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 .
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)(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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 4, 5, 20, 21, 28, & 42-45 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Broderick 11,022,413.
Broderick shows an arrow sleeve assembly, with a sleeve 302 received over an outer diameter of an arrow shaft; an insert 304 received inside the arrow shaft; and a bore to receive an arrow point, the bore includes a threaded portion and a smooth portion.
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, 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(s) 3, 22-24, 26, 27, & 30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Broderick.
In the arrow sleeve assembly shown by Broderick, it is not clear what is the weight, thickness, or diameter, but the dimensions that result in best operation would be an obvious adjustment from routine experimentation. The sleeve is inherently larger than the outer diameter of the arrow and adds mass.
Claim(s) 6-13, 15-19, 31-37, & 39-41 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Broderick in view of Huang 8,337,341.
In the arrow sleeve assembly shown by Broderick, it is not clear if there are retaining mechanisms in the bore. A retaining feature would be desired to keep the arrow point from loosening. For example, Huang shows that an arrow insert may include a bore to receive an arrow point, the bore includes a threaded portion and a smooth portion, and two O-rings in the bore, one at the junction of the threaded portion and smooth portion. These retaining rings would be an obvious addition to the arrow sleeve assembly shown by Broderick. It is not clear what is the weight or diameter of the parts but the dimensions that result in best operation would be an obvious adjustment from routine experimentation.
Claim(s) 25 & 29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
Broderick in view of D'Acquisto 10,634,470.
Broderick shows the sleeve with a smooth surface. A surface with teeth and notches may improve arrow flight. For example, D'Acquisto shows that an arrow may include an arrowhead connector with teeth and notches (figures 30, 31), this is known to deduce aerodynamic stalling (column 6, lines 16-27). These teeth and notches would be an obvious addition to the arrow sleeve shown by Broderick.
Claims 14 & 38 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.
Claims 46 & 47 are allowed.
Applicant's arguments filed Dec. 11, 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
This application was filed 7/21/2023, and is a continuation-in-part of application 17/034780, filed 9/28/2020, which is a division of application 16/698792, filed 11/27/2019 (see Application Data Sheet of 7/21/2023). The claims of this application are based on figures 55 and higher (see the Response to Restriction filed 5/27/2025). But figures 55-58 were first filed 7/21/2023. So the effective filing date of the claimed subject matter is 7/21/2023. Broderick 11,022,413 was filed February 4, 2020, so is prior art for the current claims.
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 JOHN A RICCI whose telephone number is (571)272-4429. The examiner can normally be reached Mon to Fri.
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/JOHN A RICCI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3711