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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1, 4, 6-9 and 11-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dube (US Pub 2019/0248628 A1) in view of Cusicanqui et al. (US 2009/0167470 A1). Dube discloses a frictionless safety brake actuator (figs. 5-7) for use in an elevator system (title), comprising:
Re claim 1, a fixed component (126); a movable component (134); wherein one of the fixed component or the movable component comprises a magnetic portion (130) and the other of the fixed component or the movable component comprises a controllable electromagnet (124); a connection arrangement (pivot pin at the top of 136) configured to connect a linkage (136) to the movable component (fig. 6), wherein the linkage is actuatable so as to move a safety brake (118) into frictional engagement with an elevator guide rail (119); the movable component is movable between a first position (position shown in fig. 7) in which the linkage is actuated and a second position (position shown in fig. 5) in which the linkage is not actuated; wherein the fixed component and the movable component together confine a magnetic field between the controllable electromagnet and the magnetic portion in a magnetic circuit (fig. 7, for example, shows an arrangement of 126, 134 and 140 that would effectively confine a magnetic field in a magnetic circuit; Dube discloses the claimed structures thus would exhibit the same magnetic trait); wherein one of the fixed component or the movable component comprises two protrusions (140) configured to co-operate with the other of the fixed component or the movable component (fig. 5-6).
Re claim 4, wherein, when the movable component is in the first position and when the movable component is in the second position, there is no airgap in the magnetic circuit created by the electromagnet and the magnetic portion (fig. 5-7).
Re claim 6, wherein the fixed component comprises a magnetically permeable zone (zone defined by the profile of 130) configured to confine the magnetic field in the magnetic circuit.
Re claim 7, wherein the movable component comprises a magnetically permeable zone (zone defined by the profile of 124) configured to confine the magnetic field in the magnetic circuit.
Re claim 11, wherein the magnetic portion is a permanent magnet (130 is referred to as a magnet), and wherein the permanent magnet has an intrinsic magnetic field which is confined by the magnetic circuit to produce the attractive magnetic force between the deactivated electromagnet and the permanent magnet (fig. 5 shows the 130 magnetically engaged with 124), to keep the movable component in the second position; wherein the electromagnet is operable to produce an opposing magnetic field which produces a repulsive magnetic force, which in combination with the biasing force of the at least one biasing member (taught below), is larger than the attractive magnetic force produced by the intrinsic magnetic field of the permanent magnet (par [0046]); and wherein, when the electromagnet is operated to produce the opposing magnetic field, the combination of the biasing force and the repulsive magnetic force move the movable component to the first position (fig. 7).
Re claim 12, wherein the electromagnet is controllable between an activated state (state shown in fig. 7) and a deactivated state (state shown in fig. 5).
Re claim 13, wherein the electromagnet is controllable by varying a current through the electromagnet to vary the flow of magnetic flux through the magnetic circuit (par [0046-47]: the current may vary based on the number of pulses or energy delivered by control system 120).
Re claim 14, wherein the fixed component comprises the electromagnet (124) and the movable component comprises the magnetic portion (130).
Re claim 15, a braking system (110) for an elevator component (elevator car) movable along a guide rail (119), the braking system comprising: a safety brake (118); a linkage (136) configured to actuate the safety brake; and the frictionless safety brake actuator of claim 1 (see claim 1), wherein the connection arrangement (pivot pin at the top of 136) connects the frictionless safety brake actuator to the linkage (200); and wherein, when the frictionless safety brake actuator (100; 100′; 1001; 1002; 1003′; 1003) is activated, the movable component (figs. 5-7) is moved to the first position (position in fig. 7) in which the linkage is actuated, so as to move the safety brake into frictional engagement with a guide rail (fig. 7).
Dube does not disclose:
Re claim 1, at least one biasing member arranged to apply a biasing force to the movable component to bias the movable component towards a first position; wherein the movable component is moveable against the biasing force to move between the first position and the second position; wherein, dependent upon control of the electromagnet, the magnetic circuit selectively produces an attractive magnetic force, larger than the biasing force, which acts upon the magnetic portion against the biasing force of the at least one biasing member to move the movable component from the first position to the second position; wherein the two protrusions comprise a magnetically permeable material configured to confine the magnetic field in the magnetic circuit; wherein the two protrusions travel relative to the fixed component in response to the movable component moving from the first position to the second position.
Re claim 8, wherein the at least one biasing member comprises at least one compression spring.
Re claim 9, wherein the at least one compression spring comprises a pair of compression springs formed around the two protrusions.
Re claim 16, wherein the at least one biasing member comprises two biasing members, wherein each biasing member is fitted around a respective one of the two protrusions.
However, Cusicanqui teaches an electromagnetic assembly (fig. 7) comprising:
Re claim 1, at least one biasing member (8) arranged to apply a biasing force (par [0028]) to the movable component (7) to bias the movable component towards a first position (position shown in fig. 7); wherein the movable component is moveable against the biasing force to move between the first position and the second position (position shown in fig. 8); wherein, dependent upon control of the electromagnet, the magnetic circuit selectively produces an attractive magnetic force, larger than the biasing force, which acts upon the magnetic portion against the biasing force of the at least one biasing member to move the movable component from the first position to the second position (par [0026]); wherein one of the fixed component or the movable component comprises two protrusions (fig. 7: protrusions are the two vertical legs extending downward at the bottom of 7 for receiving 8) configured to co-operate with the other of the fixed component or the movable component (fig. 7-8); wherein the two protrusions comprise a magnetically permeable material configured to confine the magnetic field in the magnetic circuit (abstract describes the magnetic flow is able to circulate through the protrusions, which is indicative of a magnetically permeable material); wherein the two protrusions travel relative to the fixed component (3) in response to the movable component (7) moving from the first position to the second position (transition between fig. 7 and fig. 8).
Re claim 8, wherein the at least one biasing member comprises at least one compression spring (8 is shown as a compression spring).
Re claim 9, wherein the at least one compression spring comprises a pair of compression springs (8s) formed around the two protrusions (fig. 7).
Re claim 16, wherein the at least one biasing member comprises two biasing members (fig. 7 shows two springs 8), wherein each biasing member is fitted around a respective one of the two protrusions (fig. 7).
It would have been obvious to person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ a biasing member and protrusions, as taught by Cusicanqui, to help drive the linkage with sufficient force into engagement with the rail. The biasing member provides a passive force that would reduce the need to provide additional electrical power. The protrusions help extend the magnetic force and to serve as a guide mounting for the biasing member.
It would have been obvious to employ the protrusions traveling with the movable component, as taught by Cusicanqui, to help retain the spring in position during movement. Further, it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 4, 6-9 and 11-16 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
On pages 7-8 of the Remarks, Applicant argues the prior arts do not teach the features from claim 17. The rejection above has been amended to better show Cusicanqui teaching the protrusions travel relative to the fixed component. It would have been obvious to employ the protrusions traveling with the movable component, as taught by Cusicanqui, to help retain the spring in position during movement. Further, it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Conclusion
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/Minh Truong/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3654