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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 9 and 10 are 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.
Claims 9 and 10 recite: “axes/axis” and lacks antecedent basis with claim 1 since no axis/axes were not introduced in claim 1. It is also unclear if the claims were supposed to depend on another claim.
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 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Vektek 2020 YT.
Referring to claim 1: Vektek 2020 YT discloses an apparatus (shown in Fig. 1-A inserted below) for clamping workpieces on machine
tools, comprising:
at least one basic frame (BF Fig. 1-A inserted below) attachable to a machine tool for the machining of at least one workpiece
at least a first clamping assembly (1C Fig. 1-A inserted below) and at least a second clamping
assembly (2C Fig. 1-A inserted below) associated with said basic frame (BF Fig. 1-A inserted below) in a movable manner from
a release position (shown at 0:28) to a clamping position (shown at 0:30 and 0:57) of said workpiece along a clamping stroke (clamping stroke shown at 0:30 and 0:57 to secure against workpiece), and from said clamping position to said release position, along a release stroke (when 1C and 2C are not engaged);
at least one fluid actuator (FA Fig. 1-A inserted below) provided with a fixed portion (bottom portion of FA which houses cylinder MP) associated
-with said basic frame (BF Fig. 1-A inserted below) and with a movable portion (MP Fig. 1-A inserted below) associated with said fixed portion (bottom portion of FA which houses cylinder MP) in a sliding manner along a direction of sliding (direction of sliding towards 1C and 2C shown at 0:28 and 0:30) and connected to a drive assembly (DA Fig. 1-A inserted below) associated with said clamping assemblies
(1C and 2C Fig. 1-A), said fluid actuator (FA Fig. 1-A inserted below) comprising at least one chamber (chamber which houses MP) which
can be fed with at least one pressurized fluid (“Flow Control Valves” [002]; “psi” [003]) to simultaneously displace said clamping assemblies (1C and 2C Fig. 1-A) between said release position and said clamping position;
wherein said drive assembly (DA Fig. 1-A inserted below) comprises at least
one rocker element (RE Fig. 1-A inserted below) hinged to said first clamping assembly and to said second clamping assembly (1C and 2C Fig. 1-A) and associated in a rotatable manner (1C and 2C are rotatable in the clamped and unclamped positions) with said movable portion (MP Fig. 1-A inserted below), which comprises at least one curved thrust surface (CTS Fig. 1-A inserted below) arranged in thrust contact against said rocker element (RE Fig. 1-A inserted below) during said clamping stroke, wherein said rocker element (RE Fig. 1-A inserted below) is rotatable (shown canted at 0:57) on said curved thrust surface (CTS Fig. 1-A inserted below).
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Referring to claim 2: Vektek 2020 YT discloses the apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein said rocker element (RE Fig. 1-A inserted above) is hinged to said first clamping assembly and to said second clamping assembly (1C and 2C Fig. 1-A) around axes of hinging (AH Fig. 1-A inserted above) substantially parallel to each other (via horizontal pins shown in Fig. 1-A) and orthogonal to said direction of sliding (direction of sliding towards 1C and 2C shown at 0:28 and 0:30).
Referring to claim 3: Vektek 2020 YT discloses the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said curved thrust surface (CTS Fig. 1-A inserted above) has a substantially cylindrical conformation with an axis of curvature (AC Fig. 1-A inserted above) substantially parallel to said axes of hinging (AH Fig. 1-A inserted above).
Referring to claim 4: Vektek 2020 YT discloses the apparatus to claim 1, wherein said rocker element (RE Fig. 1-A inserted above) is associated with clearance with said movable portion (MP Fig. 1-A inserted above), which comprises at least one recovery surface (recovery surface hole which houses pin of AC) arranged in thrust contact against said rocker element (RE Fig. 1-A inserted above) during said release stroke.
Referring to claim 5: Vektek 2020 YT discloses the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recovery surface (recovery surface hole which houses pin of AC) is defined by at least one connecting seat (seat which secures pin of AC) formed in said movable portion (MP Fig. 1-A inserted above), said rocker element (RE Fig. 1-A inserted above) comprising at least one connecting pin (pin of AC) fitted with clearance (clearance of tolerance needed to accommodate the pin) in said connecting seat (seat which secures pin of AC).
Referring to claim 6: Vektek 2020 YT discloses the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said clamping assemblies (1C and 2C Fig. 1-A) are arranged on said basic frame (BF Fig. 1-A inserted above) on opposite sides (shown in Fig. 1-A) with respect to said fluid actuator (FA Fig. 1-A inserted above).
Referring to claim 7: Vektek 2020 YT discloses the apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said first clamping assembly (1C Fig. 1-A inserted above) comprises:
at least a first connecting rod (pin of 1AT Fig. 2-A inserted below) hinged to said basic frame (BF Fig. 1-A inserted above) around a first axis of tilting (tilting axis of 1C via 1AT Fig. 2-A inserted below); and
at least a first bracket (1B Fig. 2-A inserted below) hinged to said first connecting rod (pin of 1AR Fig. 2-A inserted below) around a first axis of rotation (rotational axis of pin of 1AR) substantially parallel to said first axis of tilting (tilting axis of 1C via 1AT Fig. 2-A inserted below).
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Referring to claim 8: Vektek 2020 YT discloses the apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said second clamping (2C Fig. 1-A inserted above) assembly comprises:
at least a second connecting rod (pin of 2AT Fig. 2-A inserted above) hinged to said basic frame (BF Fig. 1-A inserted above) around
a second axis of tilting (tilting axis of 2C via 2AT Fig. 2-A inserted above); and
at least a second bracket (2B Fig. 2-A inserted above) hinged to said second connecting rod (pin of 2AR Fig. 2-A inserted above) around a second axis of rotation (rotational axis of pin of 2AR) substantially parallel to said second axis of tilting (tilting axis of 2C via 2AT Fig. 2-A inserted above).
Referring to claim 9: Vektek 2020 YT discloses the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said axes of tilting (tilting axes of 1C and 2C via 1AT and 2AT Fig. 2-A inserted above), said axes of rotation (rotational axis of pins of 1AT and 2AT), said axes of hinging (AH Fig. 1-A inserted above) and said axis of curvature (AC Fig. 1-A inserted above) are all substantially parallel (shown in Figs. 1-A and 2-A) to each other and orthogonal to said direction of
Sliding (direction of sliding towards 1C and 2C shown at 0:28 and 0:30).
Referring to claim 10: Vektek 2020 YT discloses the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first clamping assembly said second clamping assembly (1C and 2C Fig. 1-A inserted above) and said rocker element (RE Fig. 1-A inserted above) are configured to be arranged in an ideal clamping position wherein:
said axes of hinging (AH Fig. 1-A inserted above) and said axes of rotation (rotational axis of pins of 1AT and 2AT) are all arranged substantially coplanar and lying on an ideal reference plane (IRP Fig. 3-A inserted below)
said first axis of tilting (tilting axis of 1C via 1AT Fig. 2-A inserted above) and said first axis of rotation (rotational axis of pin of 1AT Fig. 2-A inserted above) are arranged
substantially coplanar and lying on a first ideal lying plane (1LP Fig. 3-A inserted below) substantially orthogonal to said ideal reference plane (IRP Fig. 3-A inserted below);
said second axis of tilting (tilting axis of 2C via 2AT Fig. 2-A inserted above) and said second axis of rotation (rotational axis of pin of 2AR) are arranged substantially coplanar and lying on a second ideal lying plane (2LP Fig. 3-A inserted below) substantially parallel to said first ideal lying plane (1LP Fig. 3-A inserted below) and substantially orthogonal to said ideal reference plane (IRP Fig. 3-A inserted below).
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Conclusion
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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