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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 8 is unclear in the way they are written whether they are independent claims or dependent claims. If they are intended to be independent claims, they should include all the limitations of the claims they are referring to, without reference of another claim. If they are dependent, they should include the same preamble as the independent claim from which they depend.
Claim 8 combines two statutory classes, i.e. method and apparatus, in one claim. The combination of different statutory classes in one claim is improper, correction is required.
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.
(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.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Rimmington (United States Patent Application US 2016/0325940A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Rimmington teaches A double-end chain tension force control system for a cross side- dumping type flight conveyor, comprising: a tail tensioning system, connected to a reversed loader at a tail of the flight conveyor; a head tensioning system, connected to a head of the flight conveyor,(Figure 3A: First hydraulic cylinder 320 and second hydraulic cylinder 325) wherein the tail tensioning system and the head tensioning system together achieve double-end coordinated control of a chain transmission system on the flight conveyor to adjust a tension force; (Paragraph 0025: "A generalized illustration of a conveyor 300 for a mining system is illustrated in FIG. 3A. The conveyor 300 includes a first sprocket or maingate sprocket 305 , a second sprocket or tailgate sprocket 310 , a chain 315 , a first hydraulic cylinder 320 , a second hydraulic cylinder 325 , and a chain zone of interest or “danger zone” 330 . The zone 330 is illustratively shown as an area between a top-dead-center (“TDC”) point 335 of the second sprocket 310 and a loading point 340 (i.e., the point on the top portion of the chain where material is being loaded onto the conveyor). The zone 330 represents the portion of the chain 315 that is most likely to experience a slack chain (i.e., low-tension) condition. The tension of the chain 315 at the zone 330 can be determined and used to control the relative positions of the first sprocket 305 and the second sprocket 310 . The relative positions of the sprockets can be modified by controlling the first hydraulic cylinder 320 and the second hydraulic cylinder 325 . FIGS. 3B and 3C illustrate conveyors according to embodiments of the invention that include one hydraulic cylinder connected to either the first sprocket 305 or the second sprocket 310 .")and a control system, collecting information about the tail tensioning system and the head tensioning system and controlling same.(Figure 2: Controller 200)
Regarding Claim 2, Rimmington teaches the double-end chain tension force control system for a cross side-dumping type flight conveyor according to claim 1, as seen above. Rimmington further discloses wherein the head tensioning system comprises: a transition part , cross-lapped with the reversed loader ; and a movable part , sliding in a conveying direction of the flight conveyor to adjust a chain tension force.(Paragraph 0018: "FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of an AFC 100 that includes a return end frame 105 . The return end frame 105 includes, among other things, a fixed frame portion, an extendable frame portion, and one or more hydraulic cylinders. The return end frame 105 is a part of a mining system that also includes, for example, a shearer. In some constructions, the position of the extendable frame portion is determined using a linear displacement sensor configured to measure the position of the extendable frame portion through its full range-of-motion. The position of the extendable frame portion may be modified (e.g., incremented or decremented) to correspondingly control the position of the one or more hydraulic cylinders, the first sprocket, the second sprocket, etc.")
Regarding Claim 3, Rimmington teaches the double-end chain tension force control system for a cross side-dumping type flight conveyor according to claim 2, as seen above. Rimmington further discloses wherein the transition part comprises: a transition frame, two ends of the transition frame being connected to a middle groove of the flight conveyor and the movable part respectively; (Paragraph 0025: "A generalized illustration of a conveyor 300 for a mining system is illustrated in FIG. 3A. The conveyor 300 includes a first sprocket or maingate sprocket 305 , a second sprocket or tailgate sprocket 310 , a chain 315 , a first hydraulic cylinder 320 , a second hydraulic cylinder 325 , and a chain zone of interest or “danger zone” 330 . The zone 330 is illustratively shown as an area between a top-dead-center (“TDC”) point 335 of the second sprocket 310 and a loading point 340 (i.e., the point on the top portion of the chain where material is being loaded onto the conveyor). The zone 330 represents the portion of the chain 315 that is most likely to experience a slack chain (i.e., low-tension) condition. The tension of the chain 315 at the zone 330 can be determined and used to control the relative positions of the first sprocket 305 and the second sprocket 310 . The relative positions of the sprockets can be modified by controlling the first hydraulic cylinder 320 and the second hydraulic cylinder 325 . FIGS. 3B and 3C illustrate conveyors according to embodiments of the invention that include one hydraulic cylinder connected to either the first sprocket 305 or the second sprocket 310 .")an S coal falling plate, fixed to the transition frame; and a coal guiding plate and a flow guiding plate, fixed above the S coal falling plate, the flow guiding plate being arc-shaped and being vertically arranged at a front side of the coal guiding plate and used for changing a flow direction of coals.(Paragraph 0017: "The invention described herein relates to a chain conveyor system and the control thereof. The chain conveyor system includes, for example, an armored face conveyor (“AFC”), a beam stage loader (“BSL”), or another conveyor or mining conveyor. For descriptive purposes, the invention is described herein with respect to embodiments of the invention that include an AFC. AFCs include, for example, a return end frame, a first sprocket, a second sprocket, a chain, one or more drive mechanisms or motors (e.g., a tailgate motor, a maingate motor, etc.), one or more hydraulic cylinders, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive signals related to a characteristic the one or more motors (e.g., motor torque) and a sprocket reaction force (e.g., from a load cell). Based on the received signals, the controller is operable determine a tension for a top portion of the chain. Based on the tension of the top portion of the chain, the controller determines one or more of a desired return end frame extension, a desired position for the one or more hydraulic cylinders, a desired position for the first sprocket, or a desired position for the second sprocket. For example, after the controller has determined a desired position for the one or more hydraulic cylinders, the controller controls the one or more hydraulic cylinders to the desired position to reposition the first sprocket.", wherein an "AFC" or "BSL" could commonly contain these loading parts)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-10 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.
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding Claims 4-10, there is no prior art alone or in combination that included the combination of recited limitations in Claims 1-4. The art alone or in combination did not disclose two sets of motor reducer assemblies being mounted and fixed on the telescopic middle groove assembly and jointly driving sprockets , and the driving sprockets being used for being connected to a flight conveyor chain ; and hydraulic assemblies, driving the telescopic middle groove assembly to slide on the movable frame in the conveying direction of the flight conveyor. The closest prior art of record Rimmington (United States Patent Application US 2016/0325940A1) teaches a similar double-end chain tension force control system for a cross side- dumping type flight conveyor, a tail tensioning system, head tensioning system, wherein the two tensioning systems achieve double-end coordinated control of a chain transmission system on the flight conveyor to adjust a tension force; and a control system, collecting information about the tail tensioning system, a moveable frame, a telescopic middle groove, two motors and hydraulic assemblies, but fails to disclose two sets of motor reducer assemblies and driving sprockets, and further fails to disclose the specific interactions and arrangements between the parts as claimed such as the two sets of motor reducer assemblies being mounted and fixed on the telescopic middle groove assembly and jointly driving sprockets. Additionally, no other references, or reasonable combination thereof, could be found which disclose or suggest these features in combination with other limitations in the claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
United States Patent Application US 2005/0189201A1 (Schlagel, William): Schlagel discloses a similar belt conveyor comprising a take up section comprising a head and tail section, support arms slidably mounted in guides, take up screws which maintain alignment of the section and maintain tension, as seen in Figure 6.
United States Patent US 9,422,112 B2 (Worthington, Brian): Worthington teaches a similar system and method for controlling a conveyor comprising a sprocket, chain, hydraulic cylinder, sensors, a controller, and a tensioning system, as seen in Figure 10.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ABBY ALLURA JORGENSEN whose telephone number is (571)270-7124. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5:30.
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/ABBY A JORGENSEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3651
/GENE O CRAWFORD/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3651
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