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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 5/29/2024 has been considered by the examiner.
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-15 are 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 1 recites “at least one of the first and second pivots has a single pivot point and the other of the first and second pivots has at least one pivot axis” which is unclear and renders the claims indefinite. Specifically, it is unclear what the claims require by “a single pivot point” and “at least one pivot axis” and how these claim elements differ. Generally, the pivot point of a pivoting object is the point where the axis of rotation (or pivot axis) is located. The recitations for the “third pivot” and the “fourth pivot” are also unclear.
Claim 1 recites “the satellite frame” in line 6 and again in line 10. As “at least three satellite frames” are previously claimed, it is unclear which satellite frame this recitation is referring to.
Claim 4 recites “wherein each of the first pivot and the second pivot has a single pivot point” which is unclear for the reasons given above, and further confuses the difference between the claimed “single pivot point” and “pivot axis” as the second pivot point is now claimed to have both.
Claim 5 is indefinite for the same reasons given for claim 4 above.
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.
Claim(s) 1-9 and 15, as best understood, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KR 101807998 B1 (hereinafter D1).
D1 discloses an articulated structure, comprising a central frame (see Fig. 3 - one of the central triangular elements that is surrounded by three other triangular elements) and at least three satellite (See Fig. 3 - the three triangular elements surrounding the central frame) frames surrounding the central frame, wherein the central frame and the satellite frames extend in a common main plane (see Fig. 3 – all of the triangular elements shown in a common plane) and each of the satellite frames is coupled to the central frame by a pair of couplings (each side of each triangle is adjoined to a side of an adjacent triangle by two couplings 500), of which a first coupling (one of 500) comprises a first support (one of 520) that is mounted to the central frame through a first pivot (one of 510) and to the satellite frame through a second pivot (one of 521), wherein at least one of the first and second pivots has a single pivot point (as best understood, the one of 510 that is considered the first pivot is a single pivot point), and the other one of the first and second pivots has at least one pivot axis (as best understood, the axis along the pin of the second pivot can be considered a pivot axis), and of which a second coupling (another of 500) comprises a second support (another of 520) that is mounted to the central frame through a third pivot (another of 510) and to the satellite frame through a fourth pivot (another of 510),
wherein at least one of the third and fourth pivots has a single pivot point (as best understood, the one of 510 that is considered the third pivot is a single pivot point), and the other one of the third and fourth pivots has at least one pivot axis (as best understood, the axis along the pin of the fourth pivot can be considered a pivot axis), hence forming an imaginary axis of rotation (an axis parallel to the sides of respective adjoined triangles that passes through each of the 521 pivot axes) through the pivot point of one of the first and second pivot and the pivot point of one of the third and fourth pivot; wherein the central frame has at least three side edges (See Fig. 3), which are adjacent to respective side edges (see Fig. 3) of the at least three satellite frames, wherein along each of two adjacent side edges of the central frame and the respective satellite frames the first and second couplings are located at a distance (see Fig. 3) from each other; wherein each of the central frame and the satellite frames has three side edges which form a triangle (see Fig. 3) within the main plane; wherein each of the first pivot and the second pivot has a single pivot point (as best understood, the point along the pivot axis where the pivots move around); wherein each of the third pivot and fourth pivot has a single pivot point (as best understood, the point along the pivot axis where the pivots move around); wherein a distance between the pivot points of the first and third pivots is fixed and a distance between the pivot points of the second and fourth pivots is fixed (as each of 520 is constrained from moving along the sides of the triangular elements, the distance between the pivots is considered fixed); wherein at least one of the first and second supports is rigid (the first and second supports can be considered rigid, as they only allow movement in desired directions); wherein a distance (see Fig. 3, distance between each of 500) between the pivot point of one of the first and second pivots and the at least one pivot axis of the other one of the first and second pivots is equal to a distance (see Fig. 3, distance between each of 500, that is to say, it is the same distance as the couplings are parallel) between the pivot point of one of the third and fourth pivots and the at least one pivot axis of the other one of the third and fourth pivots; wherein the first and second couplings are provided with respective motion limiters for limiting at least one of the following relative motions of the central frame and each of the satellite frames: a displacement in a direction extending perpendicularly to the main plane (elements 530 limit motion in a direction perpendicular to the main plane), a rotation about an axis extending perpendicularly to the main plane, a displacement in a direction extending parallel to the main plane and transversely with respect to the imaginary axis of rotation (IA1, IA2), a rotation about an axis extending parallel to the main plane and transversely with respect to the imaginary axis of rotation (IA1, IA2), a displacement along the imaginary axis of rotation (IA1, IA2), and a rotation about the imaginary axis of rotation (IA1, IA2); and wherein the articulated structure is a floating structure (title of invention describes device as “floating type”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-14 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAKE COOK whose telephone number is (571)272-5968. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-4:00 PM.
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JAKE COOK
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3618
/Jake Cook/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3618
Prosecution Insights