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 .
This is the First Office Action on the merits of Application No. 18/441813, filed on 02/14/2024. Claims 1-20 are still pending in the application.
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, 10, 17 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Patent No. 4,390,080 to Bushnell (henceforth referred to as Bushnell).
Regarding claims 1-3, Bushnell discloses a lift device (i.e. Fig. 1), comprising:
a base (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 20);
a mast assembly (i.e. Fig. 4, ref. 30, 31, 32) coupled to the base;
a platform assembly (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 26) pivotally coupled to the mast assembly (i.e. Fig. 3, dotted line – solid line of 74);
a guardrail assembly (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 74) pivotally coupled to the mast assembly (i.e. Fig. 3, dotted line – solid line of 74); and
an outrigger assembly (i.e. Fig. 2) including:
a front outrigger leg (i.e. See Mark up of Fig. 2) pivotally coupled (i.e. Fig. 2, dotted line – solid line of ref. 58) to a side of the base and including a front foot (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 60);
a rear outrigger leg (i.e. See Mark up of Fig. 2) pivotally coupled (i.e. Fig. 2, dotted line – solid line of ref. 72) the side of the base and including a rear foot (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 61), wherein the front outrigger leg and the rear outrigger leg are both pivotally movable between a deployed position where the front foot and the rear foot engage a ground (i.e. Fig. 2 when legs, ref. 58, are extended and the feet, ref. 61, 60 engage the ground) and a stowed position (i.e. Column 4, lines 49-50: “when the tower 22 is in the lowered position and the outrigger arms 58 are fully retracted”) where the front foot and the rear foot are pivoted away from the ground; and
a locking assembly (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 56, 70, 68) configured to selectively lock the front outrigger leg in the deployed position, wherein the front outrigger leg is locked in the deployed position, wherein when the front outrigger leg is locked in the deployed position by the locking assembly, the rear outrigger leg is prevented from pivoting from the deployed position to the stowed position (i.e. Mark up of Fig. 2, both front and rear legs are locked, thus both are prevented from engaging the stowed position).
Wherein the locking assembly includes a locking slot formed in the front outrigger leg and an outrigger bar (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 70) extending through the base (i.e. column 5, lines 6-7: “locking pins 70 on the sleeves 56” wherein sleeves 56 are part of the base, ref. 20).
Wherein when the front outrigger leg is in the deployed position, an end of the outrigger bar is received within the locking slot so that the front outrigger leg is locked in the deployed position and prevented from pivoting to the stowed position (i.e. Column 5, lines 5-7: “outrigger arms are locked in forwardly extended diverging position by the locking pins 70”).
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Regarding claim 10, Bushnell discloses a lift device (i.e. Fig. 1), comprising:
a base (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 20);
a mast assembly (i.e. Fig. 4, ref. 30, 31, 32) coupled to the base;
a platform assembly (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 26) pivotally coupled to the mast assembly (i.e. Fig. 3, dotted line – solid line of 74);
a guardrail assembly (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 74) pivotally coupled to the mast assembly (i.e. Fig. 3, dotted line – solid line of 74); and
an outrigger assembly (i.e. Fig. 2) including:
a front outrigger leg (i.e. See Mark up of Fig. 2) pivotally coupled (i.e. Fig. 2, dotted line – solid line of ref. 58) to a side of the base and including a front foot (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 60);
a rear outrigger leg (i.e. See Mark up of Fig. 2) pivotally coupled (i.e. Fig. 2, dotted line – solid line of ref. 72) the side of the base and including a rear foot (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 61), wherein the front outrigger leg and the rear outrigger leg are both pivotally movable between a deployed position where the front foot and the rear foot engage a ground (i.e. Fig. 2 when legs, ref. 58, are extended and the feet, ref. 61, 60 engage the ground) and a stowed position (i.e. Column 4, lines 49-50: “when the tower 22 is in the lowered position and the outrigger arms 58 are fully retracted”) where the front foot and the rear foot are pivoted away from the ground; and
a locking assembly (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 56, 70, 68) including:
a locking slot (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 71) formed in the front outrigger leg; and
an outrigger bar (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 70) extending through the base,
wherein when the front outrigger leg is in the deployed position, an end of the outrigger bar is received within the locking slot so that the front outrigger leg is locked in the deployed position and prevented from pivoting to the stowed position (i.e. Column 5, lines 5-7: “outrigger arms are locked in forwardly extended diverging position by the locking pins 70”).
Regarding claims 17 and 20, Bushnell discloses a lift device (i.e. Fig. 1), comprising:
a base (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 20);
a mast assembly (i.e. Fig. 4, ref. 30, 31, 32) coupled to the base;
a platform assembly (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 26) pivotally coupled to the mast assembly (i.e. Fig. 3, dotted line – solid line of 74);
a guardrail assembly (i.e. Fig. 3, ref. 74) pivotally coupled to the mast assembly (i.e. Fig. 3, dotted line – solid line of 74); and
an outrigger assembly (i.e. Fig. 2) including:
a front outrigger leg (i.e. See Mark up of Fig. 2) pivotally coupled (i.e. Fig. 2, dotted line – solid line of ref. 58) to a side of the base and including a front foot (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 60);
a rear outrigger leg (i.e. See Mark up of Fig. 2) pivotally coupled (i.e. Fig. 2, dotted line – solid line of ref. 72) the side of the base and including a rear foot (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 61), wherein the front outrigger leg and the rear outrigger leg are both pivotally movable between a deployed position where the front foot and the rear foot engage a ground (i.e. Fig. 2 when legs, ref. 58, are extended and the feet, ref. 61, 60 engage the ground) and a stowed position (i.e. Column 4, lines 49-50: “when the tower 22 is in the lowered position and the outrigger arms 58 are fully retracted”) where the front foot and the rear foot are pivoted away from the ground; and
wherein the front outrigger leg is pivotally coupled to the side of the base at a first outrigger pivot axis (i.e. Column 5, lines 1-3: the sleeves can be swung outwardly on the pivot bolts.. until they engage the outer extends of the retaining brackets”), and the rear outrigger leg is pivotally coupled to the side of the base at a second outrigger pivot axis that is spaced from the first outrigger pivot axis (i.e. See Mark up of Fig. 2, front and rear leg are spaced apart and both are pivotable).
Further comprising a locking assembly (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 56, 70, 68) configured to selectively lock the front outrigger leg in the deployed position, wherein when the front outrigger leg is locked in the deployed position by the locking assembly, the rear outrigger leg is prevented from pivoting from the deployed position to the stowed position (i.e. Mark up of Fig. 2, both front and rear legs are locked, thus both are prevented from engaging the stowed position).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-9, 11-16, 18-19 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.
US Patent No. 4,061,237 to Austin et al teaches a mast assembly with a lockable and pivotable front and rear leg but does not teach pivotable platform and guard assembly;
US Patent No. 5,174,415 to Neagle et al teaches a mast assembly with a lockable front leg and a rear leg but does not teach a pivotable platform and guard assembly;
US Patent No. 4,015,686 to Bushnell teaches a mast assembly with pivotable front legs but does not teach a pivotable platform and guard assembly.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DIEM M TRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7825. The examiner can normally be reached M 9-5, W-F 10-2.
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/DIEM M TRAN/Examiner, Art Unit 3654