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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, “a body,” (Claim 8 and Claim 15) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 1-20 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.
Regarding Claim 1,
Claim 1, Ln. 6-7, “wherein when the fishing reel is in a first configuration, the spool is selectively rotatable without causing the crank to rotate” is unclear and indefinite. The limitation “selectively rotatable” implies that the spool is configured to rotate or not rotate based on a selection. However, it is unclear what is causing the spool to rotate and how the selection is being made.
Claims 2-7 are rejected due to their dependency on claim 1.
Regarding Claim 8,
Claim 8, Ln. 6-7, establishes “a first position” and “a second position” for the key. The first position is defined (Claim 8, Ln. 10-12) by the location of the key and its function in that position, but the second position is not defined in the claim. Thus, the limitation “the key is configured to move from the first position to the second position” is vague and indefinite. For examination purposes, Examiner has interpreted the first position as occurring when the key is engaged with the slot and the second position as occurring when the key is disengaged from the slot.
Regarding Claims 9 and 13,
Claim 8, Ln. 6-7, establishes “a first position” and “a second position” for the key. Based on the limitation defining the first position (Claim 8, Ln. 10-12) and the instant application’s disclosure (See Para. 0024, 0028-0029), it appears that the first position occurs when the key is engaged with the slot and the second position occurs when the key is axially displaced from the first position and is disengaged from the slot. However, the limitations “wherein the key moves away from the spool when the key moves from the second position to the first position,” (Claim 9, Ln. 13-14) and “the button configured to move the key from the first position to the second position; … the lever configured to move the key from the second position to the first position” (Claim 13, Ln. 2-5) appear to be inconsistent with the drawings and written specification. Thus, Claims 9 and 13 are unclear and indefinite. For examination purposes, Examiner has interpreted the first position as occurring when the key is engaged with the slot and the second position as occurring when the key is disengaged from the slot.
Claims 9-14 are rejected due to their dependency on claim 8.
Regarding Claim 15,
Claim 15, Ln. 3, “a gear rotatably coupled to the body” is vague and indefinite. The instant application names several gear components (e.g., gear train 100, motor gear 115, first spool gear 125, crank gear 135, second spool gear 175) and it is unclear which gear is being referenced by this claim limitation. For examination purposes, “a gear” has been interpreted to mean a toothed mechanical power transmission element and any other elements which are rotationally fixed to the transmission element.
Claims 16-20 are rejected due to their dependency on claim 15.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sandstrom (US 2023/0011008, published January 12th, 2023) in view of Cormack (US 2026/0062252, effectively filed August 18th, 2022).
Regarding Claim 1, Sandstrom, Figures 1-14, teaches a fishing reel 10 comprising: a housing 13;
a spool 14 rotatably coupled to the housing 13;
a motor 30 operably coupled with the spool 14 (See Sandstrom, Para. 0038);
a crank 16 rotatably coupled to the housing 13;
wherein when the fishing reel 10 is in a first configuration (crank axle 50 engaged with high speed gear 54; See Sandstrom, Para. 0042), the spool 14 is selectively rotatable without causing the crank 16 to rotate (“means for disengaging reel crank 16 from spool 14 to prevent crank 16 from rotating in unison with the rapidly rotating spool 14 when in a powered winding mode … the teeth of gear 56 are ground off as shown in FIG. 11. This allows the manual crank 16 to free wheel when speed selection switch 17 is configured to the high speed setting”; See Sandstrom, Para. 0042); and
wherein when the fishing reel 10 is in a second configuration (crank axle 50 engaged with low speed gear 52; See Sandstrom, Para. 0042), the spool 14 is configured to rotate in response to the crank 16 being rotated (See Sandstrom, Para. 0042).
Sandstrom teaches all the elements of the fishing reel except for the fishing reel transitioning from the second configuration to the first configuration upon motor activation.
However, Cormack, Figures 2, 8A-9D, teaches wherein when the fishing reel (“the automatic engaging assembly as described could easily have applications outside of the electric fence reel application. This could include such applications as fishing reels”; See Cormack, Para. 0180) is in the second configuration (clutch portion 802 and coupler 804 coupled; See Cormack, Fig. 9C, Para. 0167, 0176) and the motor 212 is activated, the fishing reel transitions from the second configuration to the first configuration (clutch portion 802 and coupler 804 disengaged; See Cormack, Fig. 9D, Para. 0167, 0176) (“when the spool 110 is being driven (… from a drive means as described herein), the separation forces provided by the acute angled surfaces can encourage separation of the clutch portion 802 from the coupler 804, and therefore the crank arm 702 from the crank shaft 140, automatically preventing rotation of the crank arm 702 as the spool 110 turns”; See Cormack, Para. 0131, 0167).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide Sandstrom with a transition from the second configuration to the first configuration upon motor activation, as taught by Cormack, for the purpose of increasing ease of operation when switching between manually driven and motor driven modes (i.e., “automatic disengagement without the user having to intervene by selecting an engaged or disengaged mode”) (See Cormack, Para. 0179-0180).
Regarding Claim 2, Sandstrom in view of Cormack are advanced above.
Sandstrom further teaches wherein when the fishing reel is 10 in the first configuration (crank axle 50 engaged with high speed gear 54; See Sandstrom, Para. 0042), the crank 16 is rotatable without causing the spool 14 to rotate (“the teeth of gear 56 are ground off as shown in FIG. 11. This allows the manual crank 16 to free wheel when speed selection switch 17 is configured to the high speed setting”; See Sandstrom, Para. 0042).
Regarding Claim 3, Sandstrom in view of Cormack are advanced above.
Sandstrom further teaches wherein when the fishing reel 10 is in the first configuration (crank axle 50 engaged with high speed gear 54; See Sandstrom, Para. 0042), the spool 14 and the crank 16 are independently rotatable (“means for disengaging reel crank 16 from spool 14 to prevent crank 16 from rotating in unison with the rapidly rotating spool 14 when in a powered winding mode … the teeth of gear 56 are ground off as shown in FIG. 11. This allows the manual crank 16 to free wheel when speed selection switch 17 is configured to the high speed setting”; See Sandstrom, Para. 0042).
Regarding Claim 4, Sandstrom in view of Cormack are advanced above.
Sandstrom further teaches a stem 50 configured to rotate when the crank 16 is rotated (See Sandstrom, Fig. 12, Para. 0042);
a crank gear 52 operably coupled with the spool 14 (See Sandstrom, Fig. 12, Para. 0042);
wherein when the fishing reel 10 is in the second configuration (crank axle 50 engaged with low speed gear 52; See Sandstrom, Para. 0042), the crank gear 52 is configured to rotate when the stem 50 rotates; and
wherein when the fishing reel 10 is in the first configuration (crank axle 50 engaged with high speed gear 54; See Sandstrom, Para. 0042), the crank gear 52 and the stem 50 are disengaged from one another (“manually select low and high speeds by selective engagement one of low and high speed gears 52 and 54”; See Sandstrom, Para. 0042).
Regarding Claim 5, Sandstrom in view of Cormack are advanced above.
Sandstrom further teaches wherein: the spool 14 is coupled to each of a first spool gear 34 and a second spool gear 58 (See Sandstrom, Fig. 9, 11);
the motor 30 is operably coupled with the first spool gear 34 (See Sandstrom, Fig. 7-10, Para. 0038);
and the crank gear 16 is operably coupled with the second spool gear 58 (See Sandstrom, Fig. 11-12, Para. 0042).
Regarding Claim 6, Sandstrom in view of Cormack are advanced above.
Sandstrom further teaches a spool gear 34 coupled to the spool 14 (See Sandstrom, Fig. 9);
a motor gear 32 configured to rotate in a first direction when the motor 30 is activated (See Sandstrom, Fig. 7-10, Para. 0038),
wherein when the motor gear 32 rotates in the first direction, the motor gear 32 engages with the spool gear 34 to cause the spool 14 to rotate in a second direction (inherent to circumferentially intermeshing spur gears such as first gear 32 and second gear 34; See Sandstrom, Fig. 7-10, Para. 0038); and
wherein the first direction and the second direction are oriented opposite to one another (inherent to circumferentially intermeshing spur gears such as first gear 32 and second gear 34; See Sandstrom, Fig. 7-10, Para. 0038).
Regarding Claim 7, Sandstrom in view of Cormack are advanced above.
Sandstrom further teaches wherein the motor 30 is positioned and located proximate to a first end (second side 13B of housing 13, See Sandstrom, Para. 0036) of the spool 14, and wherein the crank 16 is positioned and located proximate to a second end (first side 13A of housing 13, See Sandstrom, Para. 0036) of the spool 14.
Claims 8-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kobayashi (US 7,793,878) in view of Cormack (US 2026/0062252).
Regarding Claim 8, Kobayashi, Figures 1-6, teaches a body 1 configured to couple to a fishing rod;
a spool 5 rotatably coupled to the body 1 (See Kobayashi, Col. 2, Ln. 61-63);
a crank 7 rotatably coupled to the body 1 (See Kobayashi, Col. 2, Ln. 64-67);
a stem 24 configured to rotate in a first direction when the crank 7 is rotated (See Kobayashi, Col. 3, Ln. 26-42);
a key 28 coupled to the stem 24, the key 28 being selectively movable between a first position (switching member 28 engaged with low-speed driving gear 22; See Kobayashi, Col. 3, Ln. 29-36) and a second position (switching member 28 disengaged from low-speed driving gear 22 and engaged with high-speed driving gear 21; See Kobayashi, Col. 3, Ln. 29-36);
a crank gear 22 configured to transmit rotational power to the spool 5 (See Kobayashi, Col. 3, Ln. 6-22);
at least one slot 22b positioned and located on the crank gear 22;
wherein when the key 28 is in the first position, the key 28 is positioned and located in the at least one slot 22b and configured to engage with the at least one slot 22b to transmit rotational power from the stem 24 to the crank gear 22 (See Kobayashi, Col. 3, Ln. 59 - Col. 4, Ln. 4); and
Kobayashi teaches all the elements of the fishing reel except for the key being configured to move from the first position to the second position when the crank gear rotates in the first direction relative to the key.
However, Cormack, Figures 3C, 8A-9D, teaches wherein when a coupler 804 rotates in the first direction relative to the key 802, the key 802 is configured to move from the first position (clutch portion 802 and coupler 804 coupled; See Cormack, Fig. 9C, Para. 0167, 0176) to the second position (clutch portion 802 and coupler 804 disengaged; See Cormack, Fig. 9D, Para. 0167, 0176) (See Cormack, Para. 0172-0173).
Although Cormack does not explicitly teach a crank gear itself rotating in the first direction relative to the key, Cormack discloses “the coupler 804 is rotationally fixed to the crank shaft 140 …, further rotation of the clutch portion 802 results in rotation of the crank shaft 140, which in turn causes rotation of the reel spool 110,” (See Cormack, Para. 0154) and “rotation of the crank shaft 140 drives a gearbox 150 to rotate the spool,” (See Cormack, Para. 0133). Providing the gearbox comprised of a crank gear which can rotate in the first direction with the coupler 804 is an obvious matter of design choice.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Kobayashi and Cormack to provide a key which is configured to move from the first position to the second position when the crank gear rotates in the first direction relative to the key for the purpose of “reduc[ing] user fatigue and repetitive strain type injuries,” (See Cormack, Para. 0178) (i.e., “disengagement automatically occurs when the drum is rotating faster than the crank is driven or where the drum is rotated in reverse from the rotation when being driven by the crank handle”) (See Cormack, Para. 0180).
Regarding Claim 9, Kobayashi in view of Cormack are advanced above.
Although Kobayashi does not explicitly teach wherein the key moves away from the spool when the key moves from the second position to the first position, as defined by the limitations of claim 8 (i.e., the key is engaged with the crank gear 22 in the first position and the key is disengaged from the crank gear 22 in the second position), Kobayashi discloses “the position of high-speed driving gear 21 and low-speed driving gear [22] may be exchangeable with each other” (See Kobayashi, Col. 6, Ln. 66 - Col. 7, Ln. 1) and the claimed engagement/disengagement configuration is illustrated for a high-speed gear (“the switching member move[s] outwardly in the axial direction to engage with the engagement portion of the high-speed gear”; See Kobayashi, Col. 1, Ln. 44-46). Modifying the axial position of low-speed driving gear 22 relative to switching member 28 (i.e., placing the key closer to the spool than the crank gear) would suggest a device in which moving the key away from the spool (i.e., axially outward) brings the key into engagement with a slot on the crank gear (i.e., the first position as defined by claim 8), and this modification is an obvious matter of design choice.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide Kobayashi with the key moving away from the spool when moving from the second position to the first position for the purpose of switching between two modes of operation of the power transmission mechanism (See Kobayashi, Col. 1, Ln. 35-49, Col. 6, Ln. 4-7).
Regarding Claim 10, Kobayashi in view of Cormack are advanced above.
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Figure 1. Annotated Figure 8G from Cormack
Cormack, annotated Figure 1 above, teaches wherein: the at least one slot 804a includes a leading edge 830 and a trailing edge 826;
the key 802 is configured to engage with the leading edge 830 to transmit rotational power from the stem 702a to the crank gear 150 (See Cormack, Para. 0167); and
the trailing edge 826 is configured to guide the key 802 out from the at least one slot 804a to move the key 802 from the first position (clutch portion 802 and coupler 804 coupled; See Cormack, Fig. 9C, Para. 0167, 0176) to the second position (clutch portion 802 and coupler 804 disengaged; See Cormack, Fig. 9D, Para. 0167, 0176) (See Cormack, Para. 0172-0173).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Kobayashi and Cormack to provide a leading edge and a trailing edge on the at least one slot for the purpose of “reduc[ing] user fatigue and repetitive strain type injuries,” (See Cormack, Para. 0178) (i.e., “disengagement automatically occurs when the drum is rotating faster than the crank is driven or where the drum is rotated in reverse from the rotation when being driven by the crank handle and the engagement is initiated by the winding the crank”) (See Cormack, Para. 0180).
Regarding Claim 11, Kobayashi in view of Cormack are advanced above.
Cormack further teaches wherein the leading edge 830 is positioned and located in front of the trailing edge 826 with respect to the first direction 801 (See Cormack, Fig. 8A, 8F).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Kobayashi and Cormack to provide the leading edge in front of the trailing edge 826 with respect to the first direction for the purpose of “reduc[ing] user fatigue and repetitive strain type injuries,” (See Cormack, Para. 0178) (i.e., “disengagement automatically occurs when the drum is rotating faster than the crank is driven or where the drum is rotated in reverse from the rotation when being driven by the crank handle and the engagement is initiated by the winding the crank”) (See Cormack, Para. 0180).
Regarding Claim 12, Kobayashi in view of Cormack are advanced above.
Kobayashi further teaches wherein: the at least one slot 22b is positioned and located on an axial surface of the crank gear 22 (See Kobayashi, Fig. 2);
Cormack further teaches the leading edge 830 is oriented substantially perpendicular to the axial surface 823 (“angle of the drive faces 828, 830 may be between 60 and 90 degrees”; See Cormack, Para. 0169); and
the trailing edge 826 is oriented non-parallel the axial surface 823 (“the angles of the release faces 824, 826 may be configured with an angle relative to the surfaces 825, 823 … the release faces 824, 826 may be provided with an acute angle which of substantially 45 degrees, such as between 30 and 50 degrees”; See Cormack, Para. 0168).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Kobayashi and Cormack to provide the leading edge oriented substantially perpendicular to the axial surface and the trailing edge oriented non-parallel to the axial surface for the purpose of “reduc[ing] user fatigue and repetitive strain type injuries,” (See Cormack, Para. 0178) (i.e., “disengagement automatically occurs when the drum is rotating faster than the crank is driven or where the drum is rotated in reverse from the rotation when being driven by the crank handle and the engagement is initiated by the winding the crank”) (See Cormack, Para. 0180).
Regarding Claim 13, Kobayashi in view of Cormack are advanced above.
Kobayashi further teaches a button 25 positioned and located on the stem 24, the button 25 configured to move the key 28 from a position to another position in a first axial direction (See Kobayashi, Col. 4, Ln. 46-52); and
a lever 50 positioned and located on the stem 24, the lever 50 configured to move the key 28 from a position to another position in a second axial direction opposite to the first axial direction (See Kobayashi, Col. 3, Ln. 52-54).
Although Kobayashi does not explicitly teach the button moving the key from the first position to the second position and the lever moving the key from the second position to the first position, as defined by the limitations of claim 8 (i.e., the key is engaged with the crank gear in the first position and the key is disengaged from the crank gear in the second position), Kobayashi discloses “the position of high-speed driving gear 21 and low-speed driving gear [22] may be exchangeable with each other” (See Kobayashi, Col. 6, Ln. 66 - Col. 7, Ln. 1) and the claimed engagement/disengagement configuration is illustrated for a high-speed gear (“to switch the spool to the high-speed winding mode, a switching lever … is pivotally operated to permit the switching shaft to freely move in the axial direction … the switching member move[s] outwardly in the axial direction to engage with the engagement portion of the high-speed gear”; See Kobayashi, Col. 1, Ln. 39-46). Modifying the axial position of low-speed driving gear 22 relative to switching member 28 (i.e., placing the key closer to the spool) would suggest a device in which the button causes disengagement (i.e., moving the key from the first position to the second position) whereas the lever causes engagement (i.e., moving the key from the second position to the first position) and this modification is an obvious matter of design choice.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide Kobayashi with the button configured to move the key from the first position to the second position and the lever configured to move the key from the second position to the first position for the purpose of switching between two modes of operation of the power transmission mechanism (See Kobayashi, Col. 1, Ln. 35-49, Col. 6, Ln. 4-7).
Regarding Claim 14, Kobayashi in view of Cormack are advanced above.
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Figure 2. Annotated Figure 1 from Kobayashi
Kobayashi, annotated Figure 2 above, teaches wherein the crank 7 includes:
a linkage member 7a having an inner end 7b and an outer end 7c;
a handle 7d positioned and located proximate to the outer end 7c of the linkage member 7a;
wherein the stem 24 is positioned and located proximate to the inner end 7b of the linkage member 7a; and
wherein the stem 24 is configured to rotate when the linkage member 7 is rotated (See Kobayashi, Col. 3, Ln. 26-42).
Claims 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cormack (US 2026/0062252) in view of Bledsoe (US 6,672,526).
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Figure 3. Annotated Figure 8B from Cormack
Regarding Claim 15, Cormack, Figures 3C, 8A-9D and annotated Figures 1 and 3 above, teaches a mechanism 800 for disengaging a crank 130 from a spool 110 (See Cormack, Para. 0145), the mechanism 800 comprising:
a body 806;
a gear 804’ (subassembly of gear box 150 and coupler 804 secured to crank shaft 140; See Cormack, Para. 0133, 0177) rotatably coupled to the body 806;
at least one slot 804a formed in the gear 804’, the at least one slot 804a including a leading edge 830 and a trailing edge 826;
a stem 702a selectively rotatable in a first direction relative to the body 806 (See Cormack, Para. 0167);
a key 802 coupled to the stem 702a;
wherein when the stem 702a is rotated in the first direction relative to the gear 804’, the key 802 is configured to engage with the leading edge 830 to cause the gear 804’ to rotate in the first direction (See Cormack, Para. 0167); and
wherein when the gear 804’ is rotated in the first direction relative to the stem 702a, the trailing edge 826 is configured to guide the key 802 out from the at least one slot 804a (See Cormack, Para. 0167).
Cormack teaches all the elements of the mechanism except for the slot being formed in an axial surface of the gear.
However, Bledsoe, Figures 1-9, teaches at least one slot 50 formed in an axial surface of the gear 36 (See Bledsoe, Fig. 5, 7-8).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Cormack and Bledsoe to provide the slot in an axial surface of the crank gear itself for the purpose of reducing device complexity and cost (i.e., reducing the number of parts) (See Bledsoe, Col. 2, Ln. 3-6, Ln. 23-26).
Regarding Claim 16, Cormack in view of Bledsoe are advanced above.
Cormack further teaches wherein the at least one slot 804a includes a lower surface 823a, and wherein the trailing edge 826 is oriented non-parallel to the lower surface 823a (“the angles of the release faces 824, 826 may be configured with an angle relative to the surfaces 825, 823 … the release faces 824, 826 may be provided with an acute angle which of substantially 45 degrees, such as between 30 and 50 degrees”; See Cormack, Para. 0168).
Regarding Claim 17, Cormack in view of Bledsoe are advanced above.
Cormack further teaches wherein the leading edge 830 is oriented substantially perpendicular to the axial surface 823 of the gear 804’ (“angle of the drive faces 828, 830 may be between 60 and 90 degrees”; See Cormack, Para. 0169).
Regarding Claim 18, Cormack in view of Bledsoe are advanced above.
Cormack further teaches wherein a handle 704 is coupled to the stem 702a such that the handle 704 is configured to remain stationary when the gear 804’ is rotated in the first direction relative to the stem 702a (See Cormack, Para. 0178).
Regarding Claim 19, Cormack in view of Bledsoe are advanced above.
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Figure 4. Annotated Figure 9D from Cormack
Cormack, annotated Figure 4 above, teaches wherein the gear 804’ includes a bore 804b positioned and located adjacent to the at least one slot 804a, and wherein the stem 702a is received in the bore 804b.
Regarding Claim 20, Cormack in view of Bledsoe are advanced above.
Cormack further teaches wherein the at least one slot 804a includes a plurality of slots 804a, and wherein the plurality of slots 804a are oriented non-parallel to one another (See Figure 1 above).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TIFFANY DOMONIQUE JEFFERSON whose telephone number is 571-272-0403. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10am-7:30pm ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Victoria Augustine can be reached at 313-446-4858. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/T.D.J./Examiner, Art Unit 3654
/Victoria P Augustine/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3654
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