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 § 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) 11 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Huhtala et al (US 12,471,707). Relative to claims 11 and 18, Huhtala discloses:
A method for moving a carton (150)(Fig. 3) utilizing a carton handling tool (164, 165)(Fig. 2, 5A) mounted to a robotic arm (162)(Fig. 2), comprising:
positioning a carton handling tool (164,165)(Fig. 2, 5A) proximate to a carton (150) at a pickup location (Col. 7, lines 5-8), the carton handling tool (164, 165) including a housing (see body 165 holding the front and sides of the container 150, Fig. 5A),
at least one slide assembly (166)(Fig. 5A) and a depending arm having an outward grasping member (see Ref. 166a, 166b, and claws 166c)(Fig. 5B);
actuating the at least one slide assembly (166) to move the depending arm proximate to a receiving opening (see inside space of gripper body 165 that supports the container, Fig. 5A) of the tool (164, 165) to cause the outward grasping member (166c)(Fig. 5B) to releasably engage an opening in a wall of the carton (150) and direct the carton (150) through the receiving opening into a cavity formed within the housing (inside of Ref. 165) to retain the carton (150) therewithin for transport by a robotic arm (162) to a drop off location (slide members 166a-166b are actuated by actuators 167, slide in an open and closed state into the gripping space 156, see Col. 7, lines 20-22, the gripping space 156 behind tab 155 defines an opening in the sides of the container 150, Fig. 5B, claws 166c releasably engage the space 156 to selectively grab the tab 155 to receive the container 150 into the space inside the gripper body 165 members which define the cavity formed within the housing, Col. 7, lines 33-36; Col. 8, lines 8-10); and
releasing the carton (150) at the drop off location (Col. 8, lines 10-15);
the carton (150)(Fig. 5A) is a receptacle having a base wall (see Ref. 151)(Fig. 5A) at least four side walls (see opposing side walls of container, 150) and at least one opening functioning as a handle (for opening, see space behind tab 155) in at least of the four side walls (Fig. 5A-B).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-10, and 19-20 are allowed.
Claims 12-17 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.
Reasons for Indicating Allowable Subject Matter
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Relative to claim(s) 1, the closest available prior art does not disclose:
A carton handling tool for attachment to a robotic arm, the carton handling tool comprising:
a depending arm with an upper end, a front face, a lower end and an outward grasping member extending from the front face,
the depending arm is slidably coupled to the housing through the at least one slide assembly and moves proximate to the receiving opening to cause the outward grasping member to releasably engage an opening in a wall of the carton and direct the carton through the receiving opening into the cavity, as claimed.
Relative to claim(s) 19, the closest available prior art does not disclose:
A carton handling tool for attachment to a robotic arm comprising:
a carriage and an actuator that slidably translates the carriage between proximal and distal ends of the track;
a depending arm comprising an upper end, a front face, a lower end, an outward grasping member extending from the front face and a pair of opposing followers extending from the depending arm;
a second slide assembly having a track, a carriage and a pair of opposing cams formed on or positioned proximate to the housing; the pair of opposing cams interface with the corresponding pair of opposing followers to lower the outward grasping member proximate to the receiving opening causing the outward grasping member to releasably engage an opening on a wall of the carton and raise the outward grasping member away from the receiving opening to direct the carton through the receiving opening into the cavity, as claimed.
Relative to claim(s) 20, the closest available prior art does not disclose:
A carton handling tool for attachment to a robotic arm for transport, the carton handling tool comprising:
the robotic arm uses sensors to determine the orientation and position of the carton, and directs the carton handling tool to cause an outward grasping member of a depending arm of the carton handling tool to extend through an opening of the carton and move to lift and direct the carton into the cavity through the receiving opening to retain the carton for transport to a drop off location; and
a depending arm of the tool moves toward the receiving opening to direct the carton out of the cavity and onto the drop off location, and disengages the outward grasping member from the opening of the carton, as claimed.
Relative to claim(s) 12-17, the closest available prior art does not disclose:
the at least one slide assembly includes a track coupled to the housing, a carriage to which a depending arm that includes the outward grasping member is fixedly coupled, and an actuator that actuates the carriage to move between proximal and distal ends of the track towards and away from the receiving opening;
the at least one slide assembly includes a first slide assembly and a second slide assembly, each slide assembly including a track, a carriage and an actuator, and wherein the two carriages are actuatable by the respective actuators to direct the outward grasping member to move in a direction between proximal and distal ends of the track of the first slide assembly and in a direction between upper and lower ends of the track of the second slide assembly;
the at least one slide assembly includes a first slide assembly and a second slide assembly, the first slide assembly including a track, a carriage and an actuator, and the second slide assembly including a track, a carriage and at least one pair of opposing cams, each cam formed on or proximate to a side frame of the housing, the pair of opposing cams configured to interface with a corresponding pair of opposing followers to lower the outward grasping member proximate to the receiving opening and raise the outward grasping member away from the receiving opening;
releasing the carton at the drop off location includes aligning the carton to a conveyor and moving the grasping member toward the receiving opening of the tool to direct the carton out of the cavity and disengage from the opening in the wall of the carton to place the carton on the conveyor;
the base wall of the carton contacts a lower support frame of the housing to provide support to the underside of the carton during transport; and
the outward grasping member defines a hook configured to releasably engage the opening in the wall of the carton, as claimed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Zheng (US 2023/0294918): see Fig. 1A, 1B.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YOLANDA RENEE CUMBESS whose telephone number is (571)270-5527. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10-6.
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/YOLANDA R CUMBESS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651
