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 .
This is the first action on the merits of application 18/912,062. Claims 1-20 are currently pending.
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 1 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 3817346 A (Wehmeyer) in view of DE 102012006745A1 (Schmezer).
Regarding claim 1, Wehmeyer teaches:
A scissor lift comprising:
a fixed plate (54);
a lifting plate (21) above the fixed plate;
a pair of scissor arms (30) between the fixed plate and the lifting plate and having an X shape, the pair of scissor arms comprising a first scissor arm (one set of members 31, 32, 33, 34) and a second scissor arm (the second set of members 31, 32, 33, 34), each of the first scissor arm and the second scissor arm comprising a fixed end (37) fixed to the fixed plate and a moving end (75) configured to move linearly with respect to the fixed plate;
a motor (102) configured to move the moving end of the first scissor arm and the moving end of the second scissor arm; and
a load reduction device (93) configured to reduce a load applied to the motor in a case where the lifting plate descends.
Wehmeyer teaches a single elastic body rather than a plurality of elastic bodies connected in series.
However, Schmezer teaches:
A scissor lift, with a device with a plurality of elastic bodies (17),
wherein the load reduction device comprises a plurality of elastic bodies (20, 21) on the moving end of the first scissor arm (9) and connected in series (figure 7).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a stepped load reduction device with elastic bodies connected in series as taught by Schmezer with the scissor lift of Wehmeyer with a reasonable expectation of success to provide increasing resistance against the moving end when the moving platform is under load and actively lowering. The springs in series serve to both reduce the load on the motor during controlled lowering as well as to protect people and goods on the moving platform in the case of a failure of the motor.
Regarding claim 16, Wehmeyer teaches:
A lift comprising:
a fixed plate (54);
a lifting plate (21) above the fixed plate;
a scissor arm (30) between the fixed plate and the lifting plate and having an X shape, the scissor arm comprising a fixed end (37) fixed to the fixed plate and a moving end (75) configured to move linearly with respect to the fixed plate;
a motor (102) configured to move the moving end of the scissor arm; and
a load reduction device (93) configured to reduce a load applied to the motor in a case where the lifting plate descends.
Wehmeyer teaches a single elastic body rather than a plurality of elastic bodies connected in series.
However, Schmezer teaches:
A scissor lift, with a device with a plurality of elastic bodies (17),
wherein the load reduction device comprises a plurality of elastic bodies (20, 21) on the moving end of the scissor arm (9) and connected in series (figure 7).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a stepped load reduction device with elastic bodies connected in series as taught by Schmezer with the scissor lift of Wehmeyer with a reasonable expectation of success to provide increasing resistance against the moving end when the moving platform is under load and actively lowering. The springs in series serve to both reduce the load on the motor during controlled lowering as well as to protect people and goods on the moving platform in the case of a failure of the motor.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 3817346 A (Wehmeyer) in view of DE 102012006745A1 (Schmezer) and further in view of US 20230173694 A1 (Sohmshetty et al.).
Regarding claim 13, Wehmeyer teaches:
A mobile lift comprising:
a main body (10) configured to travel; and
a scissor lift on an upper surface of the main body, wherein the scissor lift comprises:
a fixed plate (54);
a lifting plate (21) above the fixed plate;
a pair of scissor arms (30) between the fixed plate and the lifting plate and having an X shape, the pair of scissor arms comprising a first scissor arm (one side of arms 31, 32, 33, 34) and a second scissor arm (the other side of arms 31, 32, 33, 34), each of the first scissor arm and the second scissor arm comprising a fixed end (37) fixed to the fixed plate and a moving end (75) configured to move linearly with respect to the fixed plate;
a motor (102) configured to move the moving end of the first scissor arm and the moving end of the second scissor arm; and
a load reduction device (93) configured to reduce a load applied to the motor in a case where the lifting plate descends.
Wehmeyer teaches a single elastic body rather than a plurality of elastic bodies connected in series.
However, Schmezer teaches:
A scissor lift, with a device with a plurality of elastic bodies (17),
wherein the load reduction device comprises a first elastic bodies (20) and a second elastic body (21) that are on the moving end of the first scissor arm (9) and connected in series (figure 7).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a stepped load reduction device with elastic bodies connected in series as taught by Schmezer with the scissor lift of Wehmeyer with a reasonable expectation of success to provide increasing resistance against the moving end when the moving platform is under load and actively lowering. The springs in series serve to both reduce the load on the motor during controlled lowering as well as to protect people and goods on the moving platform in the case of a failure of the motor.
Wehmeyer and Schmezer do not teach the mobile lift being a robot that can travel autonomously.
However, Sohmshetty et al. teach:
A mobile robot with a scissor lift that is configured to travel autonomously (title and figures 1-5F).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to mount the lift of Wehmeyer and Schmezer to an autonomously traveling robot with a reasonable expectation of success to reduce the amount of work done by human workers and streamline the lifting operations done in different locations.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-12, 14-15, and 17-20 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.
Regarding claims 2 and 17 Schmezer teaches a device with a plurality of elastic bodies with engaging plates and stopping plates and a string winder (10, 11). Schmezer does not teach the string connected to an engaging plate furthest from the moving bracket. The tension member configuration of Schmezer would not operate as designed in the configuration claimed in each of claims 2 and 17. US 4712653 A also teaches a scissor lift with a string winder; however, the string winder is not connected to a load reduction device with a plurality of elastic bodies. Thus, the prior art of record fails to disclose or render obvious all of the limitations in dependent claims 2 and 17. Claims 3-12 depend from claim 2 and claims 18-20 depend from claim 17.
Regarding claim 14, the configuration of the elastic bodies and corresponding plates (23, 24, and plates at ends of springs 20, 21) does not meet the limitations requiring a first stopping plate configured to stop the first engaging plate and a second stopping plate spaced apart from the first stopping plate and configured to not stop the first engaging plate and to stop the second engaging plate when considered with all of the limitations of claim 14. The remaining prior art of record fails to disclose or render obvious all of the limitations in dependent claim 14. Claim 15 depends from claim 14.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US-20240327185-A1 and US-20220289540-A1 are cited to show other scissor lifts on mobile robots. US-1947647-A, US-4764075-A, US-5054578-A, US-5722513-A, US-20030006099-A1, US-10306977-B2, US-10856651-B2, EP-1512655-A1, WO-2005068346-A1, and CN-109969983-A are cited to show scissor lifts with spring mechanisms as well as lifts with screw drives.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHELLE M MUDWILDER whose telephone number is (571)272-6068. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 11:00 am - 7:30 pm.
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/M.M.M./Examiner, Art Unit 3654
/ANNA M MOMPER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3619