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 Invention I, species F, claims 1-8 and 11 in the reply filed on 06/01/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Objections
Claim 6 is objected to because of the following informalities: ‘extension portions’ is misspelled as ‘exte006Esion portions’ in Line 2. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-7 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kanaan (US 5944327).
Regarding claim 1, Kanaan discloses a collet (chuck) 10 for a tool 62. The collet comprises an outer nut 26 including a grip 50 and defining a collet bore configured to receive a chuck (collet) 22 therein, and having a collet engagement surface 43 engageable with the chuck to selectively secure a tool accessory. A spring 52 including an extension portion 54 engageable with an internal part of the outer nut 56 provides feedback to a user regarding securement of the collet (Col. 5, Lines 10-30).
Regarding claim 2, Kanaan discloses the collet bore including a threaded portion (internal surface of the outer nut, including 27) configured to engage the output shaft.
Regarding claim 3, Kanaan discloses the outer nut defining one or more apertures (individual recesses 56) engageable by the spring.
Regarding claim 4, Kanaan discloses the apertures being defined in a threaded portion (i.e. the internal surface of the outer nut) of the outer nut.
Regarding claim 5, Kanaan discloses the outer nut including one or more apertures (individual recesses 56) and the spring including a corresponding quantity of extension portions 55, wherein the one or more apertures are defined in an unthreaded portion of the outer nut (i.e. a portion of the internal surface of the outer nut not occupied by threads 27).
Regarding claim 6, Kanaan discloses the feedback including an audible or tactile feedback (Col. 5, Lines 26-30).
Regarding claim 7, Kanaan discloses the extension portion being engageable (i.e. pressed into) a groove of the output shaft (the reduced diameter portion at shoulder 46 illustrated in Figs. 1-2) on rotation of the outer nut.
Regarding claim 11, Kanaan discloses a sleeve 60 being coupled to the outer nut and at least partially enclosing the spring (i.e. in the axial direction, see e.g. Fig. 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Aultman et al. (US 6428018) discloses a similar chuck with a spring 182 and extension portion(s) 180.
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/Alan Snyder/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3722
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