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 .
Response to Arguments
The double patenting rejection to claims 1-20 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 7, and 15 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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, 4-8, 12-15, and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kleinikkink U.S. Patent No. 9,505,560.
Claim 1, Kleinikkink teaches a method for auto-calibration of a sorter 700 Fig. 7, the method comprising: tracking, by a sensor unit 122,123 communicatively coupled to a carrier transmit board of 702 of a sorter 700, movement of each carrier 104 of a first section of 704 of the sorter 700,900 C8 L25-35; transmitting via 702, by the carrier transmit board of 704 of the sorter 700, a short discharge command via 702 to a first motor control board of a plurality of motor control boards of 704, wherein the first motor control board of 704 is associated with the first section of the sorter 700, wherein the short discharge command via 702 is generated based on a first clock offset C8 L62-67; C9 L1-20, wherein the first clock offset describes a position estimate of the first section of the sorter 700 based on the tracked movement of each carrier 104 of the first section of the sorter 700 C9 L30-50; in response to the transmitting via 702 of the short discharge command via 702, receiving at the carrier transmit board of 704 a status message indicative of a status of one of the plurality of motor control boards C9 L20-30; verifying, by a sorter control unit 702, whether the short discharge command is received by the first motor control board of 704 based on a received status message, wherein the status message further includes an indication of the one of the plurality of motor control boards of 704 that receives the short discharge command, and wherein the verifying comprises determining, based on the indication, whether the one of the plurality of motor control boards of 704 that receives the short discharge command corresponds to the first motor control board of 704 associated with the first section of the sorter 700,900 C11 L30-45; and in response to the status message via 702 indicating that the first motor control board of 704 received the short discharge command via 702, configuring a sorter control system 900 of the sorter 700 based on the first clock offset C11 L45-67.
Claims 4 and 12, Kleinikkink teaches the short discharge command via 702 is transmitted based on a pre-defined transmit window defined for the carrier transmit board of 704 Abstract.
Claims 5, 13 and 19, Kleinikkink teaches sending via 702, an activation command to a plurality of carrier transmit boards of 704 of the sorter 700; receiving, an activation acknowledgement respectively from a set of carrier transmit boards of 704 from amongst the plurality of carrier transmit boards 2of 704; and activating the set of carrier transmit boards 28of 704 C11 L30-45.
Claims 6, 14 and 20, Kleinikkink teaches modifying the first clock offset by one of: increasing the first clock offset by a first predetermined value; and decreasing the first clock offset by a second predetermined value C11 L30-45.
Claim 7, Kleinikkink teaches a sorter system 700 comprising: a carrier transmit board of 704; a sensor unit 122,123 communicatively coupled to the carrier transmit board of 704, wherein the sensor unit 122,123 is configured to track movement of each carrier 104 of a first section of a sorter 700; and a sorter control unit 702 communicatively coupled to the carrier transmit board of 704, the sorter control unit 702 comprising a processor C21 L60-67; C22 L1-20 configured to: transmit, by the carrier transmit board of 704, a short discharge command via 702 to a first motor control board of a plurality of motor control boards of 704, wherein the first motor control board of 704 is associated with the first section of the sorter 700, wherein the short discharge command via 702 is generated based on a first clock offset, and wherein the first clock offset describes a position estimate of the first section of the sorter 700 based on the tracked movement of each carrier 104 of the first section of the sorter 700 C11 L30-45; in response to transmitting of the short discharge command via 702, identify a receiving of a status message via 702 at the carrier transmit board of 704, wherein the status message via 702 is indicative of a status of one of the plurality of motor control boards 704; verifying, by a sorter control unit 702, whether the short discharge command is received by the first motor control board of 704 based on a received status message, wherein the status message further includes an indication of the one of the plurality of motor control boards of 704 that receives the short discharge command, and wherein the verifying comprises determining, based on the indication, whether the one of the plurality of motor control boards of 704 that receives the short discharge command corresponds to the first motor control board of 704 associated with the first section of the sorter 700; and in response to the status message via 702 indicating that the first motor control board of 704 received the short discharge command via 702, configure a sorter control system 700 of the sorter 700 based on the first clock offset Fig. 7 C8 L60-67; C9 L1-40.
Claim 8, Kleinikkink teaches a plurality of motor control boards 704 associated with respective item carrier sections 104 of the sorter 700 C8 L15-40.
Claim 15, Kleinikkink teaches a computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer program code thereon that, in execution with at least one processor C21 L60-67; C22 L1-20, configures the computer program product for: tracking movement of each carrier 104 of a first section of a sorter 700; transmitting a short discharge command via 702 to a first motor control board of a plurality of motor control boards of 704, wherein the first motor control board 704 is associated with the first section of the sorter 700, wherein the short discharge command via 702 is generated based on a first clock offset Abstract, and wherein the first clock offset describes a position estimate of the first section of the sorter 700 based on the tracked movement of each carrier 104 of the first section of the sorter 700; in response to the transmitting of the short discharge command via 24702, receiving at a carrier transmit board 704 of the sorter 700 a status message via 702 indicative of one of the plurality of motor control boards of 704; verifying, by a sorter control unit 702, whether the short discharge command is received by the first motor control board of 704 based on a received status message, wherein the status message further includes an indication of the one of the plurality of motor control boards of 704 that receives the short discharge command, and wherein the verifying comprises determining, based on the indication, whether the one of the plurality of motor control boards of 704 that receives the short discharge command corresponds to the first motor control board of 704 associated with the first section of the sorter 700; and in response to the status message via 702 indicating that the first motor control board of 704 received the short discharge command via 702, configuring a sorter control system 900 of the sorter 700 based on the first clock offset C11 L45-67.
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) 2-3, 9-11, and 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kleinikkink U.S. Patent No. 9,505,560 in view of Vegh U.S. Patent No. 9,493,313.
Claims 2, 9, and 16, Kleinikkink does not teach as Vegh teaches the first motor control board of 62 associated with the first section of the sorter 2 that is to be actuated for discharging an item 12. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the control configuration disclosed in Kleinikkink with the conveyor configuration taught in Vegh with a reasonable expectation of success because
Claims 3, 10-11, and 17, Kleinikkink does not teach as Vegh teaches a carrier of a tilt-tray sorter or a cross-belt of a cross belt sorter C3 L50-67; C4 L1-5. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the control configuration disclosed in Kleinikkink with the conveyor configuration taught in Vegh with a reasonable expectation of success because
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAVEL SINGH whose telephone number is (571)272-2362. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8am-6pm.
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.
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.
/KAVEL SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651
KS
Prosecution Insights