DETAILED ACTION
This is a non-final Office Action on the merits for U.S. App. 18/840,010. Receipt of the Response to the Election/Restriction requirement filed on 09/02/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-16 are pending.
Claims 7-16 are withdrawn from consideration.
Claims 1-6 are examined.
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
Applicant elected the invention of group I, claims 1-6 in the reply filed on 09/11/2026. Claims 7-16 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 09/11/2026.
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) 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hsieh (U.S. Patent 8,695,432).
Regarding claim 1, Hsieh discloses a sensorized fastener comprising a fastening body (#100) having a first longitudinal axis (the vertical y-axis of figure 2) and a cavity (#111) which is laterally delimited by a lateral surface (the unthreaded top portion of figure 2 of the cavity #111) and extends along said first longitudinal axis between an opening (the top opening of figure 2), through which the cavity faces outside the fastening body itself (see figure 2), and an end portion (the bottom end portion of figure 2); wherein the sensorized fattener comprises a pin (#120), which comprises, in turn, a support (#121) and a sensing element (#130); wherein said support has a second longitudinal axis (the vertical y-axis of figure 2) and comprises a head (the top threaded portion #122 of figure 2), a foot (the bottom threaded portion #122 of figure 2), and an intermediate portion (#121) which is interposed along said second longitudinal axis between the head and the foot (see figure 2); said sensing element being disposed in correspondence of said intermediate portion (see figure 1); said pin is inserted, at least partially, through said opening into the cavity of the fastening body so as to dispose the foot of the pin in correspondence of the end portion of the cavity (see figure 2); wherein said intermediate portion and the respective sensing element are housed, at least partially, in the cavity (see figure 2); wherein said foot is fixed to said end portion of the cavity (see figure 2).
Regarding claim 2, Hsieh discloses said foot and said end portion are threaded and screwed together (see figure 2, where the foot comprises of an external threaded portion #122 which is to engage the internal threaded portion of the end portion of the cavity #111); in addition or alternatively, the foot of the pin is welded, or glued to the end portion of the cavity (the limitations provide an “or” clause with “alternatively” and thus gives a separate option which need not be met, where Hsieh teaches the threaded features of the first clause of the “or” statement and thus is considered to anticipate the claimed invention as presently defined).
Regarding claim 3, Hsieh discloses the sensing element is housed, at least partially, in the cavity, without contact with the lateral surface of the cavity itself (see figure 2, where the intermediate body #121 is recessed so as to receive the sensing element #130 so that the sensing element does not contact the lateral surface of the cavity).
Claim(s) 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhang et al. (CN 109268375).
Regarding claim 1, Zhang et al. disclose a sensorized fastener comprising a fastening body (#100) having a first longitudinal axis (the vertical y-axis of figure 2-1) and a cavity (#130) which is laterally delimited by a lateral surface (the unthreaded top portion of figure 2-1 of the cavity #130) and extends along said first longitudinal axis between an opening (the top opening of figure 2-1), through which the cavity faces outside the fastening body itself (see figure 2-1), and an end portion (the bottom end portion of figure 2-1); wherein the sensorized fattener comprises a pin (#200), which comprises, in turn, a support (the shaft of pin #200 of figure 3-1) and a sensing element (#210); wherein said support has a second longitudinal axis (the vertical y-axis of figure 3-1) and comprises a head (#220), a foot (the bottom threaded portion as depicted in figure 3-1), and an intermediate portion (the non-threaded shaft portion as depicted in figure 3-1) which is interposed along said second longitudinal axis between the head and the foot (see figure 3-1); said sensing element being disposed in correspondence of said intermediate portion (see figure 4); said pin is inserted, at least partially, through said opening into the cavity of the fastening body so as to dispose the foot of the pin in correspondence of the end portion of the cavity (see figure 6); wherein said intermediate portion and the respective sensing element are housed, at least partially, in the cavity (see figure 6); wherein said foot is fixed to said end portion of the cavity (see figure 6).
Regarding claim 2, Zhang et al. disclose said foot and said end portion are threaded and screwed together (see figures 3-1 and 6, where the foot comprises of an external threaded portion which is to engage the internal threaded portion of the end portion of the cavity #130); in addition or alternatively, the foot of the pin is welded, or glued to the end portion of the cavity (the limitations provide an “or” clause with “alternatively” and thus gives a separate option which need not be met, where Zhang et al. teach the threaded features of the first clause of the “or” statement and thus is considered to anticipate the claimed invention as presently defined).
Regarding claim 3, Zhang et al. disclose the sensing element is housed, at least partially, in the cavity, without contact with the lateral surface of the cavity itself (see figure 4, where the intermediate body is recessed so as to receive the sensing element #210 so that the sensing element does not contact the lateral surface of the cavity).
Regarding claim 4, Zhang et al. disclose the head of the pin protrudes, at least partially, outside from the opening of the cavity, wherein said head has one or more abutments configured to be placed in contact against respective portions of said fastening body (see figure 6, where the head #220 of the pin #200 is to extend outside of the cavity and comprises of a bottom abutment configured to contact the head of the fastener body #100).
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.
Claim(s) 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. in view of NL ‘506 (NL 8204506).
Regarding claim 5, Zhang et al. disclose the head #220 of the support of the pin #200 is a hexagonal element which is to come into contact with the head of the fastener #100 and thus does not disclose such a head comprises of an external thread which is to engage a nut with internal thread so as to further couple the pin to the fastener. However, it is highly well known in the art, as evidenced by NL ‘506, that when attaching a pin #215/315 within a cavity #211/311 of a fastening body #210/310, the pin can comprise of a threaded foot end #222/#322 that is to thread into the cavity and a head #221 that extends out of the cavity and is to abut the head #220 of the fastener #210 or is to comprise of a threaded head end which is to engage a female screw thread of an opening of a nut #321. See figures 3 and 4. Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have constructed the pin of Zhang et al. so as to instead comprise of a externally threaded shaft end for the head which is to engage an internally threaded nut, as taught in NL ‘506, since NL’ 506 teaches both of such head embodiments for a pin can be used in place of one another and thus would yield the same predictable result of abutting the head of the fastener body and providing a strong abutting connection between the pin and the fastener body.
Claim(s) 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hsieh in view of Clarke et al. (U.S. Patent 6,204,771).
Regarding claim 6, Hsieh discloses the claimed invention except for said pin is made of the same material of said fastening body or said pin has chemical and/or physical and/or mechanical properties equal to the ones of the fastening body. However, it is highly well known in the art, as evidenced by Clark et al., that a fastening body #4 comprising of a bore #7 that is to receive a load sensing means #8 is to be constructed so that the sensing means #8 and the fastener body #4 out of the same material. See col. 6, ll. 18-30. Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have constructed the pin and fastening body of Hsieh out of the same material, as taught in Clark et. al., in order to ensure that the materials are compatible with one another so as to ensure operation of such elements is unaffected by changes in temperature.
Claim(s) 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. in view of Clarke et al.
Regarding claim 6, Zhang et al. disclose the claimed invention except for said pin is made of the same material of said fastening body or said pin has chemical and/or physical and/or mechanical properties equal to the ones of the fastening body. However, it is highly well known in the art, as evidenced by Clark et al., that a fastening body #4 comprising of a bore #7 that is to receive a load sensing means #8 is to be constructed so that the sensing means #8 and the fastener body #4 out of the same material. See col. 6, ll. 18-30. Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have constructed the pin and fastening body of Zhang et al. out of the same material, as taught in Clark et. al., in order to ensure that the materials are compatible with one another so as to ensure operation of such elements is unaffected by changes in temperature.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THEODORE V ADAMOS whose telephone number is (571)270-1166. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9-5.
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/THEODORE V ADAMOS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3635
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