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 . 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.
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, 4, 5 and 7 are being rejected under 35 U.S.C 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 5577859 A (Nau)
Regarding Claim 1 Nau discloses a quick-release coupling device for optical equipment (wherein the device is capable of coupling to optical equipment) comprising: -
a male element 1 and a female element 6 which can be coupled in engagement with one another, said male element including a cylindrical body which has a circumferential groove 4 and said female element comprising a sleeve body which defines an engagement seat (angled portion between 27 and 10 in Fig. 4) that extends along an axial direction of the sleeve body and is provided to house said cylindrical body in a coupled manner, a plurality of retaining members 21 which are guided radially in respective seats 13 of the sleeve body and selectively project into said engagement seat in order to engage said circumferential groove so as to hold said male and female elements in a mutually coupled manner when engaged one inside the other, a collar 18 which is guided axially on the outside of the sleeve body and has, for each retaining member, a respective slider (indented portion in fig 1 near element 25) which is inclined with respect to said axial direction, so as to move the corresponding retaining member radially in the engagement seat as a result of a movement of the collar and/or of the corresponding slider along said axial direction and at least one springing member 23 which resiliently urges said collar towards a position such that said sliders move the respective retaining members inside said engagement seat (Figures 1-4).
Regarding Claim 4 Nau discloses
The device according to claim 1, wherein a flange (Cup-shaped closure member 14) is housed in said engagement seat (inside of the sleeve 6 / second sleeve portion 12),
said flange is slidable along said axial direction between a first position in which [[it]] said flange closes the seats 13 of the retaining members 21, thereby preventing [[them]] the retaining members from projecting into the engagement seat,
and a second position in which [[it]] said flange opens said seats, thereby releasing the retaining members (Figures 1-3)).
Regarding Claim 5 Nau discloses
The device according to claim 4, wherein said flange (Cup- shaped closure member 14) is resiliently urged into said first position and is moved into said second position when axially pushed by said cylindrical body as a result of [[it]] said flange being inserted into said engagement seat (end surface 3 of the shaft 1 abutting and axially displacing the closure member 14 against the biasing force of the spring 15) (Figures 1-3)
Regarding Claim 7 Nau discloses
The device according to claim 1, wherein said circumferential groove 4 and said retaining members 21 are shaped such that the radial thrust of the retaining members against the circumferential groove determines a thrust of the cylindrical body towards an interior of the engagement seat (radial force applied by bushing 18 pushing the locking balls 21 radially inward into the groove 4 securely wedges and retains the shaft in the sleeve) (Figure 2-3).
Claims 1, 4, and 5 are being rejected under 35 U.S.C 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 5522669 A (Recker)
Regarding Claim 1 Recker discloses a quick-release coupling device for optical equipment comprising (wherein the device is capable of coupling to optical equipment): -
a male element 10 and a female element 12 which can be coupled in engagement with one another, said male element including a cylindrical body which has a circumferential groove 24 and said female element comprising a sleeve body which defines an engagement seat (internally splined opening in the element 12) that extends along an axial direction of the sleeve body and is provided to house said cylindrical body in a coupled manner, a plurality of retaining members 22 which are guided radially in respective seats 23 of the sleeve body and selectively project into said engagement seat in order to engage said circumferential groove so as to hold said male and female elements in a mutually coupled manner when engaged one inside the other, a collar 32 which is guided axially on the outside of the sleeve body and has, for each retaining member, a respective slider which is inclined with respect to said axial direction, so as to move the corresponding retaining member radially in the engagement seat as a result of a movement of the collar and/or of the corresponding slider (forward shoulder/ramp surface 63) along said axial direction and at least one springing member 29 which resiliently urges said collar towards a position such that said sliders move the respective retaining members inside said engagement seat (Figures 1-8).
Regarding Claim 4 Recker discloses
The device according to claim 1, wherein a flange (cup-shaped follower 41) is housed in said engagement seat (inner bore 27 of element 12),
said flange is slidable along said axial direction between a first position in which [[it]] said flange closes the seats 23 of the retaining members 22, thereby preventing [[them]] the retaining members from projecting into the engagement seat, and a second position in which [[it]] said flange opens said seats, thereby releasing the retaining members (Figures 2 and 4).
Regarding Claim 5 Recker discloses
The device according to claim 4, wherein said flange is resiliently urged into said first position (follower spring 41) and is moved into said second position when axially pushed by said cylindrical body as a result of [[it]] said flange being inserted into said engagement seat (rear face 66 pf the shaft 10 abutting and axially displacing the base 42 of the follower 41 against the force of the follower spring 46) (Figures 2 and 4))
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.
Claims 2 and 3 are being rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over US 5577859 A (Nau) in view of US 3165340 A (Kuehl et al.)
Regarding Claim 2 Nau discloses the device according to claim 1, but fails to disclose wherein a ring nut which can rotate about said axial direction is mounted on said collar, and cam means are arranged between said ring nut and said collar for rotating said ring nut about said axial direction as a result of the axial movement of the collar and vice versa.
However Kuehl et al. teaches wherein a ring nut which can rotate about said axial direction is mounted on said collar, and cam means are arranged between said ring nut and said collar for rotating said ring nut about said axial direction as a result of the axial movement of the collar and vice versa ( Figure 3 element 232 is the helical grooves which addresses the cam means and element 3 is the locking ring which addresses the ring nut); the twistable ring nut locking the device with a twisting motion, rotation of the twistable ring nut causing axial movement of the collar, so as to provide for more secure locking of the device.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to modify the sliding collar disclosed by Nau to comprise a twistable ring nut, as taught by Kuehl et al. in order to more secularly lock the device with a twisting motion.
Regarding Claim 3, Nau as modified by Kuehl et al. discloses a device wherein said cam means comprise (122; Kuehl Figures 1-8) at least one pin fixed to one of the ring nut and the collar, said at least one pin being slidingly engaged inside respective grooves made on the other of the ring nut and the collar, and wherein said respective grooves have a variable inclination with respect to the axial direction.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to modify the cam means of Nau' and Kuehl aet al.'s combined invention with at least one pin slidingly engaged inside the respective grooves as taught by Kuehl et al. so that rotational motion can be smoothly converted into the axial movement. Further, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to make the grooves have variable inclination with respect to the axial direction. Adjusting the slope or angle of grooves to control movement or force is a routine design choice.
Claims 8 and 9 are being rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over US 5577859 A (Nau).
Regarding Claim 8 Nau discloses the device according to, claim 1, but fails to disclose said retaining members comprise three rollers arranged equiangularly at to one another.
Applicant is reminded that duplicating the components of a prior art device, wherein there is no structural or functional significance as to the specific number of an element disclosed, is a design consideration within the skill of the art. In re Harza, 274 F.2d 669, 124 USPQ 378 (CCPA 1960).It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the plurality of locking balls and corresponding holes disclosed by Nau wherein the device utilizes exactly three retaining members arranged equiangularly at 120 degrees to one another as Nau does not disclose any structural or functional significance as to the specific number of locking balls required to engage the annular groove and such practice is a design consideration with the skill of the art which would yield expected and predictable results of evenly balancing the radial gripping forces to self-center and securely hold the male shaft in a place without backlash.
Regarding Claim 9 Nau The device according to claim 8, wherein each of said rollers is housed at [[the]] opposing axial ends in respective seats made in said sleeve body (Figure 1 element 19 holes and element 12 the second sleeve portion which addressed the respective seats made in the sleeve body), between said seats a groove is made, within said groove the relevant slider of the collar is housed and guided (Figure 1 element 18 is the collar and it has a groove between the seats).
Claim 6 is being rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over US 5522669 A (Recker) in view of US 11578746 B2 (Stuut).
Regarding Claim 6 Recker discloses a cylindrical body having axially opposed ends, and a circumferential groove located proximate to the insertion end but fails to disclose a support plate provided at the first end having a perimeter edge with a conical profile tapered towards the second end.
However, Stuut teaches a support plate for said optical equipment being provided at said first end (Figure 4 element 20 acts as the cylindrical body having axially opposed ends and Figure 7 element 18 acts as the support plate at the first end for mounting external equipment) , said support plate has a perimeter edge with a conical profile tapered towards said second end, and said circumferential groove being of formed proximate to said second end( Figure 4 element 42 is the perimeter edge which has element 44 acting as a conical profile taper towards the insertion end wedge into the hole element 43 and Figure 4 element 38 is the groove formed proximate to the second end).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the flat outer end of the male shaft of Recker to include a support plate with a conical perimeter edge, as taught by Stuut, to ensure that the mounted equipment automatically aligns itself and sits tightly without wobbling as the locking mechanism pulls the plug inward.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALMUTASIM HEZAM AIYASH whose telephone number is (571)272-6104. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30AM-5PM.
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/A.H.A./Examiner, Art Unit 3678
/AMBER R ANDERSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3678