweling described earlier on the inner face of the glass sheets 2M, but the troweling on the corner between the continuous sides) which is done by a special spatula working transversely to the plane 901 of the insulating pane 1, adapted to delimit the volume to be filled in proximity to the corner. This coordination is handled by the process computer contained in the electrical/electronic switchboard 11 and it is interfaced with the user by means of the command desk 12 for parameterization of the constants involved in the process.")
Regarding Claim 21, Vianello teaches A plant comprising a production line of insulating glass and the apparatus for unloading insulating glass panels from the production line of claim 1, as seen above.(Paragraph 0001: "The present invention relates to an automatic machine and an automatic method for the sealing of the perimetric rim of an insulating pane.")
Regarding Claim 22, Vianello teaches A process for unloading insulating glass panels from a production line, the process comprising steps of:((Paragraph 0001: "The present invention relates to an automatic machine and an automatic method for the sealing of the perimetric rim of an insulating pane.")a) providing an apparatus for unloading the insulating glass panels from the production line comprising an insertion device provided with a conveyor adapted to transport the insulating glass panels according to a transit direction (x) from an entrance area near the production line to an exit area for said insulating glass panels; (Paragraph 0040: "A common characteristic of the two conveyors 101, 151 is that of carrying, on the extrados of the chain 107, 157, a series of inserts 108, 158, deployed at intervals in the direction of the axis H, the upper surface of which forms an acute angle with the sliding plane 901 of the insulating pane 1 (as can be seen in the details in Figures 12b , 13b, 14b and in Figures 22, 23 ). The function of these inserts is to limit contact with the outer edge (outer with respect to the insulating pane 1) of the glass sheets 2, 2', 2,", 2"', etc. and, since they are deformable, to adjust to any irregularities of the lower edge of the glass sheets 2, 2', 2,", 2"', etc., and to form a contact of the soft type in order to prevent the glass from cracking. This is essentially useful for glass sheets that are particularly heavy or particularly large (and therefore also heavy) and constitutes the preferred embodiment of the invention.")and a vertical support structure for keeping the insulating glass panels in an inclined position with respect to a vertical direction,(Paragraph 0024: "The following preliminary remarks should be kept in mind regarding the planes of arrangement and the orientations: when we speak of "vertical" we mean slightly inclined with respect to the vertical (also called pseudo-vertical); in fact the transport of the insulating pane 1 occurs on conveyors wherein the resting surface 901 acting on the face of the glass sheet 2 opposite to the operator is inclined by approximately 6 degrees with respect to the vertical plane (in compliance with a safety aspect of transport, as required by regulations deriving from the machine directive), and wherein the resting/supporting surface acting on the lower horizontal side 1a of the insulating pane 1 (constituted by the conveyor 100, the main subject matter of the present application) has a plane of arrangement inclined by around 6 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane; thus when we speak of "horizontal" we mean slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal (also called pseudo-horizontal).") wherein in said insertion device separating means are positioned above said conveyor, so that the separating means can be interposed between said insulating glass panels and said conveyor;(Figure 22: Inserts 108, 158)(b) positioning a separating means above said conveyor;(Figure 22: Inserts 108, 158)(c) advancing an insulating glass panel above the separating means ; and (d) advancing the insulating glass panel supported by at least one separating means towards the conveyor.(Paragraph 0033: "The rear conveyor 101 is provided with two motions, one, synchronous, actuated (together with the synchronous movement of the pane actuated by the known suction cup slider 100') at the end of the movement of the insulating pane 1 along the horizontal axis H, and one, for adjustment, actuated in order to locate the position of the elements 108 for supporting the glass sheet 2, which are deployed on the endless chain 107 for transport, at the exact height required for the process of sealing the lower perimetric rim 1a of the insulating pane 1. Respectively the first motion is actuated by the synchronous motor 102 by means of the kinematic chain: reduction gear 103, transmission 103a, cardan shaft 104, shaft 105, pinion 106, 106a (not shown since it is the idle return pinion, as are the various pinions of which at least one is on a slide for tensioning the chain 107), chain 107; the second motion is actuated by the synchronous motor (the advantage of the synchronous motor is knowing the absolute position so as to simplify the identification of the position of the actuated element) 112 through the kinematic transmission: reduction gear 113, pinion 114, chain 115, pinion 116, ball volute 117, ball screw 118 (it goes without saying that the actuated part can either be the volute or the screw), whereas the vertical guiding of the semi-conveyor 101 is achieved by means of pins 119 and bushings 120.").
Regarding Claim 24, Vianello teaches the p[process of claim 22, as seen above. Vianello further discloses wherein the vertical support structure of said insertion device comprises a carriage with coupling means, and wherein during transit of the insulating glass panel on the conveyor, the insulating glass panel is supported by the coupling means of the carriage.(Figure 6: Suction cups 500)
Regarding Claim 26, Vianello teaches the p[process of claim 22, as seen above. Vianello further discloses further comprising a step of applying a non-stick substance on the separating means (Paragraph 0016: "Figures 22 and 23 are views of enlargements of the details of Figures 12b and 14b and a final summing-up of the inventive concept which consists in the adjustment of the elements 108, 158 for supporting the insulating pane 1 only along planes with vertical arrangement (or rather pseudo-vertical as defined elsewhere in the description), paired with one of the possible types of supporting elements. The lower contouring of the supporting elements 108 is, for example, shown as mating with two rails on which to slide and with a simple entrainment chain 107; the lower contouring of the supporting elements 158 is, for example, shown as mating with three rails on which to slide and with a double entrainment chain 157 (rails and chains are not shown in the figures).", wherein the contour of the supporting elements allow them to slide on rails)
Regarding Claim 27, Vianello teaches the p[process of claim 22, as seen above. Vianello further discloses further comprising a step of rearranging the insulating glass panels according to specific needs.(Paragraph 0028: " It can immediately be seen that in the step of sealing the first corner connecting the first vertical side 1b with the first upper horizontal side 1c, the synchronously actuated horizontal axis H and vertical axis V are also electrically/electronically coordinated for correct filling of the corner, particularly but not exclusively if that corner is connected by means of a radius of curvature and particularly but not exclusively for the finishing of the troweling (not the troweling described earlier on the inner face of the glass sheets 2M, but the troweling on the corner between the continuous sides) which is done by a special spatula working transversely to the plane 901 of the insulating pane 1, adapted to delimit the volume to be filled in proximity to the corner. This coordination is handled by the process computer contained in the electrical/electronic switchboard 11 and it is interfaced with the user by means of the command desk 12 for parameterization of the constants involved in the process.")
Regarding Claim 28, Vianello teaches the p[process of claim 22, as seen above. Vianello further discloses characterised in that it comprises further comprising a step in which the insulating glass panels remain in said a storage module until the insulating glass panels are ready for subsequent steps and/or for shipping.(Paragraph 0016: "Figure 21 is a view of an example of installation of the device 100 and of the automatic sealing machine 1000 in the production line of the insulating pane 1 (plan view) and includes: electrical/electronic switchboard 11, control desk 12 and protection devices, indicated generically with 13 whether they are of the mechanical shield type or optical barrier type or laser barrier type or electrosensitive mat type etc., since particular attention is devoted, in addition to the functional, qualitative, productive and peculiar aspects of the content of this invention, to accident prevention aspects as well. In particular, with reference to accident prevention the present invention has a number of peculiarities which are described in more detail below.", wherein a storage area of unloaded sheets are an obvious part of the production line)
Allowable Subject Matter
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Claims 5, 6, 8, 11, 17, 23 and 25 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.
Regarding Claims 5 and 6, there is no prior art alone or in combination that included the combination of recited limitations in Claims 1, 2 and 5. The art alone or in combination does not disclose wherein said shaped upper plate being adapted to be moved: closer to and farther from said support plate to engage at least one separating means on command; and(b) in a transverse direction above said support plate, to move said at least one separating means towards said conveyor. The closest prior art of record Vianello (European Patent Application EP 2460971 A2) teaches a similar apparatus for unloading insulating glass panels from a production line comprising an insertion device, vertical support structure, separating means and a positioning device, but fails to teach wherein said shaped upper plate being adapted to be moved: closer to and farther from said support plate to engage at least one separating means on command; and(b) in a transverse direction above said support plate, to move said at least one separating means towards said conveyor. Additionally, no other reference, or reasonably combination thereof, could be found which disclose or suggest these features in combination with other limitations in the claims.
Regarding Claim 8, there is no prior art alone or in combination that included the combination of recited limitations in Claims 1, 2, 7 and 8. The art alone or in combination does not disclose a motorization adapted to move a loader support on which the separating means can be stacked, so that the stack of separating means can be lifted to bring a next one of the stack of separating means to a height of the support plate to be translated by the positioning device. The closest prior art of record Vianello (European Patent Application EP 2460971 A2) teaches a similar apparatus for unloading insulating glass panels from a production line comprising an insertion device, vertical support structure, separating means, a positioning device and motorisation, but fails to teach wherein adapted to move a loader support on which the separating means can be stacked, so that the stack of separating means can be lifted to bring a next one of the stack of separating means to a height of the support plate to be translated by the positioning device. Additionally, no other reference, or reasonably combination thereof, could be found which disclose or suggest these features in combination with other limitations in the claims.
Regarding Claim 11, there is no prior art alone or in combination that included the combination of recited limitations in Claims 1, 10 and 11. The art alone or in combination does not disclose further comprising at least one shuttle adapted to receive the insulating glass panels from said at least one conveyor and serve said storage module , said at least one shuttle being adapted to translate in front of said panel warehouses along the direction (z); and at least one withdrawal conveyor adapted to receive the insulating glass panels from said at least one shuttle. The closest prior art of record Vianello (European Patent Application EP 2460971 A2) teaches a similar apparatus for unloading insulating glass panels from a production line comprising an insertion device, vertical support structure, separating means and a positioning device, but fails to teach at least one shuttle adapted to receive the insulating glass panels from said at least one conveyor and serve said storage module , said at least one shuttle being adapted to translate in front of said panel warehouses along the direction (z); and at least one withdrawal conveyor adapted to receive the insulating glass panels from said at least one shuttle. Additionally, no other reference, or reasonably combination thereof, could be found which disclose or suggest these features in combination with other limitations in the claims.
Regarding Claim 17, there is no prior art alone or in combination that included the combination of recited limitations in Claims 1, 15 and 17. The art alone or in combination does not disclose wherein said elongated element is made by coupling two different materials: a lower layer with a high friction coefficient, preferably nitrile rubber, and an upper layer in non-stick material, preferably teflon, even more preferably an insert is interposed between the two layers of material which is adapted to confer the necessary mechanical stiffness features to the separating means. The closest prior art of record Vianello (European Patent Application EP 2460971 A2) teaches a similar apparatus for unloading insulating glass panels from a production line comprising an insertion device, vertical support structure, separating means, a positioning device and support inserts to support at least one insulating glass panel, but fails to teach wherein said elongated element is made by coupling two different materials: a lower layer with a high friction coefficient, preferably nitrile rubber, and an upper layer in non-stick material, preferably teflon, even more preferably an insert is interposed between the two layers of material which is adapted to confer the necessary mechanical stiffness features to the separating means. Additionally, no other reference, or reasonably combination thereof, could be found which disclose or suggest these features in combination with other limitations in the claims.
Regarding Claims 23-25, there is no prior art alone or in combination that included the combination of recited limitations in Claims 22 and 23. The art alone or in combination does not disclose further comprising: a step (b') before step (b) in which the conveyor is positioned in a lowered insertion position of said separating means ; and a step (c') after step (c), in which the conveyor is lifted to a transport position until the separating means are brought into contact with a lower part of the insulating glass panel. The closest prior art of record Vianello (European Patent Application EP 2460971 A2) teaches a similar process for unloading insulating glass panels from a production line comprising an insertion device, vertical support structure, separating means and a positioning device, but fails to teach further comprising: a step (b') before step (b) in which the conveyor is positioned in a lowered insertion position of said separating means ; and a step (c') after step (c), in which the conveyor is lifted to a transport position until the separating means are brought into contact with a lower part of the insulating glass panel. Additionally, no other reference, or reasonably combination thereof, could be found which disclose or suggest these features in combination with other limitations in the claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
United States Patent Application US 2012/0234466A1 (Balbi, Mario): Balbi discloses a similar insulating glass production method and unit comprising a dispenser head, an underlying movably supporting member, and moving supporting members in order to transport glass sheets, as seen in Figure 1.
International Patent Application WO 2015/113081 A2 (Mader, Leopold): Mader teaches a similar device for transporting plate-type objects comprising a discharge point, a sealing station, a storage area, suction field, supporting fingers and a harp rack, as seen in Figure 3.
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/ABBY A JORGENSEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3651
/GENE O CRAWFORD/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3651
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