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 .
Summary
This communication is a First Office Action Non-Final Rejection on the merits.
Claims 1 – 20 are currently pending and considered below.
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.
Claims 1 and 6 – 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Haehnel et al. (Hereinafter Haehnel) (US 2015/0056046 A1) (prior art from the Applicant submitted IDS).
As per claim 1, Haehnel teaches the limitations of:
a picking and positioning system of products for a plant, comprising a transport system and an operating system, wherein the picking and positioning system is suitable for engaging in grip the products positioned in a first position to move them and position them the products in a second position (See at least figure 1 – Figure 6) and , wherein the picking and positioning system comprises:
a base group comprising a base body which extends along a first axis, wherein base body is rotatably movable around the first axis (See at least Figure 1 #14, Figure 7 #100);
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at least one gripping group, engaged to the base body, which extends along a second axis, incident to the first axis, comprising a gripping device comprising at least one gripping element which engages a product, wherein the gripping device is rotatably movable around the second axis (See at least figure 1 #114, 16, 18 , 20, 21, figure 7 #300 and paragraph 27 – 28, and 33; The device for transferring the blister packs 2 is located between the stamping station 4 and the conveying means 6 and comprises a first suction arm 10 and a second suction arm 12, one of which is on one side of the center plane of the device, the other one on the other side. The first suction arm 10 comprises a first segment 14, a second segment 16, and a third segment 18. The third segment 18 comprises two suction elements 20 at its outer end. The second suction arm 12 also comprises a first segment 22, a second segment 24, and a third segment 26. The third segment 26 also comprises two suction elements 21 at its outer end. The three segments 14, 16, 18 of the suction arm 10 are connected pivotably to each other, and the three segments 22, 24, 26 of the suction arm 12 are also connected pivotably to each other. Details on the various pivoting connections are given further below. The two suction arms 10 and 12 are pivotably mounted on individual slides 28, 30. Each of the slides 28, 30 is supported in turn on a guide device in vertically movable fashion. In the example shown here, the guide device comprises two frame plate elements 32, 34, which are a certain distance apart and which are preferably connected to each other. A pair of guide rails 36, 38 for the slides 28, 30 is provided on each of the frame plate elements 32, 34. The drive for the vertical movement of the slides 28, 30, on which the suction arms 10 and 12 are arranged, is implemented in the form of, for example, a toothed belt drive extending in the vertical direction, one for each suction arm. Each toothed belt drive preferably comprises a toothed belt 40 and two pulleys, namely, an upper drive pulley 41 and a lower trailing pulley 42 (see FIG. 3). … FIG. 7 shows the internal structure of the first suction arm 10 of FIGS. 1-6. The first segment 14 of the suction arm 10 is mounted on the slide 28 pivotably around the first rotational axis 100. The second segment 16, which is free to pivot around a second axis 200 substantially perpendicular to the first axis 100, is mounted pivotably on a section of the first segment 14 a certain distance away from the first axis 100. When the first segment 14 pivots around the first axis 100, the second axis 200 is carried along concurrently, i.e. the second axis 200 is non-stationary. The second segment 16, in turn, comprises a section a certain distance away from the second axis 200, namely, a section on which the third segment 18 is rotatably mounted so that it can rotate around a third axis 300, which is substantially parallel to, and a certain distance away from, the second axis 200. When the first and second segments 14 and 16 pivot, the third axis 300 is carried along concurrently, i.e. the third axis 300 is also non-stationary.); and
command means engaged to the base group and the at least one gripping group to command the base group and the at least one gripping group in movement and command the at least one gripping element, and the product, from the first position to the second position (See at least figure 7 and paragraph 7 and 34 – 36; According to an aspect of the invention, the device for transferring blister packs from a stamping station to a conveying means comprises a first and a second suction arm for picking up the blister packs from the stamping station in a pick position, for moving the blister packs in a conveying direction, and for placing the blister packs onto the conveying means in a place position. The first suction arm is arranged on one side of a center plane, the second suction arm on the other side of the center plane, and the first and second suction arms are pivotable around a first axis, which is perpendicular to the conveying direction and also perpendicular to the center plane. The pivoting movements of the first and second suction arms are controlled in such a way that the two suction arms execute back-and-forth movements in opposite directions. Each suction arm comprises a first segment, a second or middle segment, and a third segment. The first segment of each suction arm is mounted pivotably around the associated first axis and comprises a section a certain distance away from the first axis, to which the second segment is attached pivotably around a non-stationary second axis, which is substantially perpendicular to the first axis. The second segment, for its own part, comprises a section a certain distance away from the second axis, to which a third segment is attached rotatably around a non-stationary third axis, which is substantially parallel to, and a certain distance away, from the second axis. The third segment comprises a section on which at least one suction element for picking up and holding a blister pack is arranged. The transfer movement of the blister packs from the pick position to the place position and back is a combination movement, which is composed of the pivoting movement around the first axis, the pivoting movement around the second axis, and the rotational movement around the third axis. The blister packs are thus picked up from above by the at least one suction element in the pick position and also placed from above onto the conveying means in the place position. The second segments are pivoted inward toward the center plane when in both the pick position and the place position, whereas they pivot away from each other during the opposite pivoting movement of the suction arms between the pick position and the place position, as a result of which the suction arms are able to pass by each other without colliding. … In concrete terms, a second bevel gear 56 is rotatably supported in the first segment 14. This second bevel gear 56 is permanently connected to the second axis 200 and is thus connected nonrotatably to the second segment 16. A fixed first bevel gear 58 is also provided, which meshes with the second bevel gear 56, wherein, when the first segment 14 pivots around the first axis 100, the second bevel gear 56 rolls over the stationary first bevel gear 58 and thus causes the second segment 16 to pivot around the second axis 200. The first bevel gear 58 is connected nonrotatably to the slide 28, and the axis 100 coincides with the center axis of the first bevel gear 58. The bevel gears 56 and 58 are at a right angle to each other, but some other axial offset between the two bevel gears could also be provided. In the second segment 16, furthermore, a first belt pulley 60 is arranged, which is permanently connected to the first segment 14, wherein the center axis of the first belt pulley 60 coincides with the second axis 200. In addition, a second belt pulley 62 is rotatably supported in the second segment 16. This second belt pulley 62 is permanently connected to the third segment 18. The rotational axis of the second belt pulley 62 coincides with the third axis 300. In this configuration, when the second segment 16 is pivoted, a rotational movement of the second belt pulley 62 is initiated by means of a toothed belt 64. This rotational movement of the second belt pulley 62 brings about in turn a rotational movement of the third segment 18, connected nonrotatably to the second belt pulley 62, around the third axis 300. The segments 14, 16, 18 of the suction arm 10 are therefore mechanically linked together in such a way that the pivoting movement of the first segment 14 brings about a pivoting movement of the second segment 16, and the pivoting movement of the second segment 16 brings about a rotational movement of the third segment 18.), comprising:
a first device which moves in rotation the base body (See at least figure 1 #14 and 28);
a second device which moves in rotation the at least one gripping group (See at least figure 1 #18 and 62); and
transmission members operatively connected to the first device and the second device, which transform a rotary action of the first device into a rotary action of the second device so that a rotation of the at least one gripping group is simultaneous with a rotation of the base group (See at least paragraph 34 – 36).
As per claim 6, Haehnel teaches the limitations of:
wherein the picking and positioning system picks a product from the first position in which the product is substantially horizontal and positions the product in the second position in which the product is substantially vertical, or vice versa (See at least figure 1, 3 and 6 #20).
As per claim 7, Haehnel teaches the limitations of:
comprising at least two gripping groups axially spaced apart along the first axis (See at least figure 1, 3 and 6 #20 and #21).
As per claim 8, Haehnel teaches the limitations of:
wherein the at least one gripping group comprises a gripping body extending along the second axis between the base body and the gripping device, and wherein the command means are engaged with and/or partially housed in the base body and the gripping body (See at least figure 7).
As per claim 9, Haehnel teaches the limitations of:
wherein the at least one gripping element is shaped in such a manner that gripped with the product, the second axis and the product axis are mutually incident with respect to an imaginary plane orthogonal to the first axis, thus defining a gripping angle (See at least figure 1 and 6).
As per claim 10, Haehnel teaches the limitations of:
wherein, in a movement from the first position to the second position, the product carries out a movement equal to a movement angle, whilst the base group carries out a rotation around the first axis with an angular stroke equal to the movement angle less twice the gripping angle or with an angular stroke equal to the movement angle plus twice the gripping angle (See at least figure 1, 3 and 6).
As per claim 11, Haehnel teaches the limitations of:
wherein the gripping device comprises two gripping elements suitable for simultaneously engaging two products (See at least figure 1 – 2, 7, 10, and 13).
As per claim 12, Haehnel teaches the limitations of:
wherein the gripping device engages the products by carrying out a pneumatic suction action (See at least abstract).
As per claim 13, Haehnel teaches the limitations of:
wherein the at least one gripping group comprises a gripping body extending along the second axis between the base body and the gripping device, wherein the command means are engaged with and/or partially housed in the base body and the gripping body, and wherein the picking and positioning system further comprises a pneumatic assembly which is housed in the base body and in the gripping body fluidically connected with the gripping device (See at least figure 1 and 7).
As per claim 14, Haehnel teaches the limitations of:
plant comprising a transport system of products, preferably singularized, and an operating system suitable for carrying out specific operations on the products, wherein the plant comprises the picking and positioning system of claim 1, and wherein the first position is on the transport system and the second position is on the operating system (See at least abstract).
As per claim 15, Haehnel teaches the limitations of:
wherein the picking and positioning system picks a product from the first position in which the product is substantially horizontal and positions the product in the second position, wherein in which the product is substantially vertical, or vice versa (See at least figure 1, 3 and 6).
As per claim 16, Haehnel teaches the limitations of:
wherein the picking and positioning system is positioned in such a manner to have the first axis at a lower height than the product positioned in the second position (See at least figure 1).
As per claim 17, Haehnel teaches the limitations of:
wherein the picking and positioning system is positioned in such a manner to have the first axis at a height which is equal to or lower than the product positioned in the first position (See at least figure 1).
As per claim 18, Haehnel teaches the limitations of:
wherein the first position is on the transport system and the second position is on the operating system (See at least figure 1).
As per claim 19, Haehnel teaches the limitations of:
wherein the second device moves in rotation the gripping device (See at least figure 1 and 7).
As per claim 20, Haehnel teaches the limitations of:
wherein the transport system moves the products singularly (See at least figure 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 – 5 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Monti (US 2007/0197364 A1) discloses method and an apparatus for picking up flat folded tubular blanks from a magazine and for moving them to an erecting station.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IG T AN whose telephone number is (571)270-5110. The examiner can normally be reached M - F: 10:00AM- 4:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Aniss Chad can be reached at (571) 270-3832. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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IG T AN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3662
/IG T AN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3662
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