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.
Claims 1-3 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by De Roeck et al. US 2018/0264851 (hereinafter “De Roeck”, cited in an IDS).
Regarding claim 1, De Roeck discloses a working support for a laser cutting and/or marking operation on sheet material, comprising:
at least one vacuum chamber (450, refer to FIG. 6) fluidically connected to at least one vacuum element ([0127]-[0128]);
a honeycomb structure (dimple pattern 380 on top surface 106, refer to [0079] and FIG. 8) comprising a plurality of cells and disposed spaced from the vacuum chamber; and
an intermediate depression chamber (vacuum table 400) disposed between said honeycomb structure and said vacuum chamber,
wherein a lower surface ([0131]) of said intermediate depression chamber (400) has a plurality of suction holes (apertures) which fluidically connect said vacuum chamber (450) with said plurality of cells of said honeycomb structure.
Regarding claim 2, wherein the sheet material comprises carton, paperboard, cardboard or corrugated cardboard ([0120]).
Regarding claim 3, wherein an upper surface of said honeycomb structure comprises ridges and depressions (FIGS. 1-2).
Regarding claim 5, wherein the lower surface of said intermediate depression chamber comprises a plurality of rectilinear grooves (“apertures at the bottom layer may be…grooves, such as slits, parallel with the bottom layer of the vacuum table”, [0131]), parallel to each other.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claims 1, 11, 12, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mikkelsen et al. US 2017/0106475 A1 (hereinafter “Mikkelsen”, cited in IDS as US 11,173,572) in view of De Roeck.
Regarding claim 1, Mikkelsen teaches a working support for a laser cutting and/or marking operation on sheet material, comprising:
at least one vacuum chamber (“vacuum system”) fluidically connected to at least one vacuum element; and
a honeycomb structure (“aluminum honeycomb support surface with holes through which a vacuum system acts”) comprising a plurality of cells and disposed spaced from the vacuum chamber.
Mikkelsen fails to teach an intermediate depression chamber disposed between said honeycomb structure and said vacuum chamber,
wherein a lower surface of said intermediate depression chamber has a plurality of suction holes which fluidically connect said vacuum chamber with said plurality of cells of said honeycomb structure.
De Roeck teaches a similar device that employs an intermediate depression chamber (vacuum table 400) disposed between a honeycomb structure and a vacuum chamber (450),
wherein a lower surface ([0131]) of said intermediate depression chamber (400) has a plurality of suction holes (apertures) which fluidically connect said vacuum chamber (450) with said plurality of cells of said honeycomb structure.
The structure of the intermediate depression chamber provides an additional support layer for the top sheet supporting layer during a processing operation.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Mikkelsen’s invention with an intermediate depression chamber as taught by De Roeck in order to provide an additional support/positioning means for the top surface layer of Mikkelsen thereby avoiding any possible damage to the top layer during the laser cutting operation.
Regarding claim 11, Mikkelsen teaches a conveyor belt (refer to FIGS. 6-9) for handling, supporting and holding sheet material during a laser cutting and/or marking operation, the conveyor belt comprising:
a plurality of interconnected slats (144) arranged parallel to each other, wherein each said slat comprises a working support according to claim 1, each working support being connected to at least one vacuum element configured to provide air suction from the environment, to provide a holding force to hold said sheet material.
Regarding claim 12, wherein said sheet material comprises carton, paperboard, cardboard or corrugated cardboard ([0036]).
Regarding claim 13, wherein each said slat includes connection elements (155, 146) adapted to provide interconnection between adjacent slats.
Regarding claim 15, Mikkelsen teaches a machine for laser cutting and/or marking sheet material comprising carton, paperboard, cardboard and corrugated cardboard, said machine comprising a laser apparatus ([0037]) and a conveyor belt (FIGS. 6-9) according to claim 11.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 6-10 and 14 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LUIS A GONZALEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-3094. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael McCullough can be reached at 571-272-7805. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LUIS A GONZALEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653
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