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 § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefore, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to abstract idea without significantly more. The claim(s) 1, recite(s) at least one acceleration of car acquired during travel and as a function of the acceleration, a mass ratio of car to counterweight and/or a load balance of elevator is determined.
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because instruction calculated ratio or load, is just a mathematical relationship. The claim(s) does/do not include additional elements (car/system) that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because measuring acceleration, determining mass ratio or load, can be done by any general computer.
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.
Claim(s) 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being taught by Kattainen et al (PGPUB 2019/0330017).
With respect to claim 1, Kattainen teaches a method for operating an elevator system having a traction sheave drive, wherein the elevator system has at least one traction sheave, a support cable guided via the traction sheave, a car, and a counterweight connected to the car by means of the support cable, wherein,
- at least one or respectively one acceleration (fig. 1, 118)(X) of the car and/or the counterweight is acquired during downward travel and/or upward travel, and
- as a function of the acceleration (X) (paragraph 0042), a mass ratio (V) of car mass (P) to counterweight mass (G) and/or a load balance (L) (paragraph 0043) of the elevator system is determined.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERICK DAVID GLASS whose telephone number is (571)272-8395. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri_8-5pm.
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, 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.
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.
/ERICK D GLASS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
