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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the carrier protrusion(s) interacting with the spindle is not shown nor have a reference numeral and these features must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 24, 28 and 29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the enablement requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and/or use the invention. The examiner does not understand how the protrusion(s) extend to and cooperate with at least one spindle drive and the rotation wheels.
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)(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) 16-23 and 25-27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Arts et al. (US Patent Publication 2025/0374930).
Regarding claim 16, Arts et al teach a poultry hanging system for feeding a primary line 2 in which the poultry 4 is or will be suspended from first carriers 3 that are movable at a first conveying speed (see para 0017, 0021, 0022, 0045, and 0076) comprising:
a poultry feedline 2 for transferring non-suspended poultry 4 to at least one secondary line 7,
including transfer units (15a or 15b for primary line 2 and 20a or 20b for secondary line 7) for transferring the poultry from the at least one secondary line to the primary line; wherein the at least one secondary line 7 is equipped with second carriers 8 for suspending the poultry, the poultry feedline 2 configured for transferring the non-suspended poultry 4 to a suspension location where the poultry 4 is suspendable in the second carriers 8 of the at least one secondary line 8, wherein at least in the suspension locations the second carriers 8 of the at least one secondary line 8 are movable at a second conveying speed that is lower than the first conveying speed (see parat 0017, 0021, 0022, 0045 and 0076 discussing speed) of the primary line 2
Regarding claim 17, Arts et al teach the poultry hanging system of claim 16, wherein the suspension location is equipped with one of either a workplace 12a for an operator (13a or 13b) or automatic hanging equipment.
Regarding claim 18, Arts et al teach the poultry hanging system of claim 16, wherein the system comprises two or more secondary lines 7.
Regarding claim 19, Arts et alteach the poultry hanging system of claim 16, wherein a first distance between first carriers 3 in the primary line is constant, (as seen in figure 2 for constant distance between carriers 3).
Regarding claim 20, Arts et al teach the poultry hanging system of claim 19, wherein the second carriers 8 in the least one secondary line 7 are at a second distance in the suspension locations and at a third distance near the transfer units, wherein the third distance is larger than the second distance. (See figure 2).
Regarding claim 21, Arts et al teach the poultry hanging system of claim 16, wherein the transfer units (15a or 15b) are synchronized with the primary line 2 to arrange that poultry suspended in the second carriers 8 of the at least one secondary line 7 are all individually transferred to an available empty first carrier 3 in the primary line 2.
Regarding claim 22, Arts et al teach the poultry hanging system of claim 16, wherein the at least one secondary line 7 comprises: an endless pathway for the second carriers 8;
rotation wheels (20a or 20b) that drive the second carriers 8 along at least a part of the pathway; and
wherein one or more predominantly straight sections of the pathway (shown in figure 2 and unnumbered) are provided
between the rotation wheels, and that the at least one secondary line is provided with a spindle drive for driving the second carriers in the straight sections between the rotation wheels.
Regarding claim 23, Arts et al teach the hanging system of claim 22, wherein the suspension location is at one or more predominantly straight sections (unnumbered and shown in Figure 2) of the pathway.
Regarding claim 25, Arts et al teach the poultry hanging system of claim 22, wherein the rotation wheels (20a or 20b) drive the second carriers 8 in the at least one secondary line 7 independent from the spindle drive (center rotation point unnumbered of element 20a or 20b and seen in figure 2) for the second carriers 8 in the at least one secondary line 7.
Regarding claim 26, Arts et al teach the poultry hanging system of claim 25, wherein the transfer units are located at the at least one secondary line opposite to the rotation wheels.
Regarding claim 27, Arts et al teach a poultry conveying line, comprising:
an endless pathway 2 or 7 for carriers 3 or 8 for suspending poultry 4, rotation wheels (20a, 20b, 15a or 15b) that drive the carriers 3 or 8 along at least a part of the pathway, wherein one or more predominantly straight sections (unnumbered and shown in figure 2) of the pathway are provided between the rotation wheels;
and a spindle drive (center rotational drive of the rotational wheels mentioned above and shown in figure 2) for driving the carriers in the straight sections between the rotation wheels.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RICHARD T. PRICE JR whose telephone number is (571)272-6892. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7AM-3:30PM.
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, Peter M. Poon can be reached at 571-272-6891. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/RICHARD T PRICE JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3643