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.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 9/13/24, 1/30/25, and 3/14/25 were filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings filed June 13, 2024 are accepted.
Abstract
The Abstract filed June 13, 2024 is accepted.
Specification
The specification filed June 13, 2024 has been entered.
Claim Objections
Claims 4, 6, 8, 12, 15 and 19 - 20 are objected to because of the following informalities:
The claims recite the phrases “a second second…” The second occurrence of “second” on all instances should be removed. Appropriate correction is required.
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 – 2, 5 and 17 - 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mussell (US 5,727,325).
With respect to claim 1, Mussell discloses a multipurpose square comprising a first leg (30) defining a first workpiece abutment plane for abutting a first side of a workpiece (See Figures 3 and 4); a second leg (22) defining a second workpiece abutment plane for abutting a second side of the workpiece (Figures 3 and 4), the second workpiece abutment plane being generally orthogonal to the first workpiece abutment plane (Figure 2); the first and second legs defining an alignment point (36, 38) with the first and second workpiece abutment planes passing through the alignment point (Figures 3, 4 and 5); a continuous angle marking channel (42) formed in the first leg, the continuous angle marking channel (42) including a plurality of first marking channel portions (triangular projections 44) that are equally angularly spaced about the alignment point (See Figure 1), each first marking channel portion providing a first marking channel abutment portion configured to guide a marking tool for forming a mark on a workpiece at a predetermined angular location relative to the alignment point (See Figure 8, for example).
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Referring to claim 2, Mussell sets forth a multipurpose square wherein each of the first marking channel portions (triangular projections 44) are spaced radially outward from the alignment point a same distance (See Figure 1).
In regards to claim 5, Mussell teaches a multipurpose square wherein the continuous angle marking channel (42) is continuous such that a marking tool can travel into each of the plurality of first marking channel portions without removing the marking tool from the continuous angle marking channel (See Figure 1).
With regards to claim 17, Mussell shows a multipurpose square wherein a first one of the first marking channel portions (triangular projections 44) is angularly spaced from the second workpiece abutment plane about the alignment point by 10 degrees (as represented by scale indicia 50 and 52).
Regarding claim 18, Mussell shows a multipurpose square wherein the alignment point (36, 38) is defined by the intersection of an edge of the first leg and the second workpiece abutment plane (See Figure 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 4, 6 - 16 and 19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 20 – 26 are allowed.
Reasons for Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Claims 3, 4, 6, 12, 15 – 16 and 19 are allowable because the prior art fails to teach or suggest a saddle square wherein the continuous angle marking channel includes a plurality of second marking channel portions that are radially spaced from the plurality of first marking channel portions, the plurality of second marking channel portions are equally angularly spaced apart about the alignment point, each second marking channel portion providing a first second marking channel abutment portion configured to guide a marking tool for forming a mark on a workpiece at a predetermined angular location relative to the alignment point at a first angular offset from the predetermined angular location of the first marking channel portion of an adjacent first marking channel portion in a first angular direction about the alignment point; wherein each second marking channel portion includes a second marking channel abutment portion configured to guide a marking tool for forming a mark on a workpiece at a predetermined angular location relative to the alignment point at the first angular offset from the predetermined angular location of the first marking channel portion of the adjacent first marking channel portion in a second angular direction, opposite the first angular direction about the alignment point; and wherein for each second marking channel portion, the first and second marking channel abutments face one another and form opposed sides of the second marking channel portion; and wherein the first marking channel abutment, first second marking channel abutment and the second marking channel abutment of adjacent first and second marking channel portions are aligned such that the first marking channel abutment is angularly interposed between the first and second marking channel abutments in combination with the remaining limitations of the claims.
Claims 7 - 9 are allowable because the prior art fails to teach or suggest a saddle square wherein the continuous angle marking channel includes: a plurality of third marking channel portions that are radially spaced from the plurality of second marking channel portions, the plurality of third marking channel portions are equally angularly spaced apart about the alignment point, each third marking channel portion providing a third marking channel abutment portion configured to guide a marking tool for forming a mark on a workpiece at a predetermined angular location relative to the alignment point and at the first angular offset from the predetermined angular location of a mark formed using the first second abutment portion of the second marking channel portion of an adjacent second marking channel portion in the first angular direction about the alignment point; wherein the continuous angle marking channel includes a plurality of fourth marking channel portions that are radially spaced from the plurality of second marking channel portions, the plurality of fourth marking channel portions are equally angularly spaced apart about the alignment point, each fourth marking channel portion providing a fourth marking channel abutment portion configured to guide a marking tool for forming a mark on a workpiece at a predetermined angular location relative to the alignment point and at the first angular offset from the predetermined angular location of a mark formed using the second abutment portion of the second marking channel portion of an adjacent second marking channel portion in the second angular direction about the alignment point in combination with the remaining limitations of the claims.
Claims 10 – 14 are allowable because the prior art fails to teach or suggest a saddle square wherein the continuous angle marking channel includes: a plurality of fifth marking channel portions that are radially spaced from the plurality of third marking channel portions, the plurality of fifth marking channel portions are equally angularly spaced apart about the alignment point, each fifth marking channel portion providing a fifth marking channel abutment portion configured to guide a marking tool for forming a mark on a workpiece at a predetermined angular location relative to the alignment point and at the first angular offset from the predetermined angular location of a mark formed using the third marking channel abutment portion of an adjacent third marking channel portion in the first angular direction about the alignment point; a plurality of sixth marking channel portions that are radially spaced from the plurality of fourth marking channel portions, the plurality of sixth marking channel portions are equally angularly spaced apart about the alignment point, each sixth marking channel portion providing a sixth marking channel abutment portion configured to guide a marking tool for forming a mark on a workpiece at a predetermined angular location relative to the alignment point and at the first angular offset from the predetermined angular location of a mark formed using the fourth marking channel abutment portion of an adjacent fourth marking channel portion in the second angular direction about the alignment point; and wherein the continuous angle marking channel includes: a plurality of seventh marking channel portions that are radially spaced from the plurality of fifth marking channel portions and the plurality of sixth marking channel portions, the plurality of seventh marking channel portions are equally angularly spaced apart about the alignment point, each seventh marking channel portion providing a first seventh marking channel abutment portion configured to guide a marking tool for forming a mark on a workpiece at a predetermined angular location relative to the alignment point and at the first angular offset from the predetermined angular location of a mark formed using the fifth marking channel abutment portion of an adjacent fifth marking channel portion in a first angular direction about the alignment point; wherein each seventh marking channel portion includes a second seventh marking channel abutment portion configured to guide a marking tool for forming a mark on a workpiece at a predetermined angular location relative to the alignment point and at the first angular offset from the predetermined angular location of a mark formed using the sixth marking channel abutment portion of the adjacent sixth marking channel portion in the second angular direction in combination with the remaining limitations of the claims.
Claims 20 - 26 are allowable because the prior art fails to teach or suggest a saddle square comprising a first leg including a continuous angle marking channel, the continuous angle marking channel being a stepped channel including first and second marking channel abutments of a corresponding second marking channel portion being angularly spaced apart from one another; a third level being spaced a third radial distance from the alignment point, the third radial distance being less than the second radial distance, the third level including a plurality of third marking channel portions configured for guiding a marking tool to form marks on a workpiece aligned with the alignment point, adjacent ones of the third marking channel portions being angularly offset from one another about the alignment point by 10 degrees, the third level including a plurality of fourth marking channel portions configured for guiding a marking tool to form marks on a workpiece aligned with the alignment point, adjacent ones of the fourth marking channel portions being angular offset from one another about the alignment point by 10 degrees; a fourth level being spaced a fourth radial distance from the alignment point, the fourth radial distance being less than the third radial distance, the fourth level including a plurality of fifth channel portions configured for guiding a marking tool to form marks on a workpiece aligned with the alignment point, adjacent ones of the fifth marking channel portions being angularly offset from one another about the alignment point by 10 degrees, the fourth level including a plurality of sixth marking channel portions configured for guiding a marking tool to form marks on a workpiece aligned with the alignment point, adjacent ones of the sixth marking channel portions being angular offset from one another about the alignment point by 10 degrees; and a fifth level being spaced a fifth radial distance from the alignment point, the fifth radial distance being less than the fourth radial distance, the fifth level including a plurality of seventh marking channel portions, each seventh marking channel portion having a first seventh marking channel abutment for guiding a marking tool to form a mark on a workpiece aligned with the alignment point, adjacent ones of the first seventh marking channel abutments being angularly offset from one another about the alignment point by 10 degrees, each seventh marking channel portion having a second seventh marking channel abutment for guiding a marking tool to form a mark on a workpiece aligned with the alignment point, adjacent ones of the second seventh marking channel abutments being angularly offset from one another about the alignment point by 10 degrees, the first and second seventh marking channel abutments of a corresponding seventh marking channel portion being angularly spaced apart from one another in combination with the remaining limitations of the claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The following references are considered relevant but fail to teach the combination as claimed:
Whiteford (US 4,503,624) discloses a combination square comprising a first leg and a second leg defining an abutment plane; the first leg having apertures at 1/16 of an inch apart in a diamond configuration. Whiteford fails to teach a continuous angle marking channel including first marking channel portions and the plurality of second marking channel portions as claimed.
Jones (US Pub. 2005/0060902A1) discloses a saddle square comprising a first leg and a second leg defining an abutment plane; the first leg comprising a continuous angle marking channel (slot 24); but fails to teach the first marking channel portions and the plurality of second marking channel portions as claimed.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YARITZA GUADALUPE-MCCALL whose telephone number is (571)272-2244. The examiner can normally be reached Mon -Thu, 8:00am - 6:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Laura E Martin can be reached at 571-272-2160. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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YARITZA GUADALUPE-MCCALL
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2855
July 13, 2026
/YARITZA GUADALUPE-MCCALL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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