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 .
Status of Claims
This Office Action is in response to the application filed on December 23, 2024. Claims 4, 10, 16-18, 22 and 24 are cancelled. Claims 1-3,5-9,11-12,14-15,19-21,23,25-26 and 30-31 are pending. Claims 1, 30 and 31 are independent.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on December 23, 2024 and January 17, 2025 have been considered. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. The Forms PTO-1449 are signed and attached hereto.
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.
Claims 1, 7-9, 14, 15, 30 and 31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Publication No. 20200400705 to Andler.
Claims 1, 7-9, 14, 15, 30 and 31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Andler.
With respect to independent claims 1, 30 and 31, Andler discloses an adjustable step-plate element for facilitating at least one of entry and boarding at an access opening of a vehicle, wherein the drive system comprises at least one drive unit with at least one drive motor for generating a driving force for adjustment of the step-plate element and a drive mechanism for a transmission of the driving force to the step-plate element (see paragraphs [0027]: both door leafs can each constitute a load in the sense of the disclosure. In this case, the method can be configured to be redundant since if both door leafs are moved via a separate drive or drive belt, in the sense of the disclosure it is desirable to monitor the tension of both drive belts. The method according to the disclosure can also be used in pivotable sliding door systems (whether this be single-leaf or double-leaf). It is also expressly emphasized that the method according to the disclosure is not restricted to door systems and can also be readily used in step systems. In such a step system (e.g. sliding step system or folding step system), an extendable and retractable sliding step (or an extendable and retractable folding step) can be seen as the load in the sense of the disclosure to which a force required for the movement is also transmitted using a drive belt.),
wherein the drive system comprises an electronic control unit, which is configured to evaluate at least one measured value, which is characteristic for operation of the drive unit, from at least one of the drive motor and a sensor of the drive system associated with the drive unit for at least one of controlling and monitoring the at least one drive unit (see abstract and paragraph [0021]: the drive belt is provided for transmission of a torque generated by a drive unit to a load, for example, a door leaf of a door system. recording the motor voltage can also be used within the framework of the method according to the disclosure as long as the motor voltage is recorded shortly before, during and after reaching the rest state of the load. Within the framework of process step b. a time-resolved motor voltage curve is created or prepared from the recorded motor voltage or the motor voltage data. In the motor voltage curve the motor voltage is plotted on the ordinate and the time on the abscissa of a two-dimensional coordinate system.).
With respect to dependent claim 7, Andler discloses wherein the electronic control unit is configured to receive information on the particular adjustment position of the step-plate element a) from a second sensor coupled with the drive system or from the sensor of the drive system associated with the drive unit, or b) to determine said information from the at least one curve of the at least one measured value (see paragraph [0036]: Predictions on the tension of the drive belt can therefore be made from the curve features of the motor current curve or the motor voltage curve in a time interval located temporally after reaching the rest position of the load.).
With respect to dependent claim 8, Andler discloses wherein the electronic control unit is configured to detect, with reference to the at least one signal curve characteristic,
- an additional load on the step-plate element during the adjustment, or
- a collision of the step-plate element during adjustment of the step- plate element into an extension position, or
- an extension of the step-plate element to or into a compliant surrounding material, or
- a sluggishness in the drive mechanism, or
- a malfunction of the drive unit
(see paragraph [0011]: maintenance is status-oriented maintenance. Anomalies or malfunctions of the drive belt can thereby be identified before this actually results in damage or failure of the drive belt.).
With respect to dependent claim 9, Andler discloses wherein at least one of: the electronic control unit is configured to detect the occurrence of the signal curve characteristic on the basis of at least one stored reference value or a stored reference value curve, and
the electronic control unit is configured to distinguish various signal curve characteristics from each other and in response thereto to generate different reaction signals (see paragraphs [0027] and [0036]: Since the time-resolved motor current curve or the curve features contained therein are evaluated preferably algorithmically to determine the tension of the drive belt, a series of boundary conditions must be taken into account in the evaluation. When using the method in a door system, the main factors to be taken into account are the temperature and the inclination of the door system.).
With respect to dependent claim 14, Andler discloses wherein the drive mechanism comprises a belt drive for the transmission of the driving force to the step-plate element (see paragraph [0055]: the tension of a drive belt 1. The drive belt 1 is arranged between a drive unit 2 and a load 3 and is used to transmit torques generated by the drive unit 2 to the load 3. The transmission of torque can for example result in a movement of the load 3. As it were, however a movement of the load 3 can also be braked by selecting the torque, for example, by reducing the acting torque or reversing the sign.).
With respect to dependent claim 15, Andler discloses wherein at least one of: the belt drive comprises a toothed belt, and the toothed belt meshes with a drive gear which can be driven by the drive motor to perform a rotation (see paragraphs [0064] and [0065]: various tensions of the drive belt were investigated and validated. For reference purposes the present or set tensions were measured with a transducer in a frequency domain proportional to the tensile stress. The present tensile stress of the drive belt 1 acts on the curve shape both of the motor current curve and of the motor voltage curve. In relation to different tensile stresses, particularly characteristic curve forms can be established at those time points at which the door leaf 4 is accelerated or braked since at these time points the drive belt 1 is stretched or contracts. As already mentioned, at the end positions of the load 3 (of the door leaf 4) abrupt changes of the motor voltage occur (cf. FIG. 4). ).
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.
Claims 2 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Andler in view of EP3376664A1 to Petersen et al. (hereinafter “Petersen”).
With respect to dependent claim 2, Andler discloses wherein the electronic control unit is configured to evaluate at least one curve of the at least one measured value for at least one of controlling and monitoring the at least one drive unit (see paragraph [0037] and : the time-resolved motor current curve or the curve features contained therein are evaluated preferably algorithmically to determine the tension of the drive belt, a series of boundary conditions must be taken into account in the evaluation. These external factors change the relationship between current and the tensile stress of the drive belt. In order to compensate for this, an evaluation algorithm based on artificial intelligence can be used, which allows a processing of multivariable data sets.).
Petersen discloses measuring in intervals a step response of acceleration of the motor after a sudden increase of motor current. Also disclosed is an associated motor system (1) comprising a faulty drive belt (4) detection. Detection of a sudden increase in motor speed, followed by a loss of required motor current ("load drop detection"). (see abstract and paragraph [0026]).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the speed/acceleration curves evaluation of Petersen with the ECU that evaluates at least one curve of the measured value of Andler in order to improve diagnostic richness and robustness in the belt drive using motor-signal curves to provide the mechanical bolt conditions.
With respect to dependent claim 5, Andler discloses wherein the electronic control unit is configured, for at least one of controlling and monitoring the at least one drive unit, to evaluate at least one curve of the at least one measured value for occurrence of at least one signal curve characteristic, which is representative of a particular operating state, a particular functional state, or a particular adjustment position of the step-plate element (see paragraph [0070]: The peak-to-peak difference (relative to the overshoot and undershoot range) is however very similar for both vibration frequencies (i.e. tension states). The form of the motor current curve varies according to the system elasticity resulting from different tensile stress and the present damping characteristic.).
Petersen teaches detection of a speed step directly after a change from "open loop" ("STARTUP" state) to "closed loop" ("OPERATION" state). A faulty drive belt can be detected by a method where an alarm is generated based on a detection of a sudden increase in motor speed, followed by a loss of required motor current ("load drop detection") (Claim 2 and paragraph [0077]).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the specific curve detection of Petersen with the tension state of Andler in order to improve fault discrimination and reduce false positives in the operating states.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 6, 11, 12, 19-21, 23, 25 and 26 are 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DEMETRA R SMITH-STEWART whose telephone number is (571)270-3965. The examiner can normally be reached 10am - 6pm.
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/DEMETRA R SMITH-STEWART/Examiner, Art Unit 3661
/PETER D NOLAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3661
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