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
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.
Claim(s) 1-6, 9, 11-16, and 19-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fenile U.S. Patent No. 11,267,658.
Claim 1, Fenile teaches a loading device (110) for loading transport units 10 C4 L8-20 in an overhead conveyor device 80, comprising: an overhead conveyor device (80) having at least one transport unit (10) with a carrier element (20) and a transport pouch (40) mounted on the carrier element 20 in a pivotably suspended manner via 50, wherein the overhead conveyor device (80) is configured to convey the at least one transport unit 10 along a conveying path (of 80) in a conveying direction (82), wherein the transport pouch (40) of the at least one transport unit (10) comprises a rear wall (42) that is mounted on the carrier element (20) of the transport unit (10) in a pivotably suspended manner, and wherein the rear wall (42) has two bearing points (54) that are each arranged projecting laterally on one side of the rear wall (42) Fig. 1c, and a front wall (44) that is movably connected to the rear wall 42 and runs ahead of the rear wall (42) in the conveying direction (82); a pivoting device (50) that is configured to interact with the front wall (44) of a transport pouch (40) of a transport unit (10) conveyed along the conveying path of the overhead conveyor device (80), in order to pivot the transport pouch (40) during conveying along a first section of the conveying path of 80 from a vertical first orientation to a second orientation pivoted with respect to the vertical Fig. 2a; a first supporting device (122) that is configured to support a transport pouch (40) pivoted into the second orientation during conveying along a second section of the conveying path (of 80) by means of the two bearing points (54) of the rear wall (42) of the transport pouch 40; and a second supporting device (122) that is configured to support the front wall (44) of a transport pouch (40) during conveying along a third section of the conveying path (of 80); wherein the first supporting device (122) and the second supporting device (122) are configured in such a manner that in a region in which the second section and the third section of the conveying path (of 80) overlap, the transport pouch (40) has a determined, geometrically defined opening C5 L10-35.
Claim 2, Fenile teaches in the region in which the second section and the third section of the conveying path (of 80) overlap, the first supporting device (122) and the second supporting device (122) run parallel to each other Fig. 2a.
Claim 3, Fenile teaches the third section of the conveying path (of 80) follows downstream after the first section of the conveying path (of 80) and does not overlap with the first section (Fig. 2a).
Claims 4 and 14, Fenile teaches the pivoting device (50) is configured as a passive, non-actively driven device, which contacts the front wall (44) of a transport pouch (40) of a transport unit (10) during conveying of the transport unit (10) in the first section of the conveying path (of 80).
Claims 5 and 15, Fenile teaches the pivoting device (50) comprises at least one of a ramp, a stop, a barrier 50, and at least one horizontal roller arranged transverse to the conveying path C4 L20-25.
Claims 6 and 16, Fenile teaches the two bearing points (54) are arranged in a lower region of the rear wall (42) of the transport pouch (40).
Claim 9, Fenile teaches the second supporting device (122) has a roller device (140) with a plurality of rollers (of 140) arranged transverse to the conveying path (Fig. 2a).
Claims 11 and 20, Fenile teaches the front wall (44) and the rear wall (42) of the transport pouch (40) are oriented parallel to each other and are pivotably connected by spacer elements (445) so that the front wall (44) and the rear wall (42) and the spacer elements 45 together form a parallelepiped Fig. 2a.
Claim 12, Fenile teaches an unloading device (110) for unloading transport units 10 loaded with piece goods (70) in an overhead conveyor device 80, comprising: an overhead conveyor device (80) having at least one transport unit (10) with a carrier element (20) and a transport pouch (40) mounted on the carrier element in a pivotably suspended manner via 50, wherein the overhead conveyor device (80) is designed to convey the at least one transport unit (10) along a conveying path (of 80) in a conveying direction (82), wherein the transport pouch (40) of the at least one transport unit (10) has a rear wall (42) that is mounted on the carrier element (20) of the transport unit (10) in a pivotably suspended manner via 50, and wherein the said rear wall (42) has two bearing points (54) that are each arranged projecting laterally on one side of the rear wall (42), and a front wall (44) that is movably connected to the rear wall (42) and runs ahead of the rear wall (42) in the conveying direction (82); a pivoting device (50) that is configured to interact with the front wall (44) of a transport pouch (40) of a transport unit (10) conveyed along the conveying path (of 80) of the overhead conveyor device (80) in order to pivot the transport pouch (40) during conveying along a first section of the conveying path (of 80) from a vertical first orientation to a second orientation pivoted with respect to the vertical Fig. 2a; and a first supporting device (122) that is configured to support a transport pouch (40) pivoted into the second orientation during conveying along a second section of the conveying path (of 80) by means of the two bearing points (54) of the rear wall of the transport pouch (40); wherein the overhead conveyor device (80) and the first supporting device (122) are configured in such a manner that in a third section of the conveying path (of 80), the rear wall (42) of the transport unit (10) is pivoted so far backwards in the conveying direction (82) that the rear wall (42) has a negative slope C5 L10-35.
Claim 13, Fenile teaches the unloading device (110) comprises an unloading chute (130) that is configured to receive piece goods (70) sliding out of a transport pouch (40) of the transport unit (10) in the third section of the conveying path (of 80) so that the received piece goods (70) can slide on the unloading chute (130) driven by gravity to a destination zone (140).
Claim 19, Fenile teaches the first supporting device (122) has a vibrating means (C8 L5-10).
Claim 21, Fenile teaches an overhead conveyor installation (110) with at least one loading device (1) according to claim 1 C4 L8-20.
Claim 22, Fenile teaches an overhead conveyor installation (110) with at least one unloading device (110) according to claim 12.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-8, 10, and 17-18 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAVEL SINGH whose telephone number is (571)272-2362. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8am-6pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gene Crawford can be reached at (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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/KAVEL SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651
KS
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