DETAILED ACTION
This communication is a final office action on the merits and in response to amendments filed on 2/9/2026. All currently pending claims have been considered below. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Amendment
Applicant's replacement drawings are sufficient to obviate the prior drawing objections. Applicant's claim amendments are sufficient to overcome all prior objections and rejections. Applicant's amendments of claim 12 (previously indicated as allowable) into claim 1 is sufficient to place claim 1 (and its dependent claims) in condition for allowance.
Newly submitted independent claim 19 is rejected below. New claim 29 is the same as the allowable language amended into claim 1, and therefore claim 29 (and its dependent claims) are indicated as allowable below for the same reasons as previously given to claim 12.
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 19-28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2016/0168963 (Roycroft) in view of US 9,689,242 (Kuykendall).
Independent claim 19. Roycrof discloses an artificial lift device (title, abstract; ¶ 5), comprising:
a rod ("dart 220" - ¶ 26, figs 1 & 2) having a first position in the device (¶ 27 & fig 8) and a second position in the device (¶ 27 & fig 6), wherein the rod is configured in the device to move between its first and second position (transition between ibid);
a clutch retarding movement of the rod between its first and second position ("As further depicted by FIG. 2, cage 210 employs clutch 230 to retard movement of dart 220 between its open and closed position" - ¶ 28), wherein the clutch is a one-piece unit ("Clutch 230 can be… either one or more c-clips and/or one or more o-rings. " - ¶ 28. In other words, a single c-clip, as is clearly encompassed by the plain language of ¶ 28) having a length, an outside diameter, and an inside diameter (all inherent as a matter of geometry, as PHOSITA would immediately appreciate), where at least a portion of the inside diameter is sized to create a frictional interface with the rod ("the friction imparted by clutch 230 on the outside surface(s) of dart 220 keeps dart 220 from freely sliding between its open and closed position" - ¶ 28); and
a bore through the clutch (Necessary to impart "friction… on the outside surface(s) of dart 220" - ibid; the inner bore of the "c" of the "c-clip"), where the bore includes a longitudinal central axis there-through (ibid & inherent);
wherein the clutch further includes one gap extending from the outside diameter to the inside diameter along an entirety of the length of the clutch ("c-clip" - ¶ 28. The examiner respectfully asserts this is a reasonable interpretation of both the claims and the prior art, especially given the eventual recitation of a "c-shape" in claims 4 & 22).
Roycroft does not expressly disclose that the bore through the clutch further includes at least one groove only on the inside diameter of the one-piece unit.
However Kuykendall discloses an artificial lift device (col 1:29-35), comprising:
a rod ("valve stem 102" - fig 2) having a first position in the device (fig 2) and a second position in the device (fig 11), wherein the rod is configured in the device to move between its first and second position (transition between ibid);
a clutch retarding movement of the rod between its first and second position ("clutch assembly 70" - fig 5) having a length, an outside diameter, and an inside diameter (all inherent as a matter of geometry, as PHOSITA would immediately appreciate), where at least a portion of the inside diameter is sized to create a frictional interface with the rod ("This enables the inner surface of the bobbin segments 72A, 72B to fully contact the valve stem 102 to provide maximum friction to resist the movement of the valve stem 102 through the clutch assembly 70" - col 9:41-44); and
a bore through the clutch (ibid as quoted above), where the bore includes a longitudinal central axis there-through (ibid & inherent);
wherein the bore through the clutch further includes at least one groove only on the inside diameter of the clutch ("series of grooves 80 formed on the inner surfaces" - col 9:47-48 & fig 5).
Therefore it would have been obvious to PHOSITA at the time of filing to use the groove on the inside diameter of the clutch as taught by Kuykendall. These grooves provide passages for fluids to flush particles of sand away from the contact area of the bobbin with the outer surface of the valve stem (Kuykendall: last full ¶ of col 9).
20. The dart plunger of claim 19, wherein the first position of the rod (Roycroft: ¶ 27 & fig 8. Fluid may flow through cage 210 to above the plunger. Kuykendall: fig 2) is an open position (ibid).
21. The artificial lift device of claim 20, wherein the second position of the rod (Roycroft: ¶ 27 & fig 6. Kuykendall: fig 11) is a closed position (ibid).
22. The artificial lift device of claim 21, wherein the gap extending from the outside diameter to the inside diameter along the entirety of the length of the clutch gives the clutch a c-shape (Roycroft: "c-clip" - ¶ 28).
23. The artificial lift device of claim 22, wherein the inside diameter of the clutch is shaped so the entire inside diameter does not create the same frictional interface with the rod (as modified by Kuykendall above to have the "series of grooves 80 formed on the inner surfaces" - col 9:47-48 & fig 5).
24. The artificial lift device of claim 23, wherein the inside diameter of the clutch includes an undulating surface so the entire inside diameter does not create the same frictional interface with the rod (as modified by Kuykendall above to have the "series of grooves 80 formed on the inner surfaces" - col 9:47-48 & fig 5).
25. The artificial lift device of claim 24, wherein the bore through the clutch includes at least two grooves only on the inside diameter of the one-piece unit (as modified by Kuykendall above to have the "series of grooves 80 formed on the inner surfaces" - col 9:47-48 & fig 5).
26. The artificial lift device of claim 25, wherein the bore through the clutch includes a surface between the at least two grooves for creating at least a portion of the frictional interface with the rod (clearly shown in fig 5 of Kuykendall between "grooves 80").
27. The artificial lift device of claim 26, wherein the surface between the at least two grooves has a radial curvature substantially equal to a radius of the rod (Fig 2; "This enables the inner surface of the bobbin segments 72A, 72B to fully contact the valve stem 102 to provide maximum friction to resist the movement of the valve stem 102 through the clutch assembly 70" - col 9:41-44).
28. The artificial lift device of claim 27, wherein at least one of the grooves extends along the entirety of the length of the clutch (fig 14B).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-11 & 13-15 are allowed.
Claims 29-32 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.
Reasons for allowance of the matter presently amended into claim 1, also found in dependent claim 29, was given in the non-final rejection mailed 1/5/2026.
Conclusion
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Blake Michener whose telephone number is (571)270-5736. The examiner can normally be reached Approximately 9:00am to 6:00pm CT.
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, Tara Schimpf can be reached at 571.270.7741. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BLAKE MICHENER/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3676
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