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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II, claims 10-20, in the reply filed on 9/28/26 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-9 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 9/28/26.
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.
Claim(s) 10, 11 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Degnan et al. (11738987).
Regarding claim 10, the Degnan et al. reference discloses a beverage production system (500; Fig. 25), comprising: a turntable assembly (504) comprising: an inner turntable (507) having at least one cup receptacle (506, 508) and configured to receive cups from a cup dispensing station (130) in the at least one cup receptacle; and an outer turntable (505) disposed circumferentially about the inner turntable (Fig. 26); a lidding and printing station (502; Figs. 37, 38) configured to provide a lid on a cup of the cups and to print indicia on the lid of the cup of the cups; and a lift mechanism (580) configured to lift the at least one cup receptacle and the cup therein for lidding and printing by the lidding and printing station (col. 28, lines 4-19).
Regarding claim 11, the Degnan et al. reference further comprises a controller (400, 402; CPU) and one or more sensors (588, 589) coupled to the beverage production system, wherein the controller is configured to cause rotation of the outer turntable such that cups on the outer turntable do not advance completely around the outer turntable based on data from the one or more sensors. See col. 24, lines 31-67.
Regarding claim 19, the method would be inherent during normal use and operation of the device.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12 – 18 and 20 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 following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: None of the prior art of record, alone or in combination, teach:
Regarding claim 12, wherein the inner turntable further comprises: an upper frame having a frame coupler, the frame coupler including a plurality of coupler teeth; and a drive system including a drive coupler having a plurality of drive teeth, the plurality of drive teeth configured to engage with the plurality of coupler teeth of the frame coupler such that the upper frame rotates responsive to the drive system rotating.
Regarding claim 15, wherein the at least one cup receptacle defines an opening the beverage production system further comprising: an arm positioned within the inner turntable and configured to move outwards relative to the inner turntable into an extended position to extend through the opening in the at least one cup receptacle to push a cup within the at least one cup receptacle onto the outer turntable.
Regarding claim 17, further comprising: at least one door to access an interior of the beverage production system, the interior of the beverage production system housing a portion of a beverage dispensing station and the lidding and printing station; one or more switches coupled to the at least one door; and a controller configured to control operation of the beverage production system based on a sensed position of the at least one door.
Regarding 20, wherein the lift assembly comprises a positioning plate and a lift shaft, the method further comprising: operating the turntable to position the cup receptacle holding the cup onto the positioning plate; and operating the lift shaft to extend through the positioning plate and to engage with the at least one cup receptacle and to lift the cup receptacle and the cup therein vertically relative to the turntable for lidding and printing by a lidding and printing assembly.
Claims 13, 14, 16 and 18 depend on claims 12, 15 and 17.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The Thomas et al. (12415716) reference is the parent case of the instant application.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TIMOTHY LEWIS MAUST whose telephone number is (571)272-4891. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday, 7am - 5pm.
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/TIMOTHY L MAUST/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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