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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “further comprising one or more walkway lights positioned to illuminate the walkway” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 14 is objected to under 37 CFR 1.75(c) as being in improper form because a multiple dependent claim should refer to other claims in the alternative only. Claim 14 requires “any previous claim” twice for different components. See MPEP § 608.01(n). Accordingly, the claims 15-17 have not been further treated on the merits.
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.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b), as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, regards as the invention.
Claim 13 recites the limitation "the plurality of conveying components" in lines 1-2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 1 claims for one or more conveying components and it is unclear if claim 13 is referring back to this limitation due to inconsistent terminology.
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.
Claims 1-5, and 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Honeycutt (US 20120073902).
Regarding claim 1, Honeycutt teaches of (fig. 3) a walkway module (platforms 102 connected together) for providing a walkway on a roof of a facility (¶0003-0004, can be used as a walkway on a roof of a facility), the walkway module comprising:
a raised walkway (the walkway is raised);
one or more handrails (handrails 108) extending along at least a portion of the walkway (seen in fig. 28B); and
a services bay located below the walkway (space under the walkway) and arranged to support services comprising one or more conveying components, the conveying components arranged to convey at least one of a fluid, power and an electrical signal (the space could be used to comprise one or more conveying components, which could be a power line, electric line, or a fluid line; Examiner notes that the limitation does not positively recite for one or more conveying components), wherein the walkway module (platform 102) is connectable to a further walkway module to provide a walkway network on a roof of a facility (platforms 102 connected to further away platforms 102 to provide a walkway network, which could be placed on a roof of a facility).
Regarding claim 2, Honeycutt teaches of claim 1, and wherein the walkway module is a straight walkway (fig. 28B, can arrange the platforms 102 as a straight walkway) and comprises a first handrail (one of handrails 108) extending along a first side of the walkway (seen in fig. 28B) and a second handrail extending along a second side of the walkway opposite the first side (another handrail 108 on the opposite side of the first handrail 108).
Regarding claim 3, Honeycutt teaches of claim 1, and wherein (fig. 3) the walkway module is a corner walkway (corner platform 102) and comprises a first handrail (handrail 108) extending along a first side of the walkway (handrail 108 extending from a first side of the walkway) and a second handrail extending along a second side of the walkway adjacent to the first side (seen in the corner platform 102, a second handrail extends on a second side adjacent a first side of the corner platform 102).
Regarding claim 4, Honeycutt teaches of claim 1, and wherein (fig. 28B) the walkway module is a T-piece walkway and comprises a single handrail extending along a first side of the walkway (¶0057, those skilled in the art can arrange the components in any desired configuration. One configuration could be a platform 102 with a single handrail 108 extending along a first side of the walkway such as the middle platform 102 has one side with a single handrail 108 and the opposite side a ladder).
Regarding claim 5, Honeycutt teaches of claim 1, and wherein (fig. 3) the services bay (space under the walkway) comprises a frame (stands 210, supports 306) and wherein the walkway is supported by or integral with the frame (stands 210 and supports 306 support the walkway).
Regarding claim 8, Honeycutt teaches of claim 1, and wherein (fig. 3) the walkway module (102) comprises a plurality of support legs (legs of stand 210).
Regarding claim 9, Honeycutt teaches of claim 8, and wherein the support legs are arranged to be secured to a roof of the facility (figs. 3 and 21, ¶0050, 0085 and 0111, legs of stand 210 can be arranged to be secured to a roof of the facility such as using an anchor or bolt affixed to the ground via apertures 2114 defined in the bottom surface of the stand; Examiner notes that the stands can be structured as stands 1700 and 1900 in figs. 17 and 19).
Regarding claim 10, Honeycutt teaches of claim 8, and (fig. 21) wherein the support legs (legs of the stands 210) are arranged to be secured to a support pedestal (bottom feet of the support legs) that is secured to a roof of the facility (figs. 3 and 21, ¶0050, 0085 and 0111, legs of stand 210 can be arranged to be secured to a roof of the facility such as using an anchor or bolt affixed to the ground via apertures 2114 defined in the bottom surface of the stand; Examiner notes that the stands can be structured as stands 1700 and 1900 in figs. 17 and 19).
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 6-7, 11, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Honeycutt in view of Kinney et al. (US 5944094), hereinafter Kinney.
Regarding claim 6, Honeycutt teaches of claim 5, but does not appear to teach of wherein the services bay comprises one or more sub-bays, each sub-bay arranged to support one or more conveying components.
Kinney teaches of wherein (fig. 23) the services bay comprises one or more sub-bays (two levels of floors under the top walkway where stack 228 is located), each sub-bay arranged to support one or more conveying components (figs. 21-23, supports fluid signaling of wet fill units 234 and evaporative fill units 146).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Honeycutt to incorporate the teachings of Kinney of wherein the services bay comprises one or more sub-bays, each sub-bay arranged to support one or more conveying components in order to place the walkway above structures already located on the roof such as HVAC, heat exchangers, and vents, and allow components of those structures to be supported in the sub-bays and be seemingly integrated with other integral units on the roof.
Regarding claim 7, Honeycutt teaches of claim 6, but does not appear to teach of wherein services bay comprises a first sub-bay and a second sub-bay located above the first sub-bay.
Kinney teaches of services bay comprises a first sub-bay and a second sub-bay located above the first sub-bay (fig. 23, the two floors under stack 228 are first sub-bay and second sub-bay wherein the second sub-bay is located above the first sub-bay).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Honeycutt to incorporate the teachings of Kinney of services bay comprises a first sub-bay and a second sub-bay located above the first sub-bay in order to provide multiple levels for supporting more components and different components.
Regarding claim 11, Honeycutt teaches of claim 1, but does not appear to teach of further comprising one or more conveying components located within and supported by the services bay.
Kinney teaches of (figs. 21-23) further comprising one or more conveying components located within and supported by the services bay (in the floors below stack 228 houses fluid signaling of counter-flow evaporative wet fill units 234, evaporative fill units 146, and other components for the water-cooling tower).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Honeycutt to incorporate the teachings of Kinney of one or more conveying components located within and supported by the services bay in order to support components of the structures and units located on the roof or wherever the walkway is located.
Regarding claim 13, Honeycutt teaches of claim 1, but does not appear to teach of wherein the plurality of conveying components comprise at least one of electrical cable, electrical busbar, and fluid piping.
Kinney teaches of wherein the plurality of conveying components comprise at least one of electrical cable, electrical busbar, and fluid piping (figs. 21-23, in the floors below stack 228 houses fluid piping of counter-flow evaporative wet fill units 234, evaporative fill units 146, and other components for the water-cooling tower).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Honeycutt to incorporate the teachings of Kinney of wherein the plurality of conveying components comprise at least one of electrical cable, electrical busbar, and fluid piping in order to support conveying components already located on the roof or wherever the walkway is located.
Claims 12 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Honeycutt in view of Conklin (US 9598867), hereinafter Conklin.
Regarding claim 12, Honeycutt teaches of claim 1, but does not appear to teach of further comprising one or more walkway lights positioned to illuminate the walkway.
Conklin teaches of (fig. 1) further comprising one or more walkway lights (skylight 16) positioned to illuminate the walkway (col. 3 lines 34-59, skylight 16 illuminates the walkway 15 on the roofing structure 100).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Honeycutt to incorporate the teachings of Conklin of further comprising one or more walkway lights positioned to illuminate the walkway in order to illuminate the walkway for users to safely walk at night.
Regarding claim 18, Honeycutt teaches of a method of installing a walkway network on a facility (¶0003, can be installed on a facility such as to provide access to a valve, maintenance hatch, or other object), the method comprising:
supplying a first walkway module and at least one further walkway module according to claim 1 (as rejected in claim 1 above); and
securing the first walkway module to the at least one further walkway module to provide a walkway network on the roof of the facility (platforms 102 are connected to further away platforms 102 to provide a walkway network, which could be placed on a roof of a facility).
Honeycutt does not appear to teach of installing a walkway network on a roof of a facility.
Conklin teaches of installing a walkway network on a roof of a facility (abstract, walkway installed on a roofing structure).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Honeycutt to incorporate the teachings of Conklin of installing a walkway network on a roof of a facility in order to provide a raised walkway on a roof and give workers easy access to structures on the roof.
Conclusion
The cited references made of record in the contemporaneously filed PTO-892 form and not relied upon in the instant office action are considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure, and may have one or more of the elements in Applicant’s disclosure and at least claim 1.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZOE TRAN whose telephone number is (571)272-8530. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 7:30am-6pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kimberly Berona can be reached at 571-272-6909. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ZOE TAM TRAN/ Examiner, Art Unit 3647
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