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
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for provisional application based on application filed on 10/28/2021.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/18/2024 was filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claim(s) 13-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tai et al (U.S. 2003/0229416) and further in view of Boys et al (U.S. 5,293,308)
1. As per claim 1 Tai disclosed an autonomous travelling system for a vehicle that detects a magnetic field generated from an electromagnetic induction line and that is capable of autonomous travelling along said electromagnetic induction line, said system comprising:
a plurality of closed loop electromagnetic induction lines disposed adjacent to each other [The running path 2 as a whole is formed in the same horizontal plane. Then, when the second vehicle 10B is immediately laterally adjacent to the second storage and retrieval roller conveyor 55, the transfer roller conveyor 8 and the second storage and retrieval roller conveyor 55 are in series in the carrying direction] (Paragraph. 0074); and
a power source device respectively corresponding to each of said plurality of closed loop electromagnetic induction lines [The automated guided vehicle system 1 in the present embodiment is provided with a first vehicle 10A running along both intra-process carrying paths 21 and inter-process carrying path 22, and a second vehicle 10B running along the inter-process carrying path 22. Each intra-process carrying path 21 and the corresponding inter-process carrying path 22 constitute a closed loop path. The vehicles 10A, 10B can move circularly on the carrying paths 21, 22. ] (Paragraph. 0031), wherein:
a portion of each of said plurality of closed loop electromagnetic induction lines are disposed adjacent to each other so as form a travelling path [A configuration of the running path 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. In the description below, the configuration of the running path 2 means the configuration of assembly of members such as rail members 24A, 43A which constitute the running path 2. It does not mean the purpose of each portion of the running path 2 (the purpose is, for example, the use of particular parts as the intra-process carrying paths 21)] (Paragraph. 0035); and
a power source device corresponding to each of said plurality of closed loop electromagnetic induction lines are respectively connected [An electromagnetic induction phenomenon is utilized to supply power to the pickup unit 60 through feeder lines 6, 6, respectively. The pickup units 60, 60 take up a large percentage of the weight of the vehicle body. The pickup units 60, 60 are thus arranged in the front and rear, respectively, of the vehicle body to maintain the balance of weight of the whole vehicle body to allow, for example, the vehicle 10 to run smoothly along the curved portion] (Paragraph. 0057), and
However, Tai did not explicitly disclose a low-frequency alternating current of the same frequency is supplied from said power source device to the corresponding closed loop electromagnetic induction line of said plurality of closed loop electromagnetic induction line.
In the same field of endeavor Boys disclosed, “To provide the necessary current step-up in the track and to minimize the effect of load changes on the operating frequency of the converter, the turns ratio of the ferrite potcored high frequency transformer is made high in this preferred embodiment by placing only one turn on the secondary side. To further minimize the effects of loading on the frequency the impedance of the high frequency tuned circuit (Z=.sqroot.(L1/C1)) is deliberately made to be low (col. 14, lines 63-67 & col. 15, lines 1-3).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date was made to have incorporated To provide the necessary current step-up in the track and to minimize the effect of load changes on the operating frequency of the converter, the turns ratio of the ferrite potcored high frequency transformer is made high in this preferred embodiment by placing only one turn on the secondary side. To further minimize the effects of loading on the frequency the impedance of the high frequency tuned circuit (Z=.sqroot.(L1/C1)) is deliberately made to be low as taught by Boys in the method and system of Tai to cause the low frequency induction line using AC (Alternative Current).
2. As per claim 14 Tai-Boys disclosed wherein said low- frequency alternating current of the same frequency is synchronized (Boys, col. 17, lines 41-47). Claim 14 has the same motivation as to claim 1.
3. As per claim 15 Tai-Boys disclosed wherein said vehicle comprises, as autonomous travelling modes, a positioning mode where autonomous travelling takes place on the basis of a received positioning signal (Tai, Paragraph. 0033), and an electromagnetic induction mode where autonomous travelling takes place along a electromagnetic induction line by detecting a magnetic field generated from said electromagnetic induction line, wherein autonomous travelling takes place by said positioning mode on a path where said electromagnetic induction line has not been laid (Tai, Paragraph. 0057).
4. As per claim 16 Tai-Boys disclosed wherein said electromagnetic induction line of a travelling path is laid at a portion where a positioning signal cannot be received, or where the receiving strength of a positioning signal is weak (Tai, Paragraph. 0058).
Conclusion
5. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communication from the
examiner should be directed to Adnan Mirza whose telephone number is (571)-272-3885.
6. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Friday during normal
business hours. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the
examiner’s supervisor, Faris Almatrahi can be reached on (313)-446-4821.
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/ADNAN M MIRZA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3667
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