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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 01 March 2024, 11 April 2024, 09 July 2024, 06 September 2024, 12 February 2025, 26 March 2025, 20 August 2025, and 27 February 2026 is/are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered by the examiner.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Claim(s) 57-68 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by U.S. Patent 4,930,397 issued to Seidler (Seidler).
Regarding claim 57, Seidler discloses an apparatus (2) comprising at least one body for a firearm (See Figures, clearly illustrated), the firearm including a barrel (1) having a front end, from which a projectile exits (See Figures, clearly illustrated), the barrel further including a rear end opposite the front end (Understood), the at least one body including: a barrel alignment region including 1) a lower surface to, when the at least one body is installed in the firearm, engage a lower part of an exterior of the barrel when a slide of the firearm is locked in battery and 2) an upper surface to, when the at least one body is installed in the firearm, engage an upper part of the exterior of the barrel when the slide locked is in battery (See Figures, all aspects clearly illustrated); one or more apertures configured to provide recoil reduction by expelling a portion of gas output by the barrel (17/18, See at least Figure 1), characterized in that at least a portion of at least one of the one or more apertures is forward of a rearmost part of a front mechanical sight of the firearm when the at least one body is installed in the firearm (See at least Figures 2-6, clearly illustrated); wherein no portion of the barrel alignment region is closer to an end of the ends of the barrel than a rear, or center, of an aperture of the one or more apertures when the at least one body is installed in the firearm (See Figures, clearly illustrated).
Regarding claim 58, Seidler further discloses wherein the end of the ends comprises the rear end of the barrel (See Figures, clearly illustrated).
Regarding claim 59, Seidler further discloses wherein the at least one body comprises a single body, the single body comprising the slide (See Figures, clearly illustrated).
Regarding claim 60, Seidler further discloses wherein the at least one body comprises a single body, the single body comprising the slide (See Figures, clearly illustrated).
Regarding claim 61, Seidler further discloses wherein, when the at least one body is installed in the firearm, the barrel alignment region is rearward of a muzzle of the barrel (See at least Figures 2-3, clearly illustrated).
Regarding claim 62, Seidler further discloses wherein, when the at least one body is installed in the firearm, the barrel alignment region is rearward of a muzzle of the barrel (See at least Figures 2-3, clearly illustrated).
Regarding claim 63, Seidler further discloses wherein when the at least one body is installed in the firearm: one of the barrel alignment region and a region comprising the one or more apertures is rearward of the other of the regions; and the barrel alignment region is rearward of a frontmost portion of an opening on the front end of the barrel, the opening being an opening the projectile exits the barrel (See at least Figures 2-3, clearly illustrated).
Regarding claim 64, Seidler further discloses wherein one of the barrel alignment region and a region comprising the one or more apertures is rearward of the other of the regions, characterized in that: the barrel alignment region is bounded at one end by a back of one of the lower and upper surfaces and bounded at an opposite end by a front of the same or another one of the lower and upper surfaces (See at least Figures 2-3, clearly illustrated).
Regarding claim 65, Seidler further discloses wherein: a region including the upper surface includes: a sloped section; and a non-sloped section comprising the upper surface, the non-sloped section rearward of the sloped section (See at least Figures 2-3, clearly illustrated).
Regarding claim 66, Seidler further discloses wherein a shape of an aperture of the one or more apertures is not a circle (See at least Figure 1, clearly illustrated).
Regarding claim 67, Seidler further discloses wherein the one or more apertures comprise a single elongated aperture having a width that is greater than a fore-aft length of the single elongated aperture, characterized in that the width is measured along a line perpendicular to a bore axis of the barrel (See at least Figure 1, clearly illustrated).
Regarding claim 68, Seidler further discloses wherein a bore of the barrel is partitioned into a first length that includes rifling and a second length without rifling; wherein the barrel includes 1) a muzzle, and 2) an egress in a length of the barrel; wherein all of the one or more apertures are fed by gas that has already moved from the first length of the bore into the second length of the bore (See at least Figures 2-4, clearly illustrated).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See attached PTO-892 Form for a listing of applicable prior art references.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JONATHAN C WEBER whose telephone number is (571)270-5377. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8AM-5PM EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Troy Chambers can be reached at 571-272-6874. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Jonathan C Weber/Primary Examiner,
Art Unit 3641
JONATHAN C. WEBER
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3641
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