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
Claims 1, 3, 8, 9, and 10 have been amended. Claim 4 has been canceled. Claims 1-3 and 5-10 have been examined on the merits.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Page 6, filed 07/08/2026, with respect to the previous 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) rejections are persuasive. The previous 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) rejections have been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see Pages 6-8, filed 07/08/2026, with respect to the rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) have been considered, but are not persuasive. The claimed amendments do not overcome the art of rejection. See below.
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-1 and RE-2 Fig. 1-A/ Fig. 4-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 convex thrust surface (CTS Fig. 4-A inserted below; see convex shape marked as CR in Fig. 4-A) having a substantially cylindrical conformation (shown in Fig. 4-A)
arranged in thrust contact against a flat contact surface (flat contact surface of RE-2) of said rocker element (RE-2 Fig. 1-A/ Fig. 4-A inserted below) during said clamping stroke, wherein said rocker element (RE-1 and RE-2 Fig. 1-A / Fig. 4-A inserted below) is rotatable (shown canted at 0:57) on said convex thrust surface (CTS Fig. 4-A inserted below);
and
wherein said rocker element (RE-1 and RE-2/ Fig. 4-A Fig. 1-A inserted below) is associated with clearance with said movable portion (MP Fig. 1-A inserted below), which comprises at least one recovery surface (RS Fig. 4-A inserted below; slot which engages with RE-2 shown 1:20-1:30) arranged in thrust contact against said rocker element (RE-1 and RE-2 Fig. 1-A inserted below) during said release stroke (when 1C and 2C are not engaged).
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Referring to claim 2: Vektek 2020 YT discloses the apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein said rocker element (RE-1 and RE-2 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 convex thrust surface (CTS Fig. 1-A inserted above) has an axis of curvature (AC Fig. 4-A inserted above) substantially parallel to said axes of hinging (AH Fig. 1-A inserted above).
Referring to claim 5: Vektek 2020 YT discloses the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recovery surface (RS Fig. 4-A inserted above; slot which engages with RE-2 shown 1:20-1:30) is defined by at least one connecting seat (seat CS where rocking occurs shown in Fig. 5-A inserted below) formed in said movable portion (MP Fig. 1-A inserted above), said rocker element (RE-1 and RE-2 Fig. 1-A inserted above) comprising at least one connecting pin (pin of AC) fitted with clearance (clearance with CS shown in Fig. 5-A inserted below) in said connecting seat (CS Fig. 5-A inserted below).
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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 7 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 8, 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 9, 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
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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