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 Final Office Action on the merits of Application No. 18/939392, filed on 11/06/2024. Claims 1-4, 7-19, 21-23 are still pending in the application.
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) 1-2, 11-13, 18-19, 21-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Patent No. 7,614,481 to Okamoto et al (henceforth referred to as Okamoto).
Regarding claims 1-2, 11-13, 18-19, 21-22, Okamoto discloses a safety gear arrangement for an elevator (i.e. Fig. 1), the safety gear arrangement comprising:
a gripping mechanism (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 19) having a gripping position (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 19) and an inactive position (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 19) wherein the gripping mechanism is configured in the gripping position for gripping a rail (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 2) for providing braking;
an electric actuator (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 20, 24);
a coupling mechanism (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 23) between the electric actuator and the gripping mechanism, wherein the coupling mechanism is adapted to arrange the gripping mechanism into the gripping position by the operation of the electric actuator; and
an overspeed governor (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 6) comprising at least an electrical energy source (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 12) arranged to provide electrical power to the electric actuator at least in an overspeed situation of the elevator,
wherein the gripping mechanism is arranged to the gripping position in response to determining, based on the operation of the overspeed governor, that there is the overspeed situation (i.e. Column 3, lines 40-42: “governor 6 is adapted to actuate a braking device.. when… car 3 has reached a preset first overspeed”),
wherein the overspeed governor (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 6) is spaced from the electric actuator (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 20, 24 is at ref. 5).
Wherein the overspeed governor comprises a speed sensor (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 11 and column 3, lines 43-46: “governor 6 is provided with a switch portion 11 serving as… an actuation signal to output to the safety devices 5 when.. the car 3 reaches a second overspeed higher than the first overspeed”) for determining overspeed of an elevator car, and wherein the electrical energy source comprises a battery (i.e. Column 3, line 51: “a battery 12”).
Further comprising a position or proximity sensor for determining a position of a safety gear wedge of the arrangement (i.e. Fig. 10, ref. 65).
Further comprising at least two gripping mechanisms (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 19, 19), each of the at least two gripping mechanisms being configured to be operated based on determining the overspeed situation by the overspeed governor (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 11 and column 3, lines 43-46: “governor 6 is provided with a switch portion 11 serving as… an actuation signal to output to the safety devices 5 when.. the car 3 reaches a second overspeed higher than the first overspeed”).
Wherein the coupling mechanism (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 23) is adapted to arranged the gripping mechanism (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 19) into the gripping position by means of the force generated by the electric actuator (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 24) to the gripping mechanism via the coupling mechanism (i.e. Column 4, lines 34-38: “safety device 5 is actuated… electric current to the electromagnet 24 is cut off… the pair of wedges 19 are displaced upward due to the elastic restoring force of the spring 23 to be pressed against the car guide rail 2”).
Wherein the overspeed governor is connected to the electric actuator by an electric line (i.e. Fig. 1, ref 17).
Further comprising a switch (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 11) in the electric line between the overspeed governor and the electric actuator.
An elevator comprising:
an elevator car (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 3) movable in an elevator shaft;
at least one rail (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 2) extending along the elevator shaft;
and the safety gear arrangement of claim 1 coupled to the elevator car and arranged to provide braking in relation to the guide rail (i.e. Fig. 2).
A method of operation of a safety gear arrangement of an elevator, the method comprising the steps of:
determining an overspeed situation based on operation of an overspeed governor (i.e. Column 3, lines 40-42: “governor 6 is adapted to actuate a braking device.. when… car 3 has reached a preset first overspeed”; and
providing electrical power generated by or stored in the overspeed governor (i.e. via Fig. 1, ref. 12) to an electric actuator (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 20, 24) in response to the determining of the overspeed situation to move a gripping mechanism (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 19) of the arrangement to a gripping position (i.e. Fig. 3) for providing braking in relation to a rail (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 2), wherein the electric actuator is mechanically coupled to the gripping mechanism of the arrangement by a coupling mechanism (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 23) of the arrangement.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4, 7-10, 14-17, 23 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argume
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DIEM M TRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7825. The examiner can normally be reached M 9-5, W-F 10-2.
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/DIEM M TRAN/Examiner, Art Unit 3654
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