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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because the sleeve (12) is of ambiguous form in Fig. 1 from the initial state on the left to the final state on the right. Furthermore, Fig. 1 should bracket both views of the part or they should be labeled separately. The drawings are also objected to because the form of the ring-like bead (60) cannot not be determined by Fig. 5. The ring-like bead should be included in Fig. 1. New corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in this application. Applicant is advised to employ the services of a competent patent draftsperson outside the Office, as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office no longer prepares new drawings. The corrected drawings are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The requirement for corrected drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding paragraph [0020] in the specification, a reference to a “protrusion” is made. The protrusion is not labeled in any figure. The Examiner will interpret protrusion to mean projection so that another drawing objection is avoided.
Claim Objections
Claim 14 objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 14 reads, “wherein the at least tool”. Claim 14 depends on claim 13 which reads, “at least one tool”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 16 reads, “The method according to claim 15, wherein the at least one sealing ring is a two-component mixture which is formed into a ring-shaped bead before the blind rivet is inserted and placed onto the blind rivet”. The blind rivet being inserted onto the blind rivet appears to be a typo and is therefore objected to until further clarification is made.
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 1-8, 10-11, 13, 15, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hufnagl et al. US 20140044498 A1 (hereinafter Hufnagl) in view of Stevenson et al. US 2005/0019131 A1 (hereinafter Stevenson).
Regarding claim 1, Hufnagl teaches a blind rivet (blind fastener 10) for connecting workpieces (24a, 24b), the blind rivet comprising:
a hollow, deformable rivet body (cylindrical sleeve 14) with a bearing collar (sleeve head 46) and a sleeve (elongated body of sleeve 38) attached thereto;
a rivet mandrel (core bolt 12) arranged in the sleeve and extending through the bearing collar (Fig 2), having a tool holder head (second head 32),
Hufnagl fails to teach a sealing ring but Stevenson shows a sealing ring is well known in the art.
Stevenson teaches the sealing ring (sealing ring, Spec [0012]),
wherein the at least one sealing ring is arranged between the bearing collar (Hufnagl 46) and the tool holder head (Hufnagl 32);
wherein the at least one sealing ring is made of a curable and not fully cured sealing material (sealing adhesive, Stevenson, Spec [0031]; suitable adhesives, Stevenson, Spec [0013]);
wherein the at least one sealing ring is arranged in such a manner that during contraction of the blind rivet it is pressed axially towards the bearing collar by a tool that is configured to be connected to the tool holder head (Hufnagl Spec [0020]) or by a section of the rivet mandrel, and,
wherein the at least one sealing ring is configured to flow radially and axially into gaps and spaces (Stevenson Spec [0009]) on the bearing collar and between the bearing collar and the workpieces while the sealing ring is compressed (Stevenson Spec [0012]), and to adhere there.
Hufnagl shows the claimed rivet structure. Stevenson shows a blind rivet with a flowing sealing agent. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the sealing adhesive of Stevenson on the device of Hufnagl in order to seal the rivet against leakage (Stevenson Spec [0032]).
2. Regarding claim 2, Hufnagel in view of Stevenson teaches the blind rivet according to claim 1, Hufnagl further teaches wherein the rivet mandrel comprises an external thread (threaded portion of the shank 28) at an end (second end of shank 20) facing away from the tool holder head, wherein the external thread corresponds to an internal thread (internal threaded portion of shank 50) in the sleeve, and wherein the tool holder head, has a first profile (splines or threads 34) to transfer rotation from the tool to the rivet mandrel, which first profile corresponds to a second profile of a tool (installation tool , Hufnagl Spec [0015]).
3. Regarding claim 3, Hufnagel in view of Stevenson teaches the blind rivet according to claim 1, wherein the rivet mandrel has a circumferential collar (first head of elongated shank 18) that rests on the bearing collar (sleeve head 46) of the rivet body.
4. Regarding claim 4, Hufnagel in view of Stevenson teaches that, the blind rivet according to claim 3, wherein the combination further teaches the at least one sealing ring (Stevenson Spec [0012]) is arranged between the circumferential collar (Hufnagl 18) and the bearing collar (Hufnagl 46).
5. Regarding claim 5, Hufnagel in view of Stevenson teaches the blind rivet according to claim 3, wherein the at least one sealing ring (Stevenson Spec [0012]) is arranged between the tool holder head (Hufnagl 32) and the circumferential collar (Hufnagl 18). One skilled in the art would understand that once combined, the seal would be arranged between the tool holder and circumferential collar in order to prevent leakage as discussed in Stevenson and applied above in the rejection of claim 1.
6. Regarding claim 6, Hufnagl in view of Stevenson teaches the blind rivet according to claim 1, wherein the bearing collar (Hufnagl 46) has protrusions (Hufnagl, raised portions of 58) on a side facing away from the tool holder head (Hufnagl 32), said protrusions (Hufnagl, raised portions of 58) become wedged with the workpieces during the contraction of the blind rivet and preventing the rivet body from rotating (see figures).
7. Regarding claim 7, Hufnagl in view of Stevenson teaches the blind rivet according to claim 1, wherein the bearing collar (Hufnagl 46) has notches (Hufnagl 58) on a side of the bearing collar (Hufnagl 58) facing the tool holder head (Hufnagl 32), and wherein the at least one sealing ring (Stevenson Spec [0012]) is dimensioned such that the notches (Hufnagl 58) are filled with sealing material after the contraction of the blind rivet. In combination it is understood that the sealing ring of Stevenson would fill the notches.
8. Regarding claim 8, the blind rivet according to claim 1, wherein the tool holder head is free from acetyl alcohol. Hufnagl teaches the bulbed portion (61) is made of A-286 steel and the body portion (39) is made of Monel and therefore is free of alcohol.
10. Regarding claim 10, The blind rivet according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sealing ring is heat-curable, UV-curable, moisture-curing, or a combination thereof (Stevenson Spec [0004]).
11. Regarding claim 11, The blind rivet according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sealing ring (Stevenson Spec [0012]) is configured to be filled immediately following the contraction of the blind rivet (Stevenson Spec [0023]). One skilled in the art would understand that in combination the seal of Stevenson is configured to be (capable of) being filled after contraction of the rivet. Since the sealant works as an adhesive, the rivet would need to be in place and contracted before sealed with Stevenson.
13. Regarding claim 13, Hufnagl and Stevenson teach a system for producing sealed blind rivet connections, the system comprising: the blind rivet according to claim 1; and at least one tool configured to be connected to the tool holder head (Hufnagl Spec [0015]).
15. Regarding claim 15, Hufnagl and Stevenson teach a method for producing sealed blind rivet connections on workpieces, the method comprising the steps: creating a rivet hole in the workpieces; inserting the blind rivet according to claim 1 into the rivet hole; and contracting the rivet body using a tool while the at least one sealing ring is compressed (Stevenson Spec [0008]). One skilled in the art would understand the combination of Hufnagl and Stevenson teach the method steps as claimed with the device as applied above in claim 11. The work pieces 24a/b have holes for the rivet, the rivet is inserted and contracted by the tool therefor compressing the seal as taught by Stevenson.
Regarding claim 17, Hufnagl and Stevenson teach the method of claim 15. The examiner takes official notice that a fastener has to be removed from a sealed package before being applied to the workpiece. The examiner takes official notice asserting it is common knowledge that a seal is removed from packaging before use. See MPEP 2144.03 Reliance on Common Knowledge in the Art or “Well Known” Prior Art [R-01.20244].
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hufnagl et al. US 20140044498 A1 (hereinafter Hufnagl) and Stevenson US 2005/0019131 A1 (hereinafter Stevenson) and further in view of Legrand US 2013/0284343 A1 (hereinafter Legrand).
Regarding claim 14, Hufnagl in view of Legrand teaches the system according to claim 13, wherein the at least tool has a tool nose piece with a nose surface configured to be brought into contact with the at least one sealing ring and wherein the nose surface is coated with a release agent (Legrand Abstract). Legrand teaches a tool to be used with a rivet after applying adhesive to the workpiece and therefore must be free of adhesive. One of ordinary skill would understand that sealing rivets to a workpiece with a tool would require the tool to be free of the adhesive.
Claims 9 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hufnagl et al. US 20140044498 A1 (hereinafter Hufnagl) in view of Stevenson US 2005/0019131 A1 (hereinafter Stevenson) and further in view of Newton US 3772957 (hereinafter Newton).
9. Regarding claim 9, Hufnagl in view of Newton teaches the blind rivet according to claim 1, further comprising: a resin coating (Newton, Summary 7). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time of the invention to use a resin coating on a rivet since Newton teaches that a resin may be used for proper sealing of the rivet (Newton description of preferred embodiments, col 1, lines 14-29; claims 1-2 where resin is used as a sealant and coats the rivet).
12. Regarding claims 12, Hufnagl in view of Stevenson is silent to the sealing ring material but does state that any suitable adhesive can be used (0013). Newton shows a two-component mixture (column 1, line 47). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to use the two-component mixture of Newton since Newton discloses that a two-part epoxy may be used with a self-sealing rivet (Newton abstract, also col 1, lines 46-48).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Brian P Fournet II whose telephone number is 571-272-9129. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 ET.
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/B.P.F./Examiner, Art Unit 3675 /KRISTINA R FULTON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3675