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 .
DETAILED ACTION
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 7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being unpatentable by Castillo et al (US 2014/0158350).
As concerns claim 7, Castillo et al (US 2014/0158350) discloses a method of pumping down a wireline (222) bottom hole assembly (BHA), comprising the steps of:
(a) assembling a BHA (260) with a device (282), wherein the device is responsive to fluid pressure to outwardly deploy one or more pads to reduce flow area around the BHA (Paragraph [0049]);
(b) pumping down fluid to urge the BHA into the wellbore and deploy the pads (edge of 282 that contacts 20) outwards (Figures 15B-15C);
(c) maintaining sufficient flow rate to maintain deployment pressure while the BHA is pumped down the wellbore, until the BHA reaches a desired depth (Paragraph [0032]); and
(d) retracting (via spring 286, see Paragraph [0049]) the pads inwardly by reducing the pumpdown flow rate. (Paragraph [0032])
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As concerns claim 9, Castillo discloses a bottom hole assembly (200) for wireline plug and perf, comprising a device (280) configured to connect to a wireline (222) and which is responsive to fluid pressure to outwardly deploy one or more pads to reduce flow area around the BHA while it is pumped down a wellbore. (At least Paragraphs [0032] and [0049])
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-2 and 4-6 are allowed over the prior art of record, as they have incorporated the previously-objected to subject matter from claim 3 into claim 1.
Claims 10 is 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.
Castillo discloses claim 9, and further discloses a pad (282) and biasing means (286) however fails to specify the structure of claim 10 including:
(a) an outer housing comprising a top connection, a spring housing, a piston housing and a bottom connection, all defining a central bore;
(b) a mandrel disposed and slidably moveable within the central bore between a run-in-hole (RIH) position and a pull-out-of-hole (POOH) position, the mandrel comprising a head portion, a central portion and a bottom stem, all defining a central passage, wherein the head portion comprises a flow restriction from the top connection central bore;
(c) a piston connected to the mandrel and having a sloped ramp surface;
(d) a plurality of pads slidably disposed on the piston ramp surface and which are transversely moveable through the piston housing; and
(e) biasing means disposed within the spring housing, for urging the mandrel towards its POOH position.
While prior art reference Lee et al (US 5,437,340) teaches the claimed structure, (see previous Office Action submitted on 04/10/2025), Lee teaches away from the concept of now-depended-upon claim 9 which recites wherein the device is “responsive to fluid pressure to outwardly deploy one or more pads to reduce flow area around the BHA while it is pumped down a wellbore. “ (See Lee, Column 6, Line 38 – Column 7, Line 40)
As such, neither Castillo, Lee, nor any additionally cited art of record teaches or fairly suggests, alone or in combination, inter alia, a system comprising:
(a) an outer housing comprising a top connection, a spring housing, a piston housing and a bottom connection, all defining a central bore;
(b) a mandrel disposed and slidably moveable within the central bore between a run-in-hole (RIH) position and a pull-out-of-hole (POOH) position, the mandrel comprising a head portion, a central portion and a bottom stem, all defining a central passage, wherein the head portion comprises a flow restriction from the top connection central bore;
(c) a piston connected to the mandrel and having a sloped ramp surface;
(d) a plurality of pads slidably disposed on the piston ramp surface and which are transversely moveable through the piston housing; and
(e) biasing means disposed within the spring housing, for urging the mandrel towards its POOH position.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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 AARON L LEMBO whose telephone number is (571)270-3065. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 7am-4pm.
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/AARON L LEMBO/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3679