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 § 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.
Where applicant acts as his or her own lexicographer to specifically define a term of a claim contrary to its ordinary meaning, the written description must clearly redefine the claim term and set forth the uncommon definition so as to put one reasonably skilled in the art on notice that the applicant intended to so redefine that claim term. Process Control Corp. v. HydReclaim Corp., 190 F.3d 1350, 1357, 52 USPQ2d 1029, 1033 (Fed. Cir. 1999). The term “a body” and “the body” in claim 1 is used by the claim to mean “a vehicle frame or fuselage,” while the accepted meaning is “any object.” The term is indefinite because the specification does not clearly redefine the term. As evidenced by applicant’s arguments dated 04/28/2026, applicant is intending for the body to be some portion of a larger vehicle or aircraft frame. It is unclear how the mounting system can then be comprised of the vehicle or fuselage. Isn’t the mounting system a separate element?
The remaining claims are rejected for being dependent upon an indefinite base claim.
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.
Claims 1-9, 11, 12, 14, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Murray (US 5820093 A). Murray discloses:
1. An adjustable equipment mounting system comprising a body (“outer surface of a helicopter fuselage 3”; Col 3 Line 32);
an intermediate piece (71/77) located on (“mounting the object”; Col 5 Line 5) the body and extending outward from the body;
a tube (61) in a cylindrical form removably attached to the intermediate piece, the tube extending in at least two directions (rightmost 61 has L-shape; See Fig. 1);
equipment (“fixing an object (not shown) outside thereof such as a search light, camera, forward looking infrared scanner, and the like”; Col 3 Line 32) removably attached to the tube;
a first fastener (“fasteners such as one-way aircraft rivets”; Col 4 Line 56) configured to fix (as shown in fig. 13) the tube (61) to the intermediate piece (71, not labeled in Fig 13, but main element shown in Fig. 13 is part of 71/77);
a cylindrical protrusion (79) form-fitting (“smaller in diameter so that its outside diameter matches with the inside diameter of support tubes 61”; Col 5 Line 21) with the tube and inserted into the tube such that the tube is attached to the intermediate piece and is rotatable about a first adjustment axis (axis through 79) along which the cylindrical protrusion and the tube extend longitudinally; and
a first adjustment area (67) located on an outer surface of the tube in a part of the tube that engages with the cylindrical protrusion (79), the first adjustment area comprising an opening (69 see Fig. 13) sized to receive the first fastener therethrough, the first adjustment area being configured such that the first fastener fixes the tube to the intermediate piece (71/77) in an angular position about the first adjustment axis (see annotated fig. 1 below) to which the tube is brought by rotation about the first adjustment axis;
wherein the body defines a centerline extending longitudinally from a nose to a tail cone of the body and a plane of symmetry passing through the centerline and dividing the body into two substantially symmetrical parts (inherent to the helicopter fuselage), the first adjustment axis forming a non-zero symmetrical plane angle (since 61 is slightly angled compared to 3 in Fig. 1) with the plane of symmetry, a non-zero longitudinal position angle with a body plane perpendicular to the centerline, or both, the cylindrical protrusion (79) extending outward from the intermediate piece along the first adjustment axis such that the tube attached to the cylindrical protrusion is positioned to extend along (both 79 and 97 extend along the first adjustment axis, then 61 bends) the first adjustment axis;
and wherein rotation of the tube about the first adjustment axis produces a change in yaw angle of the equipment and angular position changes about pitch and roll axes of the equipment (rotation of 61 about the first axis inherently moves the equipment attached to 71 in yaw, pitch and roll since there are three attachment points and the first adjustment axis is angled relative to fuselage 3).
PNG
media_image1.png
698
932
media_image1.png
Greyscale
2. _(Currently Amended)The adjustable equipment mounting system according to claim 1, wherein forms both the non-zero symmetrical plane angle with the plane of symmetry and the non-zero longitudinal position angle (see angle formed by dotted lines with respect to the fuselage body 3 in the annotated Fig. above) body plane
3._(Currently Amended)The adjustable equipment mounting system according to claim l, wherein the first adjustment area comprises a channel (small channel between 65 and 67 in Fig. 1) extending circumferentially around the outer surface of the tube, the first fastener being attachable to fix the tube at any selected circumferential position along the channel.
4. _(Currently Amended)The adjustable equipment mounting system according to claim 1, further comprising:
at least one adapter (113) in a cylindrical form (at least the threaded portion 117)
a second adjustment axis (axis X in Fig. 17) along which the tube, the adapter, and the equipment in a substantially
an equipment fastener (5) onfigured to removably attach (via 25) the equipment to the adapter such that the equipment and the adapter move together;
a second fastener (fastener that goes through 121) attach the adapter to the tube; and
a second adjustment area (117) on the adapter, the second adjustment area comprisinga substantially all-round opening in a portion of the adapter tethat interlocks (since 117 can screw into 125) with the tube, configured such that the second fastener fixes the equipment theadapter aan angular position; about the second adjustment axis (rotate about X in Fig. 17) to which equipment and the adapter are brought by rotation about the second adjustment axis, thereby adjusting a final pitch angle of the equipment
5. _(Currently Amended)The adjustable equipment mounting system according to claim 4, further comprising a bushing (123) having cross-sectional areas of different diameters (see taper in Fig. 17), the bushing extending outward (at 65) from the tube along the second adjustment axis and providinga suiface on which the adapter otates, wherein one end of the bushing is at least partially engaged with the tube (again at 65); and of the bushing is at least partially engaged with the adapter (at 117 and 125), configured to enable pitch angle adjustment of the equipment rotation (about X axis in Fig. 17) of the adapter and the equipment
6. _(Currently Amended)The adjustable equipment mounting system according to claim 5, wherein the second adjustment area ascomprises an opening (opening in 129) on an outer surface of the adapter in a portion of the adapter that interlocks with the bushing, the opening substantially surrounding the outer surface of the adapter.
7. _(Currently Amended)The adjustable equipment mounting system according to claim l, further comprising an abutment (“abutting ends of support tubes”; Col 5 Line 16) surface inhaving a circular form with a diameter substantially larger than the abutment surface being located on the intermediate piece andhaving cross-sectional areas of different diameters, being configured to restrict axial movement of the tube along the first adjustment axis.
8.-(Currently Amended)The adjustable equipment mounting system according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate piece (79)and is configured to act as a fairing.
9. _(Currently Amended)The adjustable equipment mounting system according to claim 47,wherein the cylindrical protrusion configured to allow: etranslation of the tube along the first adjustment axis with the abutment surfaceto attach the tube to the intermediate piece-' and e otation of the tube bout the first adjustment axis with the first adjustment area permitting fixation of the tube by the first fastener, to adjust(“The exact place of attachment to tubes 61 depends upon the exigencies of the circumstances. Bracket 71 is shown in FIG. 1 to be a generally flat plate 73 having at least two ring connectors 75 attached thereto”; Col 4 Line 66)
11. _(Currently Amended)The adjustable equipment mounting system according to claim 1, wherein the tube
12. _(Currently Amended)The adjustable equipment mounting system according to claim 1,further comprising: at least one support element (61 attached to 360o in Fig. 1) that extends from the body toward the tube and s configured to ontribute to positioning (via 87) of the equipment tube caused by a weight of the equipmentj; and a mechanical clamp removably attached to the tube, the mechanical clamp (87) comprising a clamp-type mechanical connection substantially surrounding the tube; and-is located at a part of the support element contacting the tube.
14. _(Currently Amended)The adjustable equipment mounting system according to claim 1, wherein the body omprises a helicopter, a UAV, oran aircraft (“helicopters but finds use in mounting objects to airplanes, boats, ships, trucks and other such vehicles”; Col 3 Line 37).
15. -(Currently Amended)The adjustable equipment mounting system according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate piece comprises a CNC-machined intermediate piece (“monolithic piece or element of aluminum”; Col 5 Line 30).
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.
Claims 10 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Murray as applied to claims 1 and 4 above, and further in view of Brusius (US 6622390 B2). Murray discloses the mounting system as described above and further teaches mounting “a search light, camera, forward looking infrared scanner, and the like” (Col 3 Line 34) but is silent on an air data system or laser. Brusius teaches an adjustable mount (30) which includes:
10. An adjustable equipment mounting system according to claim 1, wherein the equipment (E) which is a “Helicopter Air Data System” (12) that measures speed, direction and temperature information of the air (see top of Col 4); and
13. An adjustable equipment mounting system according to claim 4, wherein a laser (60+61) which is temporarily attached to the adapter for the purpose of determining the positions of the first adjustment area and the second adjustment area, and enables the positioning of the equipment (E) around the axes of roll, pitch and yaw.
At the time of filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the mounting system of Murray with the Air data system and laser of Brusius. the motivation for doing so would have been to have the sensor at a known angle as taught by Brusius
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 04/28/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
On the last paragraph of Page 10 applicant argues that element 71 of Murray is not an intermediate piece because it is not “located on the body”. This limitation has been addressed in the 112 rejection above. The limitation is simply too broad to be given the reading that applicant is requesting in the arguments. Is the body part of the mounting system or part of a separate vehicle? Is the whole mounting system the body? In which case, all of the mounting system is located on the body because they are one in the same.
With regard to the arguments on Page 11 regarding the new limitations of Claim 1 and partial inclusion of Claims 2 and 3, please note the annotated version of Figure 1 of Murray above. Since the tubes 61 appear to be angled to the fuselage 3, any adjustment will result in equipment attached to the mounting system moving in an angled arc, which will adjust yaw, pitch, and roll of the equipment.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIAN M O'HARA whose telephone number is (571)270-5224. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9AM - 5PM eastern.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joshua Huson can be reached at 571-270-5301. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/BRIAN M O'HARA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3642
Prosecution Insights