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 .
Specification
Objection removed in view of Abstract filed on 07/01/2026.
Claim Interpretation
Claim interpretation removed in view of amendments.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
Rejection removed in review of amendments.
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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 6-15 and 17-24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102 (a)(2) as being anticipated by Osawa et al. (US 2019/0144238 A1).
Regarding claims 1 and 12, Osawa discloses a method (Abstract & [0127]) and an apparatus (e.g. Abstract) comprising:
An elevator controller including processing circuitry (e.g. Fig. 1: 1-3) configured to:
obtain an elevator call indication associated with a user (e.g. [0060, 0063]: request an elevator car by elevator terminal or user mobile terminal);
cause provision of first guidance information for the user to proceed to a waiting area (e.g. Figs. 32-33 & [0032, 0033]: display suggested waiting position for user);
obtain location data associated with the user, the location data providing information about the location of the user (e.g. [0166, 0202]: using camera or rfid tag or smartphone application to monitor waiting position of passenger in the boarding area);
determining for the user a specific waiting location in the waiting area based on an ability to maintain distancing between users in the waiting area (e.g. Figs. 32-33 & [0032, 0033]: suggest waiting position in boarding area for user waiting for elevator; [0180]: car allocation take into account crowdedness of the boarding area; thus, the suggested waiting positions maintain distancing between users); and
allocate an elevator car (e.g. Fig. 1: 107 & [0051, 0054]) and control the elevator car in response to the elevator call indication (e.g. [0050]), wherein the allocation takes into account the location of the user (e.g. [0166]).
Regarding claims 2 and 13, Osawa discloses the causing provision of first guidance information to the user includes causing provision of the first guidance information with at least one of a display associated with the location of the user, a voice announcement and with a mobile application used by the user (e.g. Figs. 32-33 & [0032, 0033]: display suggested waiting position for user).
Regarding claims 3 and 14, Osawa discloses the processing circuitry (e.g. Fig. 1: 1-3) is configured to cause provision of second guidance information associated with the allocated elevator car for the user (e.g. [0062]).
Regarding claims 4 and 15, Osawa discloses the causing provision of second guidance information associated with the allocated elevator car to the user includes causing provision of the second guidance information with at least one of a display associated with the location of the user, a voice announcement and with a mobile application used by the user (e.g. Fig. 2: 111 & [0062]).
Regarding claims 6 and 17, Osawa discloses means for determining for the user the specific waiting location in the waiting area includes determining the specific waiting location by distancing the user from at least one other user in the waiting area (e.g. Fig. 33: space in between designated waiting location).
Regarding claims 7 and 18, Osawa discloses the processing circuitry is configured to:
obtain location data associated with at least one other user in the waiting area before determining for the user a waiting location in the waiting area (e.g. [0180, 0181]: depends on other users waiting position); and
distance the user from the at least one other user based on the location data associated with the at least one other user (e.g. [0180, 0181]: prevent congestion and/or crowding the boarding area).
Regarding claims 8 and 19, Osawa discloses means for changing the size and/or location of the waiting area dynamically (e.g. Fig. 31 & [0180]: using unused waiting area of car A for users of car D, for example).
Regarding claims 9 and 20, Osawa discloses means for obtaining location data associated with at least one other user, the location data providing information about the location of the at least one other user; and user (e.g. [0166, 0202]: using camera or rfid tag or smartphone application to monitor waiting position of passenger in the boarding area), wherein the means for allocating an elevator car in response to the elevator call indication are configured to allocate the elevator car by taking into account the location of the at least one other user in the waiting area (e.g. [0180, 0181]: car allocation based on whether the boarding area is crowded with waiting passenger).
Regarding claims 10 and 21, Osawa discloses the means for allocating an elevator car in response to the elevator call indication are configured to allocate the elevator car by taking into account at least one of existing allocated elevator calls and elevator call indications associated with other users (e.g. [0179]).
Regarding claims 11 and 22, Osawa discloses the location data is obtained from an external monitoring system (e.g. [0166, 0202]: using camera or rfid tag or smartphone application to monitor waiting position of passenger in the boarding area).
Regarding claim 23, Osawa discloses an elevator system comprising: a plurality of elevator cars (e.g. Fig. 30); and the apparatus of claim 12 (see rejection of claim 12).
Regarding claim 24, Osawa discloses a computer program (e.g. [0056]) embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising program code, which when executed by at least one processing unit, causes an apparatus to perform the method of claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 07/01/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to applicant’s arguments with respect to newly added limitation in claims 1 and 12, Osawa discloses at least in Figs. 32-33 & paragraphs [0032, 0033, 0180] discloses the added limitation. Osawa allocates elevators for different users and suggests waiting positions in boarding area for users waiting for elevators, and the car allocation takes into account crowdedness of the boarding area; thus, the assigned waiting positions maintain distancing between users.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAWING CHAN whose telephone number is (571)270-3909. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eduardo Colon-Santana can be reached at 571-272-2060. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KAWING CHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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