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
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group III (Claims 17 – 20) in the reply filed on 3/18/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-16 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 3/18/2026.
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) 17-19 are is/are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Evatt et al. (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2019/0111499).
Regarding Claim 17, Evatt teaches a pocket hole jig (Fig. 1, 10) comprising:
a housing (Fig. 1, 12) including a plurality of first lock structures (Fig. 5, 34);
an axle (Fig. 5, 24) coupled to the housing (Fig. 1, 12) ([0018]: The posts 24 of the gimbal 14 are received in the recesses 18 of the body 12);
a drill bit guide (Fig. 1, 14) coupled to the axle (Fig. 5, 24) ([0018]: The posts 24 of the gimbal 14), the drill bit guide (Fig. 1, 14) defining a guide axis (Fig. 2, 33); and
a spring-loaded bushing (Fig. 1, 16) coupled to the drill bit guide (Fig. 1, 14) ([0019]: the posts 28 may be biased into engagement with the recesses 34 (e.g., by a spring disposed between the drill guide 16 and the gimbal 14)), the spring-loaded bushing (Fig. 1, 16) including at least one second lock structure (Fig. 5, 28),
wherein the spring-loaded bushing (Fig. 1, 16) is translatable along the drill bit guide (Fig. 1, 14) between an engaged position where the at least one second lock structure (Fig. 5, 28) is engaged with one of the plurality of first lock structures (Fig. 5, 34) to maintain the guide axis at a fixed angle relative to a workpiece ([0019]: the drill guide 16 is received in the aperture 26 of the gimbal 14 so that the drill guide 16 pivots with the gimbal 14 relative to the body 12. Posts 28 of the drill guide 16 are received in slots 20 of the body 12. The slots 20 include recesses 34 for each of the indicia 22. The posts 28 are received in the recesses 34 to releasably retain the gimbal 14 and the drill guide 16 and the position indicated by the indicator 30.) and a disengaged position where the spring-loaded bushing (Fig. 1, 16) is translatable along the drill bit guide (Fig. 1, 14) and the drill bit guide (Fig. 1, 14) is rotatable about the axle ([0019]: The posts 28, recesses 34, and slots 20 are sized so that the posts 28 can move within the slots 20 by pivoting the gimbal 14 about posts 24 between both ends of the slots 20, but yet the recesses 34 hold the posts 28 of the drill guide 16, and therefore the drill guide 16 and the gimbal 14 in the desired position relative to the body 12.).
Regarding Claim 18, Evatt teaches the pocket hole jig of claim 17, wherein the spring-loaded bushing (Fig. 1, 16) is reconfigurable between a plurality of engaged positions, wherein the guide axis is different for each of the plurality of engaged positions ([0019]: The posts 28, recesses 34, and slots 20 are sized so that the posts 28 can move within the slots 20 by pivoting the gimbal 14 about posts 24 between both ends of the slots 20, but yet the recesses 34 hold the posts 28 of the drill guide 16, and therefore the drill guide 16 and the gimbal 14 in the desired position relative to the body 12) (The guide axis would change as the gimbal 14 is pivoted.), and wherein a position of the spring-loaded bushing (Fig. 1, 16) relative to the drill bit guide (Fig. 1, 14) is different for each of the plurality of engaged positions (During an angular orientation adjustment according to [0020], the drill guide 16 would slide within the aperture 26 of the gimbal 14 and therefore, their corresponding relative position would change as the indicator 30 is moved from one indicia to another.)
Regarding Claim 19, Evatt teaches the pocket hole jig of claim 17, wherein the at least one second lock structure (Fig. 5, 28) comprises a plurality of tabs ([0018]: posts), and the plurality of first lock structures (Fig. 5, 34) comprises a plurality of recesses ([0019]: recesses).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 20 is 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUN S YOO whose telephone number is (571)270-7141. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM.
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/JUN S YOO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3726 5/19/2025
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