Notice of 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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-4, and 6-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bernini WO 2019/048051 in view of Mills et al. US 2004/0215355 (hereinafter Mills).
Regarding claim 1, Bernini discloses a filling plant (20) comprising a plurality of machines (filling machine 1; labelling machine, capping machine; page 11 lines 5-16), each of which is configured to perform operating functions on the basis of a respective set of instructions (from machine control unit 12); a central control device (central supervising unit 25 and machine control unit 12), which is configured to control the operating functions of the plurality of machines; and a graphical user interface (27; human machine interface), which is configured to communicate with the central control device (25,12) and to provide a user with graphically supported programming (including a PLC or suitable processing unit) of the central control device (display user interface 27’ and touch screen display; page 11 lines 5-25).
Bernini teaches a graphical user interface and touch screen display, but fails to explicitly disclose low-code or no code programming of the central control device.
However Mills teaches a central control device for use with an automation controls including a procedure creator 14 is a graphical user interface editor used to link steps and data to produce an executable machine process to simplify modification of the automation programming by allowing for simple minor and major step procedure, par 0043-0045).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing to have modified the graphical user interface as taught by Bernini with the programming editor as taught by Mills to include and no code or low code programming to simplify automation modification as taught by Mills which provides a more practical and operator friendly approach to programming automated machine sequences (Mills par 0006).
Regarding claim 2, Bernini as modified by Mills discloses the filling plant according to claim 1, wherein Bernini further teaches each of the machines (filling unit 10) comprises an individual machine controller (individual respective local control unit 10’), which is configured to control the operating functions of the respective machine on the basis of the respective set of commands (from machine control unit 12); and wherein the central control device (25) is configured to control each of the individual machine controllers (page 5 lines 4-16; page 9 lines 2-12; page 10 line 13-page 11 line 16).
Regarding claim 3, Bernini as modified by Mills discloses the filling plant according to claim 1, wherein Bernini further teaches the central control device (25) is configured to control each of the individual machine controllers (12,10’) on the basis of the respective set of commands (page 11; lines 1-16); and the graphical user interface (27,27’) is configured to provide the user with programmable access to the respective set of commands of the plurality of machines (page 11 lines 20-25).
Regarding claim 4, Bernini as modified by Mills discloses the filling plant according to claim 1, wherein Bernini further teaches the set of commands of each machine is stored in the respective machine or in a storage medium located external to the respective machine, for example the cloud (control unit 12 is provided with a non-volatile memory 28 storing software instructions and a storage database 29 is coupled to unit 12; the storage database may be located internally or externally; page 12 lines 1-12).
Regarding claim 6, Bernini as modified by Mills discloses the filling plant according to claim 1, wherein Bernini further teaches the graphical user interface (27) is configured to graphically provide a selection of individual commands and/or a creation of links between selected individual commands of the respective sets of commands of the plurality of machines and/or the central control device (display device 27’ uses a touch screen display to allow graphical visualization and a communication link to input data and perform selected commands; page 11; lines 17-25).
Regarding claim 7, Bernini as modified by Mills discloses the filling plant according to claim 1, wherein Bernini further teaches the graphical user interface is configured to display information about the operating functions of the respective machine (display device 27’ uses a touch screen display to allow graphical visualization and a communication link to input data and perform selected commands; page 11; lines 17-25).
Regarding claim 8, Bernini as modified by Mills discloses the filling plant according to claim 1, Bernini further teaches further comprises a chatbot comprising the graphical user interface (feedback is schematically shown and interpreted as a chat bot from various machines and operatively coupled with the user interface 27 from supervising unit 25 and control unit 12; page 11 lines 5-25).
Regarding claim 9, Bernini as modified by Mills discloses the filling plant according to claim 1, wherein Bernini further teaches the plurality of machines comprises a production machine for forming containers from plastic or for forming containers from glass or aluminum (page 11 lines 10-16); a filling machine (1) for filling the formed containers (2); and a labeling machine for labeling the formed containers or filled containers (page 11 lines 5-16).
Regarding claim 10, Bernini as modified by Mills discloses the filling plant according to claim 9, wherein Bernini further teaches the production machine is a blow molding machine (page 1 lines 15-20; page 11 lines 5-16; include a container blowing machine interpreted as a blow molding machine for forming containers).
Regarding claim 11, Bernini as modified by Mills discloses the filling plant according to claim 1, wherein Bernini further teaches the plurality of machines comprises a production machine for forming containers from at least one natural organic material or comprising at least one natural organic material (page 1 lines 7-10; containers may be made from glass, plastics ,aluminum steel and composites) ; a filling machine (1) for filling the formed containers (2); and a decorating machine for decorating the formed or filled containers (labeling machine is interpreted as a decorating machine; page 1 lines 15-26).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-4,6-11 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 MARY C HIBBERT-COPELAND whose telephone number is (571)270-0601. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH 9am -5pm.
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/MARY C HIBBERT-COPELAND/Examiner, Art Unit 3731
/VERONICA MARTIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3731
