DETAILED ACTION
In response to remarks filed on 26 March 2026
Status of Claims
Claims 1 and 3-7 are pending;
Claims 1 and 3-6 are currently amended;
Claim 2 is cancelled;
Claim 7 is new;
Claims 1 and 3-7 are rejected herein.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed on 26 March 2026 have been fully considered and they are not persuasive. Regarding the third mooring limitation, the limitation only requires a mooring line with two parts which change a length of the mooring line. There is no specific structure regarding what permits the line to change length. McEvoy discloses a mooring line with two parts and a mechanism that permits the line to change length. McEvoy does not need to show every single limitation of the claim nor has to disclose three mooring lines as Skaare already discloses the three mooring lines. The first, second and third mooring lines are still mooring lines and McEvoy discloses a mooring line with two parts which allow to change the length of the mooring line. Applying this teaching to the third mooring line of Loeken as modified by Skaare would be obvious in order to adjust the length of the line as desired.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. There is no support in the drawings nor the specification for the “the other end of the third mooring line is not fixed to an object” limitation. The specification and figures show one end connected to 340 described as a connection portion with a triangular plate shape and the other end connected to anchor 2. Both are objects. There are no detailed close-up figures showing the mooring lines either. Appropriate correction is required.
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 7 is 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.
As to Claim 7, the claim recites “the other end of the third mooring line is not fixed to an object” but the specification and figures show one end connected to 340 described as a connection portion with a triangular plate shape and the other end connected to anchor 2. Both are objects. There is no support in the specification nor drawings for this limitation. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 1 and 3-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Loeken et al (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0119081) in view of Skaare (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0257075) and McEvoy (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0060413).
As to Claim 1, Loeken discloses a floating-type offshore wind power mooring system capable of reducing a yaw motion, the floating-type offshore wind power mooring system comprising:
A floating body (100) having buoyancy at sea; and
A wind power generation unit (200) fixed to the floating body (100),
Wherein the floating body (100) includes three columns (101, 102, 103) disposed at vertex locations of a triangle, respectively, and three pontoon units (104, 105, 106) disposed in a triangular shape to connect the plurality of columns (101, 102, 103),
The wind power generation unit (200) is disposed on any one of the three columns (101), and includes a mooring unit (300a-i) connecting the column to a seabed.
However, Loeken is silent about the mooring unit includes a first mooring line, a second mooring line, a third mooring line, and a connection portion, the first mooring line has one end connected to any one of the three columns, the second mooring line has one end connected to another of the three columns, the third mooring line has one end connected to the seabed, the connection portion connects the other end of the first mooring line, the other end of the second mooring line, and the other end of the third mooring line, and when viewed from above, the first mooring line, the second mooring line, and the third mooring line are disposed in a Y shape. Skaare discloses a mooring unit including a first mooring line (Annotated figure A, “first mooring line”), a second mooring line (Annotated figure A, “second mooring line”), a third mooring line (Annotated figure A, “third mooring line”), and a connection portion (Annotated figure A, “connection portion”), the first mooring line (Annotated figure A, “first mooring line”) has one end connected to any one of the three columns (Annotated figure A, “first column”), the second mooring line (Annotated figure A, “second mooring line”) has one end connected to another of the three columns (Annotated figure A, “second column”), the third mooring line has one end connected to the seabed (Paragraph 0011: “For example, an end of each mooring line furthest from the floating wind turbine installation may be connected or anchored to a seabed”), the connection portion (Annotated figure A, “connection portion”) connects the other end of the first mooring line (Annotated figure A, “first mooring line”), the other end of the second mooring line (Annotated figure A, “second mooring line”), and the other end of the third mooring line (Annotated figure A, “third mooring line”), and when viewed from above, the first mooring line, the second mooring line, and the third mooring line are disposed in a Y shape (Figure 2). Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to make the mooring unit include a first mooring line, a second mooring line, a third mooring line, and a connection portion, the first mooring line has one end connected to any one of the three columns, the second mooring line has one end connected to another of the three columns, the third mooring line has one end connected to the seabed, the connection portion connects the other end of the first mooring line, the other end of the second mooring line, and the other end of the third mooring line, and when viewed from above, the first mooring line, the second mooring line, and the third mooring line are disposed in a Y shape. The motivation would have been to increase the yaw stiffness, and therefore reduce yawing, of the system (Paragraph 0006).
Lastly, Loeken as modified (See above paragraph) is silent about wherein, with respect to a connection point connected to the connection portion, the third mooring line is partitioned into a first area from the seabed to the connection point, and a second area from the connection point to an end of the third mooring line, and the third mooring line is coupled to the connection portion to change a length of the first area and a length of the second area, such that tension of the mooring unit is adjustable. McEvoy discloses a mooring line (Figure 14, Figure 21b) partitioned into a first area (Left of 78) from the seabed to a connection point (78), and a second area (Right of 78) from the connection point to an end of the mooring line, and the mooring line is coupled to the connection portion to change a length of the first area and a length of the second area (Element 78 expands and contract therefore changing the length of the first and second areas), such that tension of the mooring unit is adjustable. Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to partition the third mooring line into a first area from the seabed to the connection point, and a second area from the connection point to an end of the third mooring line, and the third mooring line is coupled to the connection portion to change a length of the first area and a length of the second area, such that tension of the mooring unit is adjustable. The motivation would have been to adjust the length of the line as desired.
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Figure A. Mooring lines (Skaare)
As to Claim 3, Loeken as modified teaches the invention of Claim 1 (Refer to Claim 1 discussion). Loeken as modified also teaches wherein a shape of the first mooring line and a shape of the second mooring line each differ from a shape of the third mooring line (The first and second mooring lines have a longitudinal cross-section of a shorter shape as compared to the longer shape of the longitudinal cross-section of the third mooring line as seen in annotated Figure A).
As to Claim 4, Loeken as modified teaches the invention of Claim 3 (Refer to Claim 3 discussion). Loeken as modified also teaches wherein a length of the first mooring line and a length of the second mooring line are the same (The first and second mooring lines have the same length as seen in annotated Figure A).
As to Claim 5, Loeken as modified teaches the invention of Claim 1 (Refer to Claim 1 discussion). Loeken as modified also teaches wherein the mooring unit is disposed to correspond to each of the three pontoon units (Skaare: Figure 2).
As to Claim 6, Loeken as modified teaches the invention of Claim 1 (Refer to Claim 1 discussion). Loeken as modified also teaches wherein a cross section of the column is polygonal (Loeken: Figure 3a-3b).
As to Claim 7, Loeken as modified teaches the invention of Claim 1 (Refer to Claim 1 discussion). Loeken as modified also teaches wherein the other end of the third mooring line is not fixed to an object (Skaare: Figure 5).
Conclusion
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 EDWIN J TOLEDO-DURAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7501. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday: 10:00AM to 6:00PM EST.
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/EDWIN J TOLEDO-DURAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3678
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