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 § 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) 1-2 are is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Haiqi et al (CN111056511) in view of CN(112110367)
Haiqi et al discloses a method of providing lift to a structure by using the load
dispersion-type indoor lifting apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a moving cart(per wheels 4); a support frame(1, 3) configured to be mounted on the moving cart;
a lifting frame(2) configured to be mounted on the support frame; and a plurality of stacker systems(8) configured to lift the lifting frame in an upward direction while pushing the support frame down, wherein the support frame and the lifting frame are configured to partially overlap each other when coupled(figure 1, see parts 2 and 3), such that the total thickness of the assembly of the support frame and the lifting frame is less than the sum of an actual thickness of the support frame and an actual thickness of the lifting frame, the method comprising: obtaining an assembly by mounting the lifting frame onto the support frame(S10); by operating the moving cart, bringing the moving cart under a lower part of the assembly, and then attaching the lower part of the assembly and an upper part of the moving cart to each other (S20)(see figure 1 for the full assembly), and arranging the plurality of stacker systems in a row on one side and the other side of the assembly (figure 4 shows the rows).
Haiqi does not show a method of installing a prefabricated steel structure by using the load dispersion-type indoor lifting apparatus, the step of moving the assembly under a lower part of a prefabricated steel structure, and then attaching the lower part of the prefabricated steel structure and an upper part of the assembly to each other (S30).
CN(…67) figures 1-5, shows a method of installing a prefabricated steel structure by using the load dispersion-type indoor lifting apparatus, the step of moving the assembly(3) under a lower part of a prefabricated steel structure, and then attaching the lower part of the prefabricated steel structure and an upper part of the assembly to each other.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Haiqi et al’s method steps to show a method of installing a prefabricated steel structure by using the load dispersion-type indoor lifting apparatus, the step of moving the assembly(3) under a lower part of a prefabricated steel structure, and then attaching the lower part of the prefabricated steel structure and an upper part of the assembly to each other as taught by CN with a reasonable expectation of success since it would enable the Haiqi’s lifting apparatus to provide for quick temporary lifting force for a building structure during assembly of the building structure.
Per claim 2, Haiqi as modified shows all the claimed method steps except for the step of after S40, connecting a communication line and a power cable, which are
embedded in the support frame and the lifting frame, to all of the plurality of stacker
systems.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Haiqi et al’s modified method steps to show the step of after S40, connecting a communication line and a power cable, which are embedded in the support frame and the lifting frame, to all of the plurality of stacker
systems with a reasonable expectation of success since it would enable the easy activation of the lifting jacks when needed.
Claim(s) 3-4 are is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Haiqi et al (CN111056511) in view of CN(112110367) as applied to claim 2 above and further in view of Herrell et al (3452837).
Haiqi et al as modified shows all the claimed method steps except for after S50, automatically leveling the stacker systems with respect to a level or unlevel bottom portion by adjusting a height of at least one outrigger selected from among a pair of front outriggers, a pair of side outriggers, and a pair of rear outriggers, of the stacker systems (S60).
Herrell et al discloses the use of outrigger(57) to stabilize and level the frame when needed.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Haiqi et al’s modified method steps to show after S50, automatically leveling the stacker systems with respect to a level or unlevel bottom portion by adjusting a height of at least one outrigger selected from among a pair of front outriggers, a pair of side outriggers, and a pair of rear outriggers, of the stacker systems (S60) with a reasonable expectation of success since utilizing outrigger when needed would stabilized and level the frame as taught by Herrell et al.
Per claim 4, Haiqi et al as modified further shows in S60, the side outriggers are extended to support the bottom portion, or the rear outriggers are extended to support an additional support beam pre-installed on the bottom portion.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-11 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.
Prior art does not provide sufficient motivation to modify Haiqi et al’s method steps to show after S60, operating each stacker system to push down outrigger supports of the support frame by the front outriggers, and by pushing up expandable fork supports of the lifting frame by a fork in combination with other claimed method steps.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The prior art shows different lifting apparatus.
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/PHI D A/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3633
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