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 .
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) 1-4, 6-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Sinclair (USP 3782503).
Regarding claim 1, Sinclair discloses a lifting mechanism, comprising:
a fixed structure (11, including members extending to 66, 68);
a first lifting structure (see annotated fig.2), connected to the fixed structure movably in an up-and-down direction so as to be able to extend upward out of the fixed structure;
a second lifting structure (16, 18), configured to be capable of moving up and down relative to the first lifting structure;
a driving structure (22), configured to drive the first lifting structure to move up and down relative to the fixed structure; and
a synchronization assembly (40 and connection members 66, 68, etc), comprising a first synchronization wheel (54) and a synchronization member (44), wherein the first synchronization wheel is rotatably disposed at an upper end of the first lifting structure (seen in fig.5), the synchronization member is wound around the first synchronization wheel (seen in fig.5), the synchronization member has a first connecting portion (66, 68 and portions connecting to 24, 26) and a second connecting portion (portion connected at 62, 64) which are located on two sides of the first synchronization wheel respectively (seen in fig.5), the first connecting portion is fixed to the fixed structure (seen in fig.4), and the second connecting portion is fixed to the second lifting structure (seen in fig.4), so that the synchronization member is able to cause the second lifting structure to move up and down relative to the first lifting structure when the first lifting structure moves up and down relative to the fixed structure (this movement function is seen between figure 3 and figure 4).
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Regarding claim 2, Sinclair discloses the lifting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the synchronization assembly further comprises a second synchronization wheel (fig.5, 56), the second synchronization wheel is rotatably disposed at a lower end of the first lifting structure (seen in fig.5), the synchronization member is formed in a ring shape (ring is interpreted consistent with Applicant’s figures to be a closed loop, this is seen in fig.5) and wound around the second synchronization wheel, the driving structure is fixed to the first lifting structure (seen in fig.5, 22 is fixed to driving structure 52 via 58), and the driving structure is connected to the first synchronization wheel or the second synchronization wheel and configured to drive the first synchronization wheel or the second synchronization wheel to rotate (the driving structure is indirectly connected to the wheels and causes them to rotate because when the driving structure 22 extends, the wheels will rotate; note the claim does not require a direct connection nor does it specify the structural connection itself as is done in claim 5).
Regarding claim 3, Sinclair discloses the lifting mechanism according to claim 2, wherein a distance between the first connecting portion and the first synchronization wheel is the same as a distance between the second connecting portion and the second synchronization wheel (this is readily apparent from figures 3 and 4).
Regarding claim 4, Sinclair discloses the lifting mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the first lifting structure has a maximum extended position and a maximum retracted position, at the maximum extended position, the first connecting portion is close to the second synchronization wheel and the second connecting portion is close to the first synchronization wheel, and at the maximum retracted position, the first connecting portion is close to the first synchronization wheel and the second connecting portion is close to the second synchronization wheel (this is readily seen in figures 3 and 4).
Regarding claim 6, Sinclair discloses the lifting mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the synchronization member is a synchronization belt, the first synchronization wheel is a first synchronization pulley, and the second synchronization wheel is a second synchronization pulley; or, the synchronization member is a synchronization chain (described as a chain 44), the first synchronization wheel is a first synchronization sprocket, and the second synchronization wheel is a second synchronization sprocket (described as sprockets).
Regarding claim 7, Sinclair reads on the lifting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the fixed structure has a first chute portion (opening in 24) with an opening facing the first lifting structure, a side of the first lifting structure close to the fixed structure is formed with a first slide rail portion extending in the up-and-down direction (it telescopically enters 24 and thus reads on a rail portion), the first slide rail portion is in sliding fit with the first chute portion (seen in fig.2), and the first connecting portion is located in the first chute portion (the connecting portion includes the links connected to 24, 26 and thus read on being located in the chute portion of 24, 26) and fixed to the first chute portion (as evident in figures); the second lifting structure has a second chute portion (opening in 26) with an opening facing the first lifting structure, a side of the first lifting structure close to the second lifting structure is formed with a second slide rail portion extending in the up-and-down direction (evident in fig.2), the second slide rail portion is in sliding fit with the second chute portion (seen in fig.2), and the second connecting portion is located in the second chute portion and fixed to the second chute portion (as described for the first chute portion above, the same logic applies).
Regarding claim 8, Sinclair discloses the lifting mechanism according to claim 7, wherein the first connecting portion is adhered to the first chute portion, and the second connecting portion is adhered to the second chute portion (given the broadest reasonable interpretation of adhering to include some sort of grasping connection, the bolted connection seen in Sinclair would read on this. In addition, the concept of adhering via gluing is old and well known in mechanical arts).
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) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sinclair (USP 3782503) in view of Zanichelli (USP 9821990).
Regarding claim 5, Sinclair fails to disclose wherein the driving structure comprises a motor, and an output shaft of the motor is perpendicular to the up-and-down direction, and the output shaft of the motor is connected to the first synchronization wheel or the second synchronization wheel.
Zanichelli teaches within the same field of lifts, the concept of providing a driving structure comprises a motor (fig.2, M), and an output shaft (interpreted as the final output shaft connected to sprockets 100) of the motor is perpendicular to the up-and-down direction (seen in fig.2), and the output shaft of the motor is connected to the first synchronization wheel or the second (evident in figure 2).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the drive structure in Sinclair to make use of a motor and output shaft assembly connected to one of the sprockets as taught by Zanichelli, in order to provide the same predictable result of causing the lift to lower or rise depending on the actuation of said motor. In addition, the concept of utilizing different types of drives in the lift and mechanical arts in general is well known.
Claim(s) 11-14, 16-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yao et al. (CN 113031615 A) in view of Sinclair (USP 3782503).
Regarding claims 11-14, 16-18; Yao et al. discloses a robot, comprising an image acquisition device (6) and the image acquisition device being mounted on the second lifting structure (23) of the lifting mechanism (seen in figures).
Yao et al. fails to explicitly disclose the lifting mechanism as claimed in claim 1.
Sinclair teaches within a similar environment of article handling via lifts, a lifting mechanism in accordance to claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above utilizing Sinclair).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified lifting mechanism in Yao et al. to utilize a mechanism as taught by Sinclair in order to provide the same predictable result of lifting in this case the camera to multiple heights.
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yao et al. (CN 113031615 A) in view of Sinclair (USP 3782503) and Zanichelli (USP 9821990) as applied to claim 5 above.
Regarding claim 15, Yao et al. discloses a robot, comprising an image acquisition device (6) and the image acquisition device being mounted on the second lifting structure (23) of the lifting mechanism (seen in figures).
Yao et al. fails to explicitly disclose the lifting mechanism as claimed in claim 5.
Sinclair and Zanichelli teach within a similar environment of article handling via lifts, a lifting mechanism in accordance to claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above utilizing Sinclair).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified lifting mechanism in Yao et al. to utilize a mechanism as taught by Sinclair/Zanichelli in order to provide the same predictable result of lifting in this case the camera to multiple heights.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9, 10, 19, 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.
These claims only rise to the level of allowability when considered in combination with all the limitations of base and intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Prior art contains similar lift mechanisms and/or relevant teachings for cameras.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS C DIAZ whose telephone number is (571)270-5461. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-6pm.
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/THOMAS C DIAZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3617
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