PATENT COOPERATION TREATY
`
`From the
`INTERNATIONAL SEARCHING AUTHORITY
`
`see form PCT/ISA/220
`
`
`
`PCT
`
`WRITTEN OPINION OF THE
`INTERNATIONAL SEARCHING AUTHORITY
`
`(PCT Rule 43bis.1)
`
`
`Date of mailing
`(day/month4/ear)
`
`see form PCT/ISA/210 (second sheet)
`
`
`
`Applicant's or agent‘s file reference
`see form PCT/ISA/220
`
`FOR FURTHER ACTION
`See paragraph 2 below
`
`International application No.
`PCT/NL2017/000020
`
`International filing date (day/fnonth/year)
`22.12.2017
`
`Priority date (day/month4/ear)
`30.12.2016
`
`
`
`
`
`International Patent Classification (IPC) or both national classification and IPC
`INV. B25J15/02 B25J15/08 BB5G47/90
`
`
`Applicant
`CSI INDUSTRIES B.V.
`
`1.
`
`This opinion contains indications relating to the following items:
`
`Box No. I
`
`Basis of the opinion
`
`Box No. II
`
`Priority
`
`ROOKIE Box No. V
`KEN] Box No. VIII Certain observations on the international application
`
`Box No. III
`
`Non-establishment of opinion with regard to novelty, inventive step and industrial applicability
`
`Box No. IV
`
`Box No. VI
`
`Lack of unity of invention
`Reasoned statement under Rule 43bis.1(a)(i) with regard to novelty, inventive step and industrial
`applicability; citations and explanations supporting such statement
`Certain documents cited
`
`Box No. VII
`
`Certain defects in the international application
`
`2.
`
`FURTHER ACTION
`
`If a demand for international preliminary examination is made, this opinion will usually be considered to be a
`written opinion of the International Preliminary Examining Authority ("IPEA") except that this does not apply where
`the applicant chooses an Authority other than this one to be the IPEA and the chosen IPEA has notifed the
`International Bureau under Rule 66.1bis(b) that written opinions of this International Searching Authority
`will not be so considered.
`
`If this opinion is, as provided above, considered to be a written opinion of the IPEA, the applicant is invited to
`submit to the IPEA a written reply together, where appropriate, with amendments, before the expiration of 3 months
`from the date of mailing of Form PCT/ISA/22O or before the expiration of 22 months from the priority date,
`whichever expires later.
`
`For further options, see Form PCT/ISA/220.
`
` Name and mailing address of the ISA:
`
`
`
`
`Date of completion of
`this opinion
`see form
`PCT/ISA/210
`
`Authorized Officer
`
`Cham ion, Jéréme
`p
`Telephone No. +49 89 2399-0
`
`F
`we“ “BMW-ts
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`94’
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`'
`
`
`
`—
`a) European Patent Office
`)
`— D-80298 Munich
`Tel- +49 89 2399 ' 0
`Fax: +49 89 2399 - 4465
`
`Form PCT/ISA/237 (Cover Sheet) (January 2015)
`
`

`

`WRITTEN OPINION OF THE
`INTERNATIONAL SEARCHING AUTHORITY
`
`International application No.
`PCT/NL2017/000020
`
`Box No. I Basis of the opinion
`
`1. With regard to the language, this opinion has been established on the basis of:
`
`IZI
`
`El
`
`the international application in the language in which it was filed.
`
`a translation of the international application into , which is the language of a translation furnished for the
`purposes of international search (Rules 12.3(a) and 23.1 (b)).
`
`This opinion has been established taking into account the rectification of an obvious mistake authorized
`by or notified to this Authority under Rule 91 (Rule 43bis.1(a))
`
`With regard to any nucleotide and/or amino acid sequence disclosed in the international application, this
`opinion has been established on the basis of a sequence listing:
`
`a. El
`
`forming part of the international application as filed:
`
`CI
`
`in the form of an Annex C/ST.25 text file.
`
`[I on paper or in the form of an image file.
`
`b. El furnished together with the international application under PCT Rule 13ter.1(a) for the purposes of
`international search only in the form of an Annex C/ST.25 text file.
`
`c. D furnished subsequent to the international filing date for the purposes of international search only:
`
`CI
`
`in the form of an Annex C/ST.25 text file (Rule 13ter.1(a)).
`
`El on paper or in the form of an image file (Rule 13ter.1(b) and Administrative Instructions, Section
`713).
`
`4.I:I
`
`In addition, in the case that more than one version or copy of a sequence listing has been filed or furnished,
`the required statements that the information in the subsequent or additional copies is identical to that
`forming part of the application as filed or does not go beyond the application as filed, as appropriate, were
`furnished.
`
`5. Additional comments:
`
`Form PCT/ISA/237 (January 2015)
`
`

`

`WRITTEN OPINION OF THE
`INTERNATIONAL SEARCHING AUTHORITY
`
`International application No.
`PCT/NL2017/000020
`
`Box No. V Reasoned statement under Rule 43bis.1(a)(i) with regard to novelty, inventive step or
`industrial applicability; citations and explanations supporting such statement
`
`1. Statement
`
`Novelty (N)
`
`Inventive step(IS)
`
`Industrial applicability (IA)
`
`2. Citations and explanations
`
`see separate sheet
`
`Yes: Claims
`No:
`Claims
`
`Yes: Claims
`No:
`Claims
`
`Yes: Claims
`No:
`Claims
`
`1-10
`
`1-10
`
`1-10
`
`Box No. VII Certain defects in the international application
`
`The following defects in the form or contents of the international application have been noted:
`
`see separate sheet
`
`Box No. VIII Certain observations on the international application
`
`The following observations on the clarity of the claims, description, and drawings or on the question whether the
`claims are fully supported by the description, are made:
`
`see separate sheet
`
`Form PCT/ISA/237 (January 2015)
`
`

`

`WRITTEN OPINION OF THE
`
`INTERNATIONAL SEARCHING
`
`International application No.
`
`AUTHORITY (SEPARATE SHEET)
`
`PCT/NL2017/OOOO2O
`
`1
`
`Re Item V
`
`Reasoned statement with regard to novelty, inventive step or industrial
`
`applicability; citations and explanations supporting such statement
`
`1.1
`
`Reference is made to the following documents :
`
`D1
`
`D2
`
`JP 6 025291 B1 (ARAKI SEISAKUSHO:KK) 16 November 2016
`
`(2016—11—16)
`
`DE 10 2011 082211 A1 (UNIV MUENCHEN TECH [DE]) 7 March
`
`2013 (2013-03-07)
`
`1.2
`
`Dependent claims - Novelty and inventive step
`
`D1 is regarded as being the prior art closest to the subject—matter of claim 1,
`
`and discloses (see figures 1—13) :
`
`- a gripper apparatus (1) comprising
`
`- a gripper frame (40) and a gripper beak (60) including at least one
`
`moveable gripper jaw (62), the gripper beak having an open position
`
`and a closed position;
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`- ajaw actuation mechanism (50, 61) for selectively actuating the gripper
`
`beak to its open position or its closed position;
`
`- a clamping force generator (51) biased to exert a clamping force on the
`
`gripper beak urging the gripper beak towards its closed position;
`
`- a transmission mechanism (20) comprising an input member (21) that is
`
`vertically displaceable with respect to the gripper frame (40), wherein
`
`the transmission mechanism engages the gripper frameiaw-aetuatien
`
`meehanism such that a high position of the input member corresponds
`
`to the gm eleseel position of the gripper beak (60) while a downward
`
`displacement of the input member corresponds to a transition of the
`
`gripper beak to its closedepen position;
`
`- a carrier coupling device (1 O) for coupling with a carrier device, which
`
`carrier coupling device (10), with respect to the gripper frame (40), is
`
`vertically displaceable between two extreme positions, i.e. an upper
`
`lifting position in which the carrier coupling device (10) is in lifting-force
`
`Form PCT/lSA/237 (Separate Sheet) (Sheet 1) (EPO-April 2005)
`
`

`

`WRITTEN OPINION OF THE
`
`INTERNATIONAL SEARCHING
`
`International application No.
`
`AUTHORITY (SEPARATE SHEET)
`
`PCT/NL2017/000020
`
`transferring engagement with the gripper frame (40), and a lower rest
`
`position; wherein the carrier coupling device (10) in its lower rest
`
`position presses down on the input member (21) of the transmission
`
`mechanism (20);
`
`- a latch mechanism (30) coupled to a component of the transmission
`
`mechanism (20), the latch mechanism having a release state in which
`
`the transmission mechanism and the jaw actuation mechanism can
`
`move freely, and having a lock state in which the transmission
`
`mechanism and the jaw actuation mechanism are prevented from
`
`moving from the open position of the gripper beak to the closed position
`
`of the gripper beak, for holding the gripper beak in its open position.
`
`The subject-matter of claim 1 therefore differs from this known gripper
`
`apparatus of D1 in that the transmission mechanism engages the jaw
`
`actuation mechanism such that a high position of the input member
`
`corresponds to the closed position of the gripper beak while a downward
`
`displacement of the input member corresponds to a transition of the gripper
`
`beak to its open position; and is therefore novel (Article 33(2) PCT).
`
`The problem to be solved by the present invention may be regarded as an
`
`alternative mechanism for actuating the jaws.
`
`The solution to this problem proposed in claim 1 of the present application is
`
`considered as involving an inventive step (Article 33(3) PCT) for the following
`
`reasons: none of the available prior art discloses nor suggest the solution
`
`defined in claim 1, and it would not seem obvious for the skilled person,
`
`starting from the gripper apparatus of D1, to achieve the subject-matter of D1,
`
`the mechanical modifications being too numerous.
`
`1.3
`
`Dependent claims 2 to 10 - Novelty and inventive step
`
`Claims 2 to 10 are dependent on independent claim 1 whose subject-matter
`
`is considered as being novel and inventive, as discussed above, and as such
`
`said dependent claims also meet the requirements of the PCT with respect to
`
`novelty and inventive step.
`
`Form PCT/ISA/237 (Separate Sheet) (Sheet 2) (EPO-April 2005)
`
`

`

`WRITTEN OPINION OF THE
`
`INTERNATIONAL SEARCHING
`
`International application No.
`
`AUTHORITY (SEPARATE SHEET)
`
`PCT/NL2017/OOOO2O
`
`2
`
`Re Item VII
`
`Certain defects in the international application
`
`Contrary to the requirements of Rule 5.1 (a)(ii) PCT, the relevant background
`
`art disclosed in D1 and D2 is not mentioned in the description, nor are these
`documents identified therein.
`
`Rg Item VIII
`
`Certain observations on the international application
`
`3.1
`
`3.2
`
`3.3
`
`The application does not meet the requirements of Article 6 PCT, because
`
`Claims 1, 9 and 10 are not clear.
`
`Claims 9 and 10 - dependency : these claims should be made dependent to
`
`any one of claims 1 to 7 only.
`
`Claim 1
`
`- missing essential features : it is clear from the description that the
`
`following features are essential to the definition of the invention :
`
`-
`
`the opening/closing movement of the gripper beak/jaws is done in an
`
`horizontal plane. This feature would help to clarify the feature "vertically
`
`displaceable" associated to the input member and the carrier coupling
`
`device, and would help to clarify that the gripper apparatus is using the
`
`gravity for its proper functioning ;
`
`-
`
`the gripper apparatus also comprises a horizontal resting plate 111
`
`which is used to come in abutment with the top surface of the object to
`
`be gripped, and thus enabling relative movement between the carrier
`
`coupling device and the gripper frame.
`
`Since independent claim 1 does not contain this feature it does not meet the
`
`requirement following from Article 6 PCT taken in combination with Rule
`
`6.3(b) PCT that any independent claim must contain all the technical features
`essential to the definition of the invention.
`
`Form PCT/ISA/237 (Separate Sheet) (Sheet 3) (EPO-April 2005)
`
`