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 9-10 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.
Claim 9 recites the limitation “the center axis” in line 7, “the center axis” in line 14 and “the center axis” in line 16. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitation in the claim. Because each of these “center axis” limitations are axis of a part claimed for the first time.
Claim 10 is rejected due to dependency on claim 9.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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, 12, 14 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eastman (US 4066002 A) in view of Duncan (US 20020185800 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Eastman teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. below) a rotary actuator comprising: an adapter (col. 3, lines 59-60) (elongated casing 182) with a hole or through hole on a front portion and at least one hole on each side (hole of top side where bearing 194 is located in, stepped holes on right and left sides where rollers and pistons are movable in and hole of bottom side where bearing 192 is located in); a cam rotor (cam rotor comprises at least shaft 190 and generally elliptical cam members 196, 198 and 200) with a cylindrical body (shaft 190), a first cam lobe profile (200), and a second cam lobe profile (198), the cam rotor being positioned inside the hole or through hole on the front portion of the body, each cam lobe profile including multiple cam lobes and being concentric with the cylindrical body (see Fig. 5), the first cam lobe profile and the second cam lobe profile having a same design (col. 3, lines 60-62: “A plurality of generally elliptical cam members 196, 198 and 200, each of which have the shape of cam member 54”) and being rotationally offset from each other (col. 3, line 66-col. 4, line 1: “cam members 196, 198, and 200 are integral with or otherwise fixedly secured to shaft 190 and are equally spaced angularly relative to the major axes thereof, which spacing, in the case of the three cam members shown, is sixty degrees”) and longitudinally offset in a longitudinal direction along a center axis of the cam rotor (col. 3, lines 63-64: “arranged in axially spaced apart formation on shaft 190”), an end of the cam rotor configured to retain the adapter; and multiple piston assemblies (65, 66, 64, 62, 63, 61) configured to rotate the cam rotor as high pressure and low pressure are alternatingly applied via a fluid to piston chambers associated with the multiple piston assemblies, a first piston assembly of the multiple piston assemblies being arranged in contact with the multiple cam lobes of the first cam lobe profile (see Figs. 5, 6; rollers 68 and 74 are in contact with multiple cam lopes of cam lobe profile 200), a second piston assembly of the multiple piston assemblies being arranged in contact with the multiple cam lobes of the second cam lobe profile (similar for cam lope profile 200 shown in Fig. 6), the multiple piston assemblies being positioned inside a corresponding side hole of the multiple side holes of the body. Rotary actuator of Eastman is capable of being attached to different devices including a lead screw of a vise/clamping system (this intended use of the device).
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Duncan teaches a vise capable of being operated by handle 110 or “a standard drive mechanism, such as a pneumatic impact wrench, an electrically powered screw driver-like device, or a ratchet wrench” (par. 0008). Duncan in par. 0009 teaches “the drive mechanism allows for quick rotation of the screw rod, and readily achieves multiple, repeated openings and closings with ease”.Rotary actuator/drive mechanism/torque driver 78 of Duncan has an adapter 72 shaped and contoured (par. 0047: “a hexagonal or star shape in cross section”) to engage an end a lead screw 50 of a clamping system.
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It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before effective filing date of the claimed invention to use rotary actuator of Eastman to easily rotate lead screw of vise of Duncan (hereinafter modified device of Eastman) in different direction for multiple times.
Regarding claim 12, in modified device of Eastman the rotary actuator is configured to maintain a clamping force of the clamping system in response to a pneumatic or hydraulic failure in association with the fluid. Because once the clamp of Duncan is turned and the workpiece is clamped, even if the hydraulic or pneumatic system fails, the workpiece is still clamped.
Regarding claim 14, Eastman teaches the fluid comprises air or a liquid (par. 19: “liquid or gas”).
Regarding claim 20, Eastman teaches the adapter has a hexagonal shape to match a hexagonal shape of the lead screw (par. 0047: “a hexagonal or star shape in cross section”).
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eastman in view of Duncan as applied in rejection of claim 1 above, and further in view of Yang (EP 86306412 A).
Regarding claim 13, Duncan teaches at least one corner block (76) attached to the rotary actuator and configured to hold the rotary actuator in rotational place relative to the clamping system
Yang teaches a clamping system having detachable handle with magnetic retaining means (68).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before effective filing date of the claimed invention to use magnet to securely hold the rotary actuator relative to the lead screw of the clamping system.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 3, 15 and 18 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MAHDI H NEJAD whose telephone number is (571)270-0464. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30am-4pm EST.
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MAHDI H. NEJAD
Examiner
Art Unit 3723
/MAHDI H NEJAD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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