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 .
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.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the flexible hub" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Throughout the claims, the terms the hub and the flexible hub are interchanged, language needs to be consistent throughout.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claim(s) 1-6, 11-12, 14-15, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Carbone U.S. Patent No. 5,316,522 in view of DeGroot U.S. Patent No. 11,873,172.
Claim 1, Carbone teaches a component 20 for a conveyor Abstract, comprising: a hub 83,84 for receiving a shaft 12, the hub 83,84 including a flexible finger 58,59 with a locking tab 56,57 for engaging the shaft 12 C4 L40-65; and a rim 51,52 connected to the flexible hub 83,84, the rim 51,52 having a continuous periphery for contacting a conveyor belt C6 L45-65, but does not teach as DeGroot teaches a recess 198 on the shaft 12. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the conveyor component assembly disclosed in Carbone with the recessed shaft taught in DeGroot with a reasonable expectation of success because
Claim 2, Carbone teaches the flexible hub 83,84 includes a pair of opposing flexible fingers 58,59 on each axial end of the hub 83,84, each flexible finger 58,59 extending laterally extending across a face of the shaft 12 Fig. 5.
Claim 3, Carbone teaches the flexible finger 58,59 includes a lifting recess (at 56 Fig. 5) for receiving a lifting tool (as known to be used in mechanical assemblies) in a middle portion of the flexible finger 58,59 C5 L50-68; C6 L1-20.
Claim 4, Carbone teaches the flexible finger 58,59 includes a flexing recess at a base portion (at 56 Fig. 5) connecting the flexible finger 58,59 to non-flexible portions (body portions) of the hub 83,84.
Claim 5, Carbone teaches the locking tab 56,57 is formed at a tip of the flexible finger 58,59 Fig. 5.
Claim 6, Carbone teaches the flexible finger 58,59 extends axially within the hub 120 Fig. 5.
Claim 11, Carbone teaches the flexible finger 58,59 extends axially from a base of 20 that protrudes from a face of the component 20 Fig. 5.
Claim 12, Carbone teaches the locking tab 56,57 flares from a tip of the flexible finger 58,59 Fig. 5.
Claim 14, Carbone teaches a conveyor assembly Abstract comprising: an axially-extending shaft 12 and a component 20 mounted to the shaft 12, the component 20 including a hub 83,84 for receiving a shaft 12, the hub 83,84 including a flexible finger 58,59 with a locking tab 56,57 for engaging the peripheral recess on the shaft 12 and a rim 51,52 connected to the flexible hub 83,84, the rim 51,52 having a continuous periphery for contacting a conveyor belt C6 L45-65, but does not teach as DeGroot teaches a recess 198 on the shaft 12. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the conveyor component assembly disclosed in Carbone with the recessed shaft taught in DeGroot with a reasonable expectation of success because
Claim 15, Carbone teaches the flexible finger 58,59 extends laterally across a face of the hub 83,84, with the locking tab 56,57 flaring inwards from a tip of the flexible finger 58,59 Fig. 5.
Claim 20, Carbone does not teach as De Groot teaches the axially-extending shaft 12 includes a plurality of peripheral recesses in the first face Fig. 7. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the conveyor component assembly disclosed in Carbone with the recessed shaft taught in DeGroot with a reasonable expectation of success because
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-10, 13, and 16-19 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAVEL SINGH whose telephone number is (571)272-2362. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8am-6pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gene Crawford can be reached at (571) 272-6911. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KAVEL SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651
KS