Appeal No. 1997-2162
Application 08/280,430
associated with a mobile lift. Appellants also state that 2
Schauder’s switch is permanently attached to the elevator
shaft and signals the elevator car to start breaking rather
than stop.
The Examiner on page 5 of the answer responds to
Appellants’ arguments by stating that the “stage” is the
surrounding structure for a mobile lift. The Examiner further
argues that Appellants’ claims do not include the limitation
of the sensor being permanently attached to the surrounding
structure. The Examiner refers to Schauder’s disclosure in
col. 4, lines 16 through 36 to point out that the sensed
signal is used for detecting the position of the elevator car
in relation to the selected floor so that breaking may start
for a smooth stop. The Examiner on page 6 of the answer
further states that the limitation of a horizontal distance of
the switch on the stage landing from the button on the car is
not present in the claim.
The Federal Circuit states that "[t]he mere fact that the
prior art may be modified in the manner suggested by the
2Since claims 3 and 18 contain the same limitations
related to the stage height sensor, we consider Appellants’
arguments with regard to claim 3.
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