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 .
This is the First Office Action on the merits of Application No. 18/858031, filed on 10/18/2024. Claims 1-15 are still pending in the application.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-6, 8-13, 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN 105565122 to Xu (henceforth referred to as Xu).
Regarding claims 1-6, 8-13, 15, Xu discloses a bouncing reduction device for an elevator cars (i.e. Title), configured to reduce a bouncing phenomenon in which an elevator car configured to move along a guide rail (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 2) in a hoistway vibrates in a vertical direction when passengers board and alight from the elevator car (i.e. Machine Translation, page 1, last paragraph: “the cage when loading/unloading passengers will not sink”), the bouncing reduction device comprising:
a friction module (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 8) coupled to the elevator to be pressed against the guide rail;
a friction drive unit (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 6) coupled to the elevator car and configured to force the friction module to be pressed against the guide rail;
a drive control unit (i.e. Machine Translation page 12, second to last paragraph: “the control system can selectively activating any one or more devices, to obtain the proper damping force”) configured to control activation and deactivation of the friction drive unit in response to an operating state signal of the elevator car from a separate central control panel,
wherein the friction module is pressed against the guide rail upon activation of the friction drive unit (i.e. Machine Translation page 6, first paragraph: “by activating proximity magnet absorbing electromagnet… the electromagnet directly absorbed on one side of the guide rail which generates closed magnetic field with the electromagnet on one side of the guide rail”) and is separated from the guide rail upon deactivation of the friction drive unit (i.e. Machine Translation page 2, 4th line from the bottom: “the proximity electromagnet release is not in magnetic absorption, with a guide rail”).
Wherein the friction module is moved to be pressed against the guide rail upon activation of the friction drive unit and is resiliently returned to an original position thereof to be separated from the guide rail upon deactivation of the friction drive unit (i.e. Machine Translation page 7, lines 5-10: “proximity electromagnet… for attracting the guide rail surface; pushing electromagnet for driving the electromagnet… further comprising transverse offsetting spring… for resetting the electromagnet away from the guide rail”).
Wherein the friction module comprises:
a friction body (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 8) coupled to one side of the friction drive unit to be movable back and forth and configured to be moved forward and pressed against the guide rail by activation of the friction drive unit; and
an elastic spring (i.e. shown in Fig. 7, ref. 7) applying elastic force to friction body in a direction away from the guide rail (i.e. Machine Translation page 7, lines 5-10: “comprising transverse offsetting spring… for resetting the electromagnet away from the guide rail”).
Wherein the friction body comprises a movable block (i.e. Fig. 7, ref. 8) coupled to the one side of the friction drive unit (i.e. Fig. 7, ref. 6) to be movable back and forth; and
a friction pad (i.e. Fig. 4, not referenced but friction pad with grooves shown on ref. 8 on the surface to contact guide rail, ref. 2) coupled to a front surface of the movable block to be brought into contact with the guide rail.
Wherein the friction drive unit comprises:
a solenoid housing (i.e. Fig. 7, ref. 6) having an electric coil disposed therein (i.e. given):
and a solenoid mover (i.e. Fig. 5, ref. 15) coupled to the solenoid housing to be movable back and forth and configured to be linearly moved by change in power supplied to the electric coil,
wherein the friction body is pushed forward away from the solenoid housing by the solenoid mover upon forward movement of the solenoid mover (i.e. Fig. 7)
Wherein the drive control unit is configured to control the friction drive unit by changing power supplied from a separate power supply to the electric coil (i.e. Machine Translation page 3, last paragraph-page 4, first paragraph: “can be bidirectional electromagnet… the positive electrified, permanent magnet and electromagnetic superposition direction, provide greater force, when the reverse power, permanent magnet and electromagnetic magnetic cancellation”).
Further comprising a vertical reinforcing guide (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 5) configured to guide the friction body of the friction module to prevent vertical displacement of the friction body while the friction body contacts the guide rail.
Wherein the drive control unit is configured to receive a door open/close signal of the elevator car wherein the drive control unit is configured to receive a door open/close signal of the elevator car from the central control panel and to activate or deactivate the friction drive unit according to the door open/close signal (i.e. Machine Translation page 2, lines 21-24 “the door is opened by electromagnetic force, friction force is produced between the lead rail and the mechanism stops the elevator car shaking; after the elevator door is closed, the elevator car operation before cancelling electromagnetic force, eliminating friction and normal operation of the elevator”).
Further comprising: an operation detection sensor configured to detect an operating state of the friction drive unit,
wherein the drive control unit is configured to receive a detection signal of the operation detection sensor and transmit the detection signal to the central control panel (i.e. Machine Translation page 10, third paragraph-seventh paragraph: “feedback stabilization mechanism by setting the corresponding element state, if the device state is abnormal,… the fault or stops working… 2) in the proximity the electromagnet of the magnetic field sensing element, the change of magnetic field intensity to identify proximity electromagnet is absorbed on the guide rail… the stabilization mechanism is triggered not easily in order to lift by direction detection”).
Wherein the drive control unit is configured to receive an operating intensity signal of the friction drive unit from the central control panel and to change operating intensity of the friction drive unit according to the received operating intensity signal (i.e. Machine Translation page 10, third paragraph-seventh paragraph: “feedback stabilization mechanism by setting the corresponding element state, if the device state is abnormal,… the fault or stops working… 2) in the proximity the electromagnet of the magnetic field sensing element, the change of magnetic field intensity to identify proximity electromagnet is absorbed on the guide rail… the stabilization mechanism is triggered not easily in order to lift by direction detection”).
Wherein the friction drive unit is detachably coupled to a guide rail device of the elevator car through a separate coupling module (i.e. See Mark up of Fig. 3), and the friction module is coupled to the friction drive unit to be movable back and forth by the friction drive unit (i.e. Fig. 7).
Wherein the coupling module comprises:
a support plate (i.e. See Mark up of Fig. 3) detachably coupled to one end of the guide roller device; and
an adapter plate (i.e. See Mark up of Fig. 3) coupled to one surface of the support plate and having an upper portion allowing the friction drive unit to be seated thereon and coupled thereto.
Wherein the support plate extends in a horizontal direction to cover a space outside a guide rail roller of the guide roller device (i.e. Mark up of Fig. 3 shows support plate covering more than just the guide rail roller).
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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) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 105565122 to Xu in view of US Patent No. 5,321,217 to Traktovenko et al (henceforth referred to as Traktovenko).
Regarding claim 7, Xu does not specifically teach power supplied by PWM control method. However, PWM control method is not novel to the invention and is known in the art. For example, Traktovenko teaches a control method for an elevator comprising roller guides (i.e. Fig. 30, ref. 1000 and Fig. 40, ref. 1140, 1142) with electromagnets (i.e. Fig. 40, ref. 1146, 1148) wherein PWM control methods are used to provide power to the electromagnets (i.e. Column 23, lines 9-13: “two electromagnets 1146, 1148…are shown in Fig. 41, a bias voltage provided… to the PWM controls”). Traktovenko further teaches this is an inexpensive system for control (i.e. Column 14, lines 31-33: “An inexpensive, one quadrant system is possible using a DC rectifier and transistor PMW chopper”). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use PWM control method as taught in Traktovenko in the bouncing reduction device as taught in Xu to reduce cost and there would have been reasonable expectation of success.
Regarding claim 14, Xu does not specifically teach the adapter block is configured to adjust a position of the friction drive unit with respect to the guide rail. However, in coupling art and in elevator retrofit art, slotted connection holes are used to allow adjustment in coupling of two mechanical parts. For example, in Traktovenko Fig. 34, slotted holes can be seen on ref. 1148 and slotted holes can be seen in Traktovenko Fig. 30, ref. 1070. It would have been obvious to use slotted holes as taught in Traktovenko in the adapter plate as taught in Xu to allow for positioning flexibility and adjustments during installation and there would have been reasonable expectation of success.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
WO 2013/175001 to Kocher et al teaches an elevator brake with a damping unit;
KR 10-2011-0072185 to Choi teaches an elevator brake shock reducer;
EP 4273083 to Moran et al teaches an elevator damper.
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/DIEM M TRAN/Examiner, Art Unit 3654