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 Species 1 in the reply filed on 01/09/2026 is acknowledged. Claims 1, 3-6, 12, and 19-25 are examined. Claims 34-40 are withdrawn as such claims pertain to Species 3. Further, claims 2, 7-11, 13-18, 26-33, and 41-44 are canceled by the Applicant.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1, 3-6, 12, and 22-23 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "of an extendable and retractable hose" in line 1 and further recites of “a hose” in line 3. It is unclear whether the hose of line 1 is the same hose with respect to the hose recited in line 3 or if the hose in line 1 is an additional hose with respect to the hose recited in line 3. Due to the lack of clarity and ambiguity of the limitations found in lines 1 and 3, the metes and bounds of the limitations with respect to the hose(s) cannot be determined, which renders the claim indefinite.
The term "sufficient" found in claims 6, 12, and 22 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term "sufficient" is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. For example, with respect to claims 6, 12, and 22, it is unclear of the extent or degree of departure from the term “sufficient” with respect to the force required to move the powered roller to a first and/or second position since a definition of “sufficiently” with respect to the reaction force is not provided by the specification. Therein, the metes and bounds of the claim cannot be determined, which renders the claim indefinite.
Dependent claims are also rejected due to their dependency of a rejected independent claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 1 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The closest prior art of record is: Greene et al. (U.S. 6,792,646).
Regarding claim 1, Greene et al. discloses a vehicle (10) including an extendable and retractable hose (Col. 3, lines 65-67), the vehicle comprising:
a hose (20); and
a hose drive assembly (26/26h shown in Fig. 16A) configured for driving extension and retraction of the hose (Col. 3, lines 65-67), the hose drive assembly comprising:
a plurality of roller subassemblies (rollers 74, 75, 76 shown in Fig. 16A), at least one of the plurality of roller subassemblies comprising a powered roller (each roller 74-76 is connected to a motor 84, Col. 5, lines 28-30), said powered roller being adjustably mounted so that it is movable to a first position during extension of the hose and movable to a second position during retraction of the hose (i.e., during extension and retraction of the hose as discussed in Col. 3, lines 65-67, the rollers 74-76 move radially relative to the hose and are adjustable in a radial position with respect to the hose along slots 88 (as shown in Fig. 16A, Col. 5, lines 45-58), wherein the axle pin 77 of each roller 74-76 is biased toward the hose 20 by a spring 90, and therein to maintain proper bias force against the hose, the rollers are adjusted based on the contact surface of the hose as the hose is extended or retracted, Col. 5, lines 50-58).
Greene et al., however, fails to disclose or suggest wherein said powered roller (74-76) is configured to engage the hose so as to rotate the hose in a direction with the powered roller in said first position and to rotate the hose in the same direction with the powered roller in said second position. Greene et al. fails to disclose or suggest that the rollers (74-76) rotate the hose (20) as the hose is either extended or retracted.
Claim 19 is allowable with respect to the prior art of record.
The closest prior art of record is: Malmassari et al. (U.S. 10,759,324) and Greene et al. (U.S. 6,792,646).
Regarding claim 19, Malmassari et al. discloses a vehicle (100) comprising:
a boom assembly (200) comprising a conduit assembly (230) including a hose (234), the conduit assembly being secured to a telescopically extendable and retractable support assembly (telescopically extendable and retractable, Col. 7, lines 1-15; Col. 5, lines 50-67; retractable support assembly 207, Col. 6, lines 40-45).
Greene et al. further discloses a vehicle (10) comprising:
a boom assembly (18) comprising a conduit assembly (24) including a hose (20), and a hose drive assembly (26h, Fig. 16A) coupled to the conduit assembly (24) and configured for driving extension and retraction of said hose (Col. 3, lines 64-67), the hose drive assembly comprising: a support plate (24); and a plurality of roller subassemblies (74-76) mounted to the support plate (i.e., 24, as shown in Fig. 16A), each of the plurality of roller subassemblies (rollers 74-76) comprising: a bracket (i.e., brackets 78-80) connecting the respective roller subassembly to said support plate (as shown in Fig. 16A), the bracket including a shaped opening (i.e., opening for pin 77 as shown in Fig. 17); and a powered roller connected to a drive shaft of a motor (each roller 74-76 is connected to a motor 84, Col. 5, lines 28-30), the powered roller being adjustably mounted to said bracket via said shaped opening (i.e., the rollers 74-76 are adjustably mounted via a biasing force applied by springs 90 to obtain proper bias force against the hose 20, Col. 5, lines 45-58).
However, Greene et al. and Malmassari et al. each fail to disclose or suggest that the powered roller is pivotably mounted to a pivot connected to the bracket.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERIC J ZAMORA ALVAREZ whose telephone number is (571)272-7928. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30 am- 5:00 pm EST alternating Fridays off.
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/ERIC J ZAMORA ALVAREZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745 02/24/2026