DETAILED ACTION
Claim Objections
Claim 14 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Line 4, the first incidence of “the” should be removed, and,
Line 4, “is inserted into” should be removed.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Won (KR20200133403).
1. A vertical post (Figs. 1-9) for a scaffold, the vertical post comprising: a tube (2) having a longitudinal axis and at least one tube section (see Fig. 9), the at least one tube section having an external connector element (4, Fig. 4) for connecting the vertical post (2) to a horizontal ledger (3); and an internal reinforcing element (20) for reinforcing the tube section (2) in a contact area (Fig. 3) of the vertical post (2) with the horizontal ledger (3), wherein the reinforcing element (20) is elongated and extends transversely (see 25 in Fig. 4) to the longitudinal axis from a first wall area (distal end of 25) to a second wall area (proximal end of 25) of the tube (2).
2. The vertical post according to claim 1, wherein an opening (8) is formed in the first wall area (see fig. 2) and/or in the second wall area (see left post in Fig. 7), in which opening the reinforcing element (20) is received at the end (the inner diameter of post 2), wherein the shape of the opening is adapted ([0023]: “In order to join the reinforcing pipe body and the vertical member through welding, a welding hole is formed in the vertical member”), at least in sections, to the cross-sectional shape of the reinforcing element (20).
3. The vertical post according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing element (20) is made of steel or is welded to the tube of the vertical post ([0019]: “To prevent the cross-shaped reinforcing plate from detaching, a weld is formed on the upper or lower part where the cross-shaped reinforcing plate and the reinforcing tube come into contact”).
4. The vertical post according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing element (20) is arranged at an axial distance from the connector element (4), wherein at least one reinforcing element is arranged above and/or below the connector element with respect to the final installed position of the vertical post (note that the ends of reinforcing element 20 extend above and below the connector element 4).
5. The vertical post (10) according to claim 1, wherein the tube section (2) is reinforced in the contact area by a plurality of reinforcing elements (25, 27, Fig. 4) which are arranged offset with respect to one another in terms of their height and/or angular position (see the 90 degree offset in Fig. 4).
6. The vertical post according to claim 1, wherein the connector element (4) for connecting the vertical post to the horizontal ledger is rosette-like and has at least one receiving opening (4a) for reception of connecting means (5) of the horizontal ledger (3).
7. A scaffold (see e.g., [0036]: “scaffolding of the present invention”) having; a vertical post (2) according to claim 1, and a horizontal ledger (3) which is connected to the vertical post (2) via the connector element (4) of the vertical post (2).
8. The scaffold according to claim 7, wherein the connector element (4) is rosette-like and the horizontal ledger (3) has connecting means (5) that engage in at least one receiving opening (4a) of the connector element (4).
9. The scaffold according to claim 7, wherein the horizontal ledger (3) rests against the vertical post (2) in the contact area (Fig. 3) via a connecting means (5) and/or an end-face area (Fig. 3), wherein the end-face area is concave (see the interface between the ledger 3 and the post 2 in Fig. 1).
Claims 10-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Doc (KR200405550).
10. A method for producing a vertical post for a scaffold (see Figs. 4-5 and 9 and e.g., [0013]: “a temporary structure on the exterior of a building during the renovation or extension of a building structure”), comprising: providing a tube (21, Figs. 4-5 and 9) having a longitudinal axis, fastening a connector element (42) for connecting the vertical post (21) to a horizontal ledger (31) in at least one tubular section of the tube (21), making an opening (22) in a wall area (Figs. 4-5 and 9) of the tubular section (21), inserting an elongated reinforcing element (45) into the opening (22) so that the reinforcing element (45) extends transversely to the longitudinal axis (Figs. 4-5 and 9) from the first wall area to a second wall area of the tube section (21, [13]: “a through connecting hole (22) formed in the inner tube (21), and the connecting members (41) have a through connecting hole (42-1) to which a support pin (45) is connected to a single pipe (42)”).
11. The method according to claim 10 wherein a further opening (note that connecting hole 22 is a “through hole”) is formed in the second wall area and the reinforcing element (45) is inserted at the end into the further opening (see Figs. 4-5).
12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the reinforcing element (45) is made of steel (see Fig. 2, and e.g., [13]: “a fastener (51) is formed by welding the outer surface (11) of a pipe support and another outer surface (11) of a pipe support together”, accordingly, the reinforcing element 45, like connector element 51 and tube 11, is steel) or is welded to the tube.
13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the shape of the at least one opening (22, see Figs. 4 and 5) is adapted, at least in sections, to the cross-sectional shape of the reinforcing element (45).
14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the at least one opening (22) for the reception of the reinforcing element (45) is made in the tube section (21) at an axial distance (see the distance between opening 22 and connector element 44 in Figs. 4 and 5) from the connector element (44), so that after the insertion of the reinforcing element (45) is inserted into the at least one opening (22), the tube section (21) is reinforced above or below the connector element (44) with respect to the final installed position of the vertical post (21, 22).
15. The method according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of openings (22, Fig. 3) for the reception of a plurality of reinforcing elements (45) are made in the tube section (21), which openings are arranged offset with respect to one another in terms of their height and/or angular position.
16. The vertical post according to claim 1, wherein the scaffold is a modular scaffold (see Fig. 11).
17. The vertical post according to claim 1, wherein the second wall area of the tube is diametrically opposite the first wall area (see Figs. 4 and 5).
18. The method according to claim 10, wherein the scaffold is a modular scaffold.
19. The method according to claim 10, wherein the opening passes through the wall of the tube (see Fig. 11).
20. The method according to claim 10, wherein the second wall area is located diametrically opposite the first wall area (see Figs. 4 and 5).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Wessendorf (EP3228768) discloses a profile. Milkic (US20220010568) discloses a scaffold node. Roux (FR2812901) discloses a tubular scaffolding connector.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Ben Pezzlo whose telephone number is (571)272-9656. The examiner can normally be reached M to Th 7 to 5.
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/BAP/Examiner, Art Unit 3634
/DANIEL P CAHN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3634
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