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 Office Action on the merits of Application No. 19/167067, filed on 09/19/2025. Claims 16-30 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) 16-19, 24-29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)as being anticipated by WO 2024/252058 to Korhonen et al (henceforth referred to as Korhonen).
Regarding claims 16-19, 24-29, Korhonen discloses a brake system for braking a traveling body of an elevator (i.e. Title), the brake system comprising:
a brake (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 4) on the traveling body (i.e. Fig. 1 ref. 3), the brake having a first brake pad (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 5), a spring (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 6), and a hydraulic element (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 8), wherein the spring provides a clamping force of the brake (i.e. Page 9, line 13: “biasing spring 6 that is configured to bias the brake element 5 towards the braking position”), the clamping force being transmitted to the first brake pad to clamp the brake on a brake rail (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 2) of the elevator in an actuated position, and the hydraulic element provides a release force to release the brake to an unactuated position (i.e. Page 9, lines 22-24: “brake release means 7 comprise at least one cylinder 9 and a piston 9… brake release means 7 are configured to move the brake element 5 to the release position”);
an emergency cylinder (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 12) hydraulically connected to the hydraulic element by a hydraulic line (i.e. Fig. 3), the emergency cylinder being actuated using muscle power to release the brake to the unactuated position (i.e. Page 12, lines 15-18: “rescue release pump 18 can be manually operable… allowing pressurizing of the cylinders 8 of the brake release means 7 in case of… a fault of the pressurizing means 11”); and
a separating valve (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 16, 17) that, when closed, separates a hydraulic region (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 11) from further hydraulic components of the brake system (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 4), the hydraulic region including the emergency cylinder, the hydraulic line and the hydraulic element (i.e. Page 10, line 13-15: “in the closed state of the safety valve 16, 17 flow from the cylinder 8 through the safety valve 16, 17 into the fluid reservoir 22 is prevented”).
Wherein the emergency cylinder increases a pressure in the hydraulic element when the emergency cylinder is actuated to release the brake (i.e. Page 10, line 10-13: “an open state, and it is arranged between the cylinder 8 of the brake release means 7 and the fluid reservoir 22 is allowed”).
Wherein a first stroke volume of the emergency cylinder is greater than a volume of hydraulic fluid required by the hydraulic element to release the brake (i.e. Fig. 3, volume of ref. 11 is larger than volume of ref. 8).
Wherein the emergency cylinder is actuated with a manually operated actuator (i.e. Page 12, lines 15-18: “rescue release pump 18 can be manually operable… allowing pressurizing of the cylinders 8 of the brake release means 7 in case of… a fault of the pressurizing means 11”).
A traveling body of an elevator (i.e. Fig. 1), the traveling body comprising:
the brake system (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 4) according to claim 16 arranged to brake the traveling body; and
the emergency cylinder (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 11) of the brake system being arranged on the traveling body (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 3).
Wherien the traveling body is an elevator car (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 3).
An elevator comprising: a machine room (i.e. Page 8, line 9: “a machine room located above the elevator shaft”);
a traveling body (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 3); and
the brake system according to claim 16 wherein the emergency cylinder is actuated with a manually operated actuator (i.e. page 12, lines 15-18: “rescue release pump 18 can be manually operable… allowing pressurizing of the cylinders 8 of the brake release means 7 in case of… a fault of the pressurizing means 11”), the actuator being mounted in the machine room or on the traveling body.
A method for operating a brake system, the method comprising steps of:
providing the brake system according to claim 16;
separating a closed hydraulic region by closing a separating valve (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 16, 17), wherein the closed hydraulic region includes the emergency cylinder (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 11), the hydraulic element and the hydraulic line connected to the separating valve;
releasing the brake by actuating the emergency cylinder using muscle power (i.e. page 12, lines 15-18: “rescue release pump 18 can be manually operable… allowing pressurizing of the cylinders 8 of the brake release means 7 in case of… a fault of the pressurizing means 11”); and braking a traveling body (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 3) with the brake by stopping the actuation of the emergency cylinder.
Including a step of attaching an actuator (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 14) to the emergency cylinder.
Including a step of displacing an adjustable stop (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 31) to set a position of the actuator at which the brake is released.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 20-23, 30 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
DE 202014103702 to Misselhorn teaches a brake system with a separating valve;
WO 2025/073503 to Lo Jacono et al teaches a brake system with a hydraulic line;
WO 2015/150406 to Kuczera et al teaches a brake system with a hydraulic line;
US patent No. 10,450,165 to Kuczera et al teaches a brake system with hydraulic line;
US patent No. 9,738,491 to Dudde et al teaches a brake system with hydraulic line.
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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