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 III in the reply filed on July 9, 2026 is acknowledged. Claims 1-12 and 23-28 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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.
Claim(s) 43-45, 54 and 59 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Goss US 2009/0134554.
Goss discloses a transmission line conveying apparatus comprising: a transmission line drive assembly (15) configured to apply a first component of a motive force to a transmission line (12); an air block (200) configured to apply a second component of the motive force to the transmission line using pressurized air (¶0067); a load cell (60) configured to measure the first component of the motive force and convert a force into an electrical signal; and a local controller connected to the load cell and to the transmission line drive assembly, the local controller being configured to receive the electrical signal from the load cell and adjust an operation parameter of the transmission line drive assembly based on the signal from the load cell (¶0054 and ¶0059).
As for claim 44, Goss discloses wherein the load cell comprises: a load cell body (60); a first connector (connection point connected to frame 42, ¶0054); a second connector (connection point connected to base 17, ¶0054); an output port (not shown but transmit signal to readout display 95, ¶0058); and an output cable (connected to readout display 95, ¶0058).
As for claim 45, Goss discloses wherein the load cell includes an output cable (connected to readout display 95, ¶0058). configured to transmit the signal to the local controller (¶0059).
As for claim 54, Goss discloses a method of operating a transmission line conveying apparatus including a transmission line drive assembly (15), an air block (200), a mount frame (42), a load cell (60) secured between the transmission line drive assembly and the air block, and a local controller (¶0058-59), the method comprising: measuring, by the load cell, a first component of a motive force applied to a transmission line by engagement between the transmission line drive assembly and the transmission line (¶0054 and ¶0058); determining, by the local controller, that the first component of the motive force satisfies a threshold condition; and adjusting, by the local controller, an operation parameter of the transmission line drive assembly based on the measured first component of the motive force (¶0054 and ¶0058-59).
As for claim 59, Goss discloses wherein measuring the first component comprises measuring tension, compression, pressure, or torque (reactive load, ¶0052) of the load cell.
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) 46 and 60 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goss US 2009/0134554 in view of Johnson et al. US 5391844.
As for claim 46, Goss discloses a load cell but does not specify the type of signal transduced (electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic or mechanical) from the force measured by the loadcell. However, the use of a load cell capable of transducing an electrical signal into a voltage signal or a current signal is well known in the art as evidence by Johnson who teaches a load cell (20) having a sensing means (52) wherein the sensing means is influenced by the force either of compression or tension and transduces this force into an electrical signal which is sent to a circuit for evaluation (col. 9, lines 38-50). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to modify the load cell of Goss to transduce the reactive force measured into an electrical signal such as a current or voltage as taught by Johnson in order to provide a signal to the readout display.
As for claim 60, the modified Goss teaches wherein measuring the first component comprises converting a force applied to the load cell into an electrical signal (as taught by Johnson).
Claim(s) 47-50 and 55-58 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goss US 2009/0134554.
As for claims 47-50 and 55-58, Goss discloses wherein the apparatus can be controlled for control of lineal speed and pushing force (¶0059) and provided with a control panel (90) for controlling and monitoring the operation of the apparatus (¶0058) and adjusted by pneumatic controls (98) and pressure gauges (99) thus providing an expected range capable of being configured by an operator providing a minimum and maximum threshold in which the apparatus performs operations safely. It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to configure the local controller to (a) decrease the first component of the motive force when the measured first component is equal to or larger than a maximum motive force; (b) increase the first component of the motive force when the measured first component is equal to or lower than a minimum motive force; (c) adjusting the operation parameter by decreasing the first component of the motive force until the first component is below the maximum motive force; (d) adjusting the operation parameter by increasing the first component of the motive force until the first component is above the minimum motive force in order to properly operate the apparatus within safe thresholds.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 33-34 are allowed.
Claims 51-53 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the claims in the application are deemed to be directed to a nonobvious improvement over the prior art. The claims recite wherein the load cell has a first connector secured to the air block and a second connector secured to the transmission line drive assembly. The prior art of Goss teaches a load cell (60) connected (second connector) to the base (17) and frame (42) but does not specify a first connector secured to the air block (200).
The claims further recite wherein the air block is fixed to the mount frame and the transmission line drive assembly is slidably mounted to the mount frame; and a local controller, the local controller being connected to an output port of the load cell to receive the measured first component of the motive force, the local controller being connected to the transmission line drive assembly to adjust operation parameters of the transmission line drive assembly to adjust the first component of the motive force, based on the measured first component of the motive force. The prior art of Goss teaches wherein the transmission line drive assembly is slidably mounted (via 42) on the mount frame (17); however, the air block (200) is separate from the mount frame (see figs. 10 and 15).
The claims also recite wherein the load cell, the local controller, and the transmission line drive assembly provide a negative feedback loop to regulate the first component of the motive force; the negative feedback loop improves smoothness and stability of advancement of the transmission line; and the negative feedback loop reduces potential buckling of the transmission line. The prior art of record fails to disclose, teach or suggest alone or in combination the claimed negative feedback loop. For the above reasons the claims overcome the prior art of record.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TYRONE V HALL JR whose telephone number is (571)270-5948. The examiner can normally be reached Mon.-Fri. 7:30am-3:30pm.
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/TYRONE V HALL JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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