DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-19 are currently presented for examination.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The listing of references in the specification is not a proper information disclosure statement. 37 CFR 1.98(b) requires a list of all patents, publications, or other information submitted for consideration by the Office, and MPEP § 609.04(a) states, "the list may not be incorporated into the specification but must be submitted in a separate paper." Therefore, unless the references have been cited by the examiner on form PTO-892, they have not been considered.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: at least paragraph [0019] collectively groups multiple Figures within the Brief Description of the Drawings. The examiner strongly recommends identifying each individual figure in its own paragraph with a brief description to reduce the opportunity for confusion.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claims 2-9, 11-13, and 15-19 objected to because of the following informalities: each of the dependent claims begins with a preamble reciting “A coupler assembly as recited in claim [number]” or “A method as recited in claim [number]” rather than using a direct article such as “the” or “said.” The examiner strongly recommends amending the preambles of the dependent claims to clarify that a previously recited claim element is being further clarified.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 5-6 and 18-19 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.
Claim 5 recites the limitation "the adapter plate" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 6 depends from claim 5, and therefore is rejected for at least the reasons presented above with respect to claim 5.
Claim 18 recites the limitation "the adapter plate" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 19 depends from claim 18, and therefore is rejected for at least the reasons presented above with respect to claim 18.
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 1-4 and 7-17
Claims 1-4 and 7-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by United States Patent 8,627,557 to Jansen et al. (hereinafter “Jansen”).
Regarding claim 1, Jansen discloses a coupler assembly (30) for engaging a bushing pin (21) of a bushing assembly (21), the bushing pin defining a bushing pin first end portion (lower end of bushing; see Fig. 3), a bushing pin middle portion (20; see Fig. 6), and a bushing pin second end portion (upper end of bushing; see Fig. 3), the coupler assembly comprising: a pull rod assembly (32) adapted to be detachably attached to the bushing pin first end portion (lower end of bushing 21); and a cap assembly (34) comprising a cap member (72A, 72B) adapted to be detachably attached to the bushing pin second portion (see Col. 6, lines 15-23), and an adapter member (76; see Fig. 4) configured to be arranged over at least a portion of the bushing pin second portion (see Fig. 4); wherein the adapter member (76) and the cap member (72A, 72B) is detachably attached to the bushing pin second portion (21; see Col. 6, lines 47-61), the adapter member may be arranged between the cap member and the bushing pin middle portion to transfer movement of the cap member to the bushing assembly (optional language is understood to be true in all circumstances).
Regarding claim 2, Jansen discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further Jansen discloses in which the adapter member (76) defines an adapter plate engaging side (see configurations of Figs. 3 and 6, adapter member engages horizontal or plate-like surface of bushing assembly) configured to engage the bushing assembly (21).
Regarding claim 3, Jansen discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further Jansen discloses in which the adapter member (76) defines an adapter plate length (see Fig. 3) configured to transfer movement of the cap member (72A, 72B) to the bushing assembly (21; see Col. 6, lines 18-23).
Regarding claim 4, Jansen discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further Jansen discloses in which the adapter member (76) defines an adapter plate intermediate side (horizontally extending surface; see Fig. 6) configured to engage the cap member (72A, 72B).
Regarding claim 7, Jansen discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further Jansen discloses in which the cap assembly (34) further comprises a cap pin (see Col. 6, lines 53-61) configured to extend at least partly through the cap member (72A, 72B) and at least partly through the bushing pin second end portion to detachably attach the cap member (72A, 72B) to the bushing pin second end portion (upper end with respect to Fig. 3; pins will be located where portions 72 and 76 are located).
Regarding claim 8, Jansen discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further Jansen discloses in which the pull rod assembly (32) comprised: a pull rod (36); and an anchor assembly (40); wherein the pull rod (36) is operatively connected to the anchor assembly (40) such that movement of the pull rod is transferred to the anchor assembly (see Fig. 4); and the anchor assembly (40) is adapted to be detachably attached to the bushing pin second end portion (upper end of bushing 21 with respect to Fig. 3) such that movement of the anchor assembly is transferred to the bushing pin first end portion (lower end of bushing 21; compare Figs. 4 and 5, force and motion transmitted along substantially rigid connection between components).
Regarding claim 9, Jansen discloses the limitations of claim 8, and further Jansen discloses in which the pull rod assembly (32) comprises a pull rod pin (see Col. 5, lines 24-35; cross pins) configured to extend at least partly through the anchor assembly (40) and at least partly through the bushing pin first end portion (lower end of bushing 21) to detachably attach the anchor assembly (40) to the bushing pin first end portion (see Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 10, Jansen discloses a method of coupling a pull rod to a bushing pin of a bushing assembly, the bushing pin (21) defining a bushing pin first end portion (lower end of bushing with respect to Fig. 3), a bushing pin middle portion (20), and a bushing pin second end portion (upper end), the method comprising the steps of: detachably attaching a pull rod (36) to the bushing pin first end portion (see Fig. 4); and providing a cap assembly (34)comprising a cap member (72A, 72B) adapted to be detachably attached to the bushing pin second portion (see Fig. 4), and an adapter member (76) configured to be arranged over at least a portion of the bushing pin second portion (see Fig. 3); wherein detachably attaching the cap member (72A, 72B) to the bushing pin second portion (upper portion) such that the adapter member (76) is arranged between the cap member (uppermost portions of 72A, 72B) and the bushing pin middle portion (20) to transfer movement of the cap member to the bushing assembly (compare Figs. 3 and 4; at least lowermost portion of adapter member 76 extends vertically below uppermost portion of cap member and bushing middle portion).
Regarding claim 11, Jansen discloses the limitations of claim 10, and further Jansen discloses in which the step of providing the cap assembly (34) comprises the step of configuring the adapter member (76) to define an adapter plate engaging side (horizontally extending surface of members 76, 72A, 72B) configured to engage the bushing assembly (21; see Figs. 3 and 6).
Regarding claim 12, Jansen discloses the limitations of claim 10, and further Jansen discloses in which the step of providing the cap assembly (34) comprises the step of configuring the adapter member (76) to define an adapter plate length configured to transfer movement of the cap member (72A, 72B) to the bushing assembly (20; see Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 13, Jansen discloses the limitations of claim 10, and further Jansen discloses in which the step of providing the cap assembly (34) comprises the step of configuring the adapter member (76) to define an intermediate side (see Col. 6, lines 47-61) configured to engage the cap member (72A, 72B).
Regarding claim 14, Jansen discloses a coupler assembly (30) for engaging a bushing pin (21) of a bushing assembly (21), the bushing pin defining a bushing pin first end portion (lower end of bushing; see Fig. 3), a bushing pin middle portion (20; see Fig. 6), and a bushing pin second end portion (upper end of bushing; see Fig. 3), the coupler assembly comprising: a pull rod assembly (32) comprising a pull rod (36), an anchor assembly (40), and a pull rod pin (see Col. 5, lines 24-35; cross pins) adapted to extend through at least a portion of the anchor assembly (40) and the first bushing pin opening to detachably attach the pull rod to the bushing pin first end portion (lower end of bushing 21 with respect to Fig. 3); and a cap assembly (34) comprising a cap member (72A, 72B) adapted to be detachably attached to the bushing pin second portion (see Col. 6, lines 15-23), an adapter member (76; see Fig. 4) configured to be arranged over at least a portion of the bushing pin second portion (see Fig. 4), and
a cap pin (see Col. 6, lines 53-61) configured to extend at least partly through the cap member (72A, 72B) and at least partly through the bushing pin second end portion to detachably attach the cap member (72A, 72B) to the bushing pin second end portion (upper end with respect to Fig. 3; pins will be located where portions 72 and 76 are located); wherein the adapter member (76) and the cap member (72A, 72B) is detachably attached to the bushing pin second portion (21; see Col. 6, lines 47-61), the adapter member may be arranged between the cap member and the bushing pin middle portion to transfer movement of the cap member to the bushing assembly (optional language is understood to be true in all circumstances).
Regarding claim 15, Jansen discloses the limitations of claim 14, and further Jansen discloses in which the adapter member (76) defines an adapter plate engaging side (see configurations of Figs. 3 and 6, adapter member engages horizontal or plate-like surface of bushing assembly) configured to engage the bushing assembly (21).
Regarding claim 16, Jansen discloses the limitations of claim 14, and further Jansen discloses in which the adapter member (76) defines an adapter plate length (see Fig. 3) configured to transfer movement of the cap member (72A, 72B) to the bushing assembly (21; see Col. 6, lines 18-23).
Regarding claim 17, Jansen discloses the limitations of claim 14, and further Jansen discloses in which the adapter member (76) defines an adapter plate intermediate side (horizontally extending surface; see Fig. 6) configured to engage the cap member (72A, 72B).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-6 and 18-19 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
United States Patent Application Publication 20230228298 to Andrews (hereinafter “Andrews”) teaches a bushing removal assembly comprising a cap assembly (30) for removing a bushing from a structure.
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/D.C.F/Examiner, Art Unit 3726
/SARANG AFZALI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3726 09/22/2025