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 statement (IDS) submitted on 5/25/2023 was filed and the submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 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.
Claims 1, 6, 7, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by the European Publication (EP 2925658) (see IDS).
RE claim 1, the European Publication (EP 2925658) discloses a gripping assembly (1) (see Figs. 1-6) capable of grasping cylindrical piles provided with a longitudinal axis (AL) in an end position; said assembly (1) comprising:
a first cylindrical body (13 and 10; se Figs. 1 & 2) provided with a central axis (CA) and with a plurality of gripping members (3, 13) (see Fig. 3) evenly distributed around said central axis (CA) and radially movable to couple with one of said piles (CP) by friction and delimited by a first upper flat face (10) (see Exhibit A) and by a second lower flat face (8), parallel to each other and transversal to said central axis (CA) of the same first body; a lifting arm (see Fig. 1) comprising at least one support portion (5) arranged laterally with respect to a longitudinal diametral plane (M) and carried by said first body hinged to a plate (any plate connected to the support portion (5) integral with said first body around a first axis transversal to said diametral plane (see Figs 1 & 2); each said support portion (5') being provided with a central axle (24) developed around a fulcrum axis (AF) parallel to said first axis (TA1) for supporting said arm in a rotatable manner; wherein said first axis (TA1) is arranged on the outside of said first body on the side opposite to said second face (8) with respect to said first face (10).
Exhibit A
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RE claims 6 and 7, Figs. 1 and 5 of the European Publication (EP 2925658) teach an actuation means (5) arranged between said arm (and said first body to move them with a relative rotary motion around said first axis (TA1) wherein a linear actuator (5) the axis of which is transversal to said first axis (TA1) and is carried at the ends by a first bracket coupled to said first body (10) and by a second bracket (36) coupled to said arm (5) in an angularly fixed manner.
RE claim 10, the European Publication (EP 2925658) also discloses that said first axis (TA1) is external or internal to said first body.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5, 8, 9, and 11-20 are 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL T CHIN whose telephone number is (571) 272-6922. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8:00-4:30 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Robert Hodge, can be reached on (571) 272-2097. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PAUL T CHIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3654
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