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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore,
In claim 29, “wherein said gear mechanism is an epicyclic gear mechanism”. An epicyclic gear system is shown for the elastic energy storage system 114 in Figure 8(b), however, the gear mechanism coupled between said motor shaft and reel hub member is not depicted as an epicyclic gear mechanism in the Figures.
must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claims 24-42 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In line 1 of claims 24-42, “An adaptive tension compensator system” should read ---The adaptive compensator system--- since antecedent basis is provided in line 1 of claim 23.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 25 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.
Claim 25 recites the limitation "said first accumulator" in lines 1-2. How does the “first accumulator” in lines 1-2 relate to the “at least one first accumulator in line 2 of claim 24? Is there another first accumulator being claimed that differs from the “at least one first accumulator” in line 2 of claim 24? There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 23 would be allowable over the prior art of record because the prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest the entire combination of elements set forth including for disclosing wherein said coupling mechanism comprises a first elastic energy storage system adapted to resiliently-elastically bias said reel hub member towards said first angular position, and wherein said motor shaft is rotatably locked when said motor is in said second mode.
Hrescak (US5970906A) is the closest prior art and further teaches an adaptive tension compensator system for offshore charging of a vessel via an umbilical cable of a motor driven reeling drum provided at a power station, comprising: a motor hub member (38, 40, 42; Figure 1), mounted to a motor shaft (44) of a motor (86) and configured to transmit rotary motion between said motor and said reeling drum (12) along a first rotational axis (axis of shaft 30,44); a reel hub member (18), mounted to said reeling drum, arranged coaxial with said motor hub member and configured to transmit rotary motion between said reeling drum and said motor, a coupling mechanism (64, 74, 76, 78), operably coupled between said reel hub member and said motor hub member, adapted to transmit rotary motion between said reel hub member and said motor hub member when said motor is in a first mode (column 4, lines 54-60, motor rotates in the lowering direction), and adapted to provide a biased rotational motion of said reel hub member about said first rotational axis between a first angular position and a second angular position relative to said motor hub member, when said motor is in a second mode (column 6, line 19 – column 7, line 19, motion compensation, hydraulic oil pressure drives motor in the hoisting direction), and wherein said motor shaft is actively or passively rotatable when said motor is in said first mode, but fails to teach wherein said coupling mechanism comprises a first elastic energy storage system adapted to resiliently-elastically bias said reel hub member towards said first angular position, and wherein said motor shaft is rotatably locked when said motor is in said second mode. Long (US20050133774A1) teaches a similar compensator system, Long and Hrescak both teach a brake to rotatably lock the motor shaft when the drum is in the static position, but both fail to teach wherein said coupling mechanism comprises a first elastic energy storage system adapted to resiliently-elastically bias said reel hub member towards said first angular position, and wherein said motor shaft is rotatably locked when said motor is in said second mode.
Claims 24-42 would be allowable because they are dependents of claim 23.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Additional references listed on form PTO-892 are cited for their relevance to the disclosed invention and demonstration of the state of the art.
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/H.S./Examiner, Art Unit 3654
/Victoria P Augustine/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3654
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