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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
On page 5, lines 20-21, “Drive”, “square drive” and “different drives” are denoted to be 11.
Examiner recommends using a different denotation for the term “different drives”.
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.
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.
Claim 7 recites the limitation "the housing" in lines 2-3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 7 recites the limitation, “further comprising one or more retainers arranged to hold the or each drive sleeve” in lines 1-2. The scope of this claim is unclear to the examiner. Would just one retainer arranged to hold the drive sleeve read on the claim? Additionally, claim 1 only indicates there being one drive sleeve in the drive assembly. Examiner will interpret the claim as further comprising one or more retainers arranged to the hold the drive sleeve.
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) 1, 6-11, and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Huang et al. (CN 112296919 A).
Regarding claim 1, Huang teaches a drive assembly of a torque wrench (Figure 1), the drive assembly comprising: a ratchet having internal splines (Figure 13, Description, “ratchet wheel 17 inner wall is uniformly distributed with ratchet spline 65”); a drive comprising a shaft (Figure 12, Description, “the executing mechanism is provided with a rotating shaft 16”) arranged to be removably received within the ratchet(Figure 12, Description, “ratchet wheel 17 is connected with the rotating shaft 16”), the shaft passing through the ratchet and having external splines(Description, rotating shaft spline 62) arranged to mesh with the splines of the ratchet such that rotation of the ratchet rotates the shaft(Description, “the ratchet wheel 17 drives the rotating shaft 16 to rotate through the rotating shaft spline 62”); and a drive sleeve (first push plate 45) arranged to be seated on the ratchet and having internal splines matching the internal splines of the ratchet(See Annotated Fig. 2), and wherein the drive sleeve and ratchet comprise cooperating features(Description, the ratchet wheel 17, first push plate 45 and second push plate 46 and the auxiliary inner gear 55 cooperate) arranged to prevent relative rotation of the drive sleeve and ratchet when the drive sleeve is seated on the ratchet.
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Annotated Figure 1: Matching of Internal Splines of Push Plate and Ratchet
Regarding claim 5, Huang teaches the drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the cooperating features are oriented with respect to the internal splines so as to align the internal splines of the ratchet with those of the drive sleeve when engaged.
Regarding claim 6, Huang teaches the drive assembly of claim 1, further comprising a second drive sleeve (Description, second push plate 46), the second drive sleeve being arranged to be seated on the far side of the ratchet from the first drive sleeve (See annotated Fig. 3).
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Annotated Figure 2: Second Drive Sleeve Seated on the Far Side of the Ratchet
Regarding claim 7, Huang teaches the drive assembly of claim 1, further comprising one or more retainers (Description, “The rotating shaft front end cover 21 and the rotating shaft back-end cover 53 can seal the connecting part of the rotating shaft 16 and the shell”) arranged to hold the or each drive sleeve in place within the housing (by structure rotating shaft front end cover 21 and back-end cover 53 hold each drive sleeve in place within the housing).
Regarding claim 8, Huang teaches the drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the drive is a square drive (See Annotated Fig. 4).
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Annotated Figure 3: Square Drive
Regarding claim 9, Huang teaches a torque wrench (Description, “A cylindrical roller type hydraulic torque spanner”) comprising a drive assembly in accordance with claim 1.
Regarding claim 10, Huang teaches the torque wrench of claim 9, wherein the torque wrench is a hydraulic torque wrench (Description, “A cylindrical roller type hydraulic torque spanner”).
Regarding claim 11, Huang teaches a kit of components(all of the following components together make up a kit) for forming into a torque wrench, the kit comprising: a housing (Description, “the shell 18 is provided with a driving mechanism”); a ratchet arranged to be mounted on the housing and having internal splines (Figure 13, “ratchet wheel 17 inner wall is uniformly distributed with ratchet spline 65”); a drive comprising a shaft arranged to be removably received within the housing, the shaft (Figure 12, “the executing mechanism is provided with a rotating shaft 16”) passing through the ratchet and having external splines arranged to mesh with the splines of the ratchet such that rotation of the ratchet rotates the shaft (Description, “the ratchet wheel 17 drives the rotating shaft 16 to rotate through the rotating shaft spline 62”); and a drive sleeve(“first push plate 45”) arranged to be seated on the ratchet within the housing and having internal splines matching the internal splines of the ratchet (See Annotated Fig. 2), and wherein the drive sleeve and ratchet comprise cooperating features arranged to prevent relative rotation of the drive sleeve and ratchet when the drive sleeve is seated on the ratchet (Description, “the ratchet wheel 17, first push plate 45 and second push plate 46 and the auxiliary inner gear 55 cooperate”).
Regarding clam 13, Huang teaches the kit of components of claim 11, wherein the kit comprises a plurality of drive sleeves (first and second push plates 45 and 16, respectively)
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, 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) 2-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of Hsieh (US 2004/0206211 A1).
Regarding claim 2, Huang teaches the drive assembly of claim 1, but does not teach the drive sleeve and ratchet comprising multiple pairs of cooperating features arranged to prevent relative rotation of the drive sleeve and ratchet when the drive sleeve is seated on the ratchet.
Hsieh teaches the drive sleeve (Paragraph 0017, line 4, sleeve 33) and ratchet (Paragraph 0017, Lines 3-8, drive device 32 has a center hole 321, and a ratchet portion 322 having a plurality of ratches 322A) comprising multiple pairs of cooperating features (See Annotated Figure 4) arranged to prevent relative rotation of the drive sleeve and ratchet when the drive sleeve is seated on the ratchet.
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Annotated Figure 4: Multiple Pairs of Cooperating Features
Huang and Hsieh are considered analogous art to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of endeavor of tools or bench devices not otherwise provided for, for fastening, connecting, disengaging, or holding. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Huang with the teachings of Hsieh. Doing so would allow for the drive device and the shaft to have multiple pairs of cooperating features so that they would be able to be perfectly engaged (Page 1, Paragraph 0017).
Regarding claim 3, Huang teaches the drive assembly of claim 1, but does not teach wherein the cooperating features of the drive sleeve and ratchet comprise a keyway on the ratchet, and a key on the drive sleeve, the key being arranged to fit within the keyway.
Hsieh teaches wherein the cooperating features of the drive sleeve and ratchet comprise a keyway on the ratchet (See Annotated Figure 4, Cooperating Features of Drive Device is a keyway), and a key on the drive sleeve (See Annotated Figure 4, Cooperating Features of the drive sleeve is a key), the key being arranged to fit within the keyway (See Annotated Figure 5).
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Annotated Figure 5: Keyway Arranged to Fit in Keyway
Huang and Hsieh are considered analogous art to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of endeavor of tools or bench devices not otherwise provided for, for fastening, connecting, disengaging, or holding. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Huang with the teachings of Hsieh. Doing so would allow for the drive device and the shaft to have cooperating features comprising a keyway on the ratchet and a key on the drive sleeve so that they would be able to be perfectly engaged (Page 1, Paragraph 0017).
Regarding claim 4, Huang teaches the drive assembly of claim 1, but does not teach wherein the ratchet and drive sleeve each have a lip extending parallel to the length of the shaft in use, the lip of the drive sleeve being arranged to be slidingly received within the lip of the ratchet, and wherein the cooperating features are provided on the lips.
Hsieh teaches wherein the ratchet and drive sleeve each have a lip extending parallel to the length of the shaft in use, the lip of the drive sleeve being arranged to be slidingly received within the lip of the ratchet, and wherein the cooperating features are provided on the lips (See Annotated Figure 6).
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Annotated Figure 6: Lips of Drive Device and Sleeve
Huang and Hsieh are considered analogous art to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of endeavor of tools or bench devices not otherwise provided for, for fastening, connecting, disengaging, or holding. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Huang with the teachings of Hsieh. Doing so would allow for the drive device and the shaft to each have lips extending parallel to the length of the shaft, the lips of the drive device and the sleeve are slidingly received within each other, and the cooperating features are on the lip of the drive device and shaft. (Page 1, Paragraph 0017).
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of Tamashiro et al. (US 4, 905, 731).
Regarding claim 12, Huang teaches the kit of components of claim 11, but does not teach wherein the kit comprises a plurality of interchangeable drives.
Tamashiro teaches the kit (all of the components of the tool together make up the kit) comprising plurality of interchangeable drives (Summary of invention and Description, “an additional object is to provide a brake bleeder wrench that contains a head with interchangeable drive hex sockets” and Different drive hex socket members 54 can be used to compensate for different types of…”, respectively).
Huang is considered analogous art to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of endeavor of portable power-drive screw or nut setting or loosening tools. Tamashiro is considered analogous art to the claimed invention because it is reasonably pertinent to the invention as a wrench device used to detach a fastener. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of Tamashiro to the kit of Huang by adding a plurality of interchangeable drives. Doing so would allow for a larger variety of use cases with the designed tool (Summary, lines 27-30)
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Schmoyer (U.S. Patent 4,794,825) teaches a Hydraulic Power Wrench.
Zhou et al. (CN Patent 208759445) teaches a new type hydraulic spanner.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL S LUNDY whose telephone number is (571)270-0752. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:00am - 3:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Monica Carter can be reached at 5712724475. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANIEL LUNDY/
Patent Examiner
Art Unit 3723
7/2/2026
/MONICA S CARTER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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