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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 2/17/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding claims 1, 9 , and 14, Applicant argues that Guske does not “at least one of the plurality if riveted x-bars includes an inner bar and an outer bar that are coupled together via a hollow rivet”. Guske teaches an assembly of riveted bars as shown in Figures 1-2 with inner and outer bars 4,4” this correlates to the Applicant inventions with an assembly of x-bars 330 with inner and outer bars 355,345. Guske teaches “Referring now to FIG. 2, it may be seen that each of the lazy tongs la and lb of each section 25a, 25b, 25c etc. is made up of a plurality of pairs of pivotally interconnected diagonally intersecting members 4', 4", hinged together at their midpoints 5 by rods 6 (FIGS. 3 and 6), the lazy-tong bars 4', 4" being loosely mounted upon the reduced shanks 6' of these rods and held in place by nuts 6". Rods 6 also serve to interconnect the parallel lazy tongs la and 1b, which are also bridged by an upper array of rods 26' carrying rollers 2. The latter may be of the ball-bearing type and are freely rotatable on their respective rods 26 or 26'. The rollers 2 of the adjacent rods 26' are axially offset from one another (FIGS. 5 and 6) so that they interleave in a retracted position of the lazy tong (FIG. 5) and spread to form an article-receiving surface 30 indicated by dot-dash lines in FIG. 1, this spread condition being shown in FIGS. 2 and 6. At the lowermost pivots 5' of the lazy tongs, hollow rivets 8 may be provided to hold the bars 4', 4" together, these rivets and the reduced portions of rods 6' and 26' clearing the respective apertures of the bars to provide the necessary play. It is clear, therefore, that the lazy tongs forming each section 25a, 25b etc” C3 L45-70.
For the foregoing reasons, the claims stand rejected.
Claim Objections
Claim 17 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 17 depends from claim 18. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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)(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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 8-10, 13-17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Guske U.S. Patent No. 3,276,558.
Claim 1, Guske teaches an expandable conveyor segment 25, comprising: a leg plate 22; a plurality of riveted x-bars (assembly of 4,4”) coupled with the leg plate 22; and a plurality of rollers 2 coupled to the plurality of riveted x-bars (assembly of 4,4”), wherein at least one of the plurality if riveted x-bars (assembly of 4,4”) includes an inner bar 4 and an outer bar 4” that are coupled together via a hollow rivet 8 Fig. 6 C3 L45-65.
Claim 2, Guske teaches at least one slot insert 23 that is used for coupling at least one of the riveted x-bars 4,4” to the leg plate 22 Fig. 1.
Claim 3, Guske teaches the at least one slot insert 23 is constructed of hardened metal (as known in conveyor systems and assemblies).
Claims 4 and 12, Guske teaches the at least one slot insert 23 is constructed of hardened steel (as known in conveyor systems and assemblies).
Claims 5, 13, and 17, Guske teaches the first and second slot inserts at 27,23 are integrated with the leg plate 22 Fig. 1.
Claim 8, Guske teaches the inner bar 4 and outer bar 4” are coupled together via the hollow rivet 8 at a center joint point of 4,4” C2 L1-20; C3 L45-65; C4 L30-55.
Claims 9 and 16, Guske teaches a riveted assembly Fig. 1 for use with a conveyor or other flexible transport system, comprising: a leg plate 22 having a first slot at 27 and a second slot insert at 23 Fig. 2; and two riveted x-bars 4,4” connected to the leg plate 22 via the first and second slot at 27,23 wherein one of the two riveted x-bars 4,4” in connected via the first slot insert at 27 and a second one of the two riveted x-bars 4,4: via the second slot insert at 23, and at least one of the two-riveter x-bars 4,4” includes an inner bar 4 and an outer bar 4” that are coupled via a rivet 8 23 C3 L45-65.
Claims 10, and 15, Guske teaches the inner and outer bars of each of the two riveted x-bars 4,4” are coupled together via a hollow rivet 8 C3 L45-65.
Claim 14, Guske teaches an expandable conveyor system Fig. 1, comprising: two or more conveyor segments 25a-c Figs. 4a-b, wherein each of the conveyor segments 25a-c have a plurality of rollers 2 and are coupled together via a riveted assembly 40, wherein the riveted assembly includes a leg plate 22 and two riveted x-bars 4,4” connected to the leg plate 22, wherein at least one of the two riveted x-bars 4,4” includes an inner bar 4 and an outer bar 4” that are coupled together via a rivet 8 at a center joint point of 4,4” C3 L45-65.
Claim 20, Guske teaches the first and second slot inserts at 27, 23 are attached to opposite sides of the leg plate 22 (top and bottom) Fig. 2.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-7, 11-12, and 18-19 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
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 KAVEL SINGH whose telephone number is (571)272-2362. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8am-6pm.
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/KAVEL SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651
KS