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
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because “the flange axially along the center axis” is apparently in error for “the flange extends axially along the center axis”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph:
Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends. The claim repeats limitations from claim 16. Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements.
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, 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) 1-4, 8-11, 15-16, 18, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2021/0347494 (Ante) in view of US 1134666 (Blocher).
Regarding claim 1, 11, 16, 18, Ante teaches an aircraft nacelle (Fig 1) comprising: a fan cowl having a first fan cowl member and a second fan cowl member (para 40-43; first cowl member 344, second cowl member 342); and a latch mechanism (Fig 3-9), comprising: a latch housing (310); a latch keeper (408) attached to the second fan cowl member (Fig 3, para 42; keeper is attached to 342); a latch hook adjustment assembly attached to the first cowl member (Fig 3, para 42; latch attached to 344) that includes: a latch frame (450) having a front wall (452) having a front wall aperture (454; para 47), an interior wall (446), and a forward cavity disposed between the front wall and the interior wall (Fig 7; cavity inside of which nut 460 is located); a pivotally mounted latch handle that extends lengthwise between a first end and a second end (handle 215), wherein the latch handle is pivotally attached to the latch housing (para 42-43), and in communication with the latch frame (para 45-46); a hook member having a shaft extending out from a hook configured for engagement with the latch keeper (hook 404, shaft 406), wherein at least a portion of the shaft is threaded (Fig 7-9); a bearing block having a flange (bearing block with flange 774; para 48), one or more indexing features (776), and a bearing block bore (bore receiving the shaft), the bearing block bore extending through the flange along a center axis (bearing block bore extending through the flange along center axis 790), wherein the flange axially along the center axis between a first side surface (left side surface in Fig 7) and a second side surface (right side surface in Fig 7), the first side surface being opposite the second side surface (Fig 7), and the one or more indexing features project axially and radially outwardly from the second side surface (Fig 7-8, para 49; indexing features 776 project axially towards the positive Z direction – e.g. towards the right in Fig 7 - and radially in the X direction from the second side surface), wherein the one or more indexing features are disposed adjacent the bearing block bore (Fig 8); a nut having a first axial end surface and a second axial end surface (Fig 7; nut 460 with first axial end surface on the left and second axial end surface on the right), a nut bore that extends through the first axial end surface and the second axial end surface and at least a portion of the nut bore is configured for threaded engagement with the hook member shaft (Fig 7, para 46-50), and a plurality of index cavities disposed in the first axial end surface adjacent the nut bore (Fig 9; cavities 762); and a spring member (480); wherein the bearing block, nut, and spring member are disposed in the forward cavity of the latch frame (Fig 7), and the shaft of the hook member extends through the front wall aperture, the bearing block, the nut, and the spring member, and the shaft is in threaded engagement with the nut (Fig 6-9, para 46-50); and wherein the latch hook adjustment assembly is disposable in an engaged configuration wherein the one or more indexing features are engaged with the plurality of index cavities (para 49; when 776 and 762 are engaged), and a disengaged configuration wherein the one or more indexing features are disengaged with the plurality of index cavities (when 776 and 762 are disengaged), the bearing block includes a pilot boss extending axially outwardly from the second side surface contiguous with the bearing block bore (Ante, annotated below), and the nut includes a pilot boss bore disposed in the first axial end surface contiguous with the nut bore, wherein the pilot boss bore is configured to receive the pilot boss (annotated below), wherein the plurality of index cavities include a partially spherical geometry (Fig 7-9; index cavities and index features have part spherical geometry), wherein the plurality of index cavities are arranged in an arcuate configuration circumferentially around the central axis in an array (see Fig 9).
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Ante fails to teach each of the plurality of index cavities is open to the nut bore, are contiguous with the pilot boss bore and are open to the pilot boss bore. However, Blocher teaches a locking mechanism for a nut comprising a plurality of index cavities that are each open to the nut bore (annotated below; Fig 1-3; nut 8 has index cavities 11 which fit a plurality of indexing features 13 which are contiguous with a boss 12; Fig 2-3 shows the index cavities being open to the nut bore and contiguous with the boss bore – e.g. the bore inside of which boss 12 is located; it is noted that the index cavities are “open” to the nut bore in the same manner as Applicant – indirectly, through the boss bore as shown in Fig 13 and as discussed in paragraph 39 of the instant specification: “index cavities 114 … are in communication with (i.e., open to) the bore 110. In those embodiments that include a pilot boss bore 112, the plurality of index cavities 114 are also in communication with (i.e., open to) the pilot boss bore 112”). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to make each of the plurality of index cavities open to the nut bore in order to provide a simple construction, durability, and reduced cost, as taught by Blocher (specification lines 8-88). It has been held that combining or simple substitution of prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results renders the limitation obvious (see MPEP 2141 (III)). In this case, making each of the plurality of index cavities open to the nut bore, yields predictable results (locking, antirotation, indexing).
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Blocher teaches that locking mechanism for a nut comprising a plurality of index cavities that are contiguous with a boss bore and are open to the boss bore, and indexing features that are contiguous with a boss (Fig 1-3; nut 8 has index cavities 11 which fit a plurality of indexing features 13 which are contiguous with a boss 12; Fig 2-3 shows the index cavities being open to and contiguous with the boss bore – e.g. the bore inside of which boss 12 is located). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to make the plurality of index cavities contiguous with the pilot boss bore and are open to the pilot boss bore, wherein the one or more indexing features are contiguous with the pilot boss in order to provide a simple construction, durability, and reduced cost, as taught by Blocher (specification lines 8-88). It has been held that combining or simple substitution of prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results renders the limitation obvious (see MPEP 2141 (III)). In this case, making the plurality of index cavities contiguous with the pilot boss bore and open to the pilot boss bore, wherein the one or more indexing features are contiguous with the pilot boss, yields predictable results (indexing, antirotation of the bearing block).
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Regarding claims 2-4, Ante in view of Blocher further teaches, when the combination is made, the plurality of index cavities are then disposed “in communication” with the nut bore, since they open up to the nut bore, and Ante and Blocher both teach the one or more indexing features are disposed for radial alignment with the plurality of index cavities (Fig 7 of Ante; Fig 2-3 of Blocher), the plurality of index cavities are configured to mate with the one or more indexing features (Fig 7 of Ante; Fig 2-3 of Blocher), a mating configuration between the plurality of index cavities and the one or more indexing features permits the latch hook adjustment assembly to be moved from said engaged configuration to said disengaged configuration by rotation of the nut (para 49 of Ante).
Regarding claim 8-10, 15, 20, Ante in view of Blocher further teaches the bearing block includes a sleeve extending outwardly from the first side surface and the bearing block bore extends through the sleeve, wherein the sleeve is configured to be receivable within the front wall aperture (annotated above), the latch frame further includes a top wall and a bottom wall (annotated above), wherein the front wall extends between the top wall and the bottom wall, and the interior wall extends between the top wall and the bottom wall (as annotated), and the forward cavity is defined by the front wall, top wall, the bottom wall, and the interior wall (as annotated above), and the interior wall includes an interior wall aperture (448) aligned with the front wall aperture (Fig 7, aligned to receive the shaft), the nut includes an outer radial surface and a plurality of engagement recesses disposed in the outer radial surface (Fig 9; engagement recesses 764 in outer surface 768 of the nut), the one or more indexing features extend a distance radially outward from a center axis of the bearing block bore (Blocher Fig 2; indexing features radially extend outward a distance from the center of 12).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 9/11/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
With regards to Applicant’s argument that “the alleged indexing features (element 13) do not ‘project axially and radially outwardly’ from the washer 12 of Blocher as recited in claim 1”, Examiner respectfully asserts that washer 12 is not the second side surface. Washer 12 of Blocher is analogous to the pilot boss of Ante (annotated above) because it extends into a “pilot boss bore” of a nut 8. Ante teaches the second side surface, and the indexing features projecting axially and radially outwardly from the second side surface as discussed in the rejection above. The combination moves the indexing features of Ante (which are partly spherical and project from the second side surface) so that that they are contiguous with the pilot boss. In doing so, the indexing cavities will be contiguous with the pilot boss bore and open to the pilot boss bore so as to properly receive the indexing features.
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With regards to Applicant’s argument that the “combination does not disclose at least the features of ‘wherein the plurality of index cavities include a partially spherical geometry and are contiguous with the pilot boss bore and are open to the pilot boss bore’”, Examiner respectfully disagrees. Ante teaches the cavities being partially spherical as discussed above. The combination moves the cavities so as to be contiguous with the pilot boss bore and open to the pilot boss bore in order to receive the indexing features, which are contiguous with the pilot boss.
Conclusion
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 ANDREW NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-5063. The examiner can normally be reached 8 am - 4 pm, Monday-Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Devon Kramer can be reached on 571-272-7118. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANDREW H NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3741
Prosecution Insights