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. 18/865917, filed on 11/14/2024. Claims 1-15 are still pending in the application.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "a first motor drive apparatus" in line 7. It is unclear if this is the same limitation as “a first motor drive apparatus” previously recited in lines 4-5.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "a first motor drive apparatus" in line 9. It is unclear if this is the same limitation as “a first motor drive apparatus” previously recited in line 5.
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) 1-10, 12-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by GB 2116512 to Hirano et al (henceforth referred to as Hirano).
Regarding claims 1-10, 12-15, Hirano discloses an elevator lifted by dual motor drive apparatus, comprising: a car (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 8) and a counterweight (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 9) disposed as being lifted to a lifting space (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 1);
a traction rope (i.e. shown in Fig. 1, ref. 7) suspending the car and the counterweight;
a traction sheave (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 5) driven to perform a rotation motion by a first motor drive apparatus (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 3 on the left) and a second motor drive apparatus (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 3 on the right) arranged on both sides thereof; so as to drive the traction rope to lift the car and the counterweight;
a first motor drive apparatus having a first motor (i.e. Fig. 6, ref. 3 on the left) and a first gear assembly (i.e. Fig. 6, ref. 22, 23 on the left); and
a second motor drive apparatus having a second motor (i.e. Fig. 6, ref. 3 on the right) and a second gear assembly (i.e. Fig. 6, ref. 23, 22 on the right),
wherein the traction sheave is located between the first motor drive apparatus and the second motor drive apparatus in an axial direction of the traction sheave, a torque generated by the first motor of the first motor drive apparatus and a torque generated by the second motor of the second motor drive apparatus are both transmitted to the traction sheave respectively via the first gear assembly and the second gear assembly (i.e. claim 1: “each of said motors having a driven shaft for transmitting torque therefrom”), so as to drive the traction sheave to perform the rotation motion.
Wherein the traction sheave combined with the traction rope has a traction sheave pitch circle; and
projections of each transmission gear of the first gear assembly and each transmission gear of the second gear assembly in the axial direction of the traction sheave are both configured in a region enclosed by a projection of the traction sheave pitch circle in the axial direction of the traction sheave (i.e. Fig. 7 shows pitch circle of ref. 3, 22, and 23 enclosed by pitch circle of ref. 5).
Wherein an axis of each transmission gear of the first gear assembly and an axis of each transmission gear of the second gear assembly are both parallel to an axis of the traction sheave (i.e. Fig. 6, axis of ref. 23, 22 and 5a are parallel and extending in the horizontal direction).
Wherein an axis of each transmission gear of the first gear assembly and an axis of each transmission gear of the second assembly are both stationary relative to and parallel to an axis of the traction sheave (i.e. Fig. 6, axis of ref. 23, 22 and 5a are parallel and extending in the horizontal direction).
Wherein an axis of each transmission gear of the first gear assembly and an axis of each transmission gear of the second assembly are both stationary relative to and parallel to an axis of the traction sheave (i.e. Fig. 6, axis of ref. 23, 22 and 5a are parallel and extending in the horizontal direction); and projections of the axis of each transmission gear of the first gear assembly and the axis of each transmission gear of the second gear assembly in the axial direction of the traction sheave are both configured in a region enclosed by the projection of the traction sheave pitch circle in the axial direction of the traction sheave (i.e. Fig. 7 shows axis of ref. 3, 22, and 23 enclosed by pitch circle of ref. 5).
Wherein in the axial direction of the traction sheave, each transmission gear of the first gear assembly is located between the traction sheave and the first motor; and in the axial direction of the traction sheave, each transmission gear of the second gear assembly is located between the traction sheave and the second motor (i.e. Fig. 6).
Wherein the axis of each transmission gear of the first gear assembly and the axis of each of the second gear assembly are both helical gears (i.e. Fig. 6, ref. 22 and 23 are helical shaped).
Wherein the second motor drive apparatus and the first motor drive apparatus have the same structure (i.e. Fig. 6, ref. 3 on the left and right are mirror images of each other);
the second motor and the first motor have the same structure; and
the second gear assembly and the first gear assembly have the same structure.
Wherein the first gear assembly has N transmission gears, and axes of the N transmission gears are not in the same plane and are spatially arranged three dimensions, N being an integer greater than 2 (i.e. Fig. 6 shows two ref. 23 and one ref. 22 on both sides of ref. 5 meaning in this case, N is 3).
Wherein the first motor drive apparatus further has a first gear box (i.e. Fig. 6, ref. 17), each transmission gear of the first gear assembly is configured in the first gear box, and the first gear box supports rotation of each transmission gear of the first gear assembly.
Wherein the first motor uses a cylindrical structure (i.e. Fig. 6, ref. 3 is a cylindrical shape) with a radial magnetic field and has a stationary portion (i.e. Fig. 6, ref. 3 is stationary) and a rotation portion (i.e. output shaft), the rotation portion of the first motor and the input transmission gear of the first gear assembly are coaxially connected to one another and rotate together (i.e. Fig. 6, ref. 3 and 23 rotate about the same axis), the traction sheave and the output transmission gear of the first gear assembly are coaxially connected to one another and rotate together (i.e. Fig. 6, ref. 5 and ref. 22 rotate about the same axis), and a rotation speed of the traction sheave is less than a rotation speed of the rotation portion of the first motor (i.e. due to diameter of ref. 5 is larger than diameter of output shaft of motor).
Wherein the number of teeth of the input transmission gear is less than the number of teeth of a transmission gear that meshes with the input transmission gear (i.e. Fig. 6, number of teeth on ref. 23 is less than number of teeth on ref. 22), and the number of teeth of the output transmission gear is greater than the number of teeth of a transmission gear that meshes with the output transmission gear (i.e. Fig. 6, number of teeth of ref. 22 is greater than the number of teeth of ref. 23).
Wherein a projection of the rotation portion of the first motor in the axial direction of the traction sheave is configured in the region enclosed by the projection of the traction sheave pitch circle (i.e. Fig. 7, axis of ref. 3 is enclosed in the pitch circle of ref. 5).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 11 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.
CN 201176349 to Shi teaches a dual motor drive for an elevator;
WO 2005/032993 to Thielow teaches a dual motor drive for an elevator;
CN 1746097 to Hein teaches a multi motor drive for an elevator;
GB 2057385 to Randon teaches a multi motor drive for an elevator.
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/DIEM M TRAN/Examiner, Art Unit 3654
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