Appeal No. 96-1599
Application 07/968,421
Hatano, Japanese Patent Document 3-228531 Oct. 09, 19912
Claims 1 through 6 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103
as being unpatentable over Hatano.
Hatano discloses an automobile assembly line control
system. As described in this reference,
an assembly line in the assembly line control system
of the present invention, besides including
processes (such as sub-assembly processes) necessary
to initial setup work, also has junction and
branching in the line itself; a workpiece position
estimation device that, based on slow sequence data
for each workpiece collected in a specified position
on the line, passage timing data of each workpiece,
and process plan data, estimates the position of
each workpiece on the line; an arrival time
calculation device that, based on the position of
each workpiece on the line estimated by the
aforesaid workpiece position estimation device,
calcu-lates the arrival time of each workpiece at a
process in which initial setup work is necessary;
and an instruction timing determination device that,
based on the arrival time of each workpiece as
calculated by the aforesaid arrival time calculation
device, determines the timing of the operation start
instruction for the initial setup work, the part
supply instructions, etc. in accordance with each
workpiece.
2The record contains an English language translation of
this reference, prepared on behalf of the Patent and Trademark
Office, and indicates that a copy was sent to the appellants
with the final rejection (see footnote 1 on page 6 of the
appellants’ brief, Paper No. 26).
3
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