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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 16-25 and 28-35 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. The newly cited rejection uses the newly cited United States Patent US 10,017,361 B2 (Wagenleitner, George) to disclose the roller arrangement as claimed. Therefore, a new interpretation has been used and the arguments are moot.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 16-21, 23-25, and 28-35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saito (Japanese Patent Application JP2017081678A) in view of Wagenleitner (United States Patent US 10,017,361 B2).
Regarding Claim 16, Saito discloses A handrail temperature-control device for a movably arranged handrail of an escalator or a moving walkway, the handrail temperature-control device comprising:(Paragraph 0002: "Since passenger conveyors such as escalators and moving walkways are sometimes installed in the open air in the scorching sun, the handrail belt becomes hot and the passengers are hard to grasp. For this reason, conventionally, a cooling device for cooling the handrail belt has been installed at the bottom of the railings of the entrance, and the handrail belt has been cooled.")a base:(Figure 4: Sliding deck 78)a semiconductor cooling element arranged in a recess between the base and the roller arrangement(Paragraph 0024: "As shown in FIG. 4, a plate-like cooling device 72 is provided on the lower surface of a horizontal plate 80 a at the center portion of the handrail rail 80. The plate-like cooling device 72 is composed of a Peltier element, and the wiring cable 74 is hanging down. The position where the cooling device 72 is attached is between the bolt 82 fixing the handrail belt 38 to the upper sliding deck 78 and the adjacent bolt 82. Further, the cooling device 72 is installed at predetermined intervals on the linear handrail rail 80 of the balustrade 36 located between the entrance and the exit of the escalator 10.") wherein the roller arrangement is configured to transmit heat energy from the movably arranged handrail to the semiconductor cooling element. (Figure 4: Cooling device 72 cools rails 86 and 80 to further cool handrail belt 38, wherein the rails 86 and 80 could easily be replaced by a roller arrangement)
However, Saito does not disclose a roller arrangement arranged on the base; the roller arrangement configured to guide the movably arranged handrail of the escalator or moving walkway.
Wagenleitner discloses a similar handrail cooling device comprising a roller arrangement arranged on the base; the roller arrangement configured to guide the movably arranged handrail of the escalator or moving walkway; (Figure 5: Counterpressure device 30 and handrail drive 20)
It would have been obvious to one or ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Saito to include the roller arrangement as taught by Wagenleitner. The motivation for the modification would have been to allow for a handrail drive for driving a handrail of a person transporting device which is implemented in a linear manner, which has improved slip behavior and which protects the handrail.(Column 2, lines 24-27).
Regarding Claim 17, Saito in view of Wagenleitner discloses the handrail temperature-control device of claim 16, as seen above. Wagenleitner further discloses wherein the roller arrangement comprises a roller frame and a plurality of rollers wherein the plurality of rollers is arranged side by side and parallel to one another with respect to their axes of rotation and are rotatably mounted in the roller frame.(Figure 5: Rollers 31-36 and 78-81).
Regarding Claim 18, Saito in view of Wagenleitner discloses the handrail temperature-control device of claim 17, as seen above. Wagenleitner further discloses wherein the roller frame frames the plurality of rollers laterally, and wherein cylindrical surfaces of the plurality of rollers protrude beyond at least one side surface of the roller frame.(Figure 5: Rollers 31-36 and 78-81 with frame 37 and housing 71)
Regarding Claim 19, Saito in view of Wagenleitner discloses the handrail temperature-control device of claim 17, as seen above. Saito further discloses wherein the base is made of a thermally conductive material and comprises a support member and a heat dissipation structure,(Paragraph 0027: "A contact surface extension rail 86 is fixed on the upper portion of the horizontal plate 80 a and above the cooling device 72. The contact surface extension rail 86 is made of a metal plate (made of, for example, stainless steel), the front part 86 a in the running direction is bent downward, the lower end thereof is fixed to the upper surface of the handrail rail 80 by welding or the like, the rear part 86 b Is also bent downward and the lower end thereof is fixed to the upper surface of the handrail rail 80 by welding or the like and the central portion 86 c between the front portion 86 a and the rear portion 86 b is parallel to the handrail rail 80 and the central portion 86 c serves as a rail of the handrail belt 38. The lower surface of the handrail belt 38 runs in contact with the upper surface of the central portion 86 c of the contact surface extension rail 86.")wherein the heat dissipation structure is arranged on a side of the support member facing away from the roller frame.(Paragraph 0024: "As shown in FIG. 4, a plate-like cooling device 72 is provided on the lower surface of a horizontal plate 80 a at the center portion of the handrail rail 80. The plate-like cooling device 72 is composed of a Peltier element, and the wiring cable 74 is hanging down. The position where the cooling device 72 is attached is between the bolt 82 fixing the handrail belt 38 to the upper sliding deck 78 and the adjacent bolt 82. Further, the cooling device 72 is installed at predetermined intervals on the linear handrail rail 80 of the balustrade 36 located between the entrance and the exit of the escalator 10.)
Regarding Claim 20, Saito in view of Wagenleitner discloses the handrail temperature-control device of claim 19, as seen above. Saito further discloses wherein the support member comprises a support surface and at least one projection, the projection being arranged in side regions of the support member on the support surface and protruding from the support surface in a direction facing away from the heat dissipation structure and at least partially delimiting the recess.(Paragraph 0024: "As shown in FIG. 4, a plate-like cooling device 72 is provided on the lower surface of a horizontal plate 80 a at the center portion of the handrail rail 80. The plate-like cooling device 72 is composed of a Peltier element, and the wiring cable 74 is hanging down. The position where the cooling device 72 is attached is between the bolt 82 fixing the handrail belt 38 to the upper sliding deck 78 and the adjacent bolt 82. Further, the cooling device 72 is installed at predetermined intervals on the linear handrail rail 80 of the balustrade 36 located between the entrance and the exit of the escalator 10.", wherein Peltier elements commonly comprise heat sinks with fins to dissipate heat)
Regarding Claim 21, Saito in view of Wagenleitner discloses the handrail temperature-control device of claim 20, as seen above. Saito further discloses wherein at least two semiconductor cooling elements are arranged in the recess.(Paragraph 0024: "As shown in FIG. 4, a plate-like cooling device 72 is provided on the lower surface of a horizontal plate 80 a at the center portion of the handrail rail 80. The plate-like cooling device 72 is composed of a Peltier element, and the wiring cable 74 is hanging down. The position where the cooling device 72 is attached is between the bolt 82 fixing the handrail belt 38 to the upper sliding deck 78 and the adjacent bolt 82. Further, the cooling device 72 is installed at predetermined intervals on the linear handrail rail 80 of the balustrade 36 located between the entrance and the exit of the escalator 10.")
Regarding Claim 23, Saito in view of Wagenleitner discloses the handrail temperature-control device of claim 17, as seen above. Saito further discloses wherein the plurality of rollers are made of copper, a copper alloy, aluminum, and/or an aluminum alloy.(Paragraph 0027: "The contact surface extension rail 86 is made of a metal plate (made of, for example, stainless steel),")
Regarding Claim 24, Saito in view of Wagenleitner discloses the handrail temperature-control device of claim 23, as seen above. Saito in view of Wagenleitner discloses the claimed invention except for wherein the heat transfer elements having a black coating. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to give the heat transfer elements a black coating, since it has been held to be within general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice.
Regarding Claim 25, Saito in view of Wagenleitner discloses the handrail temperature-control device of claim 17, as seen above. Saito further discloses wherein the base is made of a thermally conductive material(Paragraph 0027: "A contact surface extension rail 86 is fixed on the upper portion of the horizontal plate 80 a and above the cooling device 72. The contact surface extension rail 86 is made of a metal plate (made of, for example, stainless steel), the front part 86 a in the running direction is bent downward, the lower end thereof is fixed to the upper surface of the handrail rail 80 by welding or the like, the rear part 86 b Is also bent downward and the lower end thereof is fixed to the upper surface of the handrail rail 80 by welding or the like and the central portion 86 c between the front portion 86 a and the rear portion 86 b is parallel to the handrail rail 80 and the central portion 86 c serves as a rail of the handrail belt 38. The lower surface of the handrail belt 38 runs in contact with the upper surface of the central portion 86 c of the contact surface extension rail 86.")and comprises a support member and a heat dissipation structure, wherein the heat dissipation structure is arranged on a side of the support member facing away from the roller frame.(Paragraph 0024: "As shown in FIG. 4, a plate-like cooling device 72 is provided on the lower surface of a horizontal plate 80 a at the center portion of the handrail rail 80. The plate-like cooling device 72 is composed of a Peltier element, and the wiring cable 74 is hanging down. The position where the cooling device 72 is attached is between the bolt 82 fixing the handrail belt 38 to the upper sliding deck 78 and the adjacent bolt 82. Further, the cooling device 72 is installed at predetermined intervals on the linear handrail rail 80 of the balustrade 36 located between the entrance and the exit of the escalator 10.)
Regarding Claim 28, Saito discloses An escalator or moving walkway comprising:at least one balustrade; a handrail arranged around the balustrade;(Figure 2: balustrade 26)and at least one handrail temperature-control device arranged under the handrail configured to control the temperature of the grip surface of the handrail,(Figure 1: Control device 50 and cooling device 72)the grip surface positioned over the roller arrangement and being in contact therewith,(Figure 2: Handrail belt 38)the at least one handrail temperature-control device comprising: a base:(Figure 4: Sliding deck 78)a semiconductor cooling element arranged in a recess between the base and the roller arrangement(Paragraph 0024: "As shown in FIG. 4, a plate-like cooling device 72 is provided on the lower surface of a horizontal plate 80 a at the center portion of the handrail rail 80. The plate-like cooling device 72 is composed of a Peltier element, and the wiring cable 74 is hanging down. The position where the cooling device 72 is attached is between the bolt 82 fixing the handrail belt 38 to the upper sliding deck 78 and the adjacent bolt 82. Further, the cooling device 72 is installed at predetermined intervals on the linear handrail rail 80 of the balustrade 36 located between the entrance and the exit of the escalator 10.") wherein the roller arrangement is configured to transmit heat energy from the movably arranged handrail to the semiconductor cooling element. (Figure 4: Cooling device 72 cools rails 86 and 80 to further cool handrail belt 38, wherein the rails 86 and 80 could easily be replaced by a roller arrangement)
However, Saito does not disclose a roller arrangement arranged on the base; the roller arrangement configured to guide the movably arranged handrail of the escalator or moving walkway.
Wagenleitner discloses a similar handrail cooling device comprising a roller arrangement arranged on the base; the roller arrangement configured to guide the movably arranged handrail of the escalator or moving walkway; (Figure 5: Counterpressure device 30 and handrail drive 20)
It would have been obvious to one or ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Saito to include the roller arrangement as taught by Wagenleitner. The motivation for the modification would have been to allow for a handrail drive for driving a handrail of a person transporting device which is implemented in a linear manner, which has improved slip behavior and which protects the handrail.(Column 2, lines 24-27).
Regarding Claim 29, Saito in view of Wagenleitner discloses the escalator or moving walkway of claim 28, as seen above. Saito further discloses wherein the at least one handrail temperature-control device is arranged upstream relative to a starting point of the passenger touching the handrail along a direction of movement of the handrail.(Figure 1: Control device 50 and cooling device 72)
Regarding Claim 30, Saito in view of Wagenleitner discloses the escalator or moving walkway of claim 28, as seen above. Saito further discloses wherein each handrail comprises at least two handrail temperature-control devices, wherein the at least two handrail temperature-control devices are arranged at intervals along the direction of movement of the handrail.(Figure 1: Control device 50 and cooling device 72)
Regarding Claim 31, Saito in view of Wagenleitner discloses the escalator or moving walkway of claim 28, as seen above. Saito further discloses wherein the handrail temperature- control device further comprises a current supply configured to supply current to the semiconductor cooling element, and further comprises a temperature-regulating module configured to regulate the output power of the current supply to be supplied to the semiconductor cooling element.(Paragraph 0026: " As shown in FIG. 5, one temperature sensor 76 is fixed in the vicinity of the lower surface of the handrail rail 80 to which the cooling device 72 is attached, the wiring cable 90 hangs down from the temperature sensor 76, and the wiring cable 74 and is bundled and wired. The wiring cable 90 is also connected to the control device 50.", wherein the control device 50 is inherently regulating the power to the cooling device by powering it)
Regarding Claim 32, Saito in view of Wagenleitner discloses the escalator or moving walkway of claim 31, as seen above. Saito further discloses wherein the temperature- regulating module comprises a handrail temperature measurement sensor and a processor, wherein the handrail temperature measurement sensor is configured to measure the temperature of the handrail(Paragraph 0026: "As shown in FIG. 5, one temperature sensor 76 is fixed in the vicinity of the lower surface of the handrail rail 80 to which the cooling device 72 is attached, the wiring cable 90 hangs down from the temperature sensor 76, and the wiring cable 74 and is bundled and wired. The wiring cable 90 is also connected to the control device 50.")and the processor is configured to process measurement signals transmitted to it from the handrail temperature measurement sensor, and wherein the processor is configured to regulate the output power of the current supply transmitted to the semiconductor cooling element as a function of the temperature of the handrail measured by the handrail temperature measurement sensor.(Paragraph 0028: " In the control device 50 in the machine room 14, when the environmental temperature at which the escalator 10 is installed rises and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 76 becomes equal to or higher than the upper limit temperature (for example, 50 ° C.), all the cooling devices 72 are operated To cool the handrail rail 80 and the contact surface additional rail 86, thereby cooling the handrail belt 38. In particular, the handrail rail 80 and the contact surface extension rail 86 are always cooled from the entrance to the departure outlet by the cooling device 72 installed at predetermined intervals, and the handrail belt 38 is also cooled.", wherein regulation of power is a common in the use of Peltier devices")
Regarding Claim 33, Saito in view of Wagenleitner discloses the escalator or moving walkway of claim 32, as seen above. Saito further discloses wherein the temperature-regulating module comprises an ambient temperature measurement sensor, the ambient temperature measurement sensor configured to measure the ambient temperature of the escalator or the moving walkway,(Paragraph 0026: "As shown in FIG. 5, one temperature sensor 76 is fixed in the vicinity of the lower surface of the handrail rail 80 to which the cooling device 72 is attached, the wiring cable 90 hangs down from the temperature sensor 76, and the wiring cable 74 and is bundled and wired. The wiring cable 90 is also connected to the control device 50.")and the processor configured to regulate the output power of the current supply transmitted to the semiconductor cooling element as a function of a predetermined difference from the outside temperature and taking into account the temperature of the handrail measured by the handrail temperature measurement sensor.(Paragraph 0028: " In the control device 50 in the machine room 14, when the environmental temperature at which the escalator 10 is installed rises and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 76 becomes equal to or higher than the upper limit temperature (for example, 50 ° C.), all the cooling devices 72 are operated To cool the handrail rail 80 and the contact surface additional rail 86, thereby cooling the handrail belt 38. In particular, the handrail rail 80 and the contact surface extension rail 86 are always cooled from the entrance to the departure outlet by the cooling device 72 installed at predetermined intervals, and the handrail belt 38 is also cooled.", wherein regulation of power is a common in the use of Peltier devices")
Regarding Claim 34, Saito in view of Wagenleitner discloses the escalator or moving walkway of claim 29, as seen above. Saito further discloses wherein each handrail comprises at least two handrail temperature-control devices, wherein the at least two handrail temperature-control devices are arranged at intervals along the direction of movement of the handrail.(Figure 1: Control device 50 and cooling device 72)
Regarding Claim 35, Saito in view of Wagenleitner discloses the escalator or moving walkway of claim 29, as seen above. Saito further discloses wherein the handrail temperature- control device further comprises a current supply configured to supply current to the semiconductor cooling element, (Paragraph 0026: "As shown in FIG. 5, one temperature sensor 76 is fixed in the vicinity of the lower surface of the handrail rail 80 to which the cooling device 72 is attached, the wiring cable 90 hangs down from the temperature sensor 76, and the wiring cable 74 and is bundled and wired. The wiring cable 90 is also connected to the control device 50.")and further comprises a temperature-regulating module configured to regulate the output power of the current supply to be supplied to the semiconductor cooling element.(Paragraph 0028: " In the control device 50 in the machine room 14, when the environmental temperature at which the escalator 10 is installed rises and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 76 becomes equal to or higher than the upper limit temperature (for example, 50 ° C.), all the cooling devices 72 are operated To cool the handrail rail 80 and the contact surface additional rail 86, thereby cooling the handrail belt 38. In particular, the handrail rail 80 and the contact surface extension rail 86 are always cooled from the entrance to the departure outlet by the cooling device 72 installed at predetermined intervals, and the handrail belt 38 is also cooled.", wherein regulation of power is a common in the use of Peltier devices")
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 22 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.
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding Claims 22, there is no prior art alone or in combination that included the combination of recited limitations in Claims 16, 17, 19, 20 and 22. The art alone or in combination did not teach wherein the semiconductor cooling element comprises a plate-like structure, and the roller frame, the diameters of the rollers, and the at least one projection are coordinated with one another in such a way that cylindrical surfaces of the rollers have a minimum distance of 0.0001 mm to 0.5 mm from a cooling surface of the semiconductor cooling element arranged in the recess. The closest prior arts of record, Saito (Japanese Patent Application JP2017081678A) and Wagenleitner (United States Patent US 10,017,361 B2) teach a similar handrail temperature control device comprising a base, roller arrangement and a semiconductor cooling element, but both fail to teach wherein the semiconductor cooling element comprises a plate-like structure, and the roller frame, the diameters of the rollers, and the at least one projection are coordinated with one another in such a way that cylindrical surfaces of the rollers have a minimum distance of 0.0001 mm to 0.5 mm from a cooling surface of the semiconductor cooling element arranged in the recess. Additionally, no other references, or reasonable combination thereof, could be found which disclose or suggest these features in combination with other limitations in the claims.
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 ABBY ALLURA JORGENSEN whose telephone number is (571)270-7124. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5:30.
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/ABBY A JORGENSEN/ Examiner, Art Unit 3651
/GENE O CRAWFORD/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3651
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