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 .
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s submission filed on October 29, 2025 has been entered. Claims 1, 12, 18 and 20 were amended. Claims 1, 5-9, 11-16, and 18-20 are pending. Applicant’s amendments to the claims have overcome each and every objection previously set forth in the Final Office Action mailed on August 29, 2025. Claims 1, 5-9, 11-16, and 18-20 are examined in this action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 7, 12, 13, and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable by CN 103887740 B by Jost in view of CN 105811328 A by Chen et al. (hereinafter “Chen”) and US 20170346265 A1 by Soerensen, as evidenced by Reimann & Georger Corporation (hereinafter referred to as R&G).
Regarding claim 1, Jost discloses a device (Jost, Fig. 7, device 1) comprising: a tool head mount (Jost, Fig. 7, shell 2) configured to couple to a cutting-tool head (see Examiner annotated Jost Figure 7, hereinafter “EAJF7”; cutting-tool head), wherein the cutting-tool head is formed with a hole (see Examiner annotated Jost Figure 2, hereinafter “EAJF2”; cable hole) to receive a first portion of an electrical cable (Jost, Fig. 2, cable 19), wherein the cutting-tool head comprises a plurality of rollers inside the cutting-tool head (See Jost English Machine Translated Document, hereinafter "JEMTD"; Description, para. 64, "other arrangements may be used for raising and lowering the brush head 13 and the cutting head 10… preferably provided with rollers or other means for reducing friction, to guide or move corresponding to the profile of the cam guide”) and at least one cutting tool (Jost, Fig. 4, cutting blades 18A & 18B) inside the cutting-tool head, wherein the cutting tool head is configured to cut at least one layer of the electrical cable (JEMTD, Description, para. 46, “As a result of the cutting edges 18A and 18B being supported on the stop surface of the support plate 34 in substantially linear contact, the cutting edges 18A and 18B follow the outer contour of the cable 19 in the best possible manner. Damage to the surface beneath the braided shield 21 can thus be avoided”), wherein the cutting-tool head comprises a knife blade (Jost, Fig. 4, cutting blades 18A & 18B) positioned inside the cutting-tool head and the cutting-tool head is configured to rotate around a circumference of the electrical cable to cause the knife blade to rotate relative to the circumference of the electrical cable (JEMTD, para. 52, "A rotary head 6, the direction of rotation of which is indicated by arrow 7"; Jost, Fig. 7, rotary head 6 & arrow 7; Jost, Fig. 4, cable 19”); a cable clamp (Jost, Fig. 3, bracket 4; Jost, Fig. 14, guide sleeve 16) configured to retain a second portion of the electrical cable (Jost, Fig. 1, cable 19); and a guide rail (Jost, Fig. 7, longitudinal guides 3) extending from the tool head mount (Jost, Fig. 7, shell 2) to the cable clamp (Jost, Fig. 7, bracket 4) parallel to a longitudinal axis of the electrical cable (Jost, Fig. 1, cable axis 23), wherein the guide rail guides an axial movement of the cutting-tool head along the electrical cable (JEMTD, Description, para. 52, “The device 1 is preferably arranged in a housing 2 having two horizontal longitudinal guides 3 for a carriage 4 , which can be displaced along the longitudinal guides 3 in the direction of arrows 5 by a drive”) as the cutting-tool head rotates around the circumference of the electrical cable to cut one or more layers of the electrical cable (JEMTD, Description, para. 47, “The axial advancement speed and the rotation speed of the rotary head 6 and thus the slope of the helical cutting path 38 of the cutting head 10 can be adapted to the circumstances in each case. Therefore, it is possible to ensure that the shield remains no more than to the extent that prevents reliable operation of the cutting edges 18A and 18B”); wherein the device is configured to control (JEMTD, Description, para. 65, "a contact ring 105 is provided on the component 104 to ensure data transmission with the control unit of the device 1… The rotating member 104 is then connected to power consumers using electrical wiring and to sensors and/or actors using control wiring (not shown)") the axial movement of the cutting-tool head relative to the electrical cable with a rotational speed of the cutting-tool head relative to the electrical cable (JEMTD, Description, para. 47, "The axial advancement speed and the rotation speed of the rotary head 6 and thus the slope of the helical cutting path 38 of the cutting head 10 can be adapted to the circumstances in each case"; JEMTD, para. 9, "The insulation is compressed into a corrugated form using a cutting device and a sleeve and then cut or punched as a result of the mutual axial movement of the cutting device and the sleeve"). Jost does not explicitly teach the plurality of rollers around the cable nor a winch.
Chen, however, does teach the plurality of rollers (Chen, Fig. 2, wire clamping part 301 & clamping roller 3011) are arranged around a circumference of the electrical cable (Chen, Fig. 1, clamping space 4) to support the electrical cable as the cutting tool head (Chen, Fig. 1, knife frame 1) cuts into the electrical cable, wherein the cutting-tool head (Chen, Fig. 1, knife frame 1) comprises a knife blade (Chen, Fig. 4, blade 2011) positioned inside the cutting-tool head on an opposite side of the electrical cable relative to one of the plurality of rollers (see Examiner annotated Chen Figure 1, hereinafter “EACF1”; opposite roller).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of invention to modify the cutting-tool head of Jost to have a plurality of rollers support the cable during cutting as taught by Chen for a more even cut and reducing friction force on the cable (see Chen English Machine Translated Document, hereinafter “CEMTD”; pg. 4, para. 6, “Preferably, the clamping part comprises at least two at least two clamping rollers… so that the clamping roller contact when mated with cable is wire clamping cable even surface contact so as to match a blade clamping cable is more stable… reducing the cable relative to the friction force when tool rotation”). Chen does not explicitly disclose a winch.
Soerensen, however, does teach a winch (Soerensen, para. 14, “the frame can be raised and lowered relative to the transition piece by an arrangement of push-pull winches”) configured to control an axial speed of the axial movement of the cutting-tool head in an axial direction along the guide rail (Soerensen, para. 14, “if the frame is mounted at the level of the transition piece, the vertical feed arrangement can be realized to move the transmission cable vertically upwards and/or downwards through the frame… the frame can be raised and lowered relative to the transition piece”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify Jost’s driving means to be a winch as taught by Soerensen in order to allow for an efficient vertical feed arrangement of the cable, which increases control over the cutting direction and increases precision of cutting depth (Soerensen, para. 7, “a vertical feed arrangement realized to effect a translation of the frame relative to the transmission cable”; para. 8, “it is possible to make controlled incisions into the outer armouring layer… Equally, the inventive cable armour stripping unit avoids insufficiently deep cuts and repetitions of the cutting step”).
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Regarding claim 7, Jost discloses an extension bracket configured to rigidly couple the winch to the cutting-tool head (EAJF7, extension bracket).
Regarding claim 12, Jost discloses an electrical-cable-preparation device (Jost, Fig. 7, device 1) configured to remove one or more layers of an electrical cable, the device comprising: a cutting-tool head (EAJF7, cutting-tool head), wherein the cutting-tool head is formed with a hole that (EAJF2, cable hole) is configured to receive a first portion of the electrical cable (Jost, Fig. 2, cable 19), wherein the cutting-tool head comprises a plurality of rollers inside the cutting-tool head (JEMTD, Description, para. 64, "other arrangements may be used for raising and lowering the brush head 13 and the cutting head 10, for example by levers 102 and 103 associated with said elements 13, 10 preferably provided with rollers or other means for reducing friction, to guide or move corresponding to the profile of the cam guide") and at least one cutting tool (Jost, Fig. 4, cutting blades 18A & 18B) inside the cutting-tool head configured to cut the one or more layers of the electrical cable (JEMTD, Description, para. 46, “As a result of the cutting edges 18A and 18B being supported on the stop surface of the support plate 34 in substantially linear contact, the cutting edges 18A and 18B follow the outer contour of the cable 19 in the best possible manner. Damage to the surface beneath the braided shield 21 can thus be avoided”), wherein the cutting-tool head comprises a knife blade (Jost, Fig. 4, cutting blades 18A & 18B) positioned inside the cutting-tool head and the cutting-tool head is configured to rotate around a circumference of the electrical cable to cause the knife blade to rotate relative to the circumference of the electrical cable (JEMTD, Description, para. 52, "A rotary head 6, the direction of rotation of which is indicated by arrow 7"; Jost, Fig. 7, rotary head 6 & arrow 7; Jost, Fig. 4, cable 19”; JEMTD, Description, para. 36, “The cutting edges 18A and 18B rotate in opposite directions and are driven by any suitable drive arrangement of the cutting head 10”); a cable clamp (Jost, Fig. 3, bracket 4) configured to retain a second portion of the electrical cable (Jost, Fig. 1, cable 19); a guide rail (Jost, Fig. 14, guide sleeve 16) extending from the cutting-tool head (EAJF7, cutting-tool head) to the cable clamp (Jost, Fig. 9, bracket 4) parallel to a longitudinal axis of the electrical cable, wherein the guide rail guides an axial movement of the cutting-tool head along the electrical cable as the cutting-tool head rotates around the circumference of the electrical cable to cut one or more layers of the electrical cable (JEMTD, Description, para. 52, “The device 1 is preferably arranged in a housing 2 having two horizontal longitudinal guides 3 for a carriage 4 , which can be displaced along the longitudinal guides 3 in the direction of arrows 5 by a drive… The bracket 4 may be provided with a guide sleeve 16 (see FIG. 9)”; JEMTD, Description, para. 47, “The axial advancement speed and the rotation speed of the rotary head 6 and thus the slope of the helical cutting path 38 of the cutting head 10 can be adapted to the circumstances in each case”); wherein the device is configured to control the axial movement of the cutting-tool head relative to the electrical cable with a rotational speed of the cutting-tool head relative to the electrical cable (JEMTD, Description, para. 47, "The axial advancement speed and the rotation speed of the rotary head 6 and thus the slope of the helical cutting path 38 of the cutting head 10 can be adapted to the circumstances in each case"; JEMTD, para. 9, "The insulation is compressed into a corrugated form using a cutting device and a sleeve and then cut or punched as a result of the mutual axial movement of the cutting device and the sleeve"). Jost does not explicitly teach the plurality of rollers around the cable nor a winch.
Chen, however, does teach the plurality of rollers (Chen, Fig. 2, wire clamping part 301 & clamping roller 3011) are arranged around a circumference of the electrical cable (Chen, Fig. 1, clamping space 4) to support the electrical cable as the cutting tool head (Chen, Fig. 1, knife frame 1) cuts into the electrical cable, wherein the cutting-tool head (Chen, Fig. 1, knife frame 1) comprises a knife blade (Chen, Fig. 4, blade 2011) positioned inside the cutting-tool head on an opposite side of the electrical cable relative to one of the plurality of rollers (EACF1, opposite roller), and the cutting-tool head is configured to rotate around a circumference of the electrical cable to cause the knife blade and the plurality of rollers to rotate relative to the circumference of the electrical cable (CEMTD, pg. 4, para. 5-6, “the blade is fixed on the cutter through the cutter shaft and can rotate along the blade circumferential direction… the clamping roller capable of rotating along the circumferential direction”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of invention to modify the cutting-tool head of Jost to have a plurality of rollers support the cable during cutting as taught by Chen for a more even cut and reducing friction force on the cable (CEMTD, pg. 4, para. 6, “Preferably, the clamping part comprises at least two at least two clamping rollers… so that the clamping roller contact when mated with cable is wire clamping cable even surface contact so as to match a blade clamping cable is more stable… reducing the cable relative to the friction force when tool rotation”). Chen does not explicitly disclose a winch.
Soerensen, however, does teach a winch (Soerensen, para. 14, “the frame can be raised and lowered relative to the transition piece by an arrangement of push-pull winches”) configured to control an axial speed of the axial movement of the cutting-tool head in an axial direction along the guide rail (Soerensen, para. 14, “if the frame is mounted at the level of the transition piece, the vertical feed arrangement can be realized to move the transmission cable vertically upwards and/or downwards through the frame… the frame can be raised and lowered relative to the transition piece”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify Jost’s driving means to be a winch as taught by Soerensen in order to allow for an efficient vertical feed arrangement of the cable, which increases control over the cutting direction and increases precision of cutting depth (Soerensen, para. 7, “a vertical feed arrangement realized to effect a translation of the frame relative to the transmission cable”; para. 8, “it is possible to make controlled incisions into the outer armouring layer… Equally, the inventive cable armour stripping unit avoids insufficiently deep cuts and repetitions of the cutting step”).
Regarding claim 13, the Jost/Chen/Soerensen combination is as detailed in the rejection of claim 12 above. Furthermore, Soerensen does teach that the winch comprises: a wire having a wire proximal portion and a wire distal end; and a motor configured to cause the winch to wrap or unwrap the wire (Soerensen, para. 14, “the frame can be raised and lowered relative to the transition piece by an arrangement of push-pull winches”).
Although Soerensen does not explicitly detail the winch having a wire, a rotational module, and a motor, those are all components that make up a type of push-pull winch. As evidence by R&G in their manual for a push/pull drive which includes a winch mechanism. Listed in the specifications is a motor (push/pull standard drive), a drum, and 200 ft. of rope (R&G, pg. 4). For the specific purposes of R&G’s invention for boating, they used a rope. However, for the purposes of a cable stripper, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use a wire or a cable instead, as the function of the winch remains the same.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify Jost driving means to be a winch as taught by Soerensen and evidenced by R&G in order to allow for a vertical feed arrangement of the cable, which increases control over the cutting direction and increases precision of cutting depth (Soerensen, para. 7, “a vertical feed arrangement realized to effect a translation of the frame relative to the transmission cable”; para. 8, “it is possible to make controlled incisions into the outer armouring layer… Equally, the inventive cable armour stripping unit avoids insufficiently deep cuts and repetitions of the cutting step”).
Regarding claim 18, Jost discloses a system comprising: a cutting-tool head (EAJF7, cutting-tool head), wherein the cutting-tool head is formed with a hole (EAJF2, cable hole) that is configured to receive a first portion of an electrical cable (Jost, Fig. 2, cable 19),and wherein the cutting-tool head comprises a plurality of rollers inside the cutting-tool head (JEMTD, Description, para. 64, "other arrangements may be used for raising and lowering the brush head 13 and the cutting head 10, for example by levers 102 and 103 associated with said elements 13, 10 preferably provided with rollers or other means for reducing friction, to guide or move corresponding to the profile of the cam guide") and at least one cutting tool inside the cutting-tool head (Jost, Fig. 4, cutting blades 18A & 18B) configured to cut one or more layers of the electrical cable (JEMTD, Description, para. 46, “As a result of the cutting edges 18A and 18B being supported on the stop surface of the support plate 34 in substantially linear contact, the cutting edges 18A and 18B follow the outer contour of the cable 19 in the best possible manner. Damage to the surface beneath the braided shield 21 can thus be avoided”), wherein the cutting-tool head comprises a knife blade (Jost, Fig. 4, cutting blades 18A & 18B) positioned inside the cutting-tool head and the cutting-tool head is head is configured to rotate around a circumference of the electrical cable to cause the knife blade to rotate relative to the circumference of the electrical cable (JEMTD, Description, para. 52, "A rotary head 6, the direction of rotation of which is indicated by arrow 7"; Jost, Fig. 7, rotary head 6 & arrow 7; Jost, Fig. 4, cable 19”; JEMTD, Description, para. 36, “The cutting edges 18A and 18B rotate in opposite directions and are driven by any suitable drive arrangement of the cutting head 10”); a cable clamp (Jost, Fig. 3, bracket 4) configured to retain a second portion of the electrical cable (Jost, Fig. 1, cable 19); a guide rail (Jost, Fig. 14, guide sleeve 16) extending from the cutting-tool head (EAJF7, cutting-tool head) to the cable clamp (Jost, Fig. 9, bracket 4) parallel to a longitudinal axis of the electrical cable, wherein the guide rail guides an axial movement of the cutting-tool head along the electrical cable as the cutting-tool head rotates around the circumference of the electrical cable to cut one or more layers of the electrical cable (JEMTD, Description, para. 52, “The device 1 is preferably arranged in a housing 2 having two horizontal longitudinal guides 3 for a carriage 4 , which can be displaced along the longitudinal guides 3 in the direction of arrows 5 by a drive… The bracket 4 may be provided with a guide sleeve 16 (see FIG. 9)”; JEMTD, Description, para. 47, “The axial advancement speed and the rotation speed of the rotary head 6 and thus the slope of the helical cutting path 38 of the cutting head 10 can be adapted to the circumstances in each case”); wherein the device is configured to control the axial movement of the cutting-tool head relative to the electrical cable with a rotational speed of the cutting-tool head relative to the electrical cable (JEMTD, Description, para. 47, "The axial advancement speed and the rotation speed of the rotary head 6 and thus the slope of the helical cutting path 38 of the cutting head 10 can be adapted to the circumstances in each case"; JEMTD, para. 9, "The insulation is compressed into a corrugated form using a cutting device and a sleeve and then cut or punched as a result of the mutual axial movement of the cutting device and the sleeve"); and a computing device (JEMTD, Description, para. 65, "a contact ring 105 is provided on the component 104 to ensure data transmission with the control unit of the device 1… The rotating member 104 is then connected to power consumers using electrical wiring and to sensors and/or actors using control wiring (not shown)") configured to cause the device to control an axial speed of the axial movement of the cutting-tool head, and to cause the cutting-tool head to control a rotational speed of the rotatable cutting-tool head, wherein the axial speed is coordinated with the rotational speed in order to produce a desired cut into the at least one layer of the electrical cable (JEMTD, Description, para. 47, "The axial advancement speed and the rotation speed of the rotary head 6 and thus the slope of the helical cutting path 38 of the cutting head 10 can be adapted to the circumstances in each case"). Jost does not explicitly disclose the plurality of rollers around the cable nor a winch.
Chen, however, does teach the plurality of rollers (Chen, Fig. 2, wire clamping part 301 & clamping roller 3011) are arranged around a circumference of the electrical cable (Chen, Fig. 1, clamping space 4) to support the electrical cable as the cutting tool head (Chen, Fig. 1, knife frame 1) cuts into the electrical cable, wherein the cutting-tool head (Chen, Fig. 1, knife frame 1) comprises a knife blade (Chen, Fig. 4, blade 2011) positioned inside the cutting-tool head on an opposite side of the electrical cable relative to one of the plurality of rollers (EACF1, opposite roller), and the cutting-tool head is configured to rotate around a circumference of the electrical cable to cause the knife blade and the plurality of rollers to rotate relative to the circumference of the electrical cable (CEMTD, pg. 4, para. 5-6, “the blade is fixed on the cutter through the cutter shaft and can rotate along the blade circumferential direction… the clamping roller capable of rotating along the circumferential direction”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of invention to modify the cutting-tool head of Jost to have a plurality of rollers support the cable during cutting as taught by Chen for a more even cut and reducing friction force on the cable (CEMTD, pg. 4, para. 6, “Preferably, the clamping part comprises at least two at least two clamping rollers… so that the clamping roller contact when mated with cable is wire clamping cable even surface contact so as to match a blade clamping cable is more stable… reducing the cable relative to the friction force when tool rotation”). Chen does not explicitly disclose a winch.
Soerensen, however, does teach a winch (Soerensen, para. 14, “the frame can be raised and lowered relative to the transition piece by an arrangement of push-pull winches”) configured to control an axial speed of the axial movement of the cutting-tool head in an axial direction along the guide rail (Soerensen, para. 14, “if the frame is mounted at the level of the transition piece, the vertical feed arrangement can be realized to move the transmission cable vertically upwards and/or downwards through the frame… the frame can be raised and lowered relative to the transition piece”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify Jost’s driving means to be a winch as taught by Soerensen in order to allow for an efficient vertical feed arrangement of the cable, which increases control over the cutting direction and increases precision of cutting depth (Soerensen, para. 7, “a vertical feed arrangement realized to effect a translation of the frame relative to the transmission cable”; para. 8, “it is possible to make controlled incisions into the outer armouring layer… Equally, the inventive cable armour stripping unit avoids insufficiently deep cuts and repetitions of the cutting step”).
Regarding claim 19, the Jost/Chen/Soerensen combination is as detailed in the rejection of claim 18 above. Furthermore, Soerensen does teach that the winch comprises: a wire having a wire proximal portion and a wire distal end; and a motor configured to cause the winch to wrap or unwrap the wire (Soerensen, para. 14, “the frame can be raised and lowered relative to the transition piece by an arrangement of push-pull winches”).
Although Soerensen does not explicitly detail the winch having a wire and a motor, those are all components that make up a type of push-pull winch. As evidence by R&G in their manual for a push/pull drive which includes a winch mechanism. Listed in the specifications is a motor (push/pull standard drive), a drum, and 200 ft. of rope (R&G, pg. 4). For the specific purposes of R&G’s invention for boating, they used a rope. However, for the purposes of a cable stripper, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use a wire or a cable instead, as the function of the winch remains the same.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify Jost driving means to be a winch as taught by Soerensen and evidenced by R&G in order to allow for a vertical feed arrangement of the cable, which increases control over the cutting direction and increases precision of cutting depth (Soerensen, para. 7, “a vertical feed arrangement realized to effect a translation of the frame relative to the transmission cable”; para. 8, “it is possible to make controlled incisions into the outer armouring layer… Equally, the inventive cable armour stripping unit avoids insufficiently deep cuts and repetitions of the cutting step”).
Regarding claim 20, Jost discloses a method comprising: receiving an indication of a desired cut into one or more layers of an electrical cable (JEMTD, Description, para. 46, “During processing, the cable 19 is advanced over the length of the cable section 27 to be processed, ie until the position 31 is reached”); determining, based on the indication of the desired cut, an axial speed for an axial movement of a cutting-tool head along an axial length of the electrical cable (JEMTD, Description, para. 47, “a spiral processing route is achieved along the cable, which, as described above, can be finely adapted to the respective technical environment by suitable selection of the rotation speed of the cable processing unit 14… The axial advancement speed and the rotation speed of the rotary head 6 and thus the slope of the helical cutting path 38 of the cutting head 10 can be adapted to the circumstances in each case”); determining, based on the indication of the desired cut, a rotational speed for a rotatable cutting tool of the cutting-tool head around a circumference of the electrical cable (JEMTD, Description, para. 47, “The axial advancement speed and the rotation speed of the rotary head 6 and thus the slope of the helical cutting path 38 of the cutting head 10 can be adapted to the circumstances in each case”), wherein the axial speed and the rotational speed are coordinated with each other (JEMTD, Description, para. 46, “the cable handling unit 14 is rotated around the cable 19, typically several times, and thereby the shielding 21 is removed in a spiral manner. Alternatively, the cable 19 may be advanced in a stepwise manner and cutting may be accomplished while the cable processing unit 14 rotates about the cable 19 at a fixed longitudinal position of the cable and the processing unit 14 rotates at least one revolution”); and causing an electrical-cable-preparation device to drive the axial movement of the cutting-tool head (JEMTD, Description, para. 52, “The device 1 is preferably arranged in a housing 2 having two horizontal longitudinal guides 3 for a carriage 4 , which can be displaced along the longitudinal guides 3 in the direction of arrows 5 by a drive”) and causing the cutting tool head to rotate around the circumference of the electrical cable in order to produce the desired cut (JEMTD, Description, para. 52, "A rotary head 6, the direction of rotation of which is indicated by arrow 7"; Jost, Fig. 7, rotary head 6 & arrow 7; Jost, Fig. 4, cable 19”; JEMTD, Description, para. 36, “The cutting edges 18A and 18B rotate in opposite directions and are driven by any suitable drive arrangement of the cutting head 10”), wherein the cutting-tool head is formed with a hole (EAJF2, cable hole) that is configured to receive a first portion of the electrical cable (Jost, Fig. 2, cable 19); wherein the cutting-tool head comprises a plurality of rollers inside the cutting-tool head (JEMTD"; Description, para. 64, "other arrangements may be used for raising and lowering the brush head 13 and the cutting head 10, for example by levers 102 and 103 associated with said elements 13, 10 preferably provided with rollers or other means for reducing friction, to guide or move corresponding to the profile of the cam guide") and at least one cutting tool inside the cutting-tool head (Jost, Fig. 4, cutting blades 18A & 18B) configured to cut the one or more layers of the electrical cable, and wherein the cutting-tool head comprises a knife blade (Jost, Fig. 4, cutting blades 18A & 18B) positioned inside the cutting-tool head and the cutting-tool head is configured to rotate around the circumference of the electrical cable to cause the knife blade to rotate relative to the circumference of the electrical cable (JEMTD, Description, para. 36, “The cutting edges 18A and 18B rotate in opposite directions and are driven by any suitable drive arrangement of the cutting head 10”), and wherein the cutting-tool head further comprises: a cable clamp (Jost, Fig. 3, bracket 4) configured to retain a second portion of the electrical cable; a guide rail (Jost, Fig. 3, guide sleeve 16) extending from the cutting-tool head (EAJF7, cutting-tool head) to the cable clamp (Jost, Fig. 3, bracket 4) parallel to a longitudinal axis of the electrical cable, wherein the guide rail guides the axial movement of the cutting-tool head along the electrical cable as the cutting-tool head rotates around the circumference of the electrical cable to cut one or more layers of the electrical cable (JEMTD, Description, para. 52, “The device 1 is preferably arranged in a housing 2 having two horizontal longitudinal guides 3 for a carriage 4 , which can be displaced along the longitudinal guides 3 in the direction of arrows 5 by a drive… The bracket 4 may be provided with a guide sleeve 16 (see FIG. 9)”; JEMTD, Description, para. 47, “The axial advancement speed and the rotation speed of the rotary head 6 and thus the slope of the helical cutting path 38 of the cutting head 10 can be adapted to the circumstances in each case”). Jost does not explicitly disclose the plurality of rollers around the cable nor a winch.
Chen, however, does teach the plurality of rollers (Chen, Fig. 2, wire clamping part 301 & clamping roller 3011) are arranged around a circumference of the electrical cable (Chen, Fig. 1, clamping space 4) to support the electrical cable as the cutting tool head (Chen, Fig. 1, knife frame 1) cuts into the electrical cable, wherein the cutting-tool head (Chen, Fig. 1, knife frame 1) comprises a knife blade (Chen, Fig. 4, blade 2011) positioned inside the cutting-tool head on an opposite side of the electrical cable relative to one of the plurality of rollers (EACF1, opposite roller), and the cutting-tool head is configured to rotate around a circumference of the electrical cable to cause the knife blade and the plurality of rollers to rotate relative to the circumference of the electrical cable (CEMTD, pg. 4, para. 5-6, “the blade is fixed on the cutter through the cutter shaft and can rotate along the blade circumferential direction… the clamping roller capable of rotating along the circumferential direction”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of invention to modify the cutting-tool head of Jost to have a plurality of rollers support the cable during cutting as taught by Chen for a more even cut and reducing friction force on the cable (CEMTD, pg. 4, para. 6, “Preferably, the clamping part comprises at least two at least two clamping rollers… so that the clamping roller contact when mated with cable is wire clamping cable even surface contact so as to match a blade clamping cable is more stable… reducing the cable relative to the friction force when tool rotation”). Chen does not explicitly disclose a winch.
Soerensen, however, does teach a winch (Soerensen, para. 14, “the frame can be raised and lowered relative to the transition piece by an arrangement of push-pull winches”) configured to control an axial speed of the axial movement of the cutting-tool head in an axial direction along the guide rail (Soerensen, para. 14, “if the frame is mounted at the level of the transition piece, the vertical feed arrangement can be realized to move the transmission cable vertically upwards and/or downwards through the frame… the frame can be raised and lowered relative to the transition piece”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify Jost’s driving means to be a winch as taught by Soerensen in order to allow for an efficient vertical feed arrangement of the cable, which increases control over the cutting direction and increases precision of cutting depth (Soerensen, para. 7, “a vertical feed arrangement realized to effect a translation of the frame relative to the transmission cable”; para. 8, “it is possible to make controlled incisions into the outer armouring layer… Equally, the inventive cable armour stripping unit avoids insufficiently deep cuts and repetitions of the cutting step”).
Claims 5-6, 8, and 14-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable by CN 103887740 B by Jost in view of CN 105811328 A by Chen and US 20170346265 A1 by Soerensen as detailed in the rejection of the claims above, and further in view of CH 703633 A2 by Lim, as evidenced by R&G.
Regarding claim 5, the Jost/Chen/Soerensen combination is as detailed in the rejection of claim 1 above. Furthermore, Jost/Chen/Soerensen teach the winch is configured to wrap a proximal portion of the winch wire around the winch to cause the winch to pull the cutting-tool head toward the cable clamp, as evidenced by R&G. The power drive of R&G has two operations for raising and lowering the load: up and down. This indicates that a winch is capable of raising the load by wrapping an elongated body around the drum (in this case, a wire) (R&G, pg. 15).
Although Soerensen does not explicitly detail the winch having a wire, an elongated body such as a wire is an essential component that makes up a type of push-pull winch. As evidence by R&G in their manual for a push/pull drive which includes a winch mechanism. Listed in the specifications is a motor (push/pull standard drive), a drum, and 200 ft. of rope (R&G, pg. 4). For the specific purposes of R&G’s invention for boating, they used a rope. However, for the purposes of a cable stripper, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use a wire or a cable instead, as the function of the winch remains the same. Jost/Chen/Soerensen does not explicitly disclose that the winch wire is coupled to the tool head mount.
Lim, however, does teach that a winch wire of the winch is coupled to the tool head mount (see English machine translated Lim, pg. 5, para. 7, “The drive unit 500 has a known from the prior art configuration and includes a (not shown) motor, a laterally on the (not shown) engine coupled drive pulley and a laterally coupled to the base 200 follower disk 510”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention for Jost to use a form of coupling as taught by Lim in order to attach the drive components to the rest of the invention by choosing from a finite number of predictable solutions. This is obvious because of the inherent function of the winch. In order for the winch to properly function, there are a limited number of ways for the parts of the winch to be attached for the purposes of cable stripping to be successful in conjunction with the other design functions of the invention (being rotatable, movable, etc.).
Regarding claim 6, the Jost/Chen/Soerensen combination is as detailed in the rejection of claim 1 above. Jost/Chen/Soerensen further teaches wherein the electrical cable is oriented vertically, wherein the cutting-tool head is mounted vertically above the cable clamp on the electrical cable (Soerensen, para. 7, “the cable armour stripping unit comprises a frame realized to accommodate a transmission cable and to hold a cutter arrangement… a vertical feed arrangement realized to effect a translation of the frame relative to the transmission cable”), and wherein the winch is configured to unwrap a proximal portion of the winch wire from around the winch to cause the winch to at least partially resist a gravitational force on the cutting-tool head toward the clamp, as evidenced by R&G. The power drive of R&G is capable of lifting the load until it is freely hanging and also lowering the load, making it capable at least partially resisting a gravitational force (R&G, pg. 15).
Although Soerensen does not explicitly detail the winch having a wire, an elongated body such as a wire is an essential component that makes up a type of push-pull winch. As evidence by R&G in their manual for a push/pull drive which includes a winch mechanism. Listed in the specifications is a motor (push/pull standard drive), a drum, and 200 ft. of rope (R&G, pg. 4). For the specific purposes of R&G’s invention for boating, they used a rope. However, for the purposes of a cable stripper, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use a wire or a cable instead, as the function of the winch remains the same. It would have also been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to couple one end of the winch wire to a proximal end of the guide rail in order to facilitate the axial movement of the cutting-tool head, as the winch would need an anchor in order to push/pull. Jost/Chen/Soerensen does not explicitly disclose coupling.
Lim, however, does teach that a winch wire of the winch is coupled to the cutting-tool head (Lim, pg. 5, para. 7, “The drive unit 500 has a known from the prior art configuration and includes a (not shown) motor, a laterally on the (not shown) engine coupled drive pulley and a laterally coupled to the base 200 follower disk 510”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention for Jost to use a form of coupling as taught by Lim in order to attach the drive components to the rest of the invention by choosing from a finite number of predictable solutions. This is obvious because of the inherent function of the winch. In order for the winch to properly function, there are a limited number of ways for the parts of the winch to be attached for the purposes of cable stripping to be successful in conjunction with the other design functions of the invention (being rotatable, movable, etc.).
Regarding claim 8, the Jost/Chen/Soerensen combination is as detailed in the rejection of claim 1 above. Jost/Chen/Soerensen further teaches that the distal end of the wire is coupled to the cutting-tool head, and wherein the rotational module is configured to rotate to wrap the proximal portion of the wire around the rotational module to cause the winch to pull the cutting-tool head toward the cable clamp, as evidenced by R&G. The power drive of R&G has two operations for raising and lowering the load: up and down. This indicates that a winch is capable of raising the load by wrapping an elongated body around the drum (in this case, a wire) (R&G, pg. 15).
Although Soerensen does not explicitly detail the winch having a wire, an elongated body such as a wire is an essential component that makes up a type of push-pull winch. As evidence by R&G in their manual for a push/pull drive which includes a winch mechanism. Listed in the specifications is a motor (push/pull standard drive), a drum, and 200 ft. of rope (R&G, pg. 4). For the specific purposes of R&G’s invention for boating, they used a rope. However, for the purposes of a cable stripper, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use a wire or a cable instead, as the function of the winch remains the same. It would have also been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to couple one end of the winch wire to a proximal end of the guide rail in order to facilitate the axial movement of the cutting-tool head, as the winch would need an anchor in order to push/pull. Jost/Chen/Soerensen does not explicitly disclose coupling.
Lim, however, teaches that the rotational module of the winch is mechanically coupled to the cable clamp (Lim, pg. 3, para. 8, “The jacket cutting apparatus 10 includes a clamp (not shown) that fixes the electrical cable 30, a pedestal 200 that rotates about… cutting units 100 connected to the Sockets 200 are rotatably coupled and cut the jacket 31 of the electrical cable 30, and a drive unit 500”). \
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention for Jost to use a form of coupling as taught by Lim in order to attach the drive components to the rest of the invention by choosing from a finite number of predictable solutions. This is obvious because of the inherent function of the winch. In order for the winch to properly function, there are a limited number of ways for the parts of the winch to be attached for the purposes of cable stripping to be successful in conjunction with the other design functions of the invention (being rotatable, movable, etc.).
Regarding claim 14, the Jost/Chen/Soerensen combination is as detailed in the rejection of claim 13 above. Jost/Chen/Soerensen further teaches that the distal end of the wire is coupled to the cable clamp, and wherein the rotational module is configured to rotate to wrap the proximal portion of the wire around the rotational module to cause the winch to pull the cutting-tool head toward the cable clamp, as evidenced by R&G. The power drive of R&G has two operations for raising and lowering the load: up and down. This indicates that a winch is capable of raising the load by wrapping an elongated body around the drum (in this case, a wire) (R&G, pg. 15).
Although Soerensen does not explicitly detail the winch having a wire, an elongated body such as a wire is an essential component that makes up a type of push-pull winch. As evidence by R&G in their manual for a push/pull drive which includes a winch mechanism. Listed in the specifications is a motor (push/pull standard drive), a drum, and 200 ft. of rope (R&G, pg. 4). For the specific purposes of R&G’s invention for boating, they used a rope. However, for the purposes of a cable stripper, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use a wire or a cable instead, as the function of the winch remains the same. Jost/Chen/Soerensen does not explicitly disclose that the rotational module of the winch is coupled to the cutting-tool head.
Lim, however, does teach that the winch is coupled to the cutting-tool head (Lim, pg. 5, para. 7, “The drive unit 500 has a known from the prior art configuration and includes a (not shown) motor, a laterally on the (not shown) engine coupled drive pulley and a laterally coupled to the base 200 follower disk 510”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention for Jost to use a form of coupling as taught by Lim in order to attach the drive components to the rest of the invention by choosing from a finite number of predictable solutions. This is obvious because of the inherent function of the winch. In order for the winch to properly function, there are a limited number of ways for the parts of the winch to be attached for the purposes of cable stripping to be successful in conjunction with the other design functions of the invention (being rotatable, movable, etc.).
Regarding claim 15, the Jost/Chen/Soerensen combination is as detailed in the rejection of claim 13 above. Jost/Chen/Soerensen further teaches that the distal end of the wire is coupled to a proximal end of the guide rail, wherein the electrical cable is oriented vertically with respect to gravity, wherein the cutting-tool head is mounted vertically above the cable clamp on the electrical cable (Soerensen, para. 7, “the cable armour stripping unit comprises a frame realized to accommodate a transmission cable and to hold a cutter arrangement… a vertical feed arrangement realized to effect a translation of the frame relative to the transmission cable”), and wherein the winch is configured to unwrap the wire to cause the winch to at least partially resist a gravitational force on the cutting-tool head toward the clamp, as evidenced by R&G. The power drive of R&G is capable of lifting the load until it is freely hanging and also lowering the load, making it capable at least partially resisting a gravitational force (R&G, pg. 15).
Although Soerensen does not explicitly detail the winch having a wire, an elongated body such as a wire is an essential component that makes up a type of push-pull winch. As evidence by R&G in their manual for a push/pull drive which includes a winch mechanism. Listed in the specifications is a motor (push/pull standard drive), a drum, and 200 ft. of rope (R&G, pg. 4). For the specific purposes of R&G’s invention for boating, they used a rope. However, for the purposes of a cable stripper, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use a wire or a cable instead, as the function of the winch remains the same. Jost/Chen/Soerensen does not explicitly disclose coupling.
Lim, however, does teach that the rotational module of the winch is coupled to the cutting-tool head (Lim, pg. 5, para. 7, “The drive unit 500 has a known from the prior art configuration and includes a (not shown) motor, a laterally on the (not shown) engine coupled drive pulley and a laterally coupled to the base 200 follower disk 510”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention for Jost to use a form of coupling as taught by Lim in order to attach the drive components to the rest of the invention by choosing from a finite number of predictable solutions. This is obvious because of the inherent function of the winch. In order for the winch to properly function, there are a limited number of ways for the parts of the winch to be attached for the purposes of cable stripping to be successful in conjunction with the other design functions of the invention (being rotatable, movable, fixed, etc.).
Regarding claim 16, the Jost/Chen/Soerensen combination is as detailed in the rejection of claim 13 above. Jost/Chen/Soerensen further teaches that the distal end of the wire is coupled to the cutting-tool head, and wherein winch is configured to wrap the proximal portion of the wire to cause the winch to pull the cutting-tool head toward the cable clamp, as evidenced by R&G. The power drive of R&G has two operations for raising and lowering the load: up and down. This indicates that a winch is capable of raising the load by wrapping an elongated body around the drum (in this case, a wire) (R&G, pg. 15).
Although Soerensen does not explicitly detail the winch having a wire, an elongated body such as a wire is an essential component that makes up a type of push-pull winch. As evidence by R&G in their manual for a push/pull drive which includes a winch mechanism. Listed in the specifications is a motor (push/pull standard drive), a drum, and 200 ft. of rope (R&G, pg. 4). For the specific purposes of R&G’s invention for boating, they used a rope. However, for the purposes of a cable stripper, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use a wire or a cable instead, as the function of the winch remains the same. Jost/Chen/Soerensen does not explicitly disclose coupling.
Lim, however, teaches that the winch is mechanically coupled to the cable clamp (Lim, pg. 3, para. 8, “The jacket cutting apparatus 10 includes a clamp (not shown) that fixes the electrical cable 30, a pedestal 200 that rotates about… cutting units 100 connected to the Sockets 200 are rotatably coupled and cut the jacket 31 of the electrical cable 30, and a drive unit 500”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention for Jost to use a form of coupling as taught by Lim in order to attach the drive components to the rest of the invention by choosing from a finite number of predictable solutions. This is obvious because of the inherent function of the winch. In order for the winch to properly function, there are a limited number of ways for the parts of the winch to be attached for the purposes of cable stripping to be successful in conjunction with the other design functions of the invention (being rotatable, movable, etc.).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 103887740 B by Jost in view of CN 105811328 A by Chen, US 20170346265 A1 by Soerensen, and CH 703633 A2 by Lim as evidenced by R&G in the rejection of claim 8 above, and further in view of KR 101736878 B1 by Kim.
Regarding claim 9, the Jost/Chen/Soerensen/Lim combination is as described in the rejection of claim 8 above. Furthermore, Jost/Chen/Soerensen/Lim does not explicitly disclose a wire sheath surrounding a proximal portion of the wire oriented between the rotational module and the cable clamp.
However, Kim, which is pertinent to the problem of protecting the wire component of the winch as the winch drives the working mechanism, teaches a wire sheath for covering the cable of a winch (see English machine translated Kim, Abstract, “a method for producing an underwater weight towing cable having a steel wire armor”; pg. 3, para. 1, “the underwater weight cable 1000 connects the winch 1300 with the underwater lightweight tow cable 1100”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to add the analogous teaching of Kim of having a cable sheath to the cable of Jost in order to remove stress on the cable and maintain cable properties (Kim, pg. 6, para. 10, “The steel wire sheathed cable 210… has a characteristic of high tension by removing the stress of the steel wire. There is an improved effect in maintaining tension and maintaining cable properties”).
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 103887740 B by Jost in view of CN 105811328 A by Chen and US 20170346265 A1 by Soerensen as detailed in the rejection of claim 1 above, and further in view of KR 20100084591 A by Lee et al..
Regarding claim 11, Jost does not explicitly disclose a knob.
Lee et al., however, does teach that the cable clamp comprises a knob configured to tighten the cable clamp to an exterior surface of the electrical cable (see English machine translated Lee, pg. 9, lines 403-412, “the lock (1320) that was pressing the upper part of the second fixing part (1200) is turned counterclockwise to release the pressurized state so that a certain amount of clearance is generated… the lock (1320) that is fastening to the tightening bolt (1310) is rotated clockwise… so that the coaxial cable (3000) loaded inside is completely retained by the first fixing part (1100) and the second fixing part (1200)”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to add a knob to the cable clamp of Jost as taught by Lee et al. in order to securely hold the cable for cutting (Lee et al., pg. 9, lines 408-412, “while the part of the coaxial cable (3000) to be cut is positioned in front of the end face of the rotating block (2110), the lock (1320) that is fastening to the tightening bolt (1310) is rotated clockwise… so that the coaxial cable (3000) loaded inside is completely retained by the first fixing part (1100) and the second fixing part (1200)”).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, filed on October 29, 2025, with respect to the rejection of claim 1 under header Claim Rejections Under 35 U.S.C. 103 beginning on page 8 have been considered. Applicant argues that with the newly introduced claim limitation “… the plurality of rollers are arranged around a circumference of the electrical cable to support the electrical cable… a knife blade positioned inside the cutting-tool head on an opposite side of the electrical cable relative to the plurality of rollers…,” the combination of prior art presented in the Final Office Action mailed on August 29, 2025 does not teach all the claim limitations. However, as necessitated by the claim amendments, a new grounds of rejection is made in view of CN 105811328 A by Chen. Therefore, Applicant’s arguments are not persuasive and independent claim 1 and its subsequent dependent claims, along with independent claims 12, 18, and 20 which were similarly amended, are rejected as detailed in the rejections above.
Conclusion
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/DEBORAH LIN/Examiner, Art Unit 3724 /BOYER D ASHLEY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3724