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 § 102
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 1-2 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Gunti (US 4,056,180).
In regard to claim 1, Gunti shows A modular conveyor with rails 10, each including a sidewall 12/14/18/22/24. The sidewall includes a first plurality P1 of through holes 16 in a muddle section 12 and a second plurality of through holes 16 in an upper section 18(see annotated figures 1 and 2 below). At least one cross-tie 96 is removably coupled between the two rails 10 by fasteners provided through the first plurality P1 of through holes 16 of each of the two rails (see figures 10b and 10c). A plurality of rollers R are provided that each have a first axle end A1 and a second axle end configured to be received by the second plurality P2 of through holes 16 of each of the two rails (see the annotated figures below). A t least one channel connector 50 couples to at least one of the two rails 10 for coupling additional rails to extend the length of the modular conveyor (see column 6, lines 30-45).
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In regard to claim 2, the sidewall of each of the two rails 10 further includes a third plurality P3 of through holes 16. The at least one channel connector 50 may be coupled to each rail 10 by fasteners received through the third plurality P3 of through holes 16 and aligned holes 56 in the connectors.
In regard to claim 7, the second plurality P2 of through holes 16 of the two rails provide for adjustable spacing of the plurality of rollers.
Claims 10 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by CN 107651401 (CN ‘401).
In regard to claim 10, CN ’401 shows an H-stand for a modular conveyor system 1. The stand includes at least two telescoping uprights 6/8/9 and at least two pivot brackets 5 provided at the top of each of the two telescoping uprights 6/8/9. Each of the at least two pivot brackets 5 are configured to couple to a bottom wall of a rail 1 of a modular conveyor. At least two cross-beams 7 couple the two telescoping uprights (see figure 3).
In regard to claim 19, each of the at least two pivot brackets 5 comprises a curved slot hole 17 to provide an adjustable angle between each pivot bracket 5 and each of the at least two telescoping uprights 6/8/9 (see figure 4).
In regard to claim 20, each of the at least two telescoping uprights 6/8/9 includes a baseplate 11.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gunti.
In regard to claim 9, it is recognized that Gunti does not specify the spacing the holes 16 of the second plurality of holes P2. However, roller spacings of 3 inches, 4.5 inches, and 6 inches are common in the art. As such is setting the spacing of the holes 16 of the second plurality of holes so that a spacing between a center of each roller is selectable between 3, 4.5, and 6 inches is deemed to have been an obvious design choice absent some disclosure in the applicant’s specification of some unusual advantage or result. In re Kuhle, 188 USPQ 7 (CCPA 1975).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gunti in view of Calloway (US 8,672,116).
Gunti does not discuss the particulars of the rollers R it utilizes. Calloway shows a roller conveyor 100 with side rails 102/104 similar to that of Gunti. The rollers 201 of Calloway have first and second axle ends 204 that are depressible into the body of the roller (see figure 3 and 18-20). Calloway teaches that the depressible axle ends 204 facilitate the assembly of the rollers 201 into the side rails. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to provide the rollers R of Gunti with depressible axle ends in order to facilitate the installation of the rollers into the side rails according to the teachings of Calloway.
Claims 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN ‘401.
In regard to claims 15, it is noted that CN ‘401 is silent as to the height of the telescoping uprights 6/8/9. However, it should also be noted that it is common in the art for conveyors to have heights between 24 and 36 inches and that the telescoping uprights 6/8/9 of CN ‘401 may be continuously adjusted to a wade variety of sizes. As such, the use of uprights that are adjustable between 24 and 36 inches is deemed to have been an obvious design choice absent some disclosure in the applicant’s specification of some unusual advantage or result. In re Kuhle, 188 USPQ 7 (CCPA 1975).
In regard to claim 16, it is noted that CN ‘401 shows a bottom portion 9 of the telescoping uprights 6/8/9 that is nested within a top portion 8, rather than a bottom portion nested within a top portion. However, the telescoping uprights 6/8/9 would function in substantially the same way and achieve substantially the same result whether the bottom portion is nested within the top portion of vice versa. As the arrangement of CN ‘401 is functionally equivalent with that of claim 16, it is deemed to have been an obvious design choice. .
Claims 11-12 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN ‘401 in view of CN 217755499 (CN ‘499).
CN ‘401 shows generally all the structure required by the above listed claims except for the telescoping cross beams. However, CN ‘499 shows an H-stand for a modular roller conveyor with uprights 1 connected to side rails 5 and connected by cross-beams 2/3 coupling the two uprights 1 in a fashion similar to that of CN ‘401. The CN ‘499 teaches that the cross beams 2/3 may be formed of an inner portion 2 nested within an outer portion 3 that are telescoping relative to each other so that the width of the H-Stand may advantageously be varied to accommodate conveyors having differing widths (see appendix translation lines 45-50). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to provide form the cross beams 7 of CN ‘401 with inner portions nested within outer portions that are telescoping relative to each other so that the width of the H-Stand may advantageously be varied to accommodate conveyors having differing widths according to the teachings of CN ‘499). When this is done, the resulting H-stand would have all the structure required by claims 11-12.
In regard to the limitations of claim 14, it should be noted that conveyors commonly have widths between 15 and 24 inches. As such, providing cross beams that allow for adjustment between 15 and 24 inch configurations is also deemed to have been an obvious design choice.
Claims 3, 10, 19-20, 33, 41, 43, 49 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gunti in view of CN ‘401.
Gunti shows generally all the structure required by the above claims, including the two pivot brackets 80 with top portions with two or more through holes 76/78 and a curved slot hole 88 to provide an adjustable angle between each pivot bracket and the upright to which it is attached required by claims 3, 19, and 41. Gunti also shows the cross ties 96 coupled between the rails 10 and the pivot brackets 80 coupled to the rails 10 of a table frame via fasteners provided through through holes 76/78 in the pivot bracket and through through holes 16 of a fourth plurality P4 of through holes as required by claim 33 (see figure 8A of Gunti). The sidewall of each of the two rails of Gunti also have a third plurality P3 of through holes 16 which are used to couple a channel connector 50 to the rails 10 to couple additional rails 10 as required by claim 49.
However, Gunti does not show the H-stand of claims 3, 10, 20, and 33. As described in section 4 above, Gunti shows an H-stand with all the structure required by claims 10 and 19-20. This H-stand may be coupled to pivot brackets attached side rails of a modular conveyor. CN ‘401 teaches that the H-stand may advantageously be used to support the rails of a roller conveyor at adjustable heights. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to connect the H-stand of CN ‘401 to the pivot brackets 80 of Gunti so that the conveyor rails 10 could be adjustable supported at varying heights according to the teachings of CN ‘401. When this is done, the resulting apparatus would have all the structure required by claims 3, 10, 19-20, 33, 41, and 49.
In regard to spacing of the rollers of claim 43, the spacing selectable between 3, 4.5, and 6 inches is obvious for the reasons given in section 6 above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited prior art shows a variety of configurations of modular roller conveyors.
APPENDIX
CN217755499U Roller type conveying frame capable of rapidly adjusting width
Data originating from sources other than the EPO may not be accurate, complete, or up to date.
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A roller-type conveying frame that can quickly adjust the width
technical field
The utility model relates to the technical field of roller conveying lines, in particular to a roller-type conveying frame whose width can be quickly adjusted.
Background technique
Roller conveyor line is an important type of conveyor line, which is generally assembled by multiple independent conveyor frames. Because of its simple structure, low cost and fast conveying efficiency, it is widely used in the production conveyor line of manufacturing enterprises. To meet different types and sizes of conveying, usually a conveyor line that can adjust height and width is customized. For example, a variable width conveyor line (CN202121873603.4) includes a main body, multiple first rollers, and multiple second rollers drum and a plurality of frame width adjustment parts; the first roller includes a first roller body; the first roller body has a first accommodation space; the second roller includes a roller extension; the The first roller is connected to the second roller, and the extension section of the roller can slide between the first position and the second position in the first accommodation space of the first roller part body; the frame The width adjustment part includes a first frame, a second frame and an adjustment component; the adjustment component has a second accommodation space; the distance between the first frame and the second frame can be adjusted in the second accommodation space; The utility model can change the width of the conveying line through the design of the first roller, the second roller and the frame width adjusting part, and solves the problem that the material whose width exceeds the fixed width of the conveying line cannot be applied.
Although the existing width-adjustable roller conveyor line can adjust the width of the frame and rollers to adjust the width of the entire conveyor line, it is necessary to adjust each roller on the conveyor line when realizing the width adjustment function. At the same time, a plurality of frame adjustment parts are also set up, so it is necessary to adjust a plurality of frame adjustment parts accordingly, so that when the conveyor line is adjusted, it is necessary to repeat many of the same adjustment actions, which also complicates the structure of the conveyor line, which not only greatly reduces the The speed of adjusting the width of the conveyor line will increase the manufacturing cost of the conveyor line and increase the difficulty of maintenance and repair of the conveyor line.
Utility model content
In order to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings, the utility model provides a roller-type conveying frame that can quickly adjust the width. Two sets of sleeve shafts and movable shafts are respectively arranged between the legs and the bearing plate, and the entire conveying can be completed by manually pushing and pulling the legs. The width adjustment of the frame, together with the setting of rolling sleeves and connecting shafts similar to the sleeve shaft and movable shaft structure, enables the entire conveying structure to be synchronously linked during width adjustment, making the width adjustment simple and fast.
In order to achieve the above purpose, the utility model provides the following technical solutions: a roller-type conveying frame that can quickly adjust the width, including two carrying plates in the shape of a cuboid, the two carrying plates are arranged in parallel, and the bottom of the carrying plate is along its length direction There are several supporting feet on both sides, and the supporting feet of different bearing plates are connected by the disconnected sleeve shaft in the middle. There are several rolling sleeves arranged in the middle along the length direction of the bearing plate between the upper parts of the two bearing plates. , The disconnection of the rolling sleeve is provided with a movable shaft and a connecting shaft respectively, both ends of the movable shaft are provided with limit plates and inserted into the sleeve shaft, both ends of the connecting shaft are inserted into the rolling sleeve, at the through slot in the sleeve shaft, The barrel mouth of the rolling sleeve is provided with a resisting ring; both ends of the rolling sleeve are provided with a rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft is covered with a bearing fixed on the bearing plate, and a servo motor for driving the rotating shaft to rotate is installed in the bearing plate; A plurality of sockets and threaded holes are respectively arranged on the sleeve shaft and the movable shaft between, and the sockets and the threaded holes are connected by bolts. The working principle is: firstly, when the width of the transmission frame needs to be adjusted, the feet located under the two bearing plates are manually moved closer to or farther away from each other. Telescopic movement, and the two ends of the connecting shaft will also be telescopic and movable in the rolling sleeve, and then cooperate with the width adjustment action; secondly, when the transmission frame reaches the specified width and a certain widening value is given, then slightly adjust the width to make the legs Any one of the sockets on the sleeve shaft located on both sides of the movable shaft can be aligned with the threaded holes on the movable shaft, and the bolts are screwed into the threaded holes to complete the fastening, and finally fast and easy Complete the operation process of the transfer rack width adjustment.
A further preferred solution: several sockets on the sleeve shaft between the legs are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the sleeve shaft with the movable axis as the center. Sockets are provided on both sides of the sleeve shaft with the movable shaft as the center, so that fastening can be performed on both sides of the sleeve shaft to ensure the stability and reliability of fastening.
A further preferred solution: the depth of the through groove in each sleeve shaft is the same as that of each rolling sleeve, and the length of each movable shaft is the same as that of each connecting shaft. Set the depth of the sleeve shaft and the depth of the rolling sleeve at the same depth, and the length of each movable shaft is the same as the length of each connecting shaft, so that the entire conveyor frame can maintain consistency when adjusting the width, and avoid problems caused by the depth of the sleeve shaft between the legs and the length of the movable shaft. The bearing plate cannot reach the adjusted width when the width of the supporting foot is adjusted due to the difference in the depth of the sleeve shaft of the bearing plate and the length of the movable axis.
A further preferred solution: both ends of the movable shaft between the bearing plates are connected with a spring shaft, and the other end of the spring shaft is fixed at the bottom of the sleeve shaft through groove. A spring shaft is arranged at both ends of the movable shaft between the bearing plates to connect with the groove bottom of the sleeve shaft. When the width becomes wider, the spring elongates to give a pulling force between the two bearing plates, and when the width becomes narrower, it gives a thrust to the two bearing plates. This reaction force is used to avoid the problem that the connection between the bolt and the threaded hole is not compact, and at the same time, it can play a role in detecting whether the width is fastened after adjustment.
A further preferred solution: a ball sliding sleeve is provided at both ends of the connecting shaft, and the ball sliding sleeve and the rolling sleeve are rolling and slidingly connected. Ball sliding sleeves are installed at both ends of the connecting shaft, so that when the rolling sleeve rotates under the drive of the servo motor, the rotational friction between the rolling sleeve and the connecting shaft can be converted into rolling friction, which greatly reduces friction and reduces damage .
A further preferred solution: the two ends of the bearing plate along the direction of the bearing plate are provided with buckles at one end and slots at the other end, and the buckles between two adjacent bearing plates are engaged with the slots. Buckles and slots are respectively provided at both ends of the loading plate, so that two adjacent transmission frames can be connected by buckles and slots, which is beneficial to ensure the integrity and stability of the entire transmission structure, and the structure of the buckle slot is convenient Perform disassembly and reassembly.
The utility model provides a roller-type conveying frame that can quickly adjust the width, and has the following beneficial effects:
1. In the utility model, two sets of sleeve shafts and movable shafts are respectively arranged between the legs and the bearing plate, and the width adjustment of the entire conveyor frame can be completed by artificially pushing and pulling the legs, and the rolling shafts similar in structure to the sleeve shafts and movable shafts can be set in conjunction with the utility model. The sleeve and the connecting shaft enable the entire conveying structure to be synchronously linked when adjusting the width, making the width adjustment simple and fast.
2. The advantage of this utility model is that ball sliding sleeves are arranged at both ends of the connecting shaft, so that when the rolling sleeve rotates under the drive of the servo motor, the rotational friction force between the rolling sleeve and the connecting shaft can be transformed into rolling friction force, which greatly Reduce friction to reduce damage; set buckles and slots at both ends of the load plate, so that two adjacent transmission frames can be connected by buckles and slots, which is conducive to ensuring the integrity and stability of the entire transmission structure , At the same time, the buckle slot structure is convenient for disassembly and reassembly.
Description of drawings
Fig. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional structure diagram of the overall exterior of the utility model perpendicular to the conveying direction.
Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a vertical cross-sectional structure of the utility model as a whole externally parallel to the conveying direction.
Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the sleeve shaft and the movable shaft between the legs of the utility model.
Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the sleeve shaft and the movable shaft between the bearing plates of the present invention.
Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the rolling sleeve and the connecting shaft of the present invention.
Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the buckle and the slot of the present invention.
In Fig. 1-6: 1, support foot; 2, movable shaft; 3, sleeve shaft; 4, bolt; 5, bearing plate; 501, buckle; 502, slot; , connecting shaft; 9, ball sliding sleeve; 10, bearing; 11, servo motor; 12, spring shaft; 13, resisting ring; 14, socket; 15, threaded hole; 16, limit plate.
Detailed ways
The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with accompanying drawings 1-6 in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than Full examples. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by persons of ordinary skill in the art without making creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present utility model.
Example:
Please refer to Figures 1 to 6:
A roller-type conveying frame that can quickly adjust the width. The two bearing plates 5 are arranged in a parallel alignment in the shape of a cuboid. Several legs 1 are provided on both sides of the bottom of the bearing plate 5 along its length direction, and the legs 1 of different bearing plates 5 pass through. The sleeve shaft 3 of the middle fracture is connected, and a number of rolling sleeves 7 arranged in the middle along the length direction of the bearing plate 5 are arranged between the upper parts of the two bearing plates 5. The disconnection of the sleeve shaft 3 and the disconnection of the rolling sleeve 7 are respectively A movable shaft 2 and a connecting shaft 8 are provided, both ends of the movable shaft 2 are provided with limit plates 16 and inserted into the sleeve shaft 3, both ends of the connecting shaft 8 are inserted into the rolling sleeve 7, at the through slot in the sleeve shaft 3, The mouth of the rolling sleeve 7 is provided with a resisting ring 13, and a ball sliding sleeve 9 is provided at both ends of the connecting shaft 8, and the ball sliding sleeve 9 and the rolling sleeve 7 are rolling and slidingly connected; both ends of the rolling sleeve 7 are provided with rotating shafts 6. The rotating shaft 6 is sleeved with a bearing 10 fixed on the bearing plate 5. The bearing plate 5 is provided with a servo motor 11 for driving the rotating shaft 6 to rotate; The jacks 14 and the threaded holes 15 are located on the sleeve shaft 3 between the legs 1 and are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the sleeve shaft 3 with the movable shaft 2 as the center. The jacks 14 and the threaded holes 15 are connected by bolts 4 .
The depth of the through groove in each sleeve shaft 3 is the same as that of each rolling sleeve 7 , and the length of each movable shaft 2 is the same as that of each connecting shaft 8 .
Both ends of the movable shaft 2 between the bearing plates 5 are connected with a spring shaft 12, and the other end of the spring shaft 12 is fixed at the bottom of the groove of the sleeve shaft 3.
One end of the carrying plate 5 along the direction of the carrying plate 5 is provided with a buckle 501 and the other end is provided with a slot 502 .
The working principle is: firstly, when the width of the transmission frame needs to be adjusted, the feet 1 located under the two bearing plates 5 are manually moved closer to or farther away from each other. The through slot in the telescopic movement, and the two ends of the connecting shaft 8 will also telescopically move in the rolling sleeve 7, and then cooperate with the width adjustment action; secondly, when the transmission frame reaches the specified width and a certain lenient value is given, Slightly adjust the width again so that any one of the jacks 14 on the sleeve shaft 3 between the legs 1 that are respectively located in the jacks 14 on both sides of the movable shaft 2 can be aligned with the threaded holes 15 on the movable shaft 2, and the bolt 4 Screw into the threaded hole 15 to complete the fastening, and finally complete the operation process of adjusting the width of the transmission frame quickly and easily.
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art can understand that various changes and modifications can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principle and spirit of the present invention , replacements and modifications, the scope of the present utility model is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARK A DEUBLE whose telephone number is (571)272-6912. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday flex schedule.
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, Gene Crawford can be reached at 571-272-6911. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MARK A DEUBLE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651