DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 1-3,6,7,9,11 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gostylla et al. (2020/0346277) in view of Badent et al. (11,571,736). Regarding claims 1 and 11, Gostylla discloses a body (3, Figs. 1 and 12) having a height (direction V; Fig. 12) extending between a base side surface (bottom of body 3; Fig. 1) and a top side surface (upper working end, 9; [0429], line 16), a width (direction p; Fig. 12) extending between a first end surface comprising a cavity (open space in body 3; Fig. 1) where riveting tools (nose 4 and die 6) are located and a second end surface which is an opposite surface from the cavity in the direction (p), and a thickness (direction h; Fig. 12) extending between a first lateral side surface (front side of body 3; Fig. 12) and a second lateral side surface (rear side of body 3, into the page; Fig. 12). Gostylla discloses an anvil segment comprising a tool connection segment (end of top side surface 9; Fig. 47) which mounts a rivet nose actuator (7), the anvil segment having an anvil segment top surface (facing toward actuator 7; Fig. 46) and an anvil segment base surface (facing toward die 6; Fig. 46). The cavity (open space in body 3; Fig. 1) where riveting tools (nose 4 and die 6) are located is defined by a cavity base surface (where 6 is mounted; Fig. 3), a cavity inner surface (vertical wall in extending in direction V; Fig. 3) and a gusset surface (angled wall between the vertical wall and the anvil segment base surface), wherein the gusset surface (angled wall between the vertical wall and the anvil segment base surface) extends from the cavity inner surface (vertical wall in extending in direction V; Fig. 3) to the anvil segment base surface, and the cavity base surface (where 6 is mounted; Fig. 3) is opposite the anvil segment base surface wherein nose (4) projects downwardly in direction V from the anvil segment base surface (Fig. 3) and a distance (vertical cavity dimension in direction V; Fig. 3) between the cavity base surface and the anvil segment base surface defines an opening of the cavity. Gostylla discloses that a first lateral side (FLS) of the body (3) has at least one stepped thickness (where 3 is pointing, Fig. 12) that extends vertically along direction V but Gostylla does not disclose that the stepped thickness extends from the top side to the base side.
Badent teaches a first lateral side (15,14; Fig. 1) which has a step (at point S1; col. 11, lines 38-44) between a first lateral side surface (15) having a thickness (D2) from a top side (left side at point S7, Fig. 2) of a riveting yoke (1) and a second lateral side surface (14) having a thickness (D1) from the step (at point S1) to a bottom side (right side at point S2, Fig. 2) of the riveting yoke (1). Regarding claim 9, Badent teaches that a second lateral side surface (surface opposite of 15,14 across the thickness D2) is planar. It would have been obvious to the skilled artisan prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to modify at least the first lateral side of the yoke of Gostylla to include a stepped thickness as taught by Badent so as to have a thicker and thinner thickness in a reinforcing wall thickness of the yoke.
Regarding claim 2, Gostylla discloses that the anvil segment (end of upper working end; Fig. 47) has a width (in direction p; Fig. 12) that is less than a width of the body (3) so as to form a tool connection. Regarding claim 3, Gostylla discloses in Fig. 47 which shows that the anvil segment (end of top side surface 9; Fig. 47) has lateral surfaces which extend (vertically, direction v) between the anvil segment top surface and anvil segment bottom surface which are coplanar with the lateral sides of the body (same thickness as the body). Regarding claims 6 and 7, Gostylla discloses an aperture in the anvil segment (Figs. 46 and 47) to support the nose actuator (4,7) and an aperture in the base surface to support the die (6) and motorized die actuator (136, [0531]; Fig. 48). Regarding claim 12, Gostylla Fig. 47 shows that the anvil segment (end of top side surface 9; Fig. 47) has lateral surfaces which extend (vertically, direction v) between the anvil segment top surface and anvil segment bottom surface which are coplanar with the lateral sides of the body (same thickness as the body).
Claim(s) 4 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gostylla et al. (2020/0346277) in view of Badent et al. (11,571,736) and further in view of Wu et al. (CN 207709772). Gostylla does not disclose that the anvil segment is separated from the top surface of the rivet yoke. Wu teaches an anvil segment (31; Fig. 2) which is a tool connection segment that is separated from a top surface of a rivet yoke in a vertical direction wherein a top of the anvil segment (31) is a greater vertical distance from a base (32) than a top surface of the rivet yoke. It would have been obvious to the skilled artisan prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to modify the anvil segment of Gostylla to be separated a vertical distance from the top surface of rivet yoke body as taught by Wu in order to provide a greater amount of material to reinforce the tool connection portion for added strength.
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gostylla et al. (2020/0346277) in view of Badent et al. (11,571,736) and further in view of Mair et al. (2006/0010671). Gostylla discloses that the yoke body (3) is at least rectangularly shaped in that the top side surface of working end (9) is planar (Fig. 1) and a width opposite of the cavity is planar along direction V but Gostylla does not specifically recite that the body is a rectangle. Mair teaches a rectangularly shaped rivet yoke (42; Fig. 3) wherein a top side surface and bottom side surface are planar (Fig. 3) with an open cavity and a planar width surface opposite the open cavity. It would have been obvious to the skilled artisan prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to modify the rectangularly shaped yoke of Gostylla to have planar top and bottom sides and a planar vertical side opposite the cavity as taught by Mair so as to form a rectangular shaped yoke.
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gostylla et al. (2020/0346277) in view of Badent et al. (11,571,736) and further in view of Galluzo (2006/0179911). Gostylla does not discloses holes in the yoke body. Galluzo (2006/0179911) discloses a rectangularly shaped yoke (24) with rivet tools (168; Fig. 5) including a ram (134) in a base of the yoke and a rivet anvil cap on an opposite top surface, separated by a cavity. Galluzo discloses holes (56,42; Fig. 1) that extend between lateral sides of the yoke body to connect to a tooling pin (43). It would have been obvious to the skilled artisan prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to include bore holes in the yoke body of Gostylla as taught by Galluzo to provide connection points for tooling.
Claim(s) 15,16 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gostylla et al. (2020/0346277) in view of Badent et al. (11,571,736). Regarding claims 15 and 20, Gostylla discloses a body (3; Figs. 1 and 12) having a height (direction V; Fig. 12) extending between a base side surface (bottom of body 3; Fig. 1) and a top side surface (upper working end, 9; [0429], line 16), a width (direction p; Fig. 12) extending between a first end surface comprising a cavity (open space in body 3; Fig. 1) where riveting tools (nose 4 and die 6) are located and a second end surface which is an opposite surface from the cavity in the direction (p), and a thickness (direction h; Fig. 12) extending between a first lateral side surface (front side of body 3; Fig. 12) and a second lateral side surface (rear side of body 3, into the page; Fig. 12). Gostylla discloses an anvil segment (a segment of the working end, 9) comprising a tool connection segment (end of upper working end 9; Fig. 47) which mounts a rivet nose actuator (7), the anvil segment having an anvil segment top surface (facing toward actuator 7; Fig. 46) and an anvil segment base surface (facing toward die 6; Fig. 46). The cavity (open space in body 3; Fig. 1) where riveting tools (nose 4 and die 6) are located is defined by a cavity base surface (where 6 is mounted; Fig. 3), a cavity inner surface (vertical wall in extending in direction V; Fig. 3) and a gusset surface (angled wall between the vertical wall and the anvil segment base surface), wherein the gusset surface (angled wall between the vertical wall and the anvil segment base surface) extends from the cavity inner surface (vertical wall in extending in direction V; Fig. 3) to the anvil segment base surface, and the cavity base surface (where 6 is mounted; Fig. 3) is opposite the anvil segment base surface wherein nose (4) projects downwardly in direction V from the anvil segment base surface (Fig. 3) and a distance (vertical cavity dimension in direction V; Fig. 3) between the cavity base surface and the anvil segment base surface defines an opening of the cavity. The anvil segment (end of upper working end; Fig. 47) has a width (in direction p; Fig. 12) that is less than a width of the body (3) so as to form a tool connection. Gostylla discloses that a first lateral side (FLS) of the body (3) has at least one stepped thickness (where 3 is pointing, Fig. 12) that extends vertically along direction V but Gostylla does not disclose that the stepped thickness extends from the top to the base.
Badent teaches a first lateral side (15,14; Fig. 1) which has a step (at point S1; col. 11, lines 38-44) between a first lateral side thickness (D2) from a top (left side at point S7, Fig. 2) of a riveting yoke (1) and a second lateral side thickness (D1) from the step (at point S1) to a bottom (right side at point S2, Fig. 2) of the riveting yoke (1). It would have been obvious to the skilled artisan prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to modify at least lateral side of the yoke of Gostylla to include a stepped thickness as taught by Badent so as to have a thicker and thinner thickness in a reinforcing wall thickness of the yoke.
Regarding claim 16, Gostylla discloses in Fig. 47 which shows that the anvil segment (end of top side surface 9; Fig. 47) has lateral surfaces which extend (vertically, direction v) between the anvil segment top surface and anvil segment bottom surface which are coplanar with the lateral sides of the body (same thickness as the body).
Claim(s) 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gostylla et al. (2020/0346277) in view of Badent et al. (11,571,736) in view of Wu et al. (CN 207709772). Regarding claims 17 and 18, Gostylla does not disclose that the anvil segment is separated from the top surface of the rivet yoke. Wu teaches an anvil segment (31; Fig. 2) which is a tool connection segment that is separated from a top surface of a rivet yoke in a vertical direction wherein a top of the anvil segment (31) is a greater vertical distance from a base (32) than a top surface of the rivet yoke. It would have been obvious to the skilled artisan prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to modify the anvil segment of Gostylla to be separated a vertical distance from the top surface of rivet yoke body as taught by Wu in order to provide a greater amount of material to reinforce the tool connection portion for added strength. Regarding claim 19, Gostylla discloses an aperture in the anvil segment (Figs. 46 and 47) to support the nose actuator (4,7) and an aperture in the base surface to support the die (6) and motorized die actuator (136, [0531]; Fig. 48).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 5-12-2026 have been fully considered. The reference to Badent has been used to respond to Applicants’ amendment that requires at least a first lateral side of the yoke to have a stepped thickness which extends from a top of the yoke to the base of the yoke. It is an obvious modification to create a stepped configuration in a lateral side of the yoke to reinforce or thin certain wall thickness areas by providing different thicknesses in the lateral sides of the yoke.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EDWARD THOMAS TOLAN whose telephone number is (571)272-4525. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-5.
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/EDWARD T TOLAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3725
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