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 .
Status of Claims
Claim 1 has been amended. Claims 10 and 11 have been added. Claims 1-11 have been examined on the merits.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Page 8, filed 03/13/2026, with respect to the amendments to
the claim objections are persuasive. The previous claim objections have been withdrawn.
With respect to the reference of TAKAHASHI and its application number of JP2015107701A, it has been corrected to its publication number of JP2016223473A.
Applicant’s arguments, see Pages 10-11, filed 03/13/2026, with respect to the previous 35 U.S.C. § 103 rejection is not persuasive.
With respect to ” Applicant respectfully submits the feature of the present invention according to amended claim 1 that "the fluid pressure cylinder further includes a seal provided on an outer periphery of second piston, and the seal seals between the second cylinder chamber and outside of the cylinder main body", is not disclosed or suggested in TAKAHASHI, and not easily achieved starting from TAKAHASHI”, the examiner disagrees.
Using the broadest reasonable interpretation of the added claim language, TAKAHASHI, as disclosed below, teaches the seal as required by the claim.
Claim Objections
Claim 10 is objected to because of the following informalities: “wherein the top surface of the second piston”, and should be “wherein a top surface of the second piston” to avoid an antecedent error.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-5, and 9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over TAKAHASHI (JP2016223473A) and TSUTOMU (JP H11333649 A).
Referring to claim 1: TAKAHASHI teaches a clamping device (1 Fig. 1 [0023]) that is able to fix a fixation-target object (fixation-target object capable of being fixed to 6) to a base body (9 Fig. 1) and to position the fixation-target object with respect to the base body, the clamping device comprising:
a fluid pressure cylinder (2 Fig. 1; “tandem-type fluid pressure cylinder” [0023]) fixed to the base body (9 Fig. 1); and
the fluid pressure cylinder includes a cylinder main body (3 Fig. 1),
a first piston (5b Fig. 1) and
a second piston (5a Fig. 1) each reciprocally movable (shown in Figs. 1 and 3) with respect to the cylinder main body (3 Fig. 1),
a first cylinder chamber (11b Fig. 1; “second clamping fluid pressure operating chamber” [0026]) that drives each of the first piston and the second piston to a fixation side (side of 6 Fig. 1),
a second cylinder chamber (12a Fig. 1; “first unclamping fluid pressure operating chamber” [0031]) that drives each of the first piston and the second piston to a fixation-release side (opposite side to 6), and
and
the first piston (5b Fig. 1), the first cylinder chamber (11b Fig. 1; “second clamping fluid pressure operating chamber” [0026]), the second cylinder chamber (12a Fig. 1; “first unclamping fluid pressure operating chamber” [0031]), and the second piston (5a Fig. 1) are provided to be arranged side by side (shown in Fig. 1) along a first direction (upward direction in Figs. 1, 3-8, and 10) from the base body side (side of 9 Fig. 1) toward the fixation-target object side (side of 6 Fig. 1) in an order of the first piston (5b Fig. 1), the first cylinder chamber (11b Fig. 1; “second clamping fluid pressure operating chamber” [0026]), the second cylinder chamber (12a Fig. 1; “first unclamping fluid pressure operating chamber” [0031]), and the second piston (5a Fig. 1);
the fluid pressure cylinder (2 Fig. 1; “tandem-type fluid pressure cylinder” [0023]) further includes a seal (22 Fig. 1) provided on an outer periphery (shown in Fig. 1) of the second piston (5a Fig. 1), and the seal (22 Fig. 1) seals between (shown between in Fig. 1) the second cylinder chamber (12a Fig. 1; “first unclamping fluid pressure operating chamber” [0031]) and outside of the cylinder main body (3 Fig. 1).
But is silent on:
an annular member attachable to the fixation-target object;
an engagement portion that is able to be located on an inner peripheral side of the annular member and that is able to switch between a first state and a second state in response to a reciprocal movement of each of the first piston and the second piston, the first state being a state in which the annular member is not pressed, the second state being a state in which the annular member is pressed to the base body side,
TSUTOMU in an analogous clamping device (20 Fig. 1) and teaches an annular member (41 Figs. 1 and 2 “tapered bush” [0022]) attachable to the similar configuration fixation-target object (9 Fig. 1);
an engagement portion (engagement portions of 71 Fig. 2 [0028]) that is able to be located on an inner peripheral side of the annular member (41 Figs. 1 and 2 “tapered bush” [0022]) and that is able to switch between a first state and a second state in response to a reciprocal movement (“reciprocates the engagement bodies 71 in the radial direction of the taper member 46.” [0029]) of a similar configuration piston (31 Fig. 1), the first state being a state in which the annular member is not pressed, the second state being a state in which the annular member is pressed (as 31 reciprocates back and forth) to the similar configuration base body side (4 Fig. 1).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the clamping device and pistons of TAKAHASHI with the annular member and engagement portion as taught by TSUTOMU for the purpose of increasing the downward force [0048 of TSUTOMU]
Referring to claim 2: TAKAHASHI as modified teaches the clamping device according to claim 1, wherein the first piston (5b Fig. 1) is connected to the second piston (5a Fig. 1) via a rod portion (6 Fig. 1) extending along the first direction (upward direction in Figs. 1, 3-8, and 10).
Referring to claim 3: TAKAHASHI as modified teaches the clamping device according to claim 1, wherein the engagement portion (engagement portions of 71 Fig. 2 [0028] of TSUTOMU) includes a plurality of engagement balls (71 Fig. 2 [0028] of TSUTOMU) held by the similar configuration cylinder main body (21 Figs. 1 and 2 of TSUTOMU) to be arranged side by side in a peripheral direction (shown in Fig. 2) of the annular member (41 Figs. 1 and 2 “tapered bush” [0022] of TSUTOMU), and the similar configuration second piston (31 Figs. 1 and 2 of TSUTOMU)
is provided with a recess (72 Fig. 2; “the engaging body 71 moves from the first annular groove 72” [0048] of TSUTOMU) in which at least a portion of each of the plurality of engagement balls (71 Fig. 2 [0028] of TSUTOMU) is able to be accommodated.
Referring to claim 4: TAKAHASHI as modified teaches the clamping device according to claim 1, wherein in response to a movement of the second piston, the engagement portion (engagement portions of 71 Fig. 2 [0028] of TSUTOMU) is moved in a second direction orthogonal (moving radially shown in Fig. 2) to the first direction (up/down direction).
Referring to claim 5: TAKAHASHI as modified teaches the clamping device according to claim 1, wherein the cylinder main body (3 Fig. 1) includes a partition wall portion (7, 7b, and 7c Figs. 1 and 6) that partitions the first cylinder chamber (11b Fig. 1; “second clamping fluid pressure operating chamber” [0026]) and the second cylinder chamber (12a Fig. 1; “first unclamping fluid pressure operating chamber” [0031]).
Referring to claim 9: TAKAHASHI as modified teaches the clamping device according to claim 1, wherein the cylinder main body (3 Fig. 1) includes a flange portion (flange of 31/33; “one common first fluid pressure port 31 to the first and second clamping fluid pressure working chambers 11a and 11b is formed in the wall portion of the cylinder body 3” [00199]; “The unclamping fluid pressure passage 34 extends from the second fluid pressure port 33 and passes through the mounting wall 3c, the rod side end wall 3b, and the inside of the cylinder hole forming wall 3a to form a first unclamping fluid pressure working chamber. It is in communication with an annular groove 37 at the lower end of 12a.” [00202]) protruding in a direction away from a central axis of the cylinder main body (3 Fig. 1), and the flange portion is provided with a working fluid supplying/discharging port (“fluid” [00200, 00202]) for each of the first cylinder chamber (11b Fig. 1; “second clamping fluid pressure operating chamber” [0026]) and the second cylinder chamber (12a Fig. 1; “first unclamping fluid pressure operating chamber” [0031]).
Referring to claim 10: TAKAHASHI as modified teaches the clamping device according to claim 1, wherein the top surface (top surface of 6 Fig. 1) of the second piston (5a Fig. 1), which faces to the fixation-target object (fixation-target object capable of being fixed to 6), is exposed to the outside of the cylinder main body (3 Fig. 1).
Referring to claim 11: TAKAHASHI as modified teaches the clamping device according to claim 1, wherein a rear surface (rear surface of 5b shown in Figs. 4 and 5) of the first piston (5b Fig. 1), which is opposite to the fixation-target object (fixation-target object capable of being fixed to 6), is exposed (“so the head end wall 3d, the stop ring 27, and the second unclamping fluid pressure working chamber 12b is omitted” [0044]) to the outside (shown in Figs. 4 and 5) of the cylinder main body (3 Fig. 1).
Claims 6 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over TAKAHASHI (JP2016223473A) and TSUTOMU (JP H11333649 A), as applied above in claim 5, and in further view of YOSUKE (WO 2011046039 A1).
Referring to claim 6: TAKAHASHI as modified teaches the clamping device according to claim 5, but is silent on further comprising a biasing member provided between the first piston and the partition wall portion so as to bias the first piston toward the fixation side.
YOSUKE in an analogous clamping device (1 Fig. 1) and teaches a biasing member (49 Fig. 1; “A lock spring 49 for urging the piston 15 downward”) provided between the similar configuration first piston (15 Fig. 1) and the similar configuration partition wall portion (partition wall of 5 shown in Fig. 1) so as to bias the first piston toward the similar configuration fixation side (bottom side of 15 Fig. 1).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the clamping device and pistons of TAKAHASHI as modified with the biasing member as taught by YOSUKE for the purpose of the degree of freedom in selecting the urging force is increased [0011 of YOSUKE].
Referring to claim 7: TAKAHASHI as modified teaches the clamping device according to claim 6, wherein the similar configuration first piston (15 Fig. 1 of YOSUKE) is provided with a first recess recessed (recess of 52 shown in Fig. 1 of YOSUKE) in a direction away from the partition wall portion (partition wall of 5 shown in Fig. 1 of YOSUKE), the partition wall portion (partition wall of 5 shown in Fig. 1 of YOSUKE) is provided with a second recess (recess of 51 shown in Fig. 1 of YOSUKE) recessed in a direction away from the similar configuration first piston (15 Fig. 1 of YOSUKE), and the biasing member (49 Fig. 1; “A lock spring 49 for urging the piston 15 downward” of YOSUKE) is provided to be accommodated in each of the first recess and the second recess (shown in Fig. 1 of YOSUKE).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over TAKAHASHI (JP2016223473A) and TSUTOMU (JP H11333649 A), and YOSUKE (WO 2011046039 A1), as applied above in claim 7, and in further view of “JP 1985” (JP S60131336 U).
Referring to claim 8: TAKAHASHI as modified teaches the clamping device according to claim 7, but is silent on wherein the partition wall portion includes a protrusion protruding in a direction toward the second piston, and the second piston is provided with a third recess recessed to receive the protrusion.
“JP 1985” in an analogous clamping device (“Figures 1 and 5 show a tool attachment clamping device” [005]) teaches wherein the similar configuration partition wall portion (33 Fig. 2A) includes a protrusion (27 Figs. 2A and 2B) protruding in a direction toward (shown in Figs. 2A and 2B) the similar configuration second piston (23 Fig. 2A), and the similar configuration second piston (23 Fig. 2A) is provided with a third recess (curved recessed area of 29 Fig. 2B) recessed to receive the protrusion (27 Figs. 2A and 2B).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the clamping device and pistons of TAKAHASHI as modified with the protrusion and recess as taught by “JP 1985” for the purpose of accommodating a check valve which is connected to the oil chamber.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER SOTO whose telephone number is (571)272-8172. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8a.m. - 5 p.m..
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Monica Carter can be reached at 571-272-4475. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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CHRISTOPHER SOTO
Examiner
Art Unit 3723
/CHRISTOPHER SOTO/Examiner, Art Unit 3723
/MONICA S CARTER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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