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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 11-40 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 06/05/2026.
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 2-3 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 2 recites the limitation "the trigger" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 3 is rejected for depending upon claim 2.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by WO 2009/025891 (hereinafter “Martin”).
Regarding Claim 1, Martin discloses a simulated firearm housing (figs. 9-10; p. 5, ll. 4-5: “simulated weapon 10… comprises a weapon housing 12”);
a recoil assembly disposed within the housing (fig. 7: recoil assembly comprising at least 14, 16, 26, 46 within housing 12), the recoil assembly comprising:
a solenoid (figs. 2-3: solenoid/coil 26), and a plunger disposed at least partially within the solenoid (figs. 2-3: plunger/bolt 16; p. 3, ll. 13-18: “the term ‘bolt’ is deemed to include any and all forms of an armature that moves in a solenoid, including the electric coil referred to herein, and the electric coil described herein is deemed to mean or include a solenoid of one or more coils”); and
wherein the plunger is configured to translate rearward from a rest position to an actuated position along a longitudinal axis of the housing to simulate a recoil associated with a discharge of a firearm in response to an actuation of the solenoid (figs. 2-4: plunger/bolt 16 translates rearward along longitudinal axis upon actuation of solenoid; p. 3, ll. 12-24: “an electrically generated recoil integrated into a simulated weapon. The electric recoil is achieved in having a bolt of ferromagnetic material with a high magnetic susceptibility controlled by one or more solenoidal electric coils;” p. 10, ll. 15-20: “a bolt 16 accelerated rearward from its rest position 20 forward in the weapon by an electric coil”).
Regarding Claim 2, Martin further discloses a trigger extending from the housing and configured to provide a control signal in response to a pulling of the trigger by a user of the system to actuate the solenoid (fig. 9: trigger 48; fig. 8: trigger activates a switch which sends signal to the controller which actuates the solenoid/coil; p. 7: “A shot sequence, initialized by pull of a weapon trigger 48, retracts the pawl 46 from the bolt 16 concurrent with energization of the first electric coil 26 with electric current”).
Regarding Claim 3, Martin further discloses a logic device configured to actuate the solenoid in response to the control signal (fig. 8; p. 3, ll. 21-28: “a controller between the capacitor and the electric coils… force can be modified using a controller that controls electric current to the coils”).
Regarding Claim 4, Martin further discloses a lower receiver comprising a grip and a trigger (figs. 9-10: lower receiver comprising grip and trigger 48); and
a simulated slide secured to the lower receiver (figs. 9-10: slide secured to top of lower receiver).
Regarding Claim 5, Martin further discloses the recoil assembly is at least partially disposed within the lower receiver such that a translation of the plunger in response to the actuation of the solenoid imparts a rearward force on the lower receiver of the housing to simulate the recoil (fig. 7: recoil assembly at least partially below slide and within lower receiver; p. 10, ll. 15-20: “a weapon recoil generated by a bolt 16 accelerated rearward from its rest position 20 forward in the weapon by an electric coil (or otherwise accelerated from its rest position and returned to its rest position by an electric coil) and abruptly stopped rearward in the weapon to impart its momentum as an impulse force to the weapon”).
Regarding Claim 6, Martin further discloses the recoil assembly is at least partially disposed within the simulated slide such that a translation of the plunger in response to the actuation of the solenoid imparts a rearward force on the slide to cause at least a portion of the slide to translate rearward relative to the lower receiver (figs. 2-5, 7: recoil assembling at least partially disposed within simulated slide; p. 6, ll. 22-31: “energy is released in accelerating the bolt 16 rearward supplemental to the rearward pull on the bolt 16 by the first electric coil 26… to achieve a desired acceleration of the bolt 16 and the resultant weapon recoil… the recoil causes the barrel to move upward;” p. 8, ll. 8-18: “upon pull of the trigger 48 to impact with stop 34 in the housing at the bolt second position 24, the bolt 16 imparting its momentum to the housing 12 therein creating a simulated primary recoil;” p. 10, ll. 15-20: “a weapon recoil generated by a bolt 16 accelerated rearward from its rest position 20 forward in the weapon by an electric coil (or otherwise accelerated from its rest position and returned to its rest position by an electric coil) and abruptly stopped rearward in the weapon to impart its momentum as an impulse force to the weapon;” figs. 9-10: presence of hammer further implies that the simulated slide translates rearward and then forward again to return to its original position).
Regarding Claim 7, Martin further discloses a spring configured to bias the plunger relative to the solenoid (figs. 2-5: springs 30, 32); and
wherein the spring is configured to compress in response to the actuation of the solenoid to return the plunger from the actuated position to the rest position (p. 6, ll. 13-27: “Movement of the bolt 16… compresses the spring from its rest position 20… When the bolt 16 is returned to its rest position 20 against resistance of the spring or springs 30, 32, potential energy is stored in the spring or springs 30, 32. That stored potential energy in the… compressed spring 30, 32 is released in moving the bolt 16 to its forward rest position 20”).
Regarding Claim 8, Martin further discloses the plunger comprises:
a proximal end disposed within the solenoid (figs. 2-4: plunger 16 has proximal end disposed within solenoid 26),
a distal end extending from the solenoid (figs. 2-4: plunger 16 has distal end extending from solenoid 26), and
wherein the distal end moves toward the solenoid in response to the actuation of the solenoid (figs. 3-4: distal end of plunger 16 moves toward solenoid 26).
Regarding Claim 9, Martin further discloses the firearm training system is a training pistol (fig. 9; p. 4, ll. 1-2: “a broader range of weapons to be retrofitted with recoil simulation capability, from large guns to rifles to pistols”).
Regarding Claim 10, Martin further discloses a method of operating the system of claim 1 (see claim 1 above), the method comprising:
pulling a trigger operably linked to the recoil assembly (fig. 8: trigger activates a switch which sends signal to the controller which actuates the solenoid/coil; p. 7: “A shot sequence, initialized by pull of a weapon trigger 48, retracts the pawl 46 from the bolt 16 concurrent with energization of the first electric coil 26 with electric current”);
translating the plunger rearward from the rest position to the actuated position along the longitudinal axis of the housing to simulate the recoil associated with a discharge of a firearm (figs. 2-4: plunger/bolt 16 translates rearward along longitudinal axis upon actuation of solenoid; p. 3, ll. 12-24: “an electrically generated recoil integrated into a simulated weapon. The electric recoil is achieved in having a bolt of ferromagnetic material with a high magnetic susceptibility controlled by one or more solenoidal electric coils;” p. 10, ll. 15-20: “a bolt 16 accelerated rearward from its rest position 20 forward in the weapon by an electric coil”); and
imparting a rearward force on the housing in response to the rearward translation (p. 10, ll. 15-20: “a weapon recoil generated by a bolt 16 accelerated rearward from its rest position 20 forward in the weapon by an electric coil (or otherwise accelerated from its rest position and returned to its rest position by an electric coil) and abruptly stopped rearward in the weapon to impart its momentum as an impulse force to the weapon”).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
CN 112781439 (Yi) teaches a training gun which uses a solenoid (and plunger) to simulate recoil.
US 4,050,166 (Swiatosz) teaches a training gun which uses a solenoid, compression springs, and an electronic circuit to simulate recoil.
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/J.G.D./Examiner, Art Unit 3715
/DMITRY SUHOL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3715
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