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 § 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) 11-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) & 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Bingmann (US-3906789).
In regards to claim 11, Bingmann teaches a rail vehicle, comprising: (abstract; 1 fig. 1, ‘rail test car’)
a vehicle frame having a longitudinal direction and being movable on a track having a track gauge; (s, 1 fig. 1, ‘track gauge’, ‘‘rail test car with longitudinal frame’; 48 col.2 - 60 col. 4)
rail running gears supporting said vehicle frame; (2, 4, 6 , 8 fig. 1,’ leading track gage carriage’, ‘trailing track gage carriage’, ‘pair of gaging wheels’)
a first track gauge measurement system disposed on the rail vehicle for recording a first course of the track gauge; (2 fig. 1,’ leading track gage carriage’)
a second track gauge measurement system disposed at a spacing in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle from said first track gauge measurement system, (6 fig. 1, ‘trailing track gage carriage’) for recording a second course of the track gauge; and (13, 16-22 fig. 1, ‘recorders, ’computer’, ‘storage device’)
a higher-level analysis device coupled to said first and second track gauge measurement systems, said analysis device having an algorithm for determining an offset of the first and second courses of the track gauge. (13-14, 16, 21-22 fig. 1, ‘electronic computer’, ‘odometer’, ‘recorder’, ‘computer evaluation unit’, ‘storage unit’; 48 col.2 - 60 col. 4)
In regards to claim 12, Bingmann teaches a rail vehicle according to claim 11, (see claim rejection 11) wherein said analysis device has an algorithm calculating at least one of a travelling speed or a covered travel distance from said time offset of the first and second courses of the track gauge and a known spacing between said first and second track gauge measurement systems. (22-59 col. 4; 48 col.2 - 60 col. 4)
In regards to claim 13, Bingmann teaches a rail vehicle according to claim 11, (see claim rejection 11) which further comprises a distance measurement sensor disposed on a wheel axle, said distance measurement sensor being coupled to said analysis device for checking a measured travel distance. (14 fig. 1, ‘odometer’; 58-68 col. 3)
In regards to claim 14, Bingmann teaches a rail vehicle according to claim 11, (see claim rejection 11) wherein each of said track gauge measurement systems includes two respective gauge recording units each configured for non-contact recording of a rail of the track. (2, 6 fig. 1,’ leading track gage carriage’, ‘‘trailing track gage carriage’)
In regards to claim 15, Bingmann teaches a rail vehicle according to claim 14, wherein said gauge recording units are light-section sensors. (15 fig. 1, ‘moving chart’; ‘The electrical signals from track gaging wheels 8, 8 are recorded on chart 15 as graph 18 and the discrete signals from delay circuit 12, which are reflective of the track gages measured by gaging wheels 4, 4, are recorded on the chart as graph 19, all the graphs being recorded side-by-side to distance markers 20 showing the distance traversed by car 1 and correspondingly by moving chart 15’; 1-37 col. 4)
In regards to claim 16, Bingmann teaches a rail vehicle according to claim 11, (see claim rejection 11) which further comprises a work unit disposed on said vehicle frame for maintaining the track, said analysis device storing a spacing between said work unit and at least one of said first and second track gauge measurement systems. (13, 21, 22 fig. 1,’electronic computer’, ’computer evaluation means’, ‘storage device’)
In regards to claim 17, Bingmann teaches a rail vehicle according to claim 11, (see claim rejection11) wherein said rail running gears include front and rear rail running gears, one of said track gauge measurement systems is disposed on said front rail running gear and another of said track gauge measurement systems is disposed on said rear rail running gear. (2, 6 fig. 1,’ leading track gage carriage’, ‘‘trailing track gage carriage’; (2, 6 fig. 1,’ leading track gage carriage’, ‘‘trailing track gage carriage’)
In regards to claim 18, Bingmann teaches a method for operating a rail vehicle, the method comprising: (abstract; 1 fig. 1, ‘rail test car’)
providing the rail vehicle according to claim 11; (see claim rejection 11) using said first and second track gauge measurement systems to record the respective first and second courses of the track gauge; (2, 4, 6 , 8 fig. 1,’ leading track gage carriage’, ‘trailing track gage carriage’, ‘pair of gaging wheels’)
feeding the courses of the track gauge to said analysis device; (14, 16, 21-22 fig. 1, ‘odometer’, ‘recorder’, ‘computer evaluation unit’, ‘storage unit’; 48 col.2 - 60 col. 4)
the algorithm in said analysis device to determine the offset of the first and second courses of the track gauge. (14, 16, 21-22 fig. 1, ‘odometer’, ‘recorder’, ‘computer evaluation unit’, ‘storage unit’; 48 col.2 - 60 col. 4)
In regards to claim 19, Bingmann teaches a method according to claim 18, (see claim rejection 18) which further comprises using an algorithm in said analysis device to determine at least one of a travelling speed or a covered travel distance from a time offset of the first and second courses of the track gauge and a spacing between said first and second track gauge measurement systems. (21-22 fig. 1, ‘computer evaluation unit’, ‘storage unit’; 22-59 col. 4; 48 col.2 - 60 col. 4)
In regards to claim 20, Bingmann teaches a method according to claim 18, (see claim rejection 18) which further comprises using a distance measurement sensor disposed on a wheel axle to measure a travel distance, and checking the measured travel distance in said analysis device by comparing the measured travel distance with the offset of the first and second courses of the track gauge. (14 fig. 1, ‘odometer’; 22-59 col. 4; 48 col.2 - 60 col. 4)
In regards to claim 21, Bingmann teaches a method according to claim 18, which further comprises positioning a work unit on said vehicle frame above the track based on the offset of the first and second courses of the track gauge.(15, 16-19, 20 fig. 1, ‘moving chart’, ‘distance markers’; 48 col.2 - 60 col. 4)
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The references cited Speldrich (US 11,391,613), Ishikawa (US 2005/0058575), and Syage (US 2007/0034024) references further describe a sampling module with multiple flow paths as described by the claims.
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/K.C.B/Examiner, Art Unit 2852 /STEPHANIE E BLOSS/Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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