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. 18/886558, filed on 09/16/2024. Claims 1-15 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by US Patent No. 8,453,800 to Tolonen (henceforth referred to as Tolonen).
Regarding claims 1-14, Tolonen discloses an elevator system (i.e. Fig. 2) to be positioned in a hoistway (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 5), the elevator system comprising:
an elevator car (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 1);
at least one guide rail (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 3) for guiding the elevator car when moving up and down in the hoistway, and
a security device that is designed and arranged in such way that a safety volume above or below the elevator car inside the hoistway can be set at an at least one secured state for safe maintenance operation of a mechanic inside the safety volume (i.e. Column 1, lines 29-32: “There are also arrangements for providing a safe space for a serviceman above an elevator car…”),
wherein the security device comprises at least one first block device (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 9) attached to the at least one guide rail or configured for being mounted to a wall of the hoistway and at least one second blocking device (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 7, 15) configured to be mounted on or in the elevator car to interact with the first block device to prevent upward movement of the elevator car when the safety volume is arranged above the elevator car or downward movement of the elevator car when the safety volume is arranged below the elevator car.
Wherein the first blocking device is wedged shaped, stick shaped or plate shaped (i.e. Fig. 9 is plat shaped).
wherein the first blocking device is configured as a fixed stop in a certain position along the at least one guide rail (i.e. Column 1, line 63: “with two stop blocks immovably fixed to the car guide rails”).
Wherein two guide rails are provided and that on each guide rail one first blocking device is attached (i.e. Fig. 1, shows two ref. 3 and two corresponding ref. 9).
Wherein the second blocking device is wedge shaped, stick shaped, or plate shaped (i.e. Fig. 15, 7 are plate shaped).
Wherein the second blocking device comprises a holding rod (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 7) for being anchored to the elevator car in the secured state.
Wherein the second blocking device comprises a support area (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 15) that is wider than the holding rod and is arranged outside the elevator car for direct contact with the first blocking device in the secured state.
Wherein the at least one second blocking device is sliding guided in the elevator car (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 15 slides along ref. 3 together with the elevator car, ref. 1).
Wherein the at least one second blocking device is accommodated in or under a floor plate of the elevator car (i.e. Column 8, 61-63: “An advantage provided by these solutions would be that identical safety devices could be used both above and below in the elevator shaft”).
Wherein two second block devices are provided and designed as identical parts (i.e. Fig. 1, shows two ref. 15, 7).
Wherein the two second blocking devices when seen along their longitudinal direction are fixed at the same longitudinal position on the elevator car (i.e. Fig. 1 shows ref. 15, 7 are fixed to ref. 1).
Wherein in the at least one first blocking devices and the at least one second blocking device are matched together such as to create a fixed stop (i.e. Column 1, lines 26-28: “a mechanical stop block”) and/or a form fit at least in the upward direction of the elevator car when the safety volume is arranged above the elevator car or in the downward direction of the elevator car when the safety volume is arranged below the elevator car.
Wherein two second blocking devices are provided and configured to stick out of the elevator car in opposite directions of the elevator car (i.e. Fig. 1, shows two ref. 17, 15 external and at opposite regions of one side of the car).
Wherein a side wall (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 16) of the elevator car has an opening (i.e. Fig. 1, opening in ref. 16 that ref. 10 is extending through) through which the second blocking device can be inserted from an inside (i.e. Fig. 1, space between the two ref. 16 considered inside”) of an outside of the elevator car (i.e. Fig. 1, space on outer side of the two ref. 16).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 15 is 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.
US Patent Application Publication No. 2026/0125240 to Li et al teaches an elevator system with a security device to provide a safety volume in a hoistway;
CN 222781207 to Gu et al teaches an elevator system with a security device to provide a safety volume in a hoistway;
US Patent No. 10,800,636 to Mikkonen et al teaches an elevator system with a security device to provide a safety volume in a hoistway;
WO 2019/146058 to Takagi teaches an elevator system with a security device to provide a safety volume in a hoistway;
CN 203682804 to Liu et al teaches an elevator system with a security device to provide a safety volume in a hoistway;
US Patent No. 7,258,202 to Rossignol teaches an elevator system with a security device to provide a safety volume in a hoistway;
US Patent No. 5,411,117 to Hayrinen teaches an elevator system with a security device to provide a safety volume in a hoistway
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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