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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 12 July 2026 has been entered.
Status of Claims
Claims 1-23 are pending and examined below.
Allowable Subject Matter
The indicated allowability of claims 1 and 15 is withdrawn in view of the newly discovered reference to US 20240030863 A1. Rejections based on the newly cited reference follow.
Claims 2-14 and 16-23 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.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 20240030863 A1 (“Brulo”).
As per Claim 1, Brulo discloses a solar panel installation system comprising:
a support clamp installation vehicle (¶ 151—“the installation system 360 includes a series of connectors 366 (e.g., couplers, clamps”) comprising:
a chassis (¶ 164—“A base portion 552 or chassis of the installation vehicle”);
a hopper (¶ 127—“The installation vehicle 234 includes a platform 236 configured to support a series of solar panels 16”);
a drive system operable to engage a torque tube and to facilitate locomotion of the installation vehicle on the torque tube (¶ 126—“support structure 232 (e.g., a torque tube)”; ¶ 127—“an installation vehicle 234 configured to translate relative to the support structure 232 such that the installation vehicle 234 may position each solar panel 16 in a desired location”); and
a clamp dispensing system comprising a clamp feed system and a clamp placement system (¶ 155—“at least one of the robotic arms 244 is configured to secure a bracket 424 (e.g., a coupler, a clamp, a fixture) to the support structure 232”); and
a control system in communication with the support clamp installation vehicle, and operable to control operation of the drive system and the clamp dispensing system (¶ 127—“the robotic arms 244 include a series of linkages configured to be controlled (e.g., via a controller within the installation vehicle 234”).
As per Claim 15, Brulo discloses a method for facilitating installation of one or more support clamps onto a torque tube, the method comprising:
configuring a support clamp installation vehicle with a hopper for receiving one or more torque tube clamps (¶ 127—“an installation vehicle 234 configured to translate relative to the support structure 232 such that the installation vehicle 234 may position each solar panel 16 in a desired location”; Fig. 7);
configuring the support clamp installation vehicle with a drive system operable to engage a torque tube and to facilitate locomotion of the installation vehicle on the torque tube (¶ 127—“an installation vehicle 234 configured to translate relative to the support structure 232 such that the installation vehicle 234 may position each solar panel 16 in a desired location”; Fig. 7);
configuring the support clamp installation vehicle with a clamp dispensing system comprising a clamp feed system and a clamp placement system (¶ 155—“at least one of the robotic arms 244 is configured to secure a bracket 424 (e.g., a coupler, a clamp, a fixture) to the support structure 232”); and
facilitating communication of the support clamp installation with a control system operable to control operation of the drive system and the clamp dispensing system (¶ 127—“the robotic arms 244 include a series of linkages configured to be controlled (e.g., via a controller within the installation vehicle 234”).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BASIL T JOS whose telephone number is (571)270-5915. The examiner can normally be reached 11:00 - 8:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, THOMAS WORDEN can be reached at (571) 272-4876. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Basil T. Jos/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3658
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