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 Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: In line 6, “located positioned” is grammatically incorrect. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 7 is objected to because of the following informalities: In line 2, “pump to up and down” is grammatically incorrect. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1 – 4, 7 – 9, 11 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chollet (4592491) in view of Grantham-Hill et al. (11840443).
Regarding claim 1, the Chollet reference discloses a drum emptying station (Figure 1) comprising: first and second bases (5, 5’) supporting a shoulder (3) therebetween; a stand (6) located below the shoulder; wherein said shoulder is selectively movable elevationally between an upper and a lower position (col. 1, line 65 – col. 2, line 5), said shoulder connected to a pump (11); wherein a container of product (7) is placed on the rotatable stand with the container located positioned below the pump, and the pump (11) is lowered from the upper position above the container to the lower position (Figure 1), and while in the lower position, the pump is operated thereby removing at least some product from the container. The Chollet reference doesn’t disclose a rotatable stand rotatable about an axis. However, the Grantham-Hill et al. reference discloses another drum emptying station (100) having turntable (102) to position a selected drum (106, 108, 110, 112) beneath lance (120; col. 4, line 6 – 21). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to modify the Chollet device to have a rotatable stand as, for example, taught by the Grantham-Hill et al. reference in order to position, by rotating the stand, a selected drum beneath the emptying station.
Regarding claim 2, wherein when in the lower position, the pump (11) is
located within the container (7). See Chollet Figure 1.
Regarding claim 3, wherein the container is a drum (7).
Regarding claim 4, the Grantham-Hill et al. reference further teaches wherein a pallet of drums (104) is provided on the rotatable stand (102) and selectively rotated to selectively position one of the drums below the pump when in the upper position, and then the pumps is lowered to the lower position to remove product from the one of the drums (col. 6, line 4 – 21).
Regarding claim 7, the Chollet reference further comprises linear guides (4) which restrict movement of the pump to up and down.
Regarding claim 8, the Chollet reference further comprises a seal (13, 13’) disposed below the pump whereby the seal contacts the container (7) while removing product from the container.
Regarding claim 9, the Chollet reference further comprises wherein the seal (13, 13’) is located within the container while removing product from the container (7). See Figure 1.
Regarding claim 11, the Chollet reference further discloses a platform (6; Fig. 1) supporting the bases (5, 5’) and rotatable stand.
Regarding claim 12, the Grantham-Hill et al. reference further teaches a controller (44) controlling movement of the pump (48) toward the upper position as well as turning the pump on (See col. 3, lines 37 – 40). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to modify the Chollet device to have a controller (as defined above) as, for example, taught by the Grantham-Hill et al. reference in order to control the movement and operation of the pump and various components.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chollet, as applied to claim 1, and further in view of Remane (3683976).
Regarding claim 10, modified Chollet discloses the invention (discussed supra), but doesn’t disclose the seal having an inflatable edge which contacts internal portions of the container when removing product from the container. However, the Remane reference discloses a cylindrical container (2) and filler body (1) which is lowered into the container wherein seal 5 is inflated to make a positive seal against the cylindrical container. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to modify the Chollet seal to be inflatable as, for example, taught by the Remane reference in order to positively seal against the inner side of the container being serviced in a gas tight manner.
Claim(s) 5 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chollet, as applied to claim 1, and further in view of Peng et al. (CN 107305154).
Regarding claims 5 and 6, modified Chollet discloses the invention (discussed supra), but doesn’t disclose a linear slide coupled to the rotatable stand whereby the container is movable linearly with the linear slide relative to the rotatable stand thereby assisting in positioning the container at a desired position below the pump. However, the Peng et al. reference discloses another device having a rotatable platform (112) and a linear slide in order to rotate and move transversely. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to further modify the Chollet device to have a linear slide in addition to the rotating platform as, for example, taught by the Peng et al. reference since rotating sliding platforms are well known and would be obvious to try without unexpected results.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The Zhou et al. (2024/0424522) and Cossio-Rojo et al. (2019/0248635) references disclose drum loading and unloading systems with bases, pumps and controllers.
The Paterlini (11858804) and Seiver (6053219) references disclose drum unloading systems having a linear slides (100; Figures 1 and 2) and Figure 1, respectively.
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/TIMOTHY L MAUST/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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