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 § 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) 1-5, 8-15, 18 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2008/0196987 A1 to Niwa.
Re-claim 1, Niwa discloses a bush, comprising: a side stopper portion 30 comprising a first shock absorbing portion 32; a main body portion comprises a second shock absorbing portion 26, the first shock absorbing portion and the second shock absorbing portion are discontinuous (i.e. separate elements); a housing portion 12 couples the side stopper portion 30 to the main body portion.
Re-claim 2, a material of the first shock absorbing portion 30 and a material of the second shock absorbing portion have different properties.
Re-claim 3, the side stopper portion 30 comprises an upper plate 32 and a lower plate 12D, the first shock absorbing portion is disposed between the upper plate and the lower plate, see figure 3.
Re-claim 4, the main body portion comprises an inner pipe 22 protruding from a first end, a protrusion (such as a narrowed portion) of the inner pipe is inserted into the side stopper portion 30, see figure 3.
Re-claim 5, an end of the protrusion of the inner pipe 22 is in contact with the upper plate 32.
Re-claim 8, the main body portion further comprises a third shock absorbing portion 30(10) protrudes from a side of the main body portion opposite the side stopper portion. The lower part of the bush has the third shock absorbing portion.
Re-claim 9, a third protrusion has an embossing structure, see pre-contact portions 32.
Re-claim 10, Niwa discloses a bush comprising: a side stopper portion 30 comprising an upper plate 32 and a lower plate 12D; a main body portion comprising an inner pipe 22 and an outer pipe 24; a housing portion 12 couples the side stopper portion to the main body portion, the side stopper portion and the main body portion are coupled such that relative rotation is prevented. The elastomeric material 26 connects in a fixed manner the inner cylinder 22 and outer cylinder 24, as well as housing 12, which is fixed non-rotatably to stopper portion 30 through connection features shown in figure 3. These include projections from 34 and passages in 12D.
Re-claim 11, the side stopper portion comprises a first shock absorbing portion 32 disposed between the upper plate and the lower plate.
Re-claim 12, the main body portion comprises a second shock absorbing portion 26 disposed between the inner pipe 22 and the outer pipe 24.
Re-claim 13, the first shock absorbing portion and the second shock absorbing portion are formed of materials having different properties.
Re-claim 14, the lower plate is coupled to a first end of the outer pipe, see figure 3.
Re-claim 15, the lower plate 12D comprises an indented portion (passages receiving a portion of the first shock absorbing material 32, see figure 3) disposed along a circumferential surface.
Re-claim 18, the main body portion further comprises a third shock absorbing portion (lower portion 30 adjacent plate 16) protruding from a side of the main body portion opposite the side stopper portion.
Re-claim 19, the third shock absorbing portion further comprises a third protrusion 32 having an embossing structure.
Claim(s) 1-6, 8, 10-15 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 5,181,784 to Jordens et al.
Re-claim 1, Jordens et al. disclose a bush, comprising: a side stopper portion 11 comprising a first shock absorbing portion 11; a main body portion comprises a second shock absorbing portion 3, the first shock absorbing portion and the second shock absorbing portion are discontinuous (i.e. separate elements); a housing portion 4 couples the side stopper portion 30 to the main body portion.
Re-claim 2, a material of the first shock absorbing portion 11 and a material of the second shock absorbing portion 3 have different properties, see column 2 lines 33-37.
Re-claim 3, the side stopper portion 11 comprises an upper plate 10 and a lower plate 12, the first shock absorbing portion 11 is disposed between the upper plate and the lower plate, see figure 1.
Re-claim 4, the main body portion comprises an inner pipe 1 protruding from a first end, a protrusion 7 of the inner pipe is inserted into the side stopper portion, see figure 1.
Re-claim 5, an end of the protrusion 7 of the inner pipe 1 is in contact with the upper plate 9.
Re-claim 6, the upper plate 9 further comprises a first protrusion 15 protruding toward the first shock absorbing portion.
Re-claim 8, the main body portion further comprises a third shock absorbing portion 6 protruding from a side of the main body portion opposite the side stopper portion.
Re-claim 10, Jordens et al. disclose a bush comprising: a side stopper portion 11 comprising an upper plate 10 and a lower plate 12; a main body portion comprising an inner pipe 1 (or 2) and an outer pipe 2 (outer relative to inner pipe 1) or pipe 4; a housing portion (the widened portion of pipe 4) couples the side stopper portion to the main body portion (connection between 12 and widened portion of 4), the side stopper portion and the main body portion are coupled such that relative rotation is prevented. Rotation between the side stopper portion and main body portion is prevented, as the elastomeric body is non-rotatably attached to pipe 2 and 4.
Re-claim 11, the side stopper portion comprises a first shock absorbing portion 11 disposed between the upper plate 10 and the lower plate 12.
Re-claim 12, the main body portion comprises a second shock absorbing portion 3 disposed between the inner pipe 2 and the outer pipe 4.
Re-claim 13, the first shock absorbing portion 11 and the second shock absorbing portion 3 are formed of materials with different properties, see column 2 lines 33-37.
Re-claim 14, the lower plate 12 is coupled to a first end of the outer pipe 4.
Re-claim 15, the lower plate 12 comprises an indented portion (such as downward flange) disposed along a circumferential surface.
Re-claim 18, the main body portion further comprises a third shock absorbing portion 6 protruding from a side of the main body portion opposite the side stopper portion.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 20 is allowed.
Claims 7, 16 and 17 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Paine teaches a protrusion and indented connection feature. Deschaume, Wagener, Hayashi, Purreiter, Hyodo and JP ‘169 each teach a bush with a first shock absorbing portion separate from a second shock absorbing portion.
Any inquiries concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Thomas Williams whose telephone number is 571-272-7128. The examiner can normally be reached on Tuesday-Friday from 6:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Robert Siconolfi, can be reached at 571-272-7124. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the receptionist whose telephone number is 571-272-6584.
TJW
March 5, 2026
/THOMAS J WILLIAMS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616
Prosecution Insights