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)(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) 1-3 and 8-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kneubuhler (US 5,853,078).
Kneubuhler shows a rotary alignment apparatus 100 that aligns goods P having a visual sensor 140 which recognizes aligned goods P on rotary alignment ring 120, a transfer robot 150 that transfers goods P recognized by the visual sensor 140 to a conveyor 122 positioned in close proximity to rotary alignment apparatus 120 and a controller that controls rotational alignment operation of the rotary alignment apparatus in an integrated manner.
Re claim 2, shown is an upstream input device that inputs goods P to the rotary alignment apparatus and the controller controls the input as well as the rotary alignment apparatus.
Re claim 3, the controller controls the robot 150 and the conveyor 122 in an integrated manner.
Re claim 8, the visual sensor 140 sends information to the controller in an integrated manner.
Re claim 9, the controller controls rotational alignment of the rotary apparatus 120 and the upstream input device.
Re claim 10, the controller controls the robot 140 and conveyor 120 in an integrated manner.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-7 and 11-13 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.
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-3 and 8-10 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES R BIDWELL whose telephone number is (571)272-6910. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8 to 4.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gene Crawford, can be reached at telephone number (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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/JAMES R BIDWELL/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651 08/05/2026
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