Appeal No. 1997-2986
Application No. 08/260,784
difference between the shearing mechanism as well as the
unloading and handling mechanism" (col. 2, lines 54-58). The
shearing mechanism is controlled by a computer 5 so as to cut
a plate blank 4 into plates of various sizes, such as shown
in Figure 3A, in accordance with a so-called grouping program
(col. 3, lines 48-58), which corresponds to appellant's nest
program. Plural plates of the same size (e.g., B -B ) are
1 4
carried in a stack by conveyor 2 (col. 4, lines 24-29). The
plates are then transferred onto "a receiving conveyor 12,
whereby said unloading and handling mechanism 3 is operated to
carry them in programmed grouping and stacking fashion further
onto a transport carrier, e.g.[,] a standard pallet 7, for
further production or temporary storage" (col. 4, lines 20-
24). Taijonlahti's claims 2 and 15 explain in more detail
that the plates are transferred from the receiving conveyor
means (2) onto the transport carrier means (pallet 7) "in a
programmed fashion grouped according to plate sizes and/or as
stacked by means of a manipulator or robot" (emphasis added).
The unloading and handling mechanism 3 is preferably embodied
as a manipulator or a robot operating on the so-called portal
principle, comprising, e.g., "a gripping means 11 which is
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