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 .
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)(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.
Claim(s) 9 and 11-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Patent Application 2022/0047397 to Howell et al.
Re: claims 9 and 14-17. Howell et al. show in figure 6 a contact-aided compliant mechanism comprising: a first rigid component, as labeled, the first rigid component including a first bearing surface or bottom surface; a second rigid component, as labeled, the second rigid component including an upper and lower bearing surface; a third rigid component, as labeled, the third rigid component including a third bearing surface, as labeled; a plurality of flexible components, as labeled, each of the flexible components including a first end, a second end, and a third end, wherein the first end is attached to one of the first, second, or third rigid component and wherein the third end is attached to one of the first, second, or third rigid component; the first bearing surface, as labeled, selectively engaging the upper bearing surface; and the third bearing surface, as labeled, selectively engaging the lower bearing surface upon adequate [AltContent: textbox (2nd end )][AltContent: textbox (1st end )]compression.
[AltContent: textbox (2nd radius of curvature)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Third bearing surface)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Upper bearing surface)][AltContent: arrow]
[AltContent: connector][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (1st radius of curvature)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (3rd end )][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (3rd body contact)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: connector][AltContent: textbox (Lower bearing surface)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Second body
contact)][AltContent: textbox (1st second body contact)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: connector][AltContent: connector][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (1st body contact)][AltContent: connector][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (1st bearing surface)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Flexible components)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (2nd rigid component)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (1st rigid component)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (3rd rigid component)][AltContent: arrow]
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Re: claim 11. Howell et al. show in figure 6 wherein the first rigid component, as labeled, further includes at least one first body contact as labeled below the illustrated dashed line, wherein the body contact extends from one side of the first rigid component toward the second rigid component, as labeled, as shown, and wherein the at least one first body contact includes the first bearing surface as shown.
Re: claim 12. Howell et al. show in figure 6 wherein the second rigid component, as labeled, further includes at least two second body contacts, wherein a first second body contact, as labeled, extends from one side of the second rigid component toward the first rigid component, a second body contact, as labeled, extends from one side of the second rigid component toward the third rigid component, and wherein the first second body contact includes the upper bearing surface, as labeled, and the second body contact includes the lower bearing surface, as labeled.
Re: claim 13. Howell et al. show in figure 6 wherein the third rigid component, as labeled, further includes at least one third body contact, as labeled, wherein the third body contact extends from one side of the third rigid component toward the second rigid component, as labeled, and wherein the at least one third body contact includes the third bearing surface, as labeled.
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.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Howell et al. in view of US Patent 2020/0340520 to Bullard.
Howell et al. are silent with regard to at least one of the first, upper, lower or third bearing surfaces has a rounded contour.
Bullard teaches in figures 1A and 1B the use of a bearing surface shown in the area near then end of the lead arrow of 152 of a complaint mechanism having a rounded or circular contour as shown.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified at least one of the first, upper, lower or third bearing surfaces of Howell et al. to have included a rounded contour, in view of the teachings of Bullard, in order to provide a means of more securely cooperating with a flexible component while also reducing stress concentrations.
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 11 and 13 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.
Re: claim 11. The phrase “the body contact” is indefinite. It is unclear whether Applicant intends to recite a single body contact or refer back to the at least one first body contact which includes one or a plurality of body first body contacts.
Re: claim 13. The phrase “the third body contact” is indefinite. It is unclear whether Applicant intends to recite a single third body contact or refer back to the at least one third body contact which includes one or a plurality of body first body contacts.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species C in the reply filed on 7/3/25 and 11/24/25 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-8 have been withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 7/3/25.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US Patent Application 2021/0025443, FR-2446952, CN-110439922, and DE-102014006727 teach the use of similar compliant mechanisms.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MELODY M BURCH whose telephone number is (571)272-7114. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 6:30AM-3PM, generally.
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mmb
January 24, 2026
/MELODY M BURCH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616