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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 05/28/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 16-18, 23-24, 28-31 and 34-35 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 Japanese Patent Application JP2018012564A (Kojima, Shogo) in view of Korean Patent KR100637077B1 (Kim Jong, Tae) to teach the handrail temperature control device. Therefore, a new interpretation has been used and the arguments are moot.
EXAMINER’S AMENDMENT
An examiner’s amendment to the record appears below. Should the changes and/or additions be unacceptable to applicant, an amendment may be filed as provided by 37 CFR 1.312. To ensure consideration of such an amendment, it MUST be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee.
The application has been amended as follows:
In Claim 19, line 1; after the phrase “of claim”, delete “16”.
In Claim 22, line 1; after the phrase “of claim”, delete “16”.
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 16-18, 23-24, 28-31 and 34-35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kojima (Japanese Patent Application JP2018012564A) in view of Kim (Korean Patent KR100637077B1),
Regarding Claim 16, Kojima 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 0007: "It is an object of the present invention to provide a moving handrail cooling device for a passenger conveyor that can be easily installed on an existing passenger conveyor and can be operated while carrying passengers.")a base:a roller arrangement arranged on the base; the roller arrangement configured to guide the movably arranged handrail of the escalator or moving walkway; and (Figure 5: Housing 110 and roller 120 that rolls along the surface of handrail 17).
However, Kojima does not disclose a semiconductor cooling element arranged in a recess between the base and the roller arrangement wherein the roller arrangement is configured to transmit heat energy from the movably arranged handrail to the semiconductor cooling element.
Kim discloses a similar cooling roller arrangement comprising a semiconductor cooling element arranged in a recess between the base and the roller arrangement(Figure 4: Heat transfer member 51, Heat dissipating unit 72 and thermoelectric element 73 and frame 80, wherein Page 2, lines 111-112: "The heat dissipation unit 72 may be formed in the development frame 80")wherein the roller arrangement is configured to transmit heat energy from the movably arranged handrail to the semiconductor cooling element. (Page 2, lines 61-68: "a cooling unit for cooling at least any one of the plurality of support rollers. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cooling unit is inserted into the support roller and is transferred from the transfer medium to the support roller A heat transfer member for receiving the heat transferred thereto; And a heat dissipating unit for dissipating the heat transferred to the heat transfer member into the air, wherein the heat transfer member and the heat dissipating unit are integrally formed, wherein the cooling unit includes the heat transfer member and the heat dissipating unit, The heat transfer member may include a plurality of heat pipes arranged in a circumferential direction in the support roller. ").
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the cooling element of Kojima to include a semiconductor cooling element as taught by Kim. The motivation for the modification would have been to avoid deformation or impairment on the object brought into contact with a high temperature belt by providing a cooling unit that can cool the belt (Page 1, lines 36-57).
Regarding Claim 17, Kojima in view of Kim discloses the handrail temperature-control device of claim 16, as seen above. Kojima in view of Kim discloses the claimed invention except for 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. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have a plurality of the rollers as disclosed arranged side by side, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
Regarding Claim 18, Kojima in view of Kim discloses the handrail temperature-control device of claim 17, as seen above. Kojima 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: Shows roller 120 protruding outside of frame)
Regarding Claim 23, Kojima in view of Kim discloses the handrail temperature-control device of claim 17, as seen above. Kim further discloses wherein the rollers are made of copper, a copper alloy, aluminum, and/or an aluminum alloy.(Page 2. lines 91-93: "Here, the roller body 62a is preferably formed of a metal material having a high thermal conductivity in order to conduct heat of the transfer medium 4. ").
Regarding Claim 24, Kojima in view of Kim discloses the handrail temperature-control device of claim 23, as seen above. Kojima in view of Kim 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 28, Kojima discloses An escalator or moving walkway comprising: at least one balustrade; a handrail arranged around the balustrade;(Paragraph 0007: "It is an object of the present invention to provide a moving handrail cooling device for a passenger conveyor that can be easily installed on an existing passenger conveyor and can be operated while carrying passengers.")and at least one handrail temperature-control device arranged under the handrail configured to control the temperature of the grip surface of the handrail, the grip surface positioned over the roller arrangement and being in contact therewith,(Figure 6: Roller 120 and cooling device 100 located under handrail 17)the at least one handrail temperature-control device comprising: a base:a roller arrangement arranged on the base; the roller arrangement configured to guide the movably arranged handrail of the escalator or moving walkway; and (Figure 5: Housing 110 and roller 120 that rolls along the surface of handrail 17).
However, Kojima does not disclose a semiconductor cooling element arranged in a recess between the base and the roller arrangement wherein the roller arrangement is configured to transmit heat energy from the movably arranged handrail to the semiconductor cooling element.
Kim discloses a similar cooling roller arrangement a semiconductor cooling element arranged in a recess between the base and the roller arrangement(Figure 4: Heat transfer member 51, Heat dissipating unit 72 and thermoelectric element 73 and frame 80, wherein Page 2, lines 111-112: "The heat dissipation unit 72 may be formed in the development frame 80")wherein the roller arrangement is configured to transmit heat energy from the movably arranged handrail to the semiconductor cooling element. (Page 2, lines 61-68: "a cooling unit for cooling at least any one of the plurality of support rollers. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cooling unit is inserted into the support roller and is transferred from the transfer medium to the support roller A heat transfer member for receiving the heat transferred thereto; And a heat dissipating unit for dissipating the heat transferred to the heat transfer member into the air, wherein the heat transfer member and the heat dissipating unit are integrally formed, wherein the cooling unit includes the heat transfer member and the heat dissipating unit, The heat transfer member may include a plurality of heat pipes arranged in a circumferential direction in the support roller. ").
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the cooling element of Kojima to include a semiconductor cooling element as taught by Kim. The motivation for the modification would have been to avoid deformation or impairment on the object brought into contact with a high temperature belt by providing a cooling unit that can cool the belt (Page 1, lines 36-57).
Regarding Claim 29, Kojima in view of Kim discloses the escalator or moving walkway of claim 28, as seen above. Kojima 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.(Paragraph 0012: "The moving handrail cooling device 100 for a passenger conveyor is installed on the floor of the entrance / exit of the passenger conveyor 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a moving handrail 17 of an entrance on the landing side of a passenger conveyor 10 is close to a place where a circular arc is drawn, and a moving handrail cooling device 100 for a passenger conveyor is placed on the floor surface. The moving handrail cooling device 100 for a passenger conveyor is constituted by a thin housing 110, and is fixed to a housing (not shown) by fixing members 210, 220, 230, 240 (in FIG. 1, the fixing member 230 is not shown) attached to the housing 110 110 and the frame 16 of the passenger conveyor 10 are connected.").
Regarding Claim 30, Kojima in view of Kim discloses the escalator or moving walkway of claim 28, as seen above. Kojima 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.(Paragraph 0028: " The moving handrail cooling device 100 for a passenger conveyor may be installed either in the entrance of the passenger conveyor 10 on the side of the landing side of the passenger conveyor 10 or in the entrance of the passenger conveyor 10, but if installed in the entrance / exit of the passenger conveyor 10, Because the cooling operation is performed immediately before touching the moving handrail 17.")
Regarding Claim 31, Kojima in view of Kim discloses the escalator or moving walkway of claim 28, as seen above. Kim 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.(Page 3, lines 121-125: "The thermoelectric element 73 is preferably a Peltier element that extracts and absorbs heat at the junction of the two metals when current flows through the two kinds of metals connected to each other. The element is installed between the heat transfer member 71 and the heat dissipating unit 72 to absorb heat from the heat transfer member 71 and to dissipate heat to the heat dissipating unit 72 to improve the cooling efficiency.")
Regarding Claim 34, Kojima in view of Kim discloses the escalator or moving walkway of claim 29, as seen above. Kojima 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.(Paragraph 0028: " The moving handrail cooling device 100 for a passenger conveyor may be installed either in the entrance of the passenger conveyor 10 on the side of the landing side of the passenger conveyor 10 or in the entrance of the passenger conveyor 10, but if installed in the entrance / exit of the passenger conveyor 10, Because the cooling operation is performed immediately before touching the moving handrail 17.")
Regarding Claim 35, Kojima in view of Kim discloses the escalator or moving walkway of claim 28, as seen above. Kim 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.(Page 3, lines 121-125: "The thermoelectric element 73 is preferably a Peltier element that extracts and absorbs heat at the junction of the two metals when current flows through the two kinds of metals connected to each other. The element is installed between the heat transfer member 71 and the heat dissipating unit 72 to absorb heat from the heat transfer member 71 and to dissipate heat to the heat dissipating unit 72 to improve the cooling efficiency.").
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 19-22, 25 and 32-33 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:
Regarding Claims 19-22 and 25, there is no prior art alone or combination that included the combination of recited limitations in Claims 16, 17, 19 and 25. The art alone or in combination did not teach wherein the base is made of a thermally conductive material 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. The closest prior arts of record, Kojima (Japanese Patent Application JP2018012564A) and Kim (Korean Patent KR100637077B1), teach a similar handrail temperature control device and a semiconductor cooling element to allow for heat energy transfer from a roller arrangement, but both fail to teach wherein the base is made of a thermally conductive material 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. 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.
Regarding Claims 32 and 33, there is no prior art alone or combination that included the combination of recited limitations in Claims 28, 31 and 32. The art alone or in combination did not teach 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. The closest prior arts of record, Kojima (Japanese Patent Application JP2018012564A) and Kim (Korean Patent KR100637077B1), teach a similar escalator or moving walkway and a semiconductor cooling element to allow for heat energy transfer from a roller arrangement, but both fail to teach 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. 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
1. United States Patent US 11,169,474 B2 (Kim, Jonh-Oh): This patent has been deemed pertinent due to its similarities between claims 16-35. Kim teaches a similar cooling conveying system comprising a heat absorber side and condenser side in order to absorb heat from the passing objects to cool it, as seen in Figure 3.
2. International Patent Application WO 2013/026476 A1 (Zeiger, Heinrich): This patent application has been deemed pertinent due to its similarities between claims 16-35. Zeiger teaches a similar regulating temperature system for a conveyor component comprising heating elements and a power adjustment of elements, as seen in Figure 3.
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/ABBY A JORGENSEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3651
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