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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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) 16-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fouts 4,736,969.
In regard to claim 16, Fouts discloses a coupling system for a hose, the coupling
system comprising:
a connector having 18 cylindrical wall 14 defining an inner fluid passage 29 along a
longitudinal axis;
wherein the connector has an outer circumferential surface defining an outer thread 17,
and a conical section 45, which is integrally formed in the cylindrical wall and whose diameter is
reduced towards an end face of the connector, and which is to be inserted into a hose 40; and
a tubular clamping nut 30 arranged around the connector along the longitudinal axis;
wherein the clamping nut has an inner circumferential surface defining an inner thread 31
engaging the outer thread of the connector, wherein rotation of the threads causes the clamping
nut to move relative to the connector along the longitudinal axis;
wherein the inner circumferential surface of the clamp further defines a clamping surface
38 around the conical section of the connector; and
wherein by rotation of the clamp around the connector, a clamping distance between the clamping surface and a lateral surface of the integrally formed conical section is reduced, in order to press a hose wall 43 against the conical section 45 wherein the connector further comprises an intermediate connector area 14 between the outer thread 17 and the conical section 45, the intermediate connector area having an outer diameter smaller than the outer thread and a largest outer diameter of the conical section, and the inner circumferential surface of the tubular clamping nut further defines an intermediate clamping nut area 35 between the inner thread 31 and the clamping surface 38, the intermediate clamping nut area having an inner diameter larger than the inner thread and a largest inner diameter of the clamping surface, wherein the intermediate connector area and the intermediate clamping nut area are radially spaced from one another so as to define an annular gap extending along the longitudinal axis (see fig. 3).
In regard to claim 17, wherein the clamping surface 38 extends rotationally symmetrically along the conical section 45, and during rotation the lateral surface of the conical section and the clamping surfaces are shifted along the longitudinal axis towards each other (see from fig. 2 to fig. 3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-6, 8-15 and 19-25 are allowed.
Claim 18 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 16-17 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Spriegel discloses a similar coupling that is common and well known in the art.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID E. BOCHNA whose telephone number is (571)272-7078. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00-5:30.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Troutman can be reached at (571) 270-3654. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DAVID BOCHNA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3679
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