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 § 112
Claims 3 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The following claims are vague, indefinite, awkwardly confusingly worded and lacking proper antecedent basis:
“Hirth couplings” in claim 3. This is indefinite because what is a hirth coupling and is this term a possible Trademark. The claim is indefinitie and question of the Trademark makes the claim awkward.
“their” in claim 5. The term is a narrative term which refers to people and not objects. Please positively recite the limitation with the proper antecedent basis.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Claim(s) 1 and 4-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by Phillppe 8550442.
Phillppe discloses the claimed invention as recited in the claims as shown below:
1. A clamping device, comprising:
a base 103b comprising a ramp 104 & 105 with a ramp shaped to contain a sphere, a tightening device 109 with a spherical contact surface This is the bottom of 109 which is sphere or the head, and a
first locating feature This is the bottom of 109 which is sphere or the head being the top surface ; and
top-tooling 901 & 308 comprising a second locating feature and a swiveling pullstud 307;
wherein said swiveling pullstud is equipped with a spherical contact surface facilitating
sliding on a corresponding spherical surface integrated into the top-tooling, thereby
enabling rotation of the swiveling pullstud, and further featuring an additional spherical
surface designed to engage with the corresponding spherical surface of the tightening
device in the base;
wherein the tightening device is arranged for applying a force on the swiveling pullstud,
and motion of the tightening device effectuates clamping and locating of the top-tooling
onto the base by driving an angled surface of the pullstud into contact with the ramp of
the top-tooling.
4. The clamping device of claim 1 wherein the first locating feature and second locating
feature are flat planes, thereby locating the top tooling to the base in only 3 degrees of
freedom prior to tightening of the tightening device. See Fig.8 which a pivotable surface which has a plus or minus deflection which in herently include 3 degrees
5. The clamping device of claim 1 wherein the first locating feature and second locating
feature are one or more holes ( which is around 109) and their corresponding pins.
6. The clamping device of claim 1 wherein the said ramp is a spherical surface, with a
radius that is larger than or equal to the radius of the corresponding angled surface of
the pullstud. See Fig.4 and elements
7. The clamping device of claim 6 wherein the angled surface of the pullstud is spherical 107.
8. The clamping device of claim 1 wherein the tightening device is a threaded set screw 109 with a spherical contact surface.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 is 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 3 is rejected, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims after all the 112 rejections have been overcome.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The 892 form discloses prior art being made of record.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEE D WILSON whose telephone number is (571)272-4499. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH 6;30-4;30.
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LEE D. WILSON
Examiner
Art Unit 3723
Ldw
/LEE D WILSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723 September 18, 2025