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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (Claims 1-6) in the reply filed on 03/26/2026 is acknowledged.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lorenz (US 11,370,526).
Regarding Claim 1, Lorenz discloses an actuator arrangement, comprising:
An actuator screwshaft (39) configured to receive a female connector (47) (see Fig. 4).
A lockpin (31) having a male connector (see Fig. 4, showing a protrusion), wherein the male connector is connected to the female connector (see Fig. 4).
Wherein, when the actuator screwshaft is rotated, in use, the lockpin is configured to move from a first position to a second position (see Fig. 4).
Regarding Claim 2, Lorenz further discloses the actuator arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first position is a locked position or an unlocked position, and wherein the second position is a locked position when the first position is an unlocked position, or an unlocked position when the first position is a locked position (see Fig. 4).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-6 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GREGORY WEBER whose telephone number is (571)272-3307. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM - 5PM M-F.
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/GREGORY ROBERT WEBER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3618
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