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
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 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by Cao et al. (US 2011/0038125).
Regarding claims 1 and 11, Cao et al. disclose a locking structure being capable of locking an object (30) having a thru-hole (331, 332), the locking structure comprising:
a stud sleeve (21);
a buckling washer (430) disposed on the stud sleeve and including:
a carrying portion (431) having a penetrating hole (4310); and
a plurality of hook portions (432) extending from the carrying portion and arranged outside of the penetrating hole, wherein the carrying portion of the buckling washer is configured to carry the object, and the hook portions are configured to retain the object; and
a screw (410) that is configured to be screwed in the stud sleeve by passing through the thru-hole of the object and the penetrating hole of the buckling washer for enabling the object to be locked by the hook portions.
Regarding claims 2 and 12, Cao et al. disclose the buckling washer has a limiting portion having a ring shape (431, 433) and extending from a peripheral edge of the penetrating hole, and the limiting portion is configured to extend into the thru-hole of the object.
Regarding claims 3 and 13, Cao et al. disclose an inner surface of the limiting portion is flush with a wall defining by the penetrating hole of the carrying portion, and a transverse gap is formed between the limiting portion and the thru-hole as the limiting portion is extended into the thru-hole of the object.
[AltContent: textbox (gap)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (inner side)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: connector][AltContent: connector]
PNG
media_image1.png
215
292
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Regarding claims 4 and 14, Cao et al. disclose each of the hook portions includes:
an upright segment (4322) having an end that is connected to a surrounding lateral edge of the carrying portion, wherein a height of the upright segment is configured to be greater than or equal to a thickness of the object; and
a buckling segment (4323) connected to another end of the upright segment and configured to retain the object.
Regarding claim 5, Cao et al. disclose a plurality of notches (332) are recessed in an edge of the object, and the buckling segment (4323) of the hook portions are configured to respectively correspond in position to the notches.
Regarding claim 6, Cao et al. disclose the screw has a head portion (411), a shaft portion (412) extending from the head portion, and a thread portion (412) that extends from the shaft portion, wherein the head portion and the carrying portion are configured to jointly clamp the object, and the thread portion is threaded in the stud sleeve along an assembling direction, and wherein the shaft portion is configured to pass through the thru-hole and the penetrating hole, so that the buckling washer is movable relative to the object along a fine adjustment plane perpendicular to the assembling direction.
Regarding claim 7, Cao et al. disclose the head portion is located in a space surroundingly defined by the hook portions, and a longitudinal gap is formed between the object and any one of the hook portions as the object is retained by the hook portions (see Fig. 4).
Regarding claims 8 and 15, Cao et al. disclose the carrying portion defines a central axis passing through a center of the penetrating hole, and each of the hook portions is spaced apart from the central axis by a same distance (see Fig. 3).
Regarding claims 9 and 16, Cao et al. disclose the carrying portion defines a central axis passing through a center of the penetrating hole, a quantity of the hook portions is N, where N is a positive integer greater than one, and the buckling washer has an N-fold rotational symmetry with respect to the central axis.
Regarding claims 10 and 17, Cao et al. disclose the buckling washer is integrally formed as a single one-piece structure.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRUC T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2011. The examiner can normally be reached monday-friday (7-4).
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, Christopher M. Koehler can be reached at 5712723560. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/TRUC T NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834