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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1, 5-7, 10 and 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Horii et al. (U.S. Publication No. 20180100274).
Regarding claim 1, Horii teaches an apparatus for measuring a railroad of a transfer vehicle, comprising: a body (Fig.5, 21) formed in correspondence with a railroad of the transfer vehicle (Fig.5, 91); a detector (Fig.5, 31 and 32) provided to the body and arranged in contact with the railroad (Paragraphs 34 and 37); and a displacement measurer (Fig.5, 41 and 42) configured to measure a displacement of the detector in contact with the railroad (Paragraphs 38-41).
Regarding claim 5, Horii teaches wherein the transfer vehicle is a vehicle of an overhead hoist transport (OHT), wherein the railroad comprises: at least one upper rail corresponding to an upper wheel of the transfer vehicle; at least one left rail corresponding to a left wheel of the transfer vehicle; and at least one right rail corresponding to a right wheel of the transfer vehicle (Paragraphs 22-25).
Regarding claim 6, Horii teaches wherein the body comprises: a horizontal member hung on the left rail and the right rail in a substantially horizontal position to measure an installation status of the left rail and the right rail; and a vertical member protruding upward from the horizontal member in a substantially vertical position to measure an installation status of the upper rail (Paragraphs 37-44).
Regarding claim 7, Horii teaches wherein the detector comprises: a first detector mounted on the vertical member to contact a side surface of the upper rail to measure an installation status of the side surface of the upper rail; and a second detector mounted on the horizontal member to contact a side surface of the left rail or a side surface of the right rail to measure an installation gap between the left rail and the right rail (Paragraphs 37-44).
Regarding claim 10, Horii teaches wherein the detector further comprises: a third detector mounted on the vertical member and disposed to contact a bottom surface of the upper rail to measure an installation status of the bottom surface of the upper rail (Paragraphs 37-44).
Regarding claim 18, Horii teaches a method of measuring a railroad of a transfer vehicle, the method comprising: preparing a railroad measurement apparatus (Fig.5, 2) for the transfer vehicle, including a body (Fig.5, 21) formed in correspondence with a railroad of the transfer vehicle (Fig.5, 91), a detector (Fig.5, 31 and 32) provided to the body and arranged in contact with the railroad (Paragraphs 34 and 37), and a displacement measurer (Fig.5, 41 and 42) configured to measure a displacement of the detector in contact with the railroad (Paragraphs 38-41); mounting the railroad measurement apparatus on the railroad to bring at least a portion of the body or the detector (Fig.5, 31 and 32) into contact with the railroad (Fig.5, 91); measuring first displacement information about the detector at a first point using the displacement measurer; and measuring second displacement information about the detector at a second point by moving the body along the railroad with the body and the detector contacting the railroad (Fig.5, 31 and 32 and paragraphs 38-41).
Regarding claim 19, Horii teaches wherein the measuring of the second displacement information comprises: moving the body along the railroad using at least one wheel provided to the body (Fig.5, 31 and 32 and paragraphs 38-41).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 2, 8-9, 11 and 13-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Horii et al. (U.S. Publication No. 20180100274) in view of Wooten (U.S. Patent No. 5094004).
Regarding claim 2, Horii teaches all the features of claim 1 as outlined above, Horii is silent about wherein the detector comprises: a movable member having a contact surface disposed in contact with the railroad; a guide rod having a front end, a middle portion, and a rear end, wherein the front end is provided to the movable member, the middle portion is arranged to move back and forth in a first direction along a guide hole formed in the body, and the rear end is connected to the displacement measurer; and an elastic spring arranged between the movable member and the body to exert an elastic return force in a direction of contact between the movable member and the railroad.
Wooten teaches wherein the detector comprises: a movable member (Figs.1-2, 64+53) having a contact surface disposed in contact with the railroad; a guide rod (Figs.1-2, sliding gage bar 69) having a front end, a middle portion, and a rear end, wherein the front end is provided to the movable member, the middle portion is arranged to move back and forth in a first direction along a guide hole formed in the body (As shown in Figs.1-2, there is a housing for gage bar 69), and the rear end is connected to the displacement measurer (Figs.1-2, 70); and an elastic spring (Figs.1-2, 71+72) arranged between the movable member and the body to exert an elastic return force in a direction of contact between the movable member and the railroad (Column 3, line 53 to column 4, line 6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to incorporate Wooten’s detector into Horii’s inspection device because Wooten’s detector is more accurate as taught by Wooten.
Regarding claim 8, Horii teaches all the features of claim 1 as outlined above, Horii is silent about wherein one end of the horizontal member is provided with: a first reference contact surface arranged in close contact with a top surface of the right rail to serve as a reference for height measurement; and a second reference contact surface arranged in close contact with the side surface of the right rail or the left rail to serve as a reference for gap measurement, wherein an opposite end of the horizontal member is provided with a resting surface resting on a top surface of the left rail or the right rail, wherein the second detector is disposed on a lower side of the resting surface.
Wooten teaches wherein one end of the horizontal member is provided with: a first reference contact surface (Figs.1-2, 31) arranged in close contact with a top surface of the right rail to serve as a reference for height measurement; and a second reference contact surface (Figs.1-2, 35) arranged in close contact with the side surface of the right rail or the left rail to serve as a reference for gap measurement, wherein an opposite end of the horizontal member is provided with a resting surface resting on a top surface of the left rail or the right rail, wherein the second detector is disposed on a lower side of the resting surface (Column 3, line 53 to column 4, line 6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to incorporate Wooten’s cross-level sensor into Horii’s inspection device because it could inspect tilt/inclination of the installed railroad.
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Horii and Wooten teaches all the features of claim 8 as outlined above, Wooten further teaches a horizontal inclination gauge arranged on the horizontal member and configured to measure an inclination of the horizontal member with respect to a horizontal direction according to an installation height of the left rail or the right rail (Column 3, line 53 to column 4, line 6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to incorporate Wooten’s cross-level sensor into Horii’s inspection device because it could inspect tilt/inclination of the installed railroad.
Regarding claim 11, Horii teaches all the features of claim 1 as outlined above, Horii further teaches the detector comprises: a rolling wheel brought into rolling contact with the railroad to enable measurement of movement; a movable member disposed to support the rolling wheel while allowing for free rotation of the rolling wheel (Column 3, line 53 to column 4, line 6).
Horii is silent about a guide rod having a front end provided to the movable member and a middle portion arranged to move back and forth in a first direction along a guide hole formed in the body; and an elastic spring arranged between the movable member and the body to exert an elastic return force in a direction of contact between the rolling wheel and the railroad.
Wooten teaches a guide rod having a front end provided to the movable member and a middle portion arranged to move back and forth in a first direction along a guide hole formed in the body; and an elastic spring arranged between the movable member and the body to exert an elastic return force in a direction of contact between the rolling wheel and the railroad (Column 3, line 53 to column 4, line 6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to incorporate Wooten’s detector into Horii’s inspection device because Wooten’s detector is more accurate as taught by Wooten.
Regarding claim 13, the combination of Horii and Wooten teaches all the features of claim 11 as outlined above, Wooten further teaches wherein one end of the horizontal member of the body is provided with: a first reference wheel arranged in close contact with a top surface of a right rail or a left rail to serve as a reference for height measurement; and a second reference wheel arranged in close contact with a side surface of the right rail or the left rail to serve as a reference for gap measurement, wherein an opposite end of the horizontal member is provided with a resting wheel resting on the top surface of the left rail or the right rail (Column 3, line 53 to column 4, line 6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to incorporate Wooten’s cross-level sensor into Horii’s inspection device because it could inspect tilt/inclination of the installed railroad.
Regarding claim 14, Horii teaches all the features of claim 1 as outlined above, Horii is silent about a controller configured to compare a value of the displacement measured by the displacement measurer with a reference range and to display the value of the displacement on a display when the value is outside the reference range.
Wooten teaches a controller configured to compare a value of the displacement measured by the displacement measurer with a reference range and to display the value of the displacement on a display when the value is outside the reference range (Column 4, line 65 to column 5, line 25).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to incorporate Wooten’s display and alarm into Horii’s inspection device because it would enable an inspector who is performing a periodic walking inspection to write a more accurate description of any repairs needed and the exact length of track to be replaced or repaired as taught by Wooten.
Regarding claim 15, the combination of Horii and Wooten teaches all the features of claim 14 as outlined above, Wooten further teaches wherein the display comprises: a below status notifier configured to be activated for ease of visual checking by an operator when the value of the measured displacement is below the reference range; a normal status notifier configured to be activated when the value of the measured displacement is within the reference range; and an over status notifier configured to be activated when the value of the measured displacement is above the reference range (Column 4, line 65 to column 5, line 25).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to incorporate Wooten’s display and alarm into Horii’s inspection device because it would enable an inspector who is performing a periodic walking inspection to write a more accurate description of any repairs needed and the exact length of track to be replaced or repaired as taught by Wooten.
Regarding claim 16, the combination of Horii and Wooten teaches all the features of claim 14 as outlined above, Horii further teaches a position sensor configured to sense a position of the railroad contacted by the detector, wherein the controller matches the position sensed by the position sensor with the displacement measured by the displacement measurer (Paragraphs 42-46).
Regarding claim 17, the combination of Horii and Wooten teaches all the features of claim 16 as outlined above, Horii further teaches wherein the position sensor comprises one of at least one camera, an identification device configured to identify an identifier on the railroad, including a bar code, a QR code, an RFID, a magnet, or a semiconductor chip, a GPS sensing device, a distance measurement wheel mounted on the body so as to be rollable in contact with the railroad and configured to sense a distance traveled from a reference point based on a diameter and a number of revolutions, a laser rangefinder configured to measure a distance using reflected laser light, or an ultrasonic rangefinder configured to measure a distance using sound waves or ultrasonic waves, or a combination thereof (Paragraphs 42-46).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Horii et al. (U.S. Publication No. 20180100274) in view of Wooten (U.S. Patent No. 5094004) and Fiechter (U.S. Patent No. 5025566).
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Horii and Wooten teaches all the features of claim 2 as outlined above, the combination of Horii and Wooten is silent about wherein the detector further comprises: a direction switcher disposed between the guide rod and the displacement measurer and configured to switch movement of the guide rod in the first direction to movement in a second direction different from the first direction.
Fiechter teaches wherein the detector further comprises: a direction switcher (Figs.1-3, gear 21) disposed between the guide rod (Figs.1-3, 20) and the displacement measurer (Figs.1-3, indicator dial 15-16) and configured to switch movement of the guide rod in the first direction to movement in a second direction different from the first direction (As shown in Figs.1-3, gear 21 switches the movement of the rod 20 from horizontal direction to rotation direction).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to incorporate Fiechter’s gear into Horii’s inspection device because it would make Horii’s measurement results easier to read.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 12 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.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The primary reasons for allowance of dependent claim 4 is the inclusion of the specific limitations of “wherein the direction switcher comprises: an angled block arranged at the rear end of the guide rod to move with the guide rod, the angled block having an inclined surface formed on one side; a roller arranged in rolling contact with the inclined surface of the angled block; and a displacement measuring rod disposed to rotatably support the roller and connected to the displacement measurer”, in combination of with all other recited associated elements in a an apparatus for measuring a railroad of a transfer vehicle.
The primary reasons for allowance of dependent claim 12 is the inclusion of the specific limitations of “wherein the direction switcher comprises: an angled block arranged on the movable member to move with the movable member, the angled block having an inclined surface formed on one side; a roller arranged in rolling contact with the inclined surface of the angled block; and a displacement measuring rod disposed to rotatably support the roller and connected to the displacement measurer”, in combination of with all other recited associated elements in a an apparatus for measuring a railroad of a transfer vehicle.
Claim 20 is allowed over the prior art of record.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The primary reasons for allowance of independent claim 20 is the inclusion of the specific limitations of “wherein the direction switcher comprises: an angled block arranged at the rear end of the guide rod to move with the guide rod, the angled block having an inclined surface formed on one side; a roller arranged in rolling contact with the inclined surface of the angled block; and a displacement measuring rod disposed to rotatably support the roller and connected to the displacement measurer”, in combination of with all other recited associated elements in a an apparatus for measuring a railroad of a transfer vehicle.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to XIN Y ZHONG whose telephone number is (571)272-3798. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9 a.m. - 6 p.m..
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kristina Deherrera can be reached at 303-297-4237. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/XIN Y ZHONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855