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
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 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JP 2021-149148 (“JP ‘148”).
Regarding claims 1, 5, and 6, JP ‘148 disclosed a banknote conveying apparatus and its associated conveying method and claimed process comprising:
a conveyance controller (including 50, CP) that performs a conveying process of sequentially conveying a plurality of banknotes on a conveyance path (see Figure 1);
a plurality of sensors (30) that are provided on the conveyance path and detect the conveyed banknotes;
a memory (502); and
a processor (501) coupled to the memory and configured to:
generate a log (M) in which past operation information including a detection result by the sensor is recorded;
calculate an abnormality tendency threshold of a conveying speed for conveying a banknote between the sensors based on detection results of the sensors for the plurality of conveyed banknotes included in the log (including using 51, 54);
calculate a first conveying speed of a specific banknote between the sensors based on the log and determine presence or absence of an abnormality sign in conveyance of the specific banknote between the sensors based on whether the first conveying speed is included in a range indicated by the abnormality tendency threshold (see the first full paragraph of page 3 of the translation); and
provide notification of a determination result (S11).
Regarding claim 2, JP ‘148 disclosed the processor is further configured to, stop the conveying process (S7) including when the conveying speed is out of a range indicated by a predetermined abnormality determination threshold, and calculate the abnormality determination threshold (using 54) in which a range indicated by the abnormality determination threshold is included in a range indicated by the abnormality determination threshold.
Regarding claim 3, JP ‘148 disclosed the processor is further configured to, calculate a reference value for the first conveying speed based on detection results of the plurality of conveyed banknotes by the sensors and calculate the abnormality tendency threshold based on the reference value and information on a deviation from the reference value indicating an abnormality tendency (see at least the first full paragraph of page 4 of the translation).
Regarding claim 4, JP ‘148 disclosed the processor is further configured to, extract conveyance information of the specific banknote from the log based on a sensor arrangement table indicating the arrangement of the sensors and calculate the first conveying speed from the extracted conveyance information of the specific banknote (see the last paragraph of page 4).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Herczeg et al. US 2010/0052237 also teaches detecting jam scenarios through speed detection between sensors and perceived length of the transported note.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HOWARD J SANDERS whose telephone number is (571)270-3096. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:00.
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/HOWARD J SANDERS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653
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