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
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 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) 16-31 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zacchio et al. (US 2020/0098237 A1) in view of Witczak et al. (US 2019/0300336 A1).
Regarding claims 16, 24 and 30, discloses a method and a device for monitoring a safety chain of an elevator system (e.g. Fig. 1 & Abstract), the safety chain including at least two members connected electrically in series (e.g. Figs. 1-2 & [0036]: safety chain includes at least two members 210, 230),
the device (e.g. Fig. 1: 220) comprising:
a signal sender (e.g. Figs. 1-3: 222, 310), a signal receiver (e.g. Figs. 1-3: 222, 320), a timer (e.g. [0042]: timer is inherently disclosed since it is capable of detecting reflection time T1, T2) and a processor (e.g. Fig. 1: 220 & [0041]);
wherein when the device is connected to an end of the safety chain, the signal sender selectively generates and feeds a first pulse signal into the safety chain (e.g. [0040-0043]);
wherein the signal receiver is adapted to detect a second pulse signal coming out of the safety chain in response to the first pulse signal when the safety chain is electrically interrupted (e.g. [0040-0043]);
wherein the timer is adapted to measure a time period between the feeding of the first pulse signal by the signal sender and the detecting of the second pulse signal by the signal receiver (e.g. [0040-0043]: T1, T2); and
wherein the processor identifies one of the members associated with the measured time period as causing the electrical interruption of the safety chain (e.g. [0040-0043]: baseline is measured for each safety switch).
Zacchio fails to disclose, but Witczak teaches the device a mobile device (e.g. Figs. 1-2: portable device 40). Zacchio teaches portable device is capable of imitating elevator system maintenance, including maintenance for safety chain, with manual procedures via elevator controller, wherein the elevator controller 30 is capable of monitoring and controlling safety chain components, including door lock switches (e.g. [0018, 0031-0040]).
Therefore, it is known to utilize a mobile device (during maintenance by mechanic) instead of elevator controller to control and/or monitor components of an elevator.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify the teachings of Zacchio with the teachings of Witczak to perform function of a safety chain controller of Zacchio with a mobile device of Witczak, since Witczak teaches it is known to use a mobile device to perform function of an elevator controller during maintenance procedure, and the modification would have yielded only predictable results to one skilled in the art since it is merely utilizing a known device into a known system.
Regarding claims 17 and 25, Zacchio discloses each of the members in the safety chain is assigned a different time period reference value and the processor compares the measured time period with the time period reference values, and wherein the processor identifies the one member of the safety chain causing the safety chain to be electrically interrupted when the time period reference value assigned to the one member matches the measured time period (e.g. [0040-0043]: commissioning run and baseline).
Regarding claims 18 and 26, Zacchio discloses the time period reference values are predefined based upon the safety chain and/or the elevator system and are saved in an internal memory unit of the mobile device and/or in an external memory unit with which the mobile device is adapted to communicate (e.g. [0040-0043]: stored commissioning run and baseline).
Regarding claims 19 and 27, Zacchio discloses the signal sender generates the first pulse signal as a single pulse or a set of pulses (e.g. [0040-0043]).
Regarding claims 20 and 28, Zacchio discloses the processor identifies whether the detected second pulse signal is the first pulse signal generated by the signal sender (e.g. [0040-0043]).
Regarding claim 21, Zacchio discloses the processor compares at least one of an amplitude, a pulse width and a frequency of the detected second pulse signal and the generated first pulse signal to identify the one member (e.g. [0041]: amplitude).
Regarding claim 22, Zacchio discloses each of the members of the safety chain is assigned a different time period reference value and the processor compares the measured time period with the time period reference values (e.g. [0040-0043]: baseline), the mobile device including a user interface submitting to a user of the mobile device information about the identified one member and/or an error message when none of the time period reference values matches the measured time period (e.g. [0046]).
Regarding claims 23 and 31, Zacchio and Witczak in combination discloses an elevator system comprising: a safety chain including at least two members connected electrically in series (e.g. Zacchio: Figs. 1-2 & [0036]); and a mobile device according to Claim 16/24 connected to and monitoring the safety chain (see rejection of claim 16).
Regarding claim 29, Zacchio discloses displaying information about the identified one member and/or an error message when the measured time period is not associated with any of the members (e.g. [0046]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 09/02/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to applicant’s arguments regarding Zacchio does not discloses a “mobile device”, Witczak is further cited to teach the “mobile device; thus; arguments does not deem persuasive.
In response to applicant’s arguments regarding Zacchio discloses a method for measuring a degradation level of a safety chain, not for detecting an interruption or break in the safety chain, Zacchio at least in paragraphs [0041-0042] states “open” or highly degraded switch of a safety chain would provide a false open indication in the safety chain. Thus, Zacchio is capable of detecting “open” switch.
In response to applicant’s arguments regarding Zacchio discloses a closed, complete safety chain that does not identify source of interruption in an open safety chain, Zacchio at least in Figures 3 & paragraphs [0041-0042] disclose how to distinguish between normal (“closed end”) system and opens or degraded (“open end”) system.
In response to applicant’s argument with respect to Zacchio does not identify which electrical switch is open or causing interruption, Zacchio at least in paragraph [0042] states a commissioning runs (i.e. learning run) identify and stored timing of electric pulse of each switch in the safety chain, and timing of the open switch can be identified by comparing reflected electric pulses with the stored electric pulses.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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
