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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention I, claims 1-19 in the reply filed on 18 December 2025 is acknowledged.
Claim 20 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 18 December 2025.
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 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kazda et al. (US 8,721,236).
Regarding claim 1, Kazda et al. discloses a bit holder 10 comprising: a main body 21 including an attachment end 22 configured to be coupled to an output spindle of a power tool (drill, not shown but disclosed, see column 3, lines 40-52), and a tool bit end 23 configured to be threadably coupled (using threads 50) to a tool bit 15; a first ring 102; and a second ring 101 selectively movable relative to the first ring (the first ring is rotationally movable relative to the second ring, see column 4, line 47 to column 5, line 2 and column 8, lines 21-36), the second ring defining a stop 111 configured to engage the tool bit when the tool bit is coupled to the tool bit end, the second ring being movable (axially, see figures 11 and 13) to reduce a friction force between the tool bit and the stop (see column 8, lines 37-51).
Regarding claim 2, Kazda et al. discloses wherein the first ring 102 is an outer ring 102 positioned radially outboard of the second ring 101, which is an inner ring 101 (see figure 6).
Regarding claim 3, Kazda et al. discloses wherein first ring 102 includes a shoulder 144, and the second ring 101 includes an end projection 112 configured to be seated against the shoulder (see figure 8).
Regarding claim 4, Kazda et al. discloses wherein the first ring 102 includes a hole 155 (the definition of “hole” not requiring a hole to be a through-hole), and the second ring 101 includes a groove 120, the hole and the groove each being configured to receive at least partially therein a locking ball 103.
Regarding claim 5, Kazda et al. discloses wherein the locking ball 103 is one of a plurality of locking balls 103, and the hole 155 of the first ring 102 is one of a plurality of holes 155, each of the plurality of holes being configured to receive at least a portion of one of the plurality of locking balls therein (see figure 14).
Regarding claim 6, Kazda et al. discloses further comprising a ring spring 104 configured to bias the second ring 101 toward an engaged position in contact with the tool bit 15 (second position, see figure 11).
Regarding claim 7, Kazda et al. discloses wherein the ring spring 104 is positioned radially between the main body 21 and the first ring 102 (spring 104 is positioned radially between at least a portion of the main body 21 and a portion of the first ring 102, see figure 8) and axially between a shoulder 30 of the main body and the second ring 101 (spring ring 104 is positioned axially between shoulder 30 of the main body and at least a portion of second ring 101, see figure 8).
Regarding claim 8, Kazda et al. discloses wherein the second ring 101 is movable to a disengaged position in which the stop 111 is spaced from the tool bit 15 by a gap (see figure 13).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 of this title, 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.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kazda et al. in view of Grennhag (US 12,377,472).
Regarding claim 9, Kazda et al. discloses the invention substantially as claimed, except Kazda et al. does not disclose wherein the attachment end is configured to be threadably coupled to the output spindle. Grennhag teaches the use of a bit holder 1 that comprises an attachment end 6 that is threaded for the purpose of attaching it to the threaded portion of an output spindle 2. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the attachment end of Kazda et al. with the threaded connection of Grennhag in order to use an alternative, well-known means for attaching the bit holder to the output spindle of a power tool.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-19 are allowed. Claim 10 is the independent claim.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The closest prior art of record is U.S. Patent 8,721,236 to Kazda et al., which discloses a bit holder 10 comprising: a main body 21 including an attachment end 22 configured to be coupled to an output spindle of a power tool (drill, not shown but disclosed, see column 3, lines 40-52) and a tool bit end 23 configured to be threadably coupled (using threads 50) to a tool bit 15; a first ring 102 having a hole 155; a ball 103 positioned at least partially within the hole; a second ring 101 movable relative to the first ring (the first ring is rotationally movable relative to the second ring, see column 4, line 47 to column 5, line 2 and column 8, lines 21-36).
Suffice it to say, the patent to Kazda et al. does not disclose “a sleeve including a first inner surface and a second inner surface, the first inner surface and the second inner surface each being configured to abut the ball, the first inner surface having a first diameter larger than a second diameter of the second inner surface; wherein the sleeve is movable between a home position and a retracted position, in the home position, the sleeve prevents outward movement of the ball such that the ball axially secures the second ring relative to the first ring, and in the retracted position, the first inner surface is aligned with the hole to permit the ball to move away from the second ring and thereby permit movement of the second ring relative to the first ring” as claimed in independent claim 10, and as such does not anticipate the instant invention as disclosed in independent claim 10.
Furthermore, there is no combinable teaching in the prior art of record that would reasonably motivate one having ordinary skill in the art to so modify the teachings of Kazda et al., and thus, for at least the foregoing reasoning, the prior art of record does not render obvious the present invention as set forth in independent claim 10.
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 ERIC ANDREW GATES whose telephone number is (571)272-5498. The examiner can normally be reached on M-Th 9-6, Alt Fr 9-5.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sunil Singh, can be reached on 571-272-3460. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ERIC A. GATES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3722 2 March 2026