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 .
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.
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[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (1st Dir)]Claims 1-9, 16 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gonzaga et al. (8,752,605 “Gonzaga”) in view of Corghi (2018/0104996).
Gonzaga meets all of the limitations of claim 1, i.e., a device 1 for fitting and removing a tire 2 on a rim 3, the device comprising:
a working assembly movable along at least one first direction vertical annotated here to vary a level of the working assembly 10, 12 with respect to the rim 2 and provided with at least one tool 5 adapted to interact with the tire 2, wherein
said working assembly comprises at least one supporting element 12 movable along said first direction vertical, at least one 10, 2a of the tire 2 12 along said first direction vertical annotated Fig. 2, except for the working assembly to also include a fitting/mounting tool separate from the removal tool locked together with said supporting element along said first direction, wherein said fitting tool and said removal tool are movable with respect to each other along at least one direction of work which is transverse with respect to said
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first direction.
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Corghi teaches a tyre changing machine Fig. 2d, partially shown here comprising both a demounting or removal tool 403 and a separate fitting or mounting tool 404 locked together with a supporting element 5 along a first direction, wherein said fitting tool 404 and said removal tool 403 are movable with respect to each other rotatably coupled at 406 along at least one direction of work Figs. 10a and 10B which is transverse with respect to said first direction.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective date of the invention, to modify the mounting-demounting machine 5 of Gonzaga with the pivotally coupled mounting tool as taught by Corghi improving the mounting operation for the mounting-demounting apparatus.
Regarding claim 2, PA (prior art, Gonzaga modified by Corgi) meets the limitations, i.e., the device according to claim 1, wherein said fitting tool 404 and said removal tool 10/403 protrude, in use, from the same side with respect to said supporting element 5 Figs. 10a, b Corgi.
Regarding claim 3, PA meets the limitations, i.e., the device according to claim 1, wherein said supporting element 5 Corgi is locked in rotation Fig. 2d.
Regarding claim 4, PA meets the limitations, i.e., the device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said tools 404 is associated movable in rotation with said supporting element 5 around a relevant axis 406 of work Fig. 10a.
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Regarding claim 5, PA meets the limitations, i.e., the device according to claim 4, further comprising:
movement means 407 of at least one of said tools 403 with respect to said supporting element 5 around said axis of work Fig. 5a.
Regarding claim 6, PA meets the limitations, i.e., the device according to claim 4, wherein at least one of either said fitting tool 404 or said removal tool 403 is movable in rotation with respect to the other around an axis of rotation 405 transverse to said first direction working axis along 401 to displace along said direction of work Fig. 5a.
Regarding claim 7, PA meets the limitations, i.e., the device according to claim 6, wherein said fitting tool 404 and said removal tool 403 are hinged to each other through plate 5 around said axis of rotation 405.
Regarding claim 8, PA meets the limitations, i.e., the device according to claim 7, wherein at least one of either said fitting tool 404 or said removal tool 403 is movable in rotation with respect to the other around said axis of rotation 405, Fig. 5a.
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Regarding claim 9, PA meets the limitations, i.e., the device according to claim 8, wherein one of said tools 404 is associated idle in rotation with respect to the other around said axis of rotation 405, Fig. 5a.
Regarding claim 16, PA meets the limitations, i.e., the device according to claim 6, wherein said axis of work 405 is separate from and parallel with respect to said axis of rotation 406.
Regarding claim 18, PA meets the limitations, i.e., the device according to claim 1, wherein said first direction annotated Fig. 2 Gonzaga above is arranged substantially vertically.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-15, 17, 19 and 20 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: art of record considered as a whole, alone or in combination, neither anticipates nor renders obvious a tire device comprising fitting and removal tool are both movable in rotation around an axis of rotation, together in combination with the rest of the limitations as recited in claim 10.
Conclusion
Prior art made of record and not relied upon at this time, are considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. Gonzaga et al., and Vigaoli are cited to show related inventions.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HADI SHAKERI whose telephone number is (571)272-4495. The fax phone number for forwarding unofficial documents for discussion purposes only is (571) 273-4495. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F.
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/Hadi Shakeri/
February 7, 2026 Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723