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) 22, 29-31, 33-35, 37-38 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Van Aalst (WO2020009570) in view of Zhou (CN 108622322).
Regarding claim 22, Van Aalst teaches a marine gangway (1), comprising: a tower (2) comprising a main bearing (15) and being configured to be rotated via said main bearing (15) to allow the tower (2) to rotate about a tower rotational axis (A) extending in a longitudinal direction of the rotatable tower (2), the tower (2) being provided with a tower aperture (3) and at least one tower doorway (9) arranged one or both of below and above the tower aperture (3), the tower aperture (3) and the at least one tower doorway (9) being adapted for one or both of people and goods to pass through, a gangway device (7) comprising a gangway platform (55) attached to the tower (2) movable in the longitudinal direction of the tower (2), and a gangway (7) rotatably attached to the gangway platform (55), a lift (28) arranged inside the tower (20) movable in the longitudinal direction of the tower (20), the lift (5) being provided with a lift doorway (page 11, Lines 26-30) adapted to align with the tower aperture (page 13, line 28- page 14, line 5) and with the at least one tower doorway (9) as the lift (5) moves in the longitudinal direction of the tower (20). Van Aalst fails to teach the tower is rotatably coupled to the deck. Zhou teaches a gangway (3) with a tower (2) and a bearing (1.8) to allow the tower to rotate about a tower access. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make the tower of Van Aalst rotatable on the deck as taught by Zhou as it is obvious to use a known technique to improve similar devices in the same way.
Regarding claim 29, Van Aalst as modified by Zhou teaches the tower aperture (3) is elongated and extends in the longitudinal direction of the rotatable tower (2).
Regarding claim 30, Van Aalst as modified by Zhou teaches the gangway device (7) is movable in the longitudinal direction of the tower (2) at least partly along the tower aperture (3).
Regarding claim 31, Van Aalst as modified by Zhou teaches the gangway (7) comprises a first gangway section and a second gangway section, the second gangway section (45) being telescopically arranged in or on the first gangway section (Figure 1, 2).
Regarding claim 33, Van Aalst as modified by Zhou teaches the gangway platform (55) is one or both of rollingly and slidably attached to the rotatable tower (2).
Regarding claim 34, Van Aalst as modified by Zhou teaches the rotatable tower (2) and the lift (5) rotate together about the tower rotational axis (A).
Regarding claim 35, Van Aalst as modified by Zhou teaches the tower (2) and the gangway device (7) rotate together about the rotational axis (A) of the tower (2).
Regarding claim 37, Van Aalst as modified by Zhou teaches the rotatable tower (2) is mounted to the main bearing (5) such that the rotational axis (A) of the tower (2) is substantially vertical when the deck lies in a horizontal plane.
Regarding claim 38, Van Aalst as modified by Zhou teaches the deck of the ship (10) is the main deck (11) of the ship (10).
Claim(s) 23-26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Van Aalst (WO2020009570) in view of Zhou (CN 108622322) in further view of Opedal et al. (NO348553) (“Opedal”).
Regarding claim 23, Van Aalst as modified by Zhou teaches the invention as described above but fails to teach an attachment platform rotatably attached to a support platform. Opedal teaches a gangway wherein the gangway platform (240) comprises a support platform (220) movably attached to the tower (111) in the longitudinal direction of the tower (20), and an attachment platform (240) rotatably attached to the support platform, and the gangway (232) is rotatably attached to the attachment platform (240). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use an attachment platform on the platform of Van Aalst as taught by Opedal to allow the gangway to rotate independently of the platform.
Regarding claim 24, Van Aalst as modified by Zhou and Opedal teaches the attachment platform (240) is rotatably attached to the support platform (220) about an attachment platform rotational axis (B) substantially parallel to the rotational axis (A) of the tower (Figure 5).
Regarding claim 25, Van Aalst as modified by Zhou and Opedal teaches the gangway (42) is rotatably attached to the attachment platform (39) about an axis (C or D) which lies in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the rotational axis (B) of the attachment platform.
Regarding claim 26, Van Aalst as modified by Zhou and Opedal teaches the gangway (7) is rotatably attached to the attachment platform (6) about an axis (C or D) which lies in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the rotational axis (B) of the attachment platform (Figure 2)- Van Aalst).
Regarding claim 28, Van Aalst as modified by Zhou and Opedal teaches the support platform (39) comprises a support platform floor (37) and the attachment platform () comprises an attachment platform floor (40), the support platform floor (37) and the attachment platform floor (40) being substantially level.
Claim(s) 32 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Van Aalst (WO2020009570) in view of Zhou (CN 108622322) and in further view of Takeda (JP61235292)
Regarding claim 32, Van Aalst as modified by Zhou teaches the invention as described above but fails to teach stowing the gangway. Takeda teaches a gangway wherein the gangway (20) is rotatable to a stowed position where the gangway (420) extends in the longitudinal direction of the tower (Figure 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 27, 36, 39-41 is 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure is listed on the attached PTO-892. Ryan teaches a gangway attached to a tower.
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/ABIGAIL A RISIC/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3671 June 13, 2026
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