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.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated over Litscher et al. (US Patent 6,923,115).
With respect to claim 7, Bielmeier et al. teaches a computer-implemented method for manufacturing a golf ball at a golf ball handling system, the golf ball handling system comprising a control system including a processing unit and a memory storying instructions for the processing unit to perform a process (Column 8, Line 65-Column 9, Line 48), the process comprising:
receiving a plurality of processing orders (Column 5, Lines 29-40, Column 6, Lines 21-29, Column 8, Line 65-Column 9, Line 48);
generating a plurality of processing plans for each of the processing orders (Column 5, Lines 29-40, Column 6, Lines 21-29, Column 8, Line 65-Column 9, Line 48); and
executing the processing plans on the golf ball handling system to simultaneously perform different manufacturing tasks on different golf balls within the golf ball handling system (Column 5, Lines 29-40, Column 6, Lines 21-29, Column 8, Line 65-Column 9, Line 48).
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 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bielmeier et al. (WO2022/023162) in view of Nguyen et al. (US Publication 2006/006513).
With respect to claim 1, Bielmeier et al. teaches a printing system, comprising:
delivering a first plurality of containers (12; note containers function as golfballs) to a first orienting station (32, 40,46, 48);
placing a bottle (12) on a shuttle (34) connected to a first orienting station track (14, 24, 30, 46, 48);
delivering the shuttles (34) to a first printing station track (46, 48, Paragraph 0072) via a primary track (30’, Figure 2);
printing a first marking on each of the first plurality of containers (12, Paragraph 0046);
delivering the shuttles (34) to a first offloading station track (note; each station offloads the container out of the printing station to move to the next station, therefore it is apparent to have an offload) via the primary track (30’, Figure 2); and
offloading the first plurality of containers (12, note containers function as golfballs) from the shuttles (34) at a first offloading station (note; each station offloads the container out of the printing station to move to the next station, therefore it is apparent to have an offload).
Bielmeier et al. teaches a cylinder container printing system, however does not explicitly disclose a golf ball system and placing a plurality of golfballs on a shuttle.
Nguyen et al. teaches a golfball system (400) that prints, transfers and orients golfballs (Abstract, Paragraphs 0010, 0014, 0030).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the present invention was made to modify the printing system taught by Bielmeier et al. to provide golf balls as the objects to print on as taught by Nguyen et al. for providing a more versatile printer that can print multiple objects.
With respect to placing a plurality of golfballs on a shuttle, it has been it has been held that mere duplication of essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art and has no patentable significance unless a new and unexpected result is produced. In re Plarza, 274, 124 USPQ 378 (1960). Bielmeier et al.does at least teach placing a container (12) on a shuttle (34).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the present invention was made to provide additional containers since such a modification would effectively transport the containers (golf balls) in a more expedient manner.
With respect to claim 2, Bielmeier et al. teaches delivering the shuttles (34) to a second station track via the primary track and printing a second marking on each of the first plurality of golf balls at a second printing station (Paragraphs 0017, 0021-0024, 0029 and 0046, Figure 2).
With respect to claim 3, Bielmeier et al. teaches reorienting the golf balls between printing the first marking and printing the second marking (Paragraphs 0017, 0021-0024, 0029 and 0046, Figure 2).
With respect to claim 4, Bielmeier et al. teaches delivering a second plurality of containers (12, containers function as golf balls) to a second orienting station (32, 40, 46, 48);
placing each of containers (12, note containers function as golfballs) on a shuttle (34) connected to a second orienting station track (14, 24, 30, 46, 48);
delivering the shuttles to a second printing station track via the primary track;
printing a second marking on each of the second plurality of containers (12, note containers function as golf balls) at a second printing station (12, Paragraph 0046);
delivering the shuttles (34) to a second offloading station (note; each station offloads the container out of the printing station to move to the next station, therefore it is apparent to have an offload) track via the primary track (30’);
and offloading the second plurality of containers (12, note containers functions as golf balls) from the shuttles (34) at a second offloading station (note; each station offloads the container out of the printing station to move to the next station, therefore it is apparent to have an offload).
With respect to placing a second plurality of golfballs on a shuttle, it has been it has been held that mere duplication of essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art and has no patentable significance unless a new and unexpected result is produced. In re Plarza, 274, 124 USPQ 378 (1960). Bielmeier et al.does at least teach placing a container (12) on a shuttle (34).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the present invention was made to provide additional containers on a shuttle since such a modification would effectively transport the containers (golf balls) in a more expedient manner.
With respect to claim 5, Bielmeier et al. teaches the shuttles (34) are simultaneously delivered to the first printing station track and the second printing station track via the primary track (Paragraphs 0017, 0021-0024, 0029 and 0046, Figure 2).
With respect to claim 6, Bielmeier et al. teaches the first marking and the second marking are different markings (Column 5, Lines 29-40, Column 6, Lines 21-29, Column 8, Line 65-Column 9, Line 48).
4. Claim 8 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Litscher et al. (US Patent 6,923,115) in view of Bielmeier et al. (WO2022/023162
With respect to claim 8, Litscher et al. teaches the golf ball handling system comprises a transportation system comprising a primary track (610), however does not explicitly disclose a plurality of station tracks connected to each other by the primary track.
Bielmeier et al. teaches a plurality of station tracks (14, 24, 30’, 46, 48) connected to each other by the primary track (30’).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the present invention was made to modify the invention taught by Litscher et al. to provide a plurality of stations as taught by Bielmeier et al. for transferring multiple containers in a more efficient manner.
With respect to claim 9, Bielmeier et al. teaches each station tracks (14, 24, 30’, 46, 48) is associated with a processing station for performing a manufacturing task on a container (12; note container functions as a golfball, Paragraph 0024, Figure 2).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARISSA LIANA FERGUSON SAMRETH whose telephone number is (571)272-2163. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
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/Marissa Ferguson-Samreth/ Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/CHRISTOPHER E MAHONEY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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