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 .
This document is responsive to applicant’s claims filed 9/12/2024.
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 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.
Claims 1-4 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hubbard (US 3,900,998).
Regarding claim 1, Hubbard discloses:
An adjustable expansion anchor bolt, comprising a main sliding block (20) set to be trapezoid-shaped (see fig 4) and side sliding blocks (15, 15’) respectively slidably installed on two sides of the main sliding block, wherein a side surface, farther away from the main sliding block, of the side sliding block is set as a vertical surface (see fig 4), a screw (36) is arranged at a top center of the main sliding block, and a manual nut (39) is installed on the screw.
Regarding claim 2, Hubbard discloses:
The adjustable expansion anchor bolt according to claim 1, wherein a restraint hole is also arranged at a bottom center of the main sliding block, a smooth hole vertically penetrating into a top end of the main sliding block is arranged in a surface of the restraint hole, a bottom of the screw is fixed to a restraint member to be fitted with the restraint hole, and the screw is threadedly connected to the manual nut after passing through the smooth hole (see figs 1 and 4).
Regarding claim 3, Hubbard discloses:
The adjustable expansion anchor bolt according to claim 2, wherein the restraint hole is a polygonal step (rectangular channel 34).
Regarding claim 4, Hubbard discloses:
The adjustable expansion anchor bolt according to claim 1, wherein the manual nut is a through-hole manual nut (see fig 1).
Regarding claim 8, Hubbard discloses:
The adjustable expansion anchor bolt according to claim 1, wherein anti-skid lines are arranged on a side, farther away from the main sliding block, of the side sliding block (see figs 1 and 4).
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 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 of this title, 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 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hubbard (US 3,900,998).
Regarding claim 5, Hubbard discloses the device of claim 1, but does not disclose a gasket (washer) between the screw and manual nut. The examiner takes Official Notice that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to install a gasket (washer) between the head of a bolt and the bearing surface for the purpose of distributing the load and protecting the surface.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6 and 7 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure is found in the Notice of Reference Cited (PTO-892).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RICHARD G DAVIS whose telephone number is (571)270-5005. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs 8am-6:00pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Timothy Collins can be reached on 571-272-6886. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RICHARD G DAVIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3644
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