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) 1, 2, 6, 11, & 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Long, Jr. [US PATENT No.: US 4,819,724].
With regards to claim 1, Long discloses a device for sewer pipe work (repair, Col. 1, lines 6-51) including sewer pipe rehabilitation and sewer pipe inspection work (video camera, the camera and video subassembly are employed to determine the location of a service pipe or lateral 50 which is blocked by the liner 46, Col. 4, lines 58-67), the device comprising: a base unit movable in a sewer pipe (34, structural unit, Fig. 1, Col. 5, lines 21-23); a rotary head which is arranged on the base unit and rotatable about an axis of rotation assigned to the rotary head (54, cutter, Col. 5, lines 25-29); a first lifting arm rotatably mounted on the rotary head (a cutter positioning subassembly 58 for moving the cutter supporting subassembly 52 and the cutter 54 to permit cutting of the liner 46 around the entire area of the connecting lateral 50, Col. 5. Lines 45-49); an accommodation portion which is rotatably mounted on the first lifting arm and configured to accommodate a working device comprising a milling cutter (the cutter positioning subassembly 58 includes second hydraulically actuated means for receiving pressurized hydraulic fluid and for adjusting the axial position of the cutter supporting subassembly 52 and the cutter 54 forward and rearward within the sewer pipe 48 (toward the left and right, respectively, when viewing FIG. 1), Col. 5, lines 48-55); a first actuator mounted on the rotary head for moving the accommodation portion (second hydraulically actuated means for receiving pressurized hydraulic fluid and for adjusting the axial position of the cutter supporting subassembly 52, Col. 5, lines 48-55); a working circuit assigned to the first actuator (The holder subassembly 56 includes first hydraulically actuated means (not shown in FIG. 1) for receiving pressurized hydraulic fluid and for centering and holding the second structural unit at a fixed axial position and centered within the sewer pipe, Col. 5, lines 34-43); and a line connectable to the working device (314 and 316, flexible hydraulic conduits or hoses, Figs.17-20, Col. 18, lines 65-67); wherein the working circuit assigned to the first actuator extends, originating from the interior of the base unit (Col. 18, lines 28-50), to the interior of the first actuator inside the device (Fig. 19), and wherein the line connectable to the working device extends, originating from the interior of the base unit, to the interior of the accommodation portion inside the device (Col. 17, line 43-Col. 18, line 64).
With regards to claim 2, Long discloses a second actuator rotatably mounted on the rotary head (Col. 2, lines 39-60), which is configured to move the accommodation portion, and a working circuit assigned to the second actuator, wherein the working circuit (hydraulic) assigned to the second actuator extends, originating from the interior of the base unit, to the interior of the second actuator inside the device (Col. 2, lines 39-68).
With regards to claim 6, Long discloses wherein the rotary head is continuously and/or endlessly rotatable about the axis of rotation assigned to the rotary head with respect to an angle of rotation assigned to the rotary head (hydraulically actuated means are adapted to receive hydraulic fluid from the valve means for rotating the cutter motor up to 180 degrees about the axis of the conduit in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction with respect to an initial position in accordance with the received hydraulic fluid, Col. 2, lines 39-68).
With regards to claim 11, Long discloses the first actuator is a first hydraulic cylinder and wherein the working circuit assigned to the first actuator is a hydraulic circuit, and wherein the first hydraulic cylinder comprises multiple bores which are designed to form subsections of a supply section or a return section of the hydraulic circuit assigned to the first hydraulic cylinder (the cutter positioning subassembly 58 includes second hydraulically actuated means for receiving pressurized hydraulic fluid and for adjusting the axial position of the cutter supporting subassembly 52 and the cutter 54 forward and rearward within the sewer pipe 48 (toward the left and right, respectively, when viewing FIG. 1), Col. 5, lines 48-55).
With regards to claim 15, Long discloses the accommodation portion is mounted on the first lifting arm with a third mounting union (Fig. 19, Col. 20, lines 13-68).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5, 7-10, 12-14 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
With regards to claim 3, the prior art does not suggest or discloses a first rotary union assigned to the rotary head is arranged inside the base unit and forms a subsection of the working circuit assigned to the first actuator. Claims 4 & 12 depends therefrom claim 3.
With regards to claim 5, the prior art does not suggest or discloses a second lifting arm rotatably mounted on the rotary head, on which the accommodation portion is rotatably mounted; a camera accommodation device arranged on the first lifting arm and/or the second lifting arm, which is configured to accommodate a camera; and a line assigned to the camera; wherein the line assigned to the camera extends, originating from the interior of the base unit, to the interior of the chamber accommodation device inside the device.
With regards to claim 7, the prior art does not suggest or discloses “a second rotary union, which forms a subsection of the working circuit assigned to the first actuator” in combination with the remaining claimed elements and from which it depends.
With regards to claim 8, the prior art does not suggest or discloses a third rotary union, which forms a subsection of the working circuit assigned to the second actuator, and wherein the second actuator is mounted on the rotary head along an axis of rotation common to the first actuator.
With regards to claim 9, the prior art does not suggest or discloses a longitudinal bore which is designed as a subsection of the line connectable to the working device or which is designed to accommodate the line connectable to the working device.
With regards to claim 10, the prior art does not suggest or discloses the second lifting arm comprises a longitudinal bore which is designed to accommodate the line assigned to the camera.
With regards to claim 13, the prior art does not suggest or discloses the rotary head comprises slip rings which are configured to form a subsection of the line connectable to the working device.
With regards to claim 14, the prior art does not suggest or discloses the slip rings are configured to form a subsection of the line assigned to the camera.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FRANCIS C GRAY whose telephone number is (571)270-3348. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7am-5pm.
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/FRANCIS C GRAY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852