Information Disclosure Statement
The listing of references in the specification is not a proper information disclosure statement. 37 CFR 1.98(b) requires a list of all patents, publications, or other information submitted for consideration by the Office, and MPEP § 609.04(a) states, "the list may not be incorporated into the specification but must be submitted in a separate paper." Therefore, unless the references have been cited by the examiner on form PTO-892, they have not been considered.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because:
Figs. 5, 7 & 8 have solid black shading.
The drawings fil to show:
The polygonal cross section and configuration recited in claim 1.
The rod 1 is square as recited in claim 2.
An adjustable snap fit as recited in claim 3.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because it is not written in clear narrative form. It is instead a cut-and-paste from the claims. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Claim Objections
The claims are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.75(i) because elements of the claims are not separated by line indentation.
Claim 1 is objected to because:
At line 5, “the connection output (4.1, 4.1’)” should be changed to “the connection outputs (4.1, 4.1’)”.
At lines 5-6, “the rotation module (4, 4’)” should be changed to “the rotation modules (4, 4’)
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the enablement requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and/or use the invention. Claim 3 recites the limitation, “the connection output (5.2) of the first universal joint (5) is adjustable by snap fit of the transmission rod (1).” However, the specification fails to describe or suggest such a snap fit and thus fails to provide a working example of the claimed invention. As such, it would not be possible for one of ordinary skill in the art to make or use the claimed invention without undue experimentation. In making this determination the examiner affirms that he has considered the breadth of the claims;
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the nature of the invention;
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the state of the prior art;
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the level of one of ordinary skill;
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the level of predictability in the art;
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the amount of direction provided by the inventor; any
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existence of working examples; and the quantity of experimentation needed to make or use the invention based on the content of the disclosure.
Claims 1-5 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 lacks a transitional phrase. Without such, the scope of the claim is undefined. See MPEP § 2111.03.
Claim 1, lines 6 & 8 recites the limitation, “the universal joint”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim because neither of the previously recited universal joints is identified as “the universal joint”.
Claim 1, line 7-8, recites the limitation, “the other end of the universal joint”, It is unclear which end of which universal joint is this “other end”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Brissette, US 4,460,182. Brissette discloses a connection system (10) of a transmission rod (28, 30) that could be used for solar trackers with at least two rows of solar panels, the transmission rod:
connects a main rotation shaft (see “drive member” at col. 1, lines 13-14) with a motorized rotation module (see “power take off” at col. 1, line 12) to a driven shaft (see “driven member” at col. 1, line 14) with a rotation module (see “agricultural equipment” at col. 1, lines 8-9) without a motor;
said transmission rod being connectable to the rotation modules by means of universal joints (22, 18) that are fastened to the connection outputs of the rotation modules,
wherein a universal joint (18) has at one connection end (30) corresponding to the connection output of the rotation module, and another universal joint (22) corresponding to a tubular connection output (24) with square cross section (34) for connection to the transmission rod, the transmission rod correspondingly having a square configuration (28), and with a first end (28)) of the transmission rod longitudinally slidably (col. 3, lines 4-5) connectable to the connection output of a first universal joint (22) and with a second end (30) of the transmission rod fixedly connectable to the connection output (20) of a second universal joint (18).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claims 4 & 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brissette in view of Kisla, US 11,632,014. Brissette discloses a connection system (10) of a transmission rod (28, 30) comprising every limitation of the claims, but does not expressly disclose a through/grub screw and through holes at a connection output. At col. 6, lines 15-19, Kisla teaches using a through/grub screw and through holes (16) in a connection system (Figs. 1 & 8) of a transmission rod (12) in order to provide a rotationally fixed connection at a connection output. It would have been obvious one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the connection system of Brissette by including a through/grub screw and through holes at a connection output in order to provide a rotationally fixed connection as taught by Kisla.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Duan discloses a connection system of a transmission rod for solar trackers.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Greg Binda whose telephone number is (571)272-7077. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30-5:30 et.
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/Greg Binda/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3679