DETAILED ACTION
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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1, 5, 15-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Sanwald (8,231,310).
Sanwald (8,231,310) disclose(s):
Suction apparatus, figure(s) 1;
Suction device 54;
material storage system, 10;
first hopper 10A;
second hopper 10B;
feed distribution mechanism 12, 12A & 32;
feeding port, lowest tip, figure(s) 3;
conveying path, 26;
uploading mechanism: 34 & 14;
processor, 46;
gas diverting mechanism 50A.
Conclusion
Claims 2-4, 6-14 & 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.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kull (4,101,175) disclose(s) similar structure but operates continuously.
Furuyama et al. (9,108,808) disclose(s) similar structure but loads by gravity; inter alia.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH A DILLON JR whose telephone number is (571)272-6913. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday; 8AM-6:30PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mike McCullough can be reached on (571)272-7805. The fax phone numbers for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned are (703)305-7687 for regular communications and (703)308-0552 for After Final communications.
Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the receptionist whose telephone number is (703)308-1134.
/JOSEPH A DILLON JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653
