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
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Invention I (Claims 1-18) in the reply filed on 02/06/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that there would not be a serious search and/or examination burden because Restriction Requirement indicates that each of the identified inventions falls within class B64D27. The Applicant respectfully submits that there is no such burden between the identified inventions.. This is not found persuasive because the inventions are independent or distinct since the process (Invention II) for using the product (Invention I) as claimed can be practiced with another materially different product that does not involve attaching a first fitting to a first section of an aft engine mount fitting of a ridgeback fitting; attaching a second fitting to a second section of the aft engine mount fitting of the ridgeback fitting and connecting together the first section and the second section of the ridgeback fitting; as well as attaching a forward engine mount fitting to the ridgeback fitting; attaching the ridgeback fitting to a strut box on a wing of an aircraft; and there would be a serious search and/or examination burden if restriction were not required because the inventions require a separate status in the art due to their recognized divergent subject matter that require a search for different elements/structures in each invention; as well as the inventions requires a different field of search (e.g., searching different classes/subclasses or electronic resources, or employing different search strategies or search queries for searching different claimed structural elements).
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claims 1-20 are currently pending and are under examination.
Therefore, Claims 19-20 are withdrawn. Claims 1-18 are currently under examination.
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.
Claim(s) 1-8 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kou et al. (CN107512399A) (submitted on IDS dated 02/04/2025).
Regarding claim 1, Kou discloses a fitting to mount an engine (91, Fig. 8) to a wing of an aircraft, the fitting (see annotated Fig. below) comprising: a body with a first end and a second end(see annotated Fig. below); a first pocket at the first end, the first pocket sized to receive a forward engine mount fitting( 6, see annotated Fig. below); a second pocket at the second end, the second pocket sized to receive a strut box (92, Fig. 8)of the wing of the aircraft; and wherein the body comprises a first section and a second section that are connected together (see sections 1,2,3,4 in Fig. 2-5).
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Regarding claim 2, Kou discloses a fitting to mount an engine (91, Fig. 8) wherein the first section and the second section abut together at a joint that extends along a length of the body (see annotated Fig. below).
Regarding claim 3, Kou discloses a fitting to mount an engine (91, Fig. 8) wherein the body comprises a tapered shape that increases from the first end to the second end(see annotated Fig. above).
Regarding claim 4, Kou discloses a fitting to mount an engine (91, Fig. 8) wherein the taper is consistent along a length from the first end to the second end(see annotated Fig. above).
Regarding claim 5, Kou discloses a fitting to mount an engine (91, Fig. 8) wherein the first section is a mirror image of the second section(see annotated Fig. above).
Regarding claim 6, Kou discloses a fitting to mount an engine (91, Fig. 8) wherein the first end is open to receive the forward engine mount fitting and the second end is open to receive the strut box (see annotated Fig. above).
Regarding claim 7, Kou discloses a fitting to mount an engine (91, Fig. 8) comprising flanges that extend along a first side of the body and an opposing second side of the body, the flanges comprising a central flange section and laterally-extending stiffeners that are spaced apart along a length of a central flange section (see annotated Fig. above).
Regarding claim 8, Kou discloses a fitting to mount an engine (91, Fig. 8)
8. The fitting of claim 7, wherein a first portion of the flanges are mounted to the first section and a second portion of the flanges are mounted to the second section(see annotated Fig. above).
Regarding claim 10, Kou discloses a fitting to mount an engine (91, Fig. 8) comprising ribs that extend outward from inner sides of the first section and the second section with the ribs abutting together when the first section and the second section are connected together(see annotated Fig. above).
Regarding claim 11, Kou discloses a fitting to mount an engine (91, Fig. 8) wherein the body comprises two or more flat sides(see annotated Fig. above).
Claim(s) 12, 15, and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Huggins et al. (US 2009/0212155).
Regarding Claim 12, Huggins discloses a discloses (Figs. 13, 14; [0053]) a fitting 32 (aft mount assembly) to mount an engine to a wing of an aircraft, the fitting comprising: a first section 40 and a second section 42 each comprising (note how the two sections connect to each other to embrace the pylon): a lateral side; a top side; a bottom side; an inner side (Fig. 7-10); wherein the first section 40 and the second section 42 are configured to connect together along the inner sides to form a body (16, Fig. 7-10) with the body comprising: a first side formed by the lateral side of the first section (, Fig. 14); a second side formed by the lateral side of the second section (Fig. 14); a third side formed by the top sides of the first section (Fig. 14) and the second section(Fig. 14); and a fourth side formed by the bottom sides of the first section and the second section(Fig. 14).
Regarding Claim 15, Huggins discloses a discloses (Figs. 13, 14; [0053]) a fitting 32 (aft mount assembly) wherein the first section 40 is a mirror image of the second section 42 (Fig. 9, Fig. 14).
Regarding Claim 18, Huggins discloses a discloses (Figs. 13, 14; [0053]) a fitting 32 (aft mount assembly) comprising a joint (at least via 44, Fig. 14) wherein the first section 40 and the second section 42 abut together with the joint extend longitudinally through the body (Fig. 14).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9, 11, 13-14, and 16-17 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Bernardi et al. (US2008/0251634) discloses a rigid structure (8) of a suspension pylon for an aircraft engine, which is in the shape of a box closed by a first and a second box side panels (34a, 34b), this structure comprising inter-rib spaces (38.sub.1 to 38.sub.8), each space being delimited by two directly consecutive box transverse ribs (36). According to the invention, for each inter-rib space forming part of a group comprising at least three arbitrary and directly consecutive inter-rib spaces, a single access opening (42.sub.1 to 42.sub.8) is provided on the side panels, these openings being arranged alternately on the first and second side panels.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ASSRES H WOLDEMARYAM whose telephone number is (571)272-6607. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM.
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Assres H. Woldemaryam
Primary Examiner (Aeronautics and Astronautics)
Art Unit 3642
/ASSRES H WOLDEMARYAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3642