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
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.
(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) 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (2) as being anticipated by Hystad (US 4458631, cited in IDS).
For claim 19, Hystad discloses a vessel connector (3, 19, 20) having a longitudinal axis along which the vessel connector extends, a proximal end (towards 5) configured to receive a mooring connection (bottom part of 3) and a distal end (towards 9) opposite the proximal end,
wherein the vessel connector comprising at a distance from the proximal end an elongate section (3) comprising a protrusion (19) arranged closer to the distal end than the elongate section), said protrusion being configured to co-operate with a gripping device (11) comprising two prongs (12) dimensioned and shaped to receive the elongate section while preventing the protrusion two pass in- between the prongs (Col. 3, lines 38-43).
For claim 20, Hystad further, wherein the elongated section is flexible/bendable (cable is flexible).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-18, 21 are allowed.
The prior art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of elements as detailed in the claims. While prior art does teach known gripping devices fixedly arranged on ships (see for instance de Baan US 5044297) these fail to teach such a gripping device in combination with a combined mooring and electrical connection including a retractable vessel connector provided at an end thereof.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 05/29/2026 in reference to Hystad have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argued that, “ the vessel connector is an element extending along a longitudinal axis which comprises an elongate section comprising a protrusion, said vessel connector is configured to receive a mooring connection at one end. Hence, the buoy line #3 of Hystad cannot be equated to being part of the vessel connector of claim 19, as in claim 19, the mooring connection is to be received by the vessel connector and the swage sleeve #19 cannot be equated to the vessel connector as it lacks a suitable protrusion.”
This is not found persuasive because the claim does not limit the vessel connector in any manner which would exclude interpretation of the mooring line 3 as part of the vessel connector. The claim does not require a mooring line in addition to the vessel connector, merely that it is configured to receive a mooring connection, the connection of line 3 to anchor 5 is a mooring connection, it is the connection of two elements that allows for mooring of the ship. Accordingly, 3 is considered part of the vessel connector as it connects the anchor 5 to the vessel.
The office further notes that “configured to receive” a mooring connection is not a positive limitation of the mooring connection and the line 3 can be connected or tied to multiple objects. The claim further does not positively recite the gripping device, merely an element that can be gripped by one.
The claim is extremely broad and ultimately only requires an element that can connect to a vessel including a protrusion. This is shown in elements 3 and 19 of Hystad.
Furthermore the office notes that multiple additional references anticipate claim 19. See for instance Claflin (US 3604030) which teaches vessel connector 10 having a protrusion at 28 or de Baan (US 5044297) which teaches vessel connector 3, having a protrusion on top that attaches to gripping device 6, fig. 1-2.
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 MAGDALENA TOPOLSKI whose telephone number is (571)270-3568. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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/MAGDALENA TOPOLSKI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3642
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