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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restriction
Applicant’s election of invention I, claims 13-23 in the reply filed on 10/23/2025 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Applicant’s election without traverse of invention I, claims 13-23 in the reply filed on 10/23/2025 is acknowledged.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 13-24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu (US Pub No. 2016/0308488) in view of Shingleton (US Pub No. 2005/0109384)
Regarding Claim 13, Liu et al. teaches a mounting assembly for a solar tracker [Fig. 8, 0085], the mounting assembly comprising:
a bearing housing assembly [110 is bearing housing assembly, Fig. 11, 0100, bearing 1130 in figure 12, 0102].
a first mounting bracket [210 and 4100 on right side of bearing assembly, Fig. 3-4, 47, 0083, 0151], in figure 3, 4100 is not listed but is shown below 210] configured to mount a first solar module [110 on right side of bearing assembly, Fig. 6 and 9, 0071] to a torque tube [3400, Fig. 11, 0107], the first mounting bracket at a first side of the bearing housing assembly [Fig. 6 and 8-9, 0077],
a second mounting bracket [210 and 4100 on left side of bearing assembly, Fig. 3-4, 47, 0083, 0151] configured to mount a second solar module [110, on left side of bearing assembly, Fig. 6 and 9, 0071] to the torque tube [3400, Fig. 11, 0107], the second mounting bracket at a second side of the bearing housing assembly [Fig. 6 and 8-9, 0077],
Liu et al. is silent on a connecting rod, and the first mounting bracket comprising a first opening that receives the connecting rod at the first side of the bearing housing assembly; and the second side being opposite the first side, the second mounting bracket comprising a second opening that receives the connecting rod at the second side of the bearing housing assembly.
Shingleton et al. teaches a solar tracking panel comprising torque tubes 72 which are hollow or filled with structural foam [0031]. The torque tubes of Shingleton et al. can be circular [0031].
Since Liu et al. teaches the use of a torque tube, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing of the invention to modify the torque tube of Liu et al. with the structural foam of Shingleton et al. as it is merely the selection of a conventional engineering design for torque tubes in solar trackers and one of ordinary skill would have a reasonable expectation of success in doing so.
Within the combination above, modified Liu et al. teaches the first mounting bracket comprising a first opening that receives the connecting rod at the first side of the bearing housing assembly; and the second side being opposite the first side, the second mounting bracket comprising a second opening that receives the connecting rod at the second side of the bearing housing assembly [In the combination, the torque tube is modified with the structural foam, which is filled inside the torque tube, this will result in a connecting rod, which is the result of the structural foam, both the torque tube and the connecting rod go through the first and second mounting brackets and the bearing housing assembly].
Regarding Claim 14, within the combination above, modified Liu et al. teaches wherein the first mounting bracket is configured to hang the torque tube from the first mounting bracket at the first side of the bearing housing assembly, and wherein the second mounting bracket is configured to hang the torque tube from the second mounting bracket at the second side of the bearing housing assembly [See figure 9 for the entire system of pv modules, Figure 7 shows second pv module 110, and there would be the first pv module on the right, with a torque tube and connecting rod connected to the two pv modules, though the mounting bracket,]
Regarding Claim 15, within the combination above, modified Liu et al. teaches further comprising:
a first u-bolt received at the first mounting bracket at the first side of the bearing housing assembly to frictionally engage and hang the torque tube from the first mounting bracket; and
a second u-bolt received at the second mounting bracket at the second side of the bearing housing assembly to frictionally engage and hang the torque tube from the second mounting bracket [[see mounting brackets, 210 and 4100 on right and left side of bearing assembly, Fig. 3-4, 47, 0083, 0151]
Regarding Claim 16, within the combination above, modified Liu et al. teaches wherein the first mounting bracket comprises a first side having a first hole for receiving a first fastener to mount the first solar module to the torque tube, and wherein the first mounting bracket comprises a second side, opposite the first side, from which the first mounting bracket is configured to hang the torque tube [see mounting brackets, 210 and 4100 on right and left side of bearing assembly, Fig. 3-4, 47, 0083, 0151, see rejection of claim 13].
Regarding Claim 17, within the combination above, modified Liu et al. teaches wherein the first mounting bracket comprises a side surface extending between the first side and the second side, the side surface comprising the first opening that receives the connecting rod at the first side of the bearing housing assembly [see mounting brackets, 210 and 4100 on right and left side of bearing assembly, Fig. 3-4, 47, 0083, 0151, see rejection of claim 13].
Regarding Claim 18, within the combination above, modified Liu et al. teaches wherein the second mounting bracket comprises a first side having a second hole for receiving a second fastener to mount the second solar module to the torque tube, and wherein the second mounting bracket comprises a second side, opposite the first side of the second mounting bracket, from which the second mounting bracket is configured to hang the torque tube [Fig. 47, 0151, see mounting brackets, 210 and 4100 on right and left side of bearing assembly, Fig. 3-4, 47, 0083, 0151, see rejection of claim 13].
Regarding Claim 19, within the combination above, modified Liu et al. teaches wherein the second mounting bracket comprises a side surface extending between the first side of the second mounting bracket and the second side of the second mounting bracket, the side surface of the second mounting bracket comprising the second opening that receives the connecting rod at the second side of the bearing housing assembly [see mounting brackets, 210 and 4100 on right and left side of bearing assembly, Fig. 3-4, 47, 0083, 0151, see rejection of claim 13].
Regarding Claim 20, within the combination above, modified Liu et al. teaches wherein the connecting rod integrates the first mounting bracket and the second mounting bracket with the bearing housing assembly [see mounting brackets, 210 and 4100 on right and left side of bearing assembly, Fig. 3-4, 47, 0083, 0151, see rejection of claim 13].
Regarding Claim 21, within the combination above, modified Liu et al. teaches wherein, as the torque tube is rotated to adjust an angular position of the first solar module and the second solar module, the first mounting bracket, the second mounting bracket, and the connecting rod are configured to rotate together with the torque tube [see mounting brackets, 210 and 4100 on right and left side of bearing assembly, Fig. 3-4, 47, 0083, 0151, see rejection of claim 13].
Regarding Claim 22, within the combination above, modified Liu et al. teaches wherein the connecting rod extends out from the first side of the bearing housing assembly, out from the second side of the bearing housing assembly, and parallel to a longitudinal axis of the torque tube [see mounting brackets, 210 and 4100 on right and left side of bearing assembly, Fig. 3-4, 47, 0083, 0151, see rejection of claim 13].
Regarding Claim 23, within the combination above, modified Liu et al. teaches wherein the first mounting bracket comprises a first torque bar clamp integrated at the first mounting bracket, and wherein the first torque bar clamp comprises the first opening that receives the connecting rod at the first side of the bearing housing assembly [see mounting brackets, 210 and 4100 on right and left side of bearing assembly, Fig. 3-4, 47, 0083, 0151, see rejection of claim 13, see portion 4100 as the torque bar clamp].
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL Y SUN whose telephone number is (571)270-0557. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-7PM.
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/MICHAEL Y SUN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1728
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