DETAILED ACTION
This communication is a first Office Action Non-Final rejection on the merits. The Preliminary amendment received on 03/21/2024 has been acknowledged. Claim(s) 1-7 have been amended. Claims 1-7 are now pending and have been considered below.
Claim Objections
Claim(s) 1, 6, and 7 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 1, 6, and 7, the recitations “centring”, are understood to mean --centering--.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-7, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b), as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding claims 1 and 7, at lines 6-7 and 11, respectively, the recitation “the rest of the centering sleeve” renders the claim indefinite because it lacks antecedent basis.
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 of this title, 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) 1-7, as best understood, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Reinwall et al. (U.S. Patent No. 4,630,984) in view of Vogel et al. (U.S. Patent No. 5,704,572).
Regarding claim 1, Reinwall et al. teaches a system capable of mounting facade panels (fastening assembly; abstract), comprising: a centering sleeve (17) with a collar (15) and a fastening element (13) with a head (16), a shaft (portion beneath the head; figure 2) and a drill bit (at bottom end; figure 2), and an opening (at 28; figure 4) in which the shaft of the fastening element is arranged during mounting (figure 1) and wherein the shaft of the fastening element comprises a projection (24).
Reinwall et al. does not specifically disclose a base wherein the base of the centering sleeve is connected to the rest of the centering sleeve by means of at least one predetermined breaking point, and the projection causes a release of the base at the predetermined breaking point when the fastening element is in a predetermined position relative to the base of the centering sleeve.
Vogel et al. discloses a fastening apparatus (title) including a base (20) wherein the base of the centering sleeve is connected to the rest of the centering sleeve by means of at least one predetermined breaking point (at 40), and the projection causes a release of the base at the predetermined breaking point (col. 4, lines 30-35) when the fastening element is in a predetermined position relative to the base of the centering sleeve (in the combination, it is understood that the projection of Reinwall et al. would cause a release of the base of Vogel et al. at the predetermined breaking point when the fastening element is in a predetermined position relative to the base of the centering sleeve).
Therefore, from the teaching of Vogel et al., it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the fastening assembly of Reinwall et al. to include a base wherein the base of the centering sleeve is connected to the rest of the centering sleeve by means of at least one predetermined breaking point, and the projection causes a release of the base at the predetermined breaking point when the fastening element is in a predetermined position relative to the base of the centering sleeve, as taught by Vogel et al., in order to initially align the fastener and then reduce fatigue and deformation of the hub during installation to prevent unintended collapse or fracture of the anchor, for a more controlled installation.
Regarding claim 2, Reinwall et al. teaches the projection is formed annularly on the shaft of the fastening element (figure 2).
Regarding claim 3, Reinwall et al. although the head of the fastening element does not specifically show a tool receptacle, the examiner takes official notice that it is well known that screw heads include tool receptacles such as flathead, Phillips, or hex openings, and it would therefore be obvious that Reinwall et al. includes one in order to drive the screw.
Regarding claim 4, Reinwall et al. teaches the shaft of the fastening element comprises a thread (figure 2) between the drill bit and the projection (figure 2).
Regarding claim 5, Reinwall et al. teaches the shaft of the fastening element comprises a thread-free region (at 13) between the projection and the thread (figure 2).
Regarding claim 6, Vogel et al. in the combination discloses bars (40, 42) are arranged between the base and the collar of the centering sleeve (figure 1a), which bars connect the base to the collar (figure 1a).
Regarding claim 7, Reinwall et al. teaches a method (fastening assembly and process; abstract) capable of mounting facade panels, comprising: arranging a centering sleeve (17) and a fastening element (13) in a bore (opening through which the fastener extends; figure 1) of a facade panel (figure 1), wherein the centering sleeve comprises a collar (15) and an opening (at 28; figure 4) and the fastening element comprises a head (16), a shaft (portion beneath the head; figure 2) and a drill bit (at bottom end; figure 2), placing the fastening element in a substrate by means of the drill bit (figure 1), wherein the shaft of the fastening element is arranged in the opening in of the centering sleeve (figure 1).
Reinwall et al. does not specifically disclose a base and releasing a predetermined breaking point between the base of the centering sleeve and the rest of the centering sleeve by means of a projection of the shaft of the fastening element when the fastening element is in a predetermined position relative to the base of the centering sleeve.
Vogel et al. discloses a fastening apparatus (title) including a base (20) and releasing (col. 4, lines 30-35) a predetermined breaking point (at 40) between the base of the centering sleeve and the rest of the centering sleeve (figure 1a) by means of a projection of the shaft of the fastening element when the fastening element is in a predetermined position relative to the base of the centering sleeve (in the combination, it is understood that the projection of the shaft of the fastening element of Reinwall et al. would cause a release of the breaking point between the base of the centering sleeve and the rest of the centering sleeve of Vogel et al. when the fastening element is in a predetermined position relative to the base of the centering sleeve).
Therefore, from the teaching of Vogel et al., it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the fastening assembly of Reinwall et al. to include a base and releasing a predetermined breaking point between the base of the centering sleeve and the rest of the centering sleeve by means of a projection of the shaft of the fastening element when the fastening element is in a predetermined position relative to the base of the centering sleeve, as taught by Vogel et al., in order to initially align the fastener and then reduce fatigue and deformation of the hub during installation to prevent unintended collapse or fracture of the anchor, for a more controlled installation.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The cited patents listed on the included form PTO-892 further show the state of the art with respect to façade fastening assemblies in general.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OMAR HIJAZ whose telephone number is (571)270-5790. The examiner can normally be reached on 8-6 EST Monday-Friday.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Brian Mattei can be reached on (571) 270-3238. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/OMAR F HIJAZ/Examiner, Art Unit 3633
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