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
Applicants’ election of species I, (claims 1-6 and 11-13) in the reply filed on 07/16/2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Claims 7-10 and 14 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 07/16/2026.
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) 1, 3, 11 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Senneff et al. (US – 2018/0142752).
As per claim 1, Senneff discloses Vibration Isolator comprising:
a joint opening having a first centerline (A4, Fig: 2A-2C);
a first sleeve (30, Fig: 2A-2C) receivable in said joint opening, said first sleeve having a second centerline (A1, Fig: 2A-2C); and
a second sleeve (44, Fig: 2A-2C) locatable within said first sleeve (Fig: 3);
wherein, upon rotation at the vehicle joint and bushing assembly between a first rotational position and a second rotational position, a retention centerline of a retention member (94, Fig: 3) locatable within said second sleeve is moveable with respect to said first centerline of said joint opening and with respect to said second centerline of said first sleeve ([0060], Fig: 2A-3).
As per claim 3, Senneff discloses wherein said second sleeve (44, Fig: 2A-3) has a passage (52) establishing an axis (A2, Fig: 2A-4), said axis processing an offset arrangement with respect to said first centerline of said joint opening (A4, Fig: 2B-2C) and with respect to said second centerline of said first sleeve (A1, Fig: 2B-2C) when in the first and second rotational positions, the retention centerline of the retention member (center line of 94, Fig: 3) possessing a coincident arrangement with respect to said axis (depending of the rotational position of the sleeves it may be offset relative to A4).
As per claim 11, Senneff discloses Vibration Isolator comprising:
a joint opening having a centerline (A4, Fig: 2A-2C);
at least one sleeve locatable in said joint opening (30, 44, Fig: 2A-2C); and
a retention member (94, Fig: 3) supported via said at least one sleeve (Fig: 3), said retention member moveable to off-center positions with respect to said centerline of said joint opening upon rotation at the vehicle joint and bushing assembly ([0060], Fig: 2A-3).
As per claim 12, Senneff discloses wherein said at least one sleeve includes a first sleeve (30, Fig: 2A-2C) and a second sleeve (44, Fig: 2A-2C) locatable within said first sleeve, said second sleeve establishing a passage (44, Fig: 2A-2C), said retention member (94, Fig: 3) moveable via said passage to off-center positions with respect to said centerline of said joint opening upon rotation at the vehicle joint and bushing assembly ([0060], fig: 2A-3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 4-6 and 13 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.
Prior art fails to disclose said joint opening having a plurality of first indexing constructions and said first sleeve having a plurality of second indexing constructions, said plurality of first and second indexing constructions mating with one another when said first and second sleeves are in the first and second rotational positions (Claim 2), the retention centerline of the retention member possessing a coincident arrangement with respect to said axis (Claim 3), wherein said joint opening has a plurality of first indexing constructions and said first sleeve has a plurality of second indexing constructions, said plurality of first and second indexing constructions being complementary to each other; and
wherein rotation between the first and second rotational positions is rotation of said first and second sleeves with respect to said joint opening, in the first rotational position said plurality of first and second indexing constructions mate with one another and the retention centerline of the retention member possesses a first eccentric arrangement with respect to said first and second centerlines, and in the second rotational position said plurality of first and second indexing constructions mate with one another and the retention centerline of the retention member possesses a second eccentric arrangement with respect to said first and second centerlines (Claim 4), a third sleeve locatable within said second sleeve, said third sleeve receiving insertion of the retention member, and wherein, upon insertion of the retention member in said third sleeve, the retention centerline of the retention member possesses a first eccentric arrangement with respect to said first and second centerlines in the first rotational position, and the retention centerline of the retention member possesses a second eccentric arrangement with respect to said first and second centerlines in the second rotational position (Claim ), wherein said second sleeve has a passage that receives insertion of said third sleeve, said passage possessing an offset arrangement with respect to said first and second centerlines (Claim 6), and said joint opening has a plurality of first indexing constructions and said at least one sleeve has a plurality of second indexing constructions, the retention member is supported via a passage of said at least one sleeve, said passage possessing an eccentric arrangement with respect to said centerline of said joint opening, said plurality of first and second indexing constructions mate with one another upon rotation of said at least one sleeve with respect to said joint opening and upon said retention member moveable to the off-center positions via said passage with respect to said centerline of said joint opening (Claim 13).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
A: James J. Damon (US – 3,572,677),
B: MLECZKO et al. (US – 2020/0254842 A1),
C: Hoyer et al. (US – 2020/0130449 A1),
D: Grim (US – 2015/0273967 A1),
E: Izquierdo Nunez et al. (US – 2005/0200096 A1), and
F: Katagiri et al. (US – 2004/0201196 A1).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SAN M AUNG whose telephone number is (571)270-5792. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM.
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/SAN M AUNG/Examiner, Art Unit 3616
/DAVID R MORRIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616
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