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 RCE
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 05/27/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-15 are currently pending.
Response to Argument
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-15 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on the combination of references applied in the prior rejection of record for matters specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Interpretation
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. (MPEP2111). In this instance applicant’s specification states “The brake arrangements can be brakes which generate a braking torque by means of a pretensioning force. The braking torque can be reduced by applying a force which opposes the pretensioning force until the brake arrangement adopts a venting position in which no braking torque is exerted.” (¶0026); “There are examples in which a brake element (for example a brake disk or a brake drum) of the brake arrangement is mounted on a shaft of a motor which drives the wheel, wherein during a braking process a brake body (for example a brake lining or a brake shoe) in a braking position pushes against the brake element with an application force so that a braking torque acts on the shaft of the motor and thus on the wheel.” (¶0028); “If the brake bodies 304 push with an application force against the circumference of the brake element 302, friction is produced. If the shaft rotates, and thus the brake element 302, the friction generates a torque which opposes the rotation of the shaft and thus brakes these components. Thus the drum brake 206' can exert a braking torque on the shaft and a wheel” (¶0062); and “ The application force can be varied by the control unit, from no force up to the pretensioning force. The braking torque of the drum brake 206' can accordingly be varied by the control unit, from no braking torque in the venting position up to the maximum braking torque due to the pretensioning force.”(¶0065); and “This results in a braking torque of 50% of the pretensioning force on the traveling unit 1 and 25% of the pretensioning force on the traveling units 2 and 3. No braking torque is applied to the traveling unit 4.” (¶0098).
In light of applicant’s disclosure, the term braking “Torque” is understood to be a physical phenomenon that one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of applicants filing would recognize as inherently resulting from the application of a “force” (and resulting friction) on a rotating body. As expressly set forth in applicant’s specification, braking “torque” acting on a wheel of the vehicle is simply the result of friction generated in response to an applied force pushing against an element (and resulting friction) that is coupled to and rotates with the wheel, wherein it is this applied force that is disclosed by applicant as being determined and varied by the claimed control unit.
For the purpose of examination over the prior art, recitations of “braking torque” will be construed as the inherent result of the application of a “braking force” applied to a fixed element made to contact a rotating element, braking torque being due to friction generated between the respective elements. As a result, any prior art teaching directed towards braking of a rail mounted vehicle, that discloses the determination and control of a settable braking “force” wherein the force is correspondingly applied to brake pads/shoes/friction-generating elements; that are pushed/pressed against a rotating element (e.g. wheel, or drum, rotor, axle coupled to a wheel) will be construed as generating a “braking torque” for reducing the speed of the wheel and/or vehicle.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 7-12 and 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Venkatasubramanian et al. (U.S. 2019/0168728A1; hereinafter referred to as ‘Venk’). Venk discloses “In a preferred and non-limiting example, embodiment, or aspect, the system and method for intelligent or adaptive braking described herein can selectively set the brakes of each rail car of a train to a percentage of braking selected for the rail car, which percentage of braking can vary between 0% braking and 100% braking (or 120%—emergency braking), and which percentage of braking can be the same or different than the percentage of braking of each other rail car of the train. In a preferred and non-limiting example, embodiment, or aspect, the system and method for intelligent or adaptive braking described herein can cause the brakes of each rail car to be set to a percentage of braking that can optimize braking efficiency of the entire train.” (¶0015) and “ the system and method for intelligent or adaptive braking can determine the braking force to be applied by the brakes of each rail car based not only on the dynamic forces acting on the car (because of the load, the speed, and the environmental factors) but also based on the condition of the brake shoes, more particularly the amount of wear on the brake shoes or pads. In a preferred and non-limiting example, embodiment, or aspect, this can mean that the system and method for intelligent or adaptive braking can set the percentage of braking of the brakes on each rail car of the train independently “ (¶0023) and “each rail car can have one or more sensors that can measure the weight of each car, and a central braking component, e.g., the HEU, can utilize information about the cargo in each car, speed of travel of the train, and prevalent environment conditions to determine a unique percentage of braking for each rail car. In a preferred and non-limiting example, embodiment, or aspect, the brakes of each car will receive a percent braking command specific to that car that will allow synchronous braking in all the railcars, with or without the application of uniform braking forces, to slow the train and/or to bring the train to a safe stop in view of the prevalent environment conditions. Environment conditions can include data regarding any weather condition, such as, for example, temperature, pressure, moisture, wind conditions, seasonal information that may be indicative of extreme travel like snow, ice, sleet, leaves (during fall season), etc.” (¶0025) and “wherein the one or more environmental conditions can include one or more of the following: temperature, wind speed, wind direction, humidity, the presence or absence of ice or snow on the track upon which the train is travelling, and precipitation.” (¶0033) and “a braking force being applied to the wheels 56 by the brake shoes 66 via the brake heads 64 “ (¶0178; Fig. 3-4). Therefore Venk is directed towards braking of a rail mounted vehicle, and discloses the determination and control of a settable braking “force” wherein the force is correspondingly applied to brake pads/shoes/friction-generating elements; that are pushed/pressed against a rotating element (e.g. wheel, or drum, rotor, axle coupled to a wheel). Venk does not explicitly recite determining and applying a braking “torque” to reduce the speed of the rail vehicle. However, as discussed above, “torque” in the context of the rail vehicle braking prior art is an inherent result of the determination and control of a settable braking “force” wherein the force is correspondingly applied to brake pads/shoes/friction-generating elements; that are pushed/pressed against a rotating element (e.g. wheel, or drum, rotor, axle coupled to a wheel) of the vehicle.
Regarding Clam 1, Venk discloses A braking system (Fig. 2 and 4) for a rail-mounted traveling unit (Fig. 4) of a transfer vehicle (Fig. 1 ‘rail car’) , the braking system comprising: a brake arrangement adapted to be adjusted between a braking position and a venting position and which is designed to exert a settable braking torque in the braking position (Fig. 4, brake arrangement comprising brake beam, brake shoes, ¶0116 “each ECP controller 30 controls the pressure of pressurized air supplied from its air tank 22 to the pneumatic brakes of its car in accordance with the brake command signals, thereby controlling the percent braking of the car 18.”); a control unit (Fig. 2, HEU 26; ¶0119+) to determine a braking torque (“a braking force being applied to the wheels 56 by the brake shoes 66 via the brake heads 64 “; ¶0178; Fig. 3-4; Fig. 5 controller determines and sets a controllable and variable percent of maximum braking force (0-100%), wherein braking torque inherently results from the applied braking force) and to activate accordingly the brake arrangement (¶0195; “ the unique braking command provided to each rail car processor of the first subset of the rail cars can be based on data regarding the rail car”); a first sensor arrangement (¶0025; “each rail car can have one or more sensors that can measure the weight of each car, and a central braking component, e.g., the HEU, can utilize information about the cargo in each car, speed of travel of the train, and prevalent environment conditions to determine a unique percentage of braking for each rail car )to detect an operating state of the transfer vehicle as well as external operating influences and to transmit these to the control unit (¶0196; “the data can include predicted or actual data regarding one or more of the following: a health of the braking system of one or more of the rail cars of the train; one or more environmental conditions in a vicinity of the train; dynamic behavior of one or more rail cars of the train while travelling or moving or during braking; topology of a track between a present location and a future location of the train”); and a second sensor arrangement to measure a load (¶0037; “wherein the load carried by one of the rail cars of the train can be determined by one or more load cells mounted to the rail car “) of the traveling unit and to transmit the measured load to the control unit (¶0196; “ the data can include predicted or actual data regarding one or more of the following: a load carried by one or more of the rail cars”), wherein during operation of the transfer vehicle, the first sensor arrangement detects an operating state of the transfer vehicle and external operating influences on the transfer vehicle at periodic intervals and transmits these to the control unit as operating state data and operating influence data (¶0195; “ the unique braking command provided to each rail car processor of the first subset of the rail cars can be based on data regarding the rail car, the train, or both provided to the locomotive processor”), and if a braking process of the transfer vehicle is to be carried out the control unit is configured to determine a braking torque (“a braking force being applied to the wheels 56 by the brake shoes 66 via the brake heads 64 “; ¶0178; Fig. 3-4; Fig. 5 controller determines and sets a controllable and variable percent of maximum braking force (0-100%), wherein braking torque inherently results from the applied braking force) to be applied with traction of the wheel (¶0158-0163; “HEU 26 is able to dynamically adapt the braking of train 14 in response to changing track adhesion, wheel slip, and/or wheel skid conditions on the track.”) and without overloading of supporting frame components of the transfer vehicle (¶0021; “HEU can compute a desired, desirably optimal, braking sequence or braking scenario that includes determining which brakes of one or more or all of the rail cars to trigger for braking and the braking percentage the brakes of each such rail car exerts to desirably provide for smooth and safe braking of the entire train.” And ¶0068 “ In a preferred and non-limiting example, embodiment, or aspect, an improperly configured or misaligned braking system may result in adverse forces on a wheel and/or brake frame of the rail car or braking system. One or more sensors may be provided to detects such adverse forces to indirectly draw an inference of braking system performance.”; in other words the system is configured to adaptively control braking in order that adverse forces on a wheel and/or brake frame of the rail car or braking system are avoided/managed ) and to activate the brake arrangement via the transmitted operating state data (¶0025, e.g. speed) and operating influence data (¶0025 e.g. environment conditions), and the brake arrangement sets the braking torque (¶0025; “to determine a unique percentage of braking for each rail car.”; “a braking force being applied to the wheels 56 by the brake shoes 66 via the brake heads 64 “; ¶0178; Fig. 3-4; Fig. 5 controller determines and sets a controllable and variable percent of maximum braking force (0-100%), wherein braking torque inherently results from the applied braking force).
Regarding Claim 7, Venk further discloses wherein the operating state data comprises speed data which is specific to the transfer vehicle (¶0025; “each rail car can have one or more sensors that can measure the weight of each car, and a central braking component, e.g., the HEU, can utilize information about the cargo in each car, speed of travel of the train, and prevalent environment conditions to determine a unique percentage of braking for each rail car”; see also ¶0162)
Regarding Claim 8, Venk further discloses wherein the operating influence data comprises a wind load which acts on the transfer vehicle and which is determined at least from the wind speed and the wind direction (¶0033; “wherein the one or more environmental conditions can include one or more of the following: temperature, wind speed, wind direction, humidity, the presence or absence of ice or snow on the track upon which the train is travelling, and precipitation” see also ¶0056 and ¶0071)
Regarding Claim 9, Venk further discloses wherein the control unit determines the braking torque via the transmitted operating state data and operating influence data from a characteristic diagram and wherein the braking torque is set only to 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% of a maximum braking torque (¶0071; “The HEU can receive the output of such means and can set the percentage of braking of each rail car individually from the percentage of braking of each other rail car from 0% to 100% (or 120% emergency braking) based on said output” and ¶0025; “each rail car can have one or more sensors that can measure the weight of each car, and a central braking component, e.g., the HEU, can utilize information about the cargo in each car, speed of travel of the train, and prevalent environment conditions to determine a unique percentage of braking for each rail car”; see also at least ¶0162.)
Regarding Claim 10, Venk further discloses A process for operating a braking system as claimed in claim 1. (Fig. 5 and “In a method of braking”; abstract)
Regarding Claim 11, Venk further discloses wherein the operating state data provides information about a position, a speed and a direction of travel of the transfer vehicle or individual components of the transfer vehicle (¶0074; “ Magnetic sensors are solid state devices that can be used for sensing position, velocity or directional movement. One of the main uses of magnetic sensors is in automotive systems for the sensing of position, distance and speed”; sensors illustrated figuratively in Fig. 3)
Regarding Claim 12, Venk further discloses wherein the operating state data provides information about mass distribution of the transfer vehicle, as well as a weight and a position of freight which is lifted by the transfer vehicle (¶0077+; “In a preferred and non-limiting example, embodiment, or aspect, the rail car may have one or more embedded load cells that can aid in the automatic determination of the rail car load. The output(s) of the one or more embedded load cells can be provided to the HEU which can determined from said output(s) if the rail car is empty, partially full, completely full, or overloaded. In a preferred and non-limiting example, embodiment, or aspect, the output(s) the one or more embedded load cells can be used by the HEU to determine dynamic behavior of cargo in the rail car at various speeds and terrain and inclines and also when subjected to braking forces. How a rail car loaded with solid cargo reacts will be different from how the rail car loaded with a liquid cargo reacts.” And “¶0084 “Using one or more sensors (e.g., load cells) mounted to a brake beam, the degree and orientation of the strain can provide the HEU with a direct indication of the braking force being applied to the wheel.”; see also ¶0141)
Regarding Claim 14, Venk further discloses wherein the sensor arrangement is configured to monitor specific system components of the transfer vehicle and trigger an emergency stop of the transfer vehicle in the event of a failure of the system components (¶0101; “the adaptive braking system may determine the braking solution by requiring all the rail cars to participate in the braking in case of an emergency condition that requires 120% braking” and “¶0166; “For large unit trains, such as trains carrying coal or ore (using open top rail cars), the tendency is to load to full load at best, and an overload at worst. The braking systems for cars 18 are designed to operate at around the peak load with a +/−a safety limit.”; in other words the adaptive dynamic braking system is configured to determine vehicle load and control braking percentage in response to overload conditions (e.g. emergency braking); see also ¶0192 “HUE 26 can determine the percent braking participation by each car by requiring all the rail cars to participate in the braking in case of an emergency condition that requires 120% braking. In a preferred and non-limiting embodiment, example, or aspect, HEU 26 can determine the percent braking participation by each car using any combination of track gradient, wheel adhesion, track curvature, emergency conditions, or any other condition described herein or known in the art.”))
Regarding Claim 15, Venk further discloses A braking system (Fig. 2 and 4) for a transfer vehicle (Fig. 1 ‘rail car’), the braking system comprising:
a brake arrangement adapted to exert a braking torque (Fig. 4, brake arrangement comprising brake beam, brake shoes, ¶0116 “each ECP controller 30 controls the pressure of pressurized air supplied from its air tank 22 to the pneumatic brakes of its car in accordance with the brake command signals, thereby controlling the percent braking of the car 18.”);;
a control unit (Fig. 2, HEU 26; ¶0119+) to determine the braking torque (“a braking force being applied to the wheels 56 by the brake shoes 66 via the brake heads 64 “; ¶0178; Fig. 3-4; Fig. 5 controller determines and sets a controllable and variable percent of maximum braking force (0-100%), wherein braking torque inherently results from the applied braking force) and to activate the brake arrangement (“with the brake command signals”);
and a first sensor arrangement (¶0025; “each rail car can have one or more sensors that can measure the weight of each car, and a central braking component, e.g., the HEU, can utilize information about the cargo in each car, speed of travel of the train, and prevalent environment conditions to determine a unique percentage of braking for each rail car) to detect an operating state of the transfer vehicle as well as external operating influences and to transmit these to the control unit(¶0196; “the data can include predicted or actual data regarding one or more of the following: a health of the braking system of one or more of the rail cars of the train; one or more environmental conditions in a vicinity of the train; dynamic behavior of one or more rail cars of the train while travelling or moving or during braking; topology of a track between a present location and a future location of the train”);;
and a second sensor arrangement to measure a load of the traveling unit and to transmit the measured load to the control unit (¶0077+; “In a preferred and non-limiting example, embodiment, or aspect, the rail car may have one or more embedded load cells that can aid in the automatic determination of the rail car load. The output(s) of the one or more embedded load cells can be provided to the HEU which can determined from said output(s) if the rail car is empty, partially full, completely full, or overloaded. In a preferred and non-limiting example, embodiment, or aspect, the output(s) the one or more embedded load cells can be used by the HEU to determine dynamic behavior of cargo in the rail car at various speeds and terrain and inclines and also when subjected to braking forces. How a rail car loaded with solid cargo reacts will be different from how the rail car loaded with a liquid cargo reacts.” And “¶0084 “Using one or more sensors (e.g., load cells) mounted to a brake beam, the degree and orientation of the strain can provide the HEU with a direct indication of the braking force being applied to the wheel.”; see also ¶0141),
wherein the first sensor arrangement is configured to detect an operating state of the transfer vehicle and external operating influences (¶0025; “each rail car can have one or more sensors that can measure the weight of each car, and a central braking component, e.g., the HEU, can utilize information about the cargo in each car, speed of travel of the train, and prevalent environment conditions to determine a unique percentage of braking for each rail car”) on the transfer vehicle and transmits these to the control unit as operating state data and operating influence data (¶0196; “the data can include predicted or actual data regarding one or more of the following: a health of the braking system of one or more of the rail cars of the train; one or more environmental conditions in a vicinity of the train; dynamic behavior of one or more rail cars of the train while travelling or moving or during braking; topology of a track between a present location and a future location of the train”);,
and wherein the control unit is configured to determine the braking torque (“a braking force being applied to the wheels 56 by the brake shoes 66 via the brake heads 64 “; ¶0178; Fig. 3-4; Fig. 5 controller determines and sets a controllable and variable percent of maximum braking force (0-100%), wherein braking torque inherently results from the applied braking force) to be applied with traction of the wheel (¶0158-0163; “HEU 26 is able to dynamically adapt the braking of train 14 in response to changing track adhesion, wheel slip, and/or wheel skid conditions on the track.”) and without overloading of supporting frame components of the transfer vehicle (¶0021; “HEU can compute a desired, desirably optimal, braking sequence or braking scenario that includes determining which brakes of one or more or all of the rail cars to trigger for braking and the braking percentage the brakes of each such rail car exerts to desirably provide for smooth and safe braking of the entire train.” And ¶0068 “ In a preferred and non-limiting example, embodiment, or aspect, an improperly configured or misaligned braking system may result in adverse forces on a wheel and/or brake frame of the rail car or braking system. One or more sensors may be provided to detects such adverse forces to indirectly draw an inference of braking system performance.”; in other words the system is configured to adaptively control braking in order that adverse forces on a wheel and/or brake frame of the rail car or braking system are avoided/managed ) and to activate the brake arrangement (¶0025; “to determine a unique percentage of braking for each rail car.”; “a braking force being applied to the wheels 56 by the brake shoes 66 via the brake heads 64 “; ¶0178; Fig. 3-4; Fig. 5 controller determines and sets a controllable and variable percent of maximum braking force (0-100%), wherein braking torque inherently results from the applied braking force)via the transmitted operating state data (¶0025, e.g. speed) and operating influence data (¶0025 e.g. environment conditions and/or vehicle loads determined from embedded load cells)
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 1-6, 13 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gentzsch et al. (DE10333276A1) in view of Venkatasubramanian et al. (U.S. 2019/0168728A1; hereinafter referred to as ‘Venk’). Gentzsch discloses “The crane runs on rails (1) through wheels (3a, 3b) on axles (4a, 4b) with speed sensors (7a, 7b) driven by motors (5a, 5) and controlled by brakes (6a, 6b). A friction wheel (8) with a speed sensor (9) signals a control unit which monitors the differences between drive wheels and friction wheel to control braking rate.” (Abstract).
Regarding Claim 1, Gentzsch discloses A braking system (¶0009, brake devices 6a/6b) for a rail-mounted traveling unit of a transfer vehicle (Fig. 1a/1b; rails 1, traveling trolley unit 2, transfer vehicle “crane”; ¶0008 also applied to crane undercarriages see ¶0028) , the braking system comprising:
a brake arrangement (Fig. 1, (¶0009, brake devices 6a/6b) adapted to be adjusted between a braking position and a venting position (¶0009, electro-hydraulic system provides pressure to drum or disc brake to exert a settable braking torque applied to axles 4a/4b respectively) and which is designed to exert a settable braking torque (¶0013 and ¶0015-0016) in the braking position;
a control unit (Fig. 1, control unit 11) to determine a braking torque (see also ¶0028 “braking torque of the brake”) and to activate accordingly the brake arrangement (¶0012-0016);
and a first sensor arrangement (Fig. 1, speed signals from speed sensors 7 and 9 and start/stop signal from programmable logic control unit 13) to detect an operating state of the transfer vehicle (¶0012, status of start/stop signal from programmable logic control unit 13, signals from speed sensors 7 and 9, receipt of emergency shutdown or power failure signal ¶0017) as well as external operating influences (¶0024, wheel speed differences during braking higher than a preset value indicates braked wheels sliding on the rails that prior attributes to a “load condition of the trolley” and “environmental conditions, such as wet rails.”) and to transmit these to the control unit,
wherein during operation of the transfer vehicle, the sensor arrangement detects an operating state of the transfer vehicle (¶0012, status of start/stop signal from programmable logic control unit 13, signals from speed sensors 7 and 9, receipt of emergency shutdown or power failure signal ¶0017) and external operating influences on the transfer vehicle (¶0024, wheel speed differences during braking higher than a preset value indicates braked wheels sliding on the rails that the prior art attributes to “load condition of the trolley” and “environmental conditions, such as wet rails.”) at periodic intervals and transmits these to the control unit as operating state data and operating influence data (see at least ¶0012-0017; status of start/stop signal from programmable logic control unit 13, signals from speed sensors 7 and 9, receipt of emergency shutdown or power failure signal are received and processed by control unit 11)),
and if a braking process of the transfer vehicle is to be carried out the control unit is configured to determine a braking torque to be applied with traction of the wheel and without overloading of supporting frame components of the transfer vehicle (¶0023; “suppresses the swinging of the load when the trolley brakes, so that overall the signs of wear and strain can be significantly reduced and the safety of the system increased”; “the invention is based on the object of reducing the wear and tear and stresses that occur on a crane system in the event of an emergency stop or power failure, in order to thereby increase the service life of the crane system.” ¶0003) and to activate the brake arrangement via the transmitted operating state data and operating influence data, and the brake arrangement sets the braking torque (¶0012-0017)
Gentzsch does not explicitly disclose a second sensor arrangement to measure a load of the traveling unit and to transmit the measured load to the control unit for the purpose of determining a braking torque to be applied with traction of the wheel and without overloading of supporting frame components of the transfer vehicle.
Venk teaches an adaptive braking control system for a rail mounted vehicle (Fig. 2 and 4), wherein the adaptive braking control system comprises a second sensor arrangement to measure a load (¶0037; “wherein the load carried by one of the rail cars of the train can be determined by one or more load cells mounted to the rail car “) of the traveling unit and to transmit the measured load to the control unit (¶0196; “ the data can include predicted or actual data regarding one or more of the following: a load carried by one or more of the rail cars”) for the purpose of determining a braking torque (“a braking force being applied to the wheels 56 by the brake shoes 66 via the brake heads 64 “; ¶0178; Fig. 3-4; Fig. 5 controller determines and sets a controllable and variable percent of maximum braking force (0-100%), wherein braking torque inherently results from the applied braking force) to be applied with traction of the wheel (¶0158-0163; “HEU 26 is able to dynamically adapt the braking of train 14 in response to changing track adhesion, wheel slip, and/or wheel skid conditions on the track.”) and without overloading of supporting frame components of the transfer vehicle (¶0021; “HEU can compute a desired, desirably optimal, braking sequence or braking scenario that includes determining which brakes of one or more or all of the rail cars to trigger for braking and the braking percentage the brakes of each such rail car exerts to desirably provide for smooth and safe braking of the entire train.” And ¶0068 “ In a preferred and non-limiting example, embodiment, or aspect, an improperly configured or misaligned braking system may result in adverse forces on a wheel and/or brake frame of the rail car or braking system. One or more sensors may be provided to detects such adverse forces to indirectly draw an inference of braking system performance.”; in other words the system is configured to adaptively control braking in order that adverse forces on a wheel and/or brake frame of the rail car or braking system are avoided/managed ) in order to provide better rail mounted vehicle braking control, shortened stopping distance of the rail vehicle, and lowered risk of derailment (¶0005)
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing of the invention to have modified the rail mounted transfer vehicle braking control system of Gentzsch to incorporate the teachings of Venk to include an adaptive braking control system for a rail mounted vehicle, wherein the adaptive braking control system comprising a second sensor arrangement to measure a load of the traveling unit and to transmit the measured load to the control unit for the purpose of determining a braking torque to be applied with traction of the wheel and without overloading of supporting frame components of the transfer vehicle in order to provide better rail mounted vehicle braking control, shortened stopping distance of the rail vehicle, and lowered risk of derailment (¶0005)
Regarding Claim 15, Gentzsch discloses A braking system (¶0009, brake devices 6a/6b) for a transfer vehicle (Fig. 1a/1b; rails 1, traveling trolley unit 2, transfer vehicle “crane”; ¶0008 also applied to crane undercarriages see ¶0028), the braking system comprising:
a brake arrangement Fig. 1, (¶0009, brake devices 6a/6b) adapted to exert a braking torque (¶0013 and ¶0015-0016; a control unit (Fig. 1, control unit 11) to determine the braking torque and to activate the brake arrangement (¶0012-0016);
and a first sensor arrangement (Fig. 1, speed signals from speed sensors 7 and 9) to detect an operating state of the transfer vehicle (¶0012, status of start/stop signal from programmable logic control unit 13, signals from speed sensors 7 and 9, receipt of emergency shutdown or power failure signal ¶0017) as well as external operating influences (¶0024, wheel speed differences during braking higher than a preset value indicates braked wheels sliding on the rails that the prior art attributes to “load condition of the trolley” and “environmental conditions, such as wet rails.”) and to transmit these to the control unit,
wherein the sensor arrangement is configured to detect an operating state of the transfer vehicle vehicle (¶0012, status of start/stop signal from programmable logic control unit 13, signals from speed sensors 7 and 9, receipt of emergency shutdown or power failure signal ¶0017) and external operating influences (¶0024, wheel speed differences during braking higher than a preset value indicates braked wheels sliding on the rails that prior attributes to “load condition of the trolley” and “environmental conditions, such as wet rails.”) on the transfer vehicle and transmits these to the control unit as operating state data and operating influence data (see at least ¶0012-0017; status of start/stop signal from programmable logic control unit 13, signals from speed sensors 7 and 9, receipt of emergency shutdown or power failure signal are received and processed by control unit 11),
and wherein the control unit is configured to determine the braking torque to be applied with traction of the wheel and without overloading of supporting frame components of the transfer vehicle (¶0023; “suppresses the swinging of the load when the trolley brakes, so that overall the signs of wear and strain can be significantly reduced and the safety of the system increased”; “the invention is based on the object of reducing the wear and tear and stresses that occur on a crane system in the event of an emergency stop or power failure, in order to thereby increase the service life of the crane system.” ¶0003) and to activate the brake arrangement via the transmitted operating state data and operating influence data (¶0012-0017)
Gentzsch does not explicitly disclose a second sensor arrangement to measure a load of the traveling unit and to transmit the measured load to the control unit for the purpose of determining a braking torque to be applied with traction of the wheel and without overloading of supporting frame components of the transfer vehicle.
Venk teaches an adaptive braking control system for a rail mounted vehicle (Fig. 2 and 4), wherein the adaptive braking control system comprises a second sensor arrangement to measure a load (¶0037; “wherein the load carried by one of the rail cars of the train can be determined by one or more load cells mounted to the rail car “) of the traveling unit and to transmit the measured load to the control unit (¶0196; “ the data can include predicted or actual data regarding one or more of the following: a load carried by one or more of the rail cars”) for the purpose of determining a braking torque (“a braking force being applied to the wheels 56 by the brake shoes 66 via the brake heads 64 “; ¶0178; Fig. 3-4; Fig. 5 controller determines and sets a controllable and variable percent of maximum braking force (0-100%), wherein braking torque inherently results from the applied braking force) to be applied with traction of the wheel (¶0158-0163; “HEU 26 is able to dynamically adapt the braking of train 14 in response to changing track adhesion, wheel slip, and/or wheel skid conditions on the track.”) and without overloading of supporting frame components of the transfer vehicle (¶0021; “HEU can compute a desired, desirably optimal, braking sequence or braking scenario that includes determining which brakes of one or more or all of the rail cars to trigger for braking and the braking percentage the brakes of each such rail car exerts to desirably provide for smooth and safe braking of the entire train.” And ¶0068 “ In a preferred and non-limiting example, embodiment, or aspect, an improperly configured or misaligned braking system may result in adverse forces on a wheel and/or brake frame of the rail car or braking system. One or more sensors may be provided to detects such adverse forces to indirectly draw an inference of braking system performance.”; in other words the system is configured to adaptively control braking in order that adverse forces on a wheel and/or brake frame of the rail car or braking system are avoided/managed ) in order to provide better rail mounted vehicle braking control, shortened stopping distance of the rail vehicle, and lowered risk of derailment (¶0005)
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing of the invention to have modified the rail mounted transfer vehicle braking control system of Gentzsch to incorporate the teachings of Venk to include an adaptive braking control system for a rail mounted vehicle, wherein the adaptive braking control system comprising a second sensor arrangement to measure a load of the traveling unit and to transmit the measured load to the control unit for the purpose of determining a braking torque to be applied with traction of the wheel and without overloading of supporting frame components of the transfer vehicle in order to provide better rail mounted vehicle braking control, shortened stopping distance of the rail vehicle, and lowered risk of derailment (¶0005)
Regarding Claim 2, Gentzsch further discloses wherein a brake element of the brake arrangement is mounted on a shaft (Fig 1 axle 4a/4b) of a motor (Fig. 1, electric drive motor 5a and 5b) which drives the wheel (Fig. 1, running wheels 3a and 3b), wherein during a braking process a brake body (¶0009, “spring loading or weight load”) in a braking position pushes against the brake element with an application force so that a braking torque acts on the shaft of the motor and the wheel (¶0009, drum or disc brake)
Regarding Claims 3 and 4 Gentzsch further discloses wherein the brake arrangement comprises a drum brake and wherein the brake arrangement comprises a disc brake (¶0009, drum or disc brake)
Regarding Claim 5, Gentzsch further discloses wherein an electrical venting device (“electro-hydraulic brake release device in which an integrated pump supplies hydraulic fluid to a piston whose piston rod is connected to the brake.”) overcomes the application force by which the brake body (¶0009, “spring loading or weight load”) pushes against the brake element and generates the braking torque, in order to reach the venting position (¶0009)
Regarding Claim 6, Gentzsch further discloses wherein a hydraulic venting device (“electro-hydraulic brake release device in which an integrated pump supplies hydraulic fluid to a piston whose piston rod is connected to the brake.”) overcomes the application force by which the brake body (¶0009, “spring loading or weight load”) pushes against the brake element and generates the braking torque, in order to reach the venting position (¶0009)
Regarding Claim 13, Gentzsch further discloses wherein the transfer vehicle is a container gantry crane (¶0001; “The invention relates to a method and a device for controlling crane systems, such as construction cranes, container bridges and the like.”)
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Tione et al. (U.S. 2021/0039615A1) discloses “Embodiments of the inventive subject matter relate to braking of a railway vehicle, in particular in the event of a degraded adhesion condition or in the event of degraded operation of the braking system.” (¶0002)
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/BRIAN R KIRBY/Examiner, Art Unit 3747
/LINDSAY M LOW/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3747
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