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 Objections
Claim 7 is objected to because of the following informalities: it appears “and an area of the second transfer track section immediately after the first transfer track section” in claim 7 lines 3-4 should be “or an area of the second transfer track section immediately after the first transfer track section” because the claim recites “at least one” in lines 1. For examination purposes the claim will be interpreted as having an “or” instead of an “and” Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2 and 5-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kawada et al. (JP 2018172140 A, hereafter Kawada).
Regarding Claim 1, Kawada discloses a container processing apparatus comprising:
a plurality of holding transfer sets that move along a transfer track and transfer an object used for container processing (Figure 6: transfer sets 20, transfer track 10, object 80, Paragraph 48); and
a control unit that controls movement of the plurality of holding transfer sets (Figure 6: control unit 70, Paragraph 21), wherein:
the transfer track includes a first transfer track section and a second transfer track section that is connected to the first transfer track section and has a curvature different from a curvature of the first transfer track section (Figure 6: the track has linear paths 11 and 13 that are connected to arc shaped paths 15, Paragraph 15), and
the control unit controls movement of adjacent holding transfer sets in such a manner that an interval between the adjacent holding transfer sets is adjusted according to size of the object and the curvature of the second transfer track section when the adjacent holding transfer sets move from the first transfer track section to the second transfer track section (Paragraph 21: the controller controls each mover independently and makes the movers operate together when transporting a container Figure 6 and Paragraph 59: the speed and distance between the movers of the transfer sets 21A and 21B is adjusted based on the curvature of the track to maintain the same interval between the gripping claws 25A and 25B gripping the container 80).
Regarding Claim 2, Kawada discloses the limitations of claim 1 in addition to disclosing each of the plurality of holding transfer sets includes a carrier, an arm protruding from the carrier, and a holding unit that is attached to the arm and is capable of holding the object (Figure 6: carriers 21A and 21B, arms. 23A and 23B, holding unit 25A and 25B, Paragraph 14: holding units are capable of holding an object), and
the control unit adjusts the interval between the adjacent holding transfer sets in such a manner that the arms do not collide with each other between the adjacent holding transfer sets when the adjacent holding transfer sets move from the first transfer track section to the second transfer track section (Figure 6 and Paragraph 59: the speed and distance between the movers of the transfer sets 21A and 21B is adjusted based on the curvature of the track to maintain the same interval between the gripping claws 25A and 25B gripping the container 80, maintaining the same interval means they would not collide).
Regarding Claim 5, Kawada discloses the limitations of claim 1 in addition to disclosing each of the plurality of holding transfer sets includes a carrier, an arm protruding from the carrier, and a holding unit that is attached to the arm and is capable of holding the object (Figure 6: carriers 21A and 21B, arms. 23A and 23B, holding unit 25A and 25B, Paragraph 14: holding units are capable of holding an object), and
the control unit controls the movement of the plurality of holding transfer sets in such a manner that distance between the holding units of the adjacent holding transfer sets is maintained constant when the adjacent holding transfer sets that hold the object move from the first transfer track section to the second transfer track section (Figure 6 and Paragraph 59: the speed and distance between the movers of the transfer sets 21A and 21B is adjusted based on the curvature of the track to maintain the same interval between the gripping claws 25A and 25B gripping the container 80).
Regarding Claim 6, Kawada discloses the limitations of claim 1 in addition to disclosing the control unit controls speed of the movement of the adjacent holding transfer sets to adjust the interval between the adjacent holding transfer sets when the adjacent holding transfer sets move from the first transfer track section to the second transfer track section (Figure 6, Paragraphs 57 and 58: the speed of adjacent holding transfer sets is adjusted for when they move on different track sections).
Regarding Claim 7 as best interpreted, Kawada discloses the limitations of claim 1 in addition to disclosing at least one of an area of the first transfer track section immediately before the second transfer track section and an area of the second transfer track section immediately after the first transfer track section is a buffer track section where speed of movement of one of the adjacent holding transfer sets is different from speed of movement of another of the adjacent holding transfer sets (Applicant’s Specification Paragraph 71 and Figure 2, Kawada Figure 7: there is a buffer area of the first track section where the distance between the first holding unit and second holding unit is narrowed).
Regarding Claim 8, Kawada discloses container processing method comprising the step of causing a plurality of holding transfer sets that transfer an object used for container processing, to move along a transfer track (Figure 6: transfer sets 20, transfer track 10, object 80, Paragraph 48), wherein:
the transfer track includes a first transfer track section and a second transfer track section that is connected to the first transfer track section and has a curvature different from a curvature of the first transfer track section (Figure 6: the track has linear paths 11 and 13 that are connected to arc shaped paths 15, Paragraph 15), and
when adjacent holding transfer sets move from the first transfer track section to the second transfer track section, an interval between the adjacent holding transfer sets is adjusted according to size of the object and the curvature of the second transfer track section (Paragraph 21: the controller controls each mover independently and makes the movers operate together when transporting a container Figure 6 and Paragraph 59: the speed and distance between the movers of the transfer sets 21A and 21B is adjusted based on the curvature of the track to maintain the same interval between the gripping claws 25A and 25B gripping the container 80).
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) 3 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawada et al. (JP 2018172140 A, hereafter Kawada) in view of Bauer et al. (US 2017/0050332 A1, hereafter Bauer).
Regarding Claim 3, Kawada discloses the limitations of claim 2. Kawada does not disclose the arm of each of the plurality of holding transfer sets protrude from the carrier in a direction approaching a center of a curvature circle of the second transfer track section while moving through the second transfer track section.
Bauer discloses a transport carrier and tracks that use holding transfer sets that protrude from the carrier in a direction approaching a center of a curvature circle of the second transfer track section while moving through the second transfer track section (Figure 13: mover 19, first transfer track section 41, second transfer track section 73, carrier 29) for the purpose of increasing the flexibility of the system (Paragraphs 5 and 6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to
modify the invention of Kawada by including a curved track disclosed by Bauer into the transfer track for the purpose of increasing the flexibility of the system.
Regarding Claim 4, Kawada in view of Bauer disclose the limitations of claim 3. The combination as applied in claim 3 discloses the control unit controls the movement of the plurality of holding transfer sets in such a manner that distance between the arms of the adjacent holding transfer sets in the first transfer track section immediately before the adjacent holding transfer sets enter the second transfer track section is greater than distance between the arms of the adjacent holding transfer sets immediately after the entire adjacent holding transfer sets enter the second transfer track section (Bauer Figure 13: second transfer track section 73, Kawada Figure 8: the combination as applied in claim 3 uses a curved transfer track section disclosed by Bauer which would make the arms point towards the center of a curvature circle of the second transfer track section, when going through the curved section the arms would get closer than they were in the flat section).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Paes (US 2023/0183014 A1) discloses a curved transfer track, Ford et al. (US 2022/0204285 A1) discloses a system from moving and grouping containers, Aumann et al. (US 20160176659 A1) discloses a transport device on a curved track.
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/J.K.T./Examiner, Art Unit 3653
/MICHAEL MCCULLOUGH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3653
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