DETAILED ACTION
In response to the Election made December 19, 2025
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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 6/4/2020; 11/1/2022 and 9/25/2023 were filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The subject matter of this application admits of illustration by a drawing to facilitate understanding of the invention. Applicant is required to furnish a drawing under 37 CFR 1.81(c). No new matter may be introduced in the required drawing. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d).
Abstract
The Abstract filed June 4, 2020 is accepted.
Specification
The amendment to the specification filed June 4, 2020 has been entered.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Group I in the reply filed on December 19, 2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the subject matter of claims 1 – 8 are sufficiently related that a thorough search for the subject matter of any one group would necessarily encompass a search for the subject matter of the remaining group. Thus, it is respectfully submitted that the search and examination of the entire application could be performed without serious burden. This is not found persuasive because each assembly presented in claims 6 – 8 have clear structural and associated functional differences, i.e. technical features, such as the particular structures of the boring device, the micrometer, and boring bar, and their juxtaposition with respect to the assembly which are different from the claimed features in claim 1. Applicant has not stated how the particular technical features of the boring device, the micrometer, and boring bar are obvious variants of the assembly in claim 1.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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.
Claims 1 - 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Blum (US 7,645,099).
With respect to claim 1, Blum discloses an assembly comprising a fixed mount (1), a mobile part having at least one approximately circular face (See Figure 1) mounted on the fixed mount (1) so that the part is mounted so as to be mobile in rotation around an axis approximately centered on the circular face (See Column 2, lines 60 - 62); a device (i.e. cutting tool) arranged for the positional adjustment of the mobile part (3) in relation to the mount (1), the device including at least one first scale (7a) located in an area linked to the fixed mount (1) and positioned on at least one portion of the periphery of the mobile part (See Figure 1), the first scale (7a) being a measuring scale, and at least one second scale (7b) positioned on the circular face of the mobile part, the second scale (7b) being a Vernier scale (Column 3, lines 13 - 15), wherein the area associated with the mount bearing the first scale (7a) constitutes a second part mounted so as to be mobile in rotation in relation to the mount, around a swivel pin shared with a swivel pin of the mobile part.
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568
418
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Referring to claim 2, Blum sets forth the assembly wherein the at least one first scale (7a) includes at least one mark corresponding to a reference value that is adjustable vis-a-vis a mark on the at least one second scale (7b) of the mobile part in an immobile position.
In regards to claim 3, Blum teaches the assembly wherein the area bearing the at least one first scale (7a) takes the form of a circular ring (Figure 1) centered on a swivel pin (5) of the mobile part (3) bearing the at least one second scale (7b).
Claims 1 - 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Simpson (US 5,159,863).
With respect to claim 1, Simpson discloses an assembly comprising a fixed mount (32), a mobile part (48) having at least one approximately circular face (See Figure 1) mounted on the fixed mount (32) so that the part is mounted so as to be mobile in rotation around an axis approximately centered on the circular face (See Column 3, lines 16 - 18); a device (i.e. cutting tool) arranged for the positional adjustment of the mobile part (48) in relation to the mount (32), the device including at least one first scale (80) located in an area linked to the fixed mount (32) and positioned on at least one portion of the periphery of the mobile part (See Figure 4a), the first scale (80) being a measuring scale, and at least one second scale (82) positioned on the circular face of the mobile part, the second scale (82) being a Vernier scale (Column 5, lines 54 - 55), wherein the area associated with the mount bearing the first scale (80) constitutes a second part mounted so as to be mobile in rotation in relation to the mount, around a swivel pin shared with a swivel pin of the mobile part.
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228
338
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Referring to claim 2, Simpson sets forth the assembly wherein the at least one first scale (80) includes at least one mark corresponding to a reference value that is adjustable vis-a-vis a mark on the at least one second scale (82) of the mobile part in an immobile position.
In regards to claim 3, Simpson teaches the assembly wherein the area bearing the at least one first scale (80) takes the form of a circular ring (Figure 4a) centered on a swivel pin (Figure 3) of the mobile part (48) bearing the at least one second scale (7b).
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296
446
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178
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Regarding claim 4, Simpson shows an assembly wherein at least the mobile part (48) mounted so as to be mobile in rotation in relation to the mount (32) is combined with a braking mechanism (68) for the rotation of the mobile part (48).
With regards to claim 5, Simpson the assembly wherein at least the mobile part (48) mounted so as to be mobile in rotation in relation to the mount (32) is combined with an incrementation mechanism (Column 4, lines 64 – 68).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The following references are considered relevant but fail to teach the combination as claimed:
Frank et al. (US 7,645,099)
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YARITZA GUADALUPE-MCCALL whose telephone number is (571)272-2244. The examiner can normally be reached Mon -Thu, 8:00am - 6:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Laura E Martin can be reached at 571-272-2160. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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YARITZA GUADALUPE-MCCALL
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2855
March 4, 2026
/YARITZA GUADALUPE-MCCALL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855