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
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: Plug Door Diagnosing Device and Method.
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 1-3, 6, 7, 9, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bachmann et al [EP 9] (supplied by applicant) in view of Urman et al [U.S. 7,324,894].
For claim 1, the diagnosing device (Paragraph 25: control unit and data processing unit) taught by Bachmann performs the following claimed steps, as noted, 1) the claimed identifying an operation period in which a door performs an operation is achieved by an acceleration sensor (No. 6) of a door (Paragraph 57: the acceleration sensor 6 continuously records the movement data of the door) having a guide roller (connecting element No. 5) attached thereto, the door being configured to perform an opening-closing operation (Paragraph 55: runs along a first axis of movement X) by allowing the guide roller to move along a guide rail (guide carriage No. 3), 2) the claimed obtaining drive information is achieved using said control unit and data processing unit that captures acceleration and/or tilt (No. 100) including a value representing at least one of a current value or a torque value (Paragraph 27: the motor voltage, the motor current, the revolutions of the drive motor) of a drive unit (No. 9), the drive unit configured to drive the door, and 3) the claimed diagnosing an abnormality in the guide roller or guide rail is achieved using the method (Fig. 6) that performs a system assessment (No. 120) and detects an obstacle or other system impairment (No. 130). However, the device and method taught by Bachmann does not specifically identify a plugging operation period in which the door performs a plugging operation.
The Bachmann reference does; however, identify one embodiment (Paragraph 60) in which the door leaves (No. 2) move “at least partially in the direction of the movement axis Y before they are fanned out in opposite directions along the movement axis X.” (emphasis added) Furthermore, the same embodiment is capable of the acceleration sensor detecting acceleration components along both X and Y axes. Moreover, doors exhibiting a plugging action having sensors therein have been taught in the prior art as can be seen in the Urman reference, wherein directional attitude of a driven load is employed to adjust initial driving power requirements in order to overcome effects of attitude. The Urman apparatus employs a sensor (No. 123) that can measure shock and vibration that may be employed as a calibrating means for said attitude sensing (Col. 7, Lns. 25-28). Figure 4 of Urman even presents one form of the invention using a plug door as well as describing that the outside plug door (No. 50) as well as the drive means (No. 90) will be additionally adapted to enable a lateral door movement in respect to the outer wall (No. 12) of the vehicle.
Both the Bachmann and the Urman references recognize that sensors can and have been used to detect issues with many types of doors, including plug doors. And the Bachmann reference also recognizes that a separate motion in the lateral direction must be detected before motion in the linear or longitudinal direction. Impediments and obstacles can very well happen in both lateral and linear motions of said doors. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to identify a plugging operation of the door moving in Bachmann for the purpose of measuring every possible motion of said door in order to positively identify the needed variables in order properly diagnose the condition of said doors.
For claim 2, the identification of the plugging operation has been addressed in the rejection of claim 1 above. The movement in the Y direction in Bachmann necessarily happens before the doors are opened in the linear direction X (Paragraph 60). The detected acceleration values and/or inclination values are compared with reference values (e.g., threshold value) in the Bachmann method (No. 110). This comparison with reference values is used to determine whether or not there are deviations from the reference values that go beyond a certain tolerance (Paragraph 66).
For claim 3, the Bachmann reference recognizes a lateral movement (Paragraph 60) performed in the Y axis before the doors are moved in the linear X axis. Also, the Urman reference details the drive means (No. 90) of the plug door (No. 50) adapted to move said door in the lateral direction.
For claim 6, the system evaluation of Bachmann is carried out to determine whether there is an obstacle affecting the movement of the door leaf (Paragraph 29) or other system impairment. The method of Bachmann determines a size of an obstacle (Fig. 6, No. 130) based on the sensed parameters (Paragraph 67).
For claim 7, the acceleration values among others of Bachmann are continuously recorded or sensed (Paragraph 66). Any detected values are compared with the reference values (Fig. 6, No. 110). The comparison with reference values is used to determine whether or not there are deviations from the reference values that go beyond a certain tolerance.
For claim 9, the diagnosing method (claim 1: Method) taught by Bachmann teaches the following claimed steps, as noted, 1) the claimed identifying an operation period in which a door performs an operation is achieved by an acceleration sensor (No. 6) of a door (Paragraph 57: the acceleration sensor 6 continuously records the movement data of the door) having a guide roller (connecting element No. 5) attached thereto, the door being configured to perform an opening-closing operation (Paragraph 55: runs along a first axis of movement X) by allowing the guide roller to move along a guide rail (guide carriage No. 3), 2) the claimed obtaining drive information is achieved using said control unit and data processing unit that captures acceleration and/or tilt (No. 100) including a value representing at least one of a current value or a torque value (Paragraph 27: the motor voltage, the motor current, the revolutions of the drive motor) of a drive unit (No. 9), the drive unit configured to drive the door, and 3) the claimed diagnosing an abnormality in the guide roller or guide rail is achieved using the method (Fig. 6) that performs a system assessment (No. 120) and detects an obstacle or other system impairment (No. 130). However, the device and method taught by Bachmann does not specifically identify a plugging operation period in which the door performs a plugging operation.
The claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reasons and rationale as is mentioned in the rejection of claim 1 above.
For claim 10, the program executed by the data processing system of Bachmann performs the following claimed steps, as noted, 1) the claimed identifying an operation period in which a door performs an operation is achieved by an acceleration sensor (No. 6) of a door (Paragraph 57: the acceleration sensor 6 continuously records the movement data of the door) having a guide roller (connecting element No. 5) attached thereto, the door being configured to perform an opening-closing operation (Paragraph 55: runs along a first axis of movement X) by allowing the guide roller to move along a guide rail (guide carriage No. 3), 2) the claimed obtaining drive information is achieved using said control unit and data processing unit that captures acceleration and/or tilt (No. 100) including a value representing at least one of a current value or a torque value (Paragraph 27: the motor voltage, the motor current, the revolutions of the drive motor) of a drive unit (No. 9), the drive unit configured to drive the door, and 3) the claimed diagnosing an abnormality in the guide roller or guide rail is achieved using the method (Fig. 6) that performs a system assessment (No. 120) and detects an obstacle or other system impairment (No. 130). However, the device and method taught by Bachmann does not specifically identify a plugging operation period in which the door performs a plugging operation.
The claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reasons and rationale as is mentioned in the rejection of claim 1 above.
Claims 4, 5, and 8 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 a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
As noted above, merely having one threshold to compare during the plugging operation of a door is not sufficient to merit patentability. However, using a second threshold value that occurs during the opening-closing operation that is separately delineated from the plugging operation is not found in any obvious combination of the prior art. This is considered patentable subject matter.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yamaguchi [US 2016/0082983] teaches a plug door opening-closing apparatus.
Tokudome [U.S. 9,834,175] detects an object in a door opening drive unit.
Yamaguchi [U.S. 10,328,955] is adapted for a vehicle having both front-rear direction and width direction.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN A. TWEEL JR whose telephone number is (571)272-2969. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-4.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Davetta W Goins can be reached at 571-272-2957. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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JAT11/14/2025
/JOHN A TWEEL JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2687