DETAILED ACTION
Information Disclosure Statement
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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.
Claims 1-5 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 1 lines 3 and 21 it is unclear of the “two attaching portions” claimed here are one in the same.
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Uchida et al. 10,661,627.
Regarding claim 1, as broadly claimed, Uchida shows in 1,3 and 6:
A bush 10 comprising: a bottom surface (not labeled but as per applicant’s as best seen in figure 6) that is brought into close contact with a planar assembling surface 4f upon which two attaching portions (as per applicant’s—see fig 6) are superposed and to which the two attaching portions are attached; two side surfaces (as per applicant’s) that are brought into close contact with two clamping surface portions 21b that clamp the bush in a clamping direction of directions orthogonal to an axis; and two horizontal bases (in the areas of 25a,25b) where corners provided at the bottom surface and at the two side surfaces are caused to project outward in the clamping direction with respect to “extension lines” (as broadly claimed) of the side surfaces in a cross section perpendicular to an axial direction of the bush, wherein the bush is a cylindrical bush that is made of an elastic material and whose inner peripheral surface is formed by a holding hole 30 into which an axial member is to be inserted, and wherein the bush has an outer peripheral surface that comes into close contact with a bracket 6—fig 1 and the assembling surface, the bracket including the two clamping surface portions, a top surface portion, and two attaching portions, the top surface portion connecting the two clamping surface portions (as per applicant’s) to each other at one side of each of the two clamping surface portions, the two attaching portions being where other sides of the two clamping surface portions opposite to the top surface portion are provided to be bent outward in the clamping direction away from each other.
Regarding claim 2, as broadly claimed, Uchida shows an amount of projection of each of the horizontal bases – elastomer portion in the areas at each of lead lines 25a,25b- outward in the clamping direction increases toward the bottom surface.
Regarding claim 3, as broadly claimed, Uchida shows each of the horizontal bases is positioned closer to the bottom surface than the holding hole.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4,5 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER P SCHWARTZ whose telephone number is (571)272-7123. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00 A.M.-7:00P.M..
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Rob Siconolfi can be reached at 571-272-7124. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHRISTOPHER P SCHWARTZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616
7/17/26
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