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 as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: 22a. 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. 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.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In paragraph 0007, lines 8-9, “capably of vertically rotational movement” should read “capable of vertically rotational movement”.
In paragraph 0016, line 4, “capably of vertically rotational movement” should read “capable of vertically rotational movement”.
In paragraph 0021, lines 8-9, “the winding motion and the delivery motion derricks the boom 24, specifically, brings the boom 24 into vertically rotational movement“ is unclear.
In paragraph 0026, lines 5-6, “end parts respective struct connection end parts of the pair of strut guylines” should read “respective strut connection end parts of the pair of strut guylines”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 1, lines 9-10, “capably of vertically rotational movement” should read “capable of vertically rotational movement”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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, 2, 3, 4 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Stoof et al (U.S. Patent No. 20200216294).
Regarding claim 1, Stoof et al teaches a crane comprising (Abstract):
a crane body (23) (Paragraph 0188, lines 2-3; Fig. 3, element 23);
a boom (5) including a boom proximal end part and a boom distal end part opposite to the boom proximal end part, the boom proximal end part connected to the crane body (23) so as to allow the boom (5) to be raised and lowered with respect to the crane body (23) (Paragraph 0189, lines 1-5; Fig. 3, elements 5, 23; annotated figure);
a jib (4) including a jib proximal end part to be connected to the boom distal end part so as to allow the jib (4) to be raised and lowered with respect to the boom (5) (Paragraph 0189, lines 1-5; Fig. 3, elements 4, 5; annotated figure);
a strut (9) including a strut proximal end part (11) and a rope connection part (10), the strut proximal end part (11) connected to the boom distal end part or the jib proximal end part capably of vertically rotational movement around a strut rotation center so as to allow the strut (9) to be shifted between a fallen posture in which the strut (9) has been fallen onto the jib (5) and a raised posture in which the strut (9) has been raised from the jib (4) in a boom-and-jib fallen state where each of the boom (5) and the jib (4) has been fallen down, the rope connection part (10) located above the strut proximal end part (11) in the raised posture of the strut (9) (Paragraph 0194, lines 5-8; Paragraph 0196, lines 1-14; Fig. 2, elements, 4. 9, 10, 11; Fig. 3, elements 4, 9, 10, 11);
a winch fixed to the crane body (23) or the boom (5), the winch being capable of performing a winding motion and a delivery motion (Paragraph 0064, lines 5-13; Paragraph 0196, lines 1-4);
a winch rope (34) to be wound around the winch by the winding motion and to be delivered from the winch by the delivery motion, the winch rope (34) including a rope tip part capable of being detachably connected to the rope connection part (10) of the strut (9) to allow the winding motion of the winch to make a towing force act on the rope connection part (10) of the strut (9) toward the winch with the rope tip part connected to the rope connection part (10) (Paragraph 0195, lines 4-5; Paragraph 0196, lines 1-4; Fig. 3, elements 9, 10, 34);
a strut support unit (6) attachable to and detachable from a jib back surface of the jib (4) or a strut front surface of the strut (9), the jib back surface being an upper surface of the jib (4) in the boom-and-jib fallen state, the strut front surface being a surface to be opposed to the jib back surface in the fallen posture (Paragraph 0198, lines 1-10; Fig. 3, elements 4, 6, 9), wherein
the strut support unit (6) has a support height dimension (206) that allows the strut support unit (6) to support the strut (9) at a raisable position in a state where the strut support unit (6) is attached to the jib back surface or the strut front surface and interposed between the strut front surface of the strut (9) in the fallen posture and the jib back surface, the raisable position being a position where the rope connection part (10) of the strut (9) is higher than the strut rotation center, the support height dimension (206) being a vertical dimension from a position where the strut support unit (6) contacts the jib back surface to a position where the strut support unit (6) contacts the strut front surface (Paragraph 0212, lines 1-4; Fig. 7a, elements 9, 206).
Additional details are provided in the figure below.
PNG
media_image1.png
856
441
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 2, Stoof et al teaches a fastening tool (42) that detachably fastens the strut support unit (6) to the jib (4) or the strut (9) (Paragraph 0197, lines 1-5; Fig. 4a, elements 4, 6, 9, 42).
Regarding claim 3, Stoof et al teaches the strut support unit (6) is switchable between a support state and a storage state;
in the support state, at least a part of the strut support unit (6) has been raised with respect to the jib back surface or the strut front surface to support the strut (9) at the raisable position (Paragraph 0196, lines 1-4; Fig. 3, elements 6, 9);
in the storage state, the entire strut support unit (6) has been fallen to be laid along the jib back surface or the strut front surface (Paragraph 0195, lines 1-4; Fig. 2, elements 6, 9).
Regarding claim 4, Stoof et al teaches a string-shaped member (34) to be interposed between the rope connection part (10) of the strut (9) and the rope tip part (13) to interconnect the rope connection part (10) and the rope tip part (13), wherein the string-shaped member (34) has a strut connection end part to be detachably connected to the rope connection part (10) and a rope connection end part to be detachably connected to the rope tip part (13) (Paragraph 0195, lines 4-5; Paragraph 0196, lines 1-4; annotated figure). Additional details are provided in the figure below.
PNG
media_image2.png
856
441
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 6, Stoof et al teaches the strut proximal end part is connected to the jib proximal end part, and the jib (4) and the strut (9) are integrally attachable to and detachable from the boom (5) while the jib proximal end part and the strut proximal end part are kept interconnected in the boom-and-jib fallen state and in a state where the strut (9) is supported at the raisable position by the strut support unit (6) (Paragraph 0198, lines 1-10; Fig. 3, elements 4, 5, 6, 9).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 5 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Stoof et al in view of Walker et al (US 20100243595).
Regarding claim 5, Stoof et al fails to teach a sheave attached to the strut. Walker et al teaches a crane with a sheave attached to the strut (31), wherein the raisable position has a height, with respect to the jib back surface, enough to prevent the sheave attached to the strut (31) from interfering with the jib (Paragraph 0023, lines 1-4; Paragraph 0047, lines 1-5; Fig. 3, element 31; annotated figure). Additional details are provided in the figure below.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the teachings of Walker et al in Stoof et al to facilitate the creation of a sheave that can spread the tensional force between multiple parts of the jib hoist line as taught by Walker et al (Paragraph 0023, lines 1-4).
PNG
media_image3.png
392
495
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 7, Stoof et al fails to teach an assembly or disassembly method. Walker et al teaches a method for assembling and disassembling a crane, the method comprising
a step of attaching the strut support unit (126) to the jib back surface (29) or the strut front surface (Paragraph 0053, lines 1-9; Fig. 7, elements 29, 126);
a step of making the winch perform the delivery motion in the boom-and-jib fallen state to thereby fall the strut (29) in the raised posture to the raisable position at which the strut (29) is supported by the strut support unit (126) (Paragraph 0058, lines 1-2; Fig. 15, elements 29, 111, 126);
and making the winch perform the winding motion in the boom-and-jib fallen state to thereby raise the strut (29) in the fallen posture supported at the raisable position by the strut support unit (126) to the raised posture (Paragraph 0058, lines 7-11; Fig. 15, elements 29, 111, 126).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the teachings of Walker et al in Stoof et al to facilitate the creation of an assembly method that can eliminate the need to re-reeve the strut caps as taught by Walker et al (Paragraph 0002, lines 4-8).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SYDNEY JEANINE SIMMONS whose telephone number is (571)272-7472. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday from 7:30am to 5:00pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ROBERT HODGE can be reached at 571-272-2097. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/SYDNEY JEANINE SIMMONS/Examiner, Art Unit 3654
/ROBERT W HODGE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3654
Prosecution Insights