Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) for failing to show features corresponding to the following claim limitations:
Claim 6: a top clutch disk made from a metallic alloy. See MPEP 608.02 for the appropriate cross hatch pattern to depict such material.
Claim 7: a bottom clutch made from a composite-filled resin material. See MPEP 608.02 for the appropriate cross hatch pattern to depict such material.
Claim 9: an elastic component comprised of coil springs.
Claim 12: said closed end of said clutch carrier is configured with protrusions that mirror the lobe geometry of said top clutch allowing for said clutch carrier to apply torque to said top clutch.
Claim 16: a body comprising an attachment mechanism to attach to said slip clutch.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because the detailed description fails to describe details corresponding to the following limitations:
Claim 9: the elastic component comprised of coil springs.
Claim 12: said closed end of said clutch carrier is configured with protrusions that mirror the lobe geometry of said top clutch allowing for said clutch carrier to apply torque to said top clutch.
Claim 16: a body comprising an attachment mechanism to attach to said slip clutch.
Claim 17: predetermined torque is set by said elastic component.
The disclosure is objected to because at paragraph 0034 reference numeral 134 is used to identify flat washers, but at paragraph 0035 it used to identify a spring stack.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because it begins with a phrase that can be implied. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claim 12 is 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 12 recites the limitation "said closed end" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 12 recites the limitation, “said closed end of said clutch carrier is configured with protrusions that mirror the lobe geometry of said top clutch [disk]”. It’s unclear how protrusions would mirror lobe geometry.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
Claims 1-6, 9, 11-12 & 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Huddle, US 1,828,370.
Claims 1-2 & 16: Huddle discloses a torque-limiting driver comprising:
a slip-clutch comprising
a top clutch disk (36) and an opposing bottom clutch disk (35), each configured with a plurality of lobes (37);
an elastic component (34);
a clutch carrier (14) configured (see Fig. 2) to receive said elastic component; and
a body (16) comprising an attachment mechanism (41’) configured to attach to said slip-clutch, wherein said top clutch disk is configured to slip with respect to said bottom disk upon the application of a predetermined torque threshold (page 2, lines 61-63 & 91-110).
Claims 3-4: Figs. 2 & 6 show the top clutch disk (36) and said opposing bottom clutch disk (35) are each configured with five or more lobes (37).
Claim 5. At page 2, lines 42-46, Hudson discloses the top clutch disk (36) and an opposing modular bottom clutch disk (35) are interchangeable, i.e. modular.
Claim 6. At page 2, line 55, Hudson discloses the top clutch disk (36) is made of metallic material (see also in Fig. 1 that its cross-hatch pattern indicates metal).
Claim 9. Figs. 1-2 show the elastic component is a coil spring (34).
Claim 11. The carrier (14) defines a cylindrical (see Fig. 3) housing configured to fit said elastic component (34) with one open end (see left end in Fig. 2) and one closed end (see right end in Fig. 2).
Claim 12. Fig. 5 shows the closed end of said clutch carrier (14) is configured with protrusions (38) that “mirror” the lobe (37) geometry of said top clutch (36) allowing for said clutch carrier to apply torque to said top clutch.
Claim 15. At page 2, lines 120-125, Hudson discloses the system is disposable.
Claim 17. At page 2, lines 114-120, Hudson discloses the predetermined torque is set by the elastic component (34).
Claims 1-6, 8, 10-11 & 15-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Leonard, US 4,062,203.
Claims 1-2,5 & 15-16: Leonard discloses a torque-limiting driver comprising:
a disposable slip-clutch comprising
a modular top clutch disk (66) and an opposing modular bottom clutch disk (68), each configured with a plurality of lobes (74, 75);
an elastic component (69);
a clutch carrier (63) configured (see Fig. 1) to receive said elastic component; and
a body (61) comprising an attachment mechanism (see Fig. 3)) configured to attach to said slip-clutch, wherein said top clutch disk is configured to slip with respect to said bottom disk upon the application of a predetermined torque threshold (col. 1, lines 1-12).
Claims 3-4: The top clutch disk (66) and said opposing bottom clutch disk (68) are each configured with five or more lobes (74, 75). See Fig. 3 and col. 2, line 67.
Claim 6. The top clutch disk (66) is made of metallic material (see in Fig. 1 that its cross-hatch pattern indicates metal).
Claims 8, 10 & 18. Fig. 1 shows the elastic component (69) is a vertical stack of flat and Belleville washers.
Claim 11. The carrier (63) defines a cylindrical (col. 3, line 11) housing configured to fit said elastic component (69) with one open end (see lower end in Fig. 1) and one closed end (see upper end in Fig. 1).
Claim 17. At col. 3, lines 44-54, Leonard discloses the predetermined torque is set by the elastic component (69).
Claims 1-6, 8, 11, 15-17 & 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tallent, US 5,524,870.
Claims 1-2,5 & 15-16: Tallent discloses a torque-limiting driver comprising:
a disposable slip-clutch (10) comprising
a modular top clutch disk (32, 76) and an opposing modular bottom clutch disk (30, 64), each configured with a plurality of lobes (84, 68);
an elastic component (34);
a clutch carrier (36) configured (see Fig. 3) to receive said elastic component; and
a body (22) comprising an attachment mechanism (col. 2, lines 20-24)) configured to attach to said slip-clutch, wherein said top clutch disk is configured to slip with respect to said bottom disk upon the application of a predetermined torque threshold (col. 1, lines 6-11).
Claims 3-4: Figs. 5-6 show the top clutch disk (76) and said opposing bottom clutch disk (64) are each configured with five or more lobes (84, 68). See Fig. 3 and col. 2, line 67.
Claim 7. At col. 3, lines 45-49, Tallent discloses the opposing modular bottom clutch disk (30, 64) comprises a composite-filled resin material.
Claim 11. The carrier (36) defines a cylindrical housing configured to fit said elastic component (34) with one open end (48) and one closed end (40).
Claim 17. At col. 3, lines 40-42, Tallent discloses the predetermined torque is set by the elastic component (34).
Claim 19. The top clutch disk (32, 76) is conical (78).
Claims 1-5, 7, 9, 11, 15-17 & 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lanzetta, US 1,496,059.
Claims 1-2,5 & 15-16: Lanzetta discloses a torque-limiting driver comprising:
a disposable slip-clutch comprising
a modular top clutch disk (11) and an opposing modular bottom clutch disk (19), each configured with a plurality of lobes (16a, 23 & 22);
an elastic component (27);
a clutch carrier (28) configured (see Fig. 1) to receive said elastic component; and
a body (24) comprising an attachment mechanism (page 1, line 83) configured to attach to said slip-clutch, wherein said top clutch disk is configured to slip with respect to said bottom disk upon the application of a predetermined torque threshold (page 1, line 105 through page 2, line 5).
Claims 3-4: Figs. 2 & 4 show the top clutch disk (11) and said opposing bottom clutch disk (19) are each configured with five or more lobes (16a, 23 & 22).
Claim 6. The top clutch disk (11) is made of metallic material (see in Fig. 1 that its cross-hatch pattern indicates metal).
Claim 9. Fig. 1 and page 1, line 93 disclose the elastic component is a coil spring (27).
Claim 11. The carrier (36) defines a cylindrical housing configured to fit said elastic component (34) with one open end (48) and one closed end (40).
Claim 17. At page 1, line 105 through page 2, line 5, Lanzetta discloses the predetermined torque is set by the elastic component (27).
Claim 19. Fig. 1 and page 1, lines 55-58 disclose that the top clutch disk (11) is conical.
Claim 20. Fig. 1 and page 1, lines 62-69 disclose that the opposing bottom clutch disk (19) is conical.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claims 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over any one of Huddle, Leonard, Tallent and Lanzetta. Each one of Huddle, Leonard, Tallent and Lanzetta discloses a torque limiting system with a system output torque, but none expressly discloses a system output torque set to 14 or more Newton-meters. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to modify the torque limiting system of any one of Huddle, Leonard, Tallent and Lanzetta so that system output torque is set to 14 or more Newton-meters, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Kulling, 897 F.2d 1147, 14 USPQ2d 1056 (Fed. Cir. 1990).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Montgomery shows a torque-limiting driver at Fig. 3 comprising a plurality of flat and Belleville washers (22’), and a torque-limiting driver at Fig. 2 comprising a coil spring (22).
DE 189687 shows a torque-limiting driver comprising conical clutch disks (3, 5), each configured with a plurality of lobes (4).
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/Greg Binda/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3679
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