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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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- 10 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “each of the recesses is lamped with the respective convex portion” and the claim recites that “transmission member and the sliding member are rotatable relative to each other.” It’s not clear how each recess portion and its respective convex allows rotations relative to each other while they been lambed with each other, The rotation can be allowed only in two different scenarios; either the transmission member is elastic, or the recesses portion are moving in and out in the radial direction of the output shaft with a spring force. Hence, the boundaries of the functional language are unclear because the claim does not provide a discernable boundary on what performs the function of the sliding rotation allowing slippage. The recited function does not follow from the structure recited in the claim, i.e., the plurality of connecting portions, or the recess portions, so it is unclear whether the function requires some other structure or feature or is simply a result of operating the plurality of connecting portions and the recesses portions in a certain manner. Thus, one of ordinary skill in the art would not be able to draw a clear boundary between what is and is not covered by the 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- 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Howse (US 20200156866 A1)
Re. claim 1, Howse discloses a sliding device (Fig. 11), comprising:
a motor (Fig. 9 depicts housing 20 contained an electrically operated actuator 21 such as a linear motor ¶. [0105]), provided with an output shaft 31;
a sliding member, disposed on the output shaft, wherein the sliding member forms a plurality of connecting portions protruding in an axial direction of the output shaft, the plurality of connecting portions are arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction of the output shaft, and each of the connecting portions is formed with a convex portion (31) protruding in a radial direction of the output shaft; and
a transmission member (outer sleeve 32), arranged around the sliding member (31), wherein the transmission member is provided with a plurality of recesses (slot 34) , each of the recesses matches with the respective convex portion (“The side wall of the inner member 31 is provided with a protruding portion in the form of a pin or tongue 33, which is engaged with the slot 34 provided in the outer sleeve 32” ¶. [0116]), a sliding surface is disposed between each adjacent pair of the recesses, and each of the recesses is lamped with the respective convex portion to fix the transmission member and the sliding member, and the transmission member and the sliding member are rotatable relative to each other “an inner member 31 connected to the transmission device 25; and an outer sleeve 32 which is rotatably and slidably connected to the inner member 31.” ¶. [0116])
Re. claim 2, Howse discloses the convex portion is provided with an arc surface matching with an inner wall of the respective recess (see tongue 33).
Re. claim 3, Howse discloses the convex portion the sliding member is provided with an insertion hole, an inner wall of the insertion hole protrudes to form a positioning portion, the output shaft is provided with a flat surface, and the flat surface abuts against the positioning portion (Fig. 11).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4- 10 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 SAID BOUZIANE whose telephone number is (571)272-7592. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 6:00-15:00.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eduardo Colon-Santana can be reached at 571-272-2060. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SAID BOUZIANE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2846
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