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 .
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.
DETAILED ACTION
This is the first action for application #18/916150, Camming Clamping Device and Method For Manufacturing a Camming Clamping Device, filed 10/15/2024. Claims 14 are pending.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in France on 10/13/2023. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the FR2311066 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55. Retrieval of the priority documents under the priority document exchange program was not successful.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the spring must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). While there is a numeral “9” in the figures to represent the spring, there is no figure where a spring is actually depicted. No new matter should be entered. The Examiner suggests amending the claims to only functionally recite the biasing of the spring. The spring should not be positively claimed. See Examiner’s proposed amendments below.
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. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. 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 specification is objected to because on page 16, ln 11, there is a sentence that begins with the term “the” that needs to be capitalized.
Claim Objections
Regarding Claim 1:
-In the second line of the body of the claim, the phrase “in movable manner” should have the term “a” added prior to “movable”.
-In the section defining the “trigger”, the term “movable” should be ---movably---.
Regarding Claim 14:
-In the section defining the “at least one cam”, the term “movable” should be ---movably---.
-In the section defining the “trigger”, the term “movable” should be ---movably---.
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 1-14 are 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding Claim 1:
-A “head” is claimed. Then “at least one cam” is claimed and “at least one pivot shaft being fixed to the head” is claimed. It is unclear what portion is considered to be the “head”. Per the specification and the drawings, it appears that the cam and pivot are part of the head. If so, then they should be claimed as further defining the head, and not as separate elements attached thereto.
-It is unclear if “a first end” and “a terminal portion” are referring to the same thing.
-The phrase “and/or” in the last wherein clause is indefinite. There is no embodiment depicted where there is a groove without the third hole. As depicted in the figures, the terminal end passes back through the third hole and engages in the groove. Without the third hole, the terminal end wouldn’t be able to get to the groove. Any claimed subject matter must be depicted in the figures and no new matter will be permitted.
The Examiner suggests the following proposed amendment:
Claim 1. A camming clamping device comprising:
- a head comprising:[[;]]
- at least one cam installed in a movable manner pivoting around at least one pivot shaft, the at least one cam being movable between a retracted position and an extended position, the at least one cam being biased to the extended position, the at least one cam defining at least a first hole and a second hole that are pass-through between a first side and a second side of the at least one cam;
- an annular end mechanically coupled to the head;
- a rod extending from the head to the annular end;
- a trigger mounted movably between a first trigger position and a second trigger position,
- a textile wire element having a first end installed fixedly with the at least one cam, the textile wire element connecting the trigger mechanically to the at least one cam, the textile wire element linking the trigger functionally to the at least one cam, when the trigger is in the second trigger position the at least one cam is in the retracted position;
wherein the textile wire element passes through the first hole and the second hole to introduce friction between the textile wire element and the at least one cam, and
wherein a terminal portion of the first end of the textile wire element passes through a third hole connecting the first side and the second side and is wedged in a groove arranged in the first side, the terminal portion of the textile wire element being arranged posteriorly to the second hole in a longitudinal direction of the textile wire element away from the trigger.
Regarding Claim 2:
-A “downline strand” and an “upline strand” is claimed. It is unclear if this is in addition to the “first end” and “terminal portion” of the textile wire element, or if this strands are further defining.
The Examiner suggests the following proposed claim amendment:
Claim 2. The camming clamping device according to claim 1 wherein the at least one cam defines the third hole and wherein a downline strand of the first end of the textile wire element is wedged against a face of the at least one cam by an upline strand of the first end of the textile wire element, the downline strand being located farther from more the trigger than the upline strand in the longitudinal direction of the textile wire element.
Regarding Claim 3:
-It is unclear if “a terminal end” is in addition to the “first end” and “terminal portion” of the textile wire element. The Examiner suggests amending “a terminal end” to ---the terminal portion---. However, it does appear that this subject matter is already located in Claim 1, and may be redundant depending on the amendments.
Regarding Claim 6:
-A “second pressing area” is claimed. However, a first pressing area was never claimed so this is unclear.
-The phrase “with one and/or the other of the first side and the second side” does not make sense.
Regarding Claims 8 and 9:
-It is claimed that the side wall of the first hole “defines a sharp edge with the second face of the at least one cam”. This is unclear because what is depicted in the figures is a curved edge. It is not clear if this is an alternate embodiment that is being claimed or if the claim in unclear. The Examiner notes that any claimed subject matter must be depicted in the originally disclosed drawings.
Regarding Claim 11:
-The phrase “from one end to of the textile wire element to the other end” is unclear.
Regarding Claim 14:
-A “head” is claimed. Then “at least one cam” is claimed and “at least one pivot shaft being fixed to the head” is claimed. It is unclear what portion is considered to be the “head”. Per the specification and the drawings, it appears that the cam and pivot are part of the head. If so, then they should be claimed as further defining the head, and not as separate elements attached thereto.
-The phrase “and/or” used twice in the last section of the claim is indefinite. Additionally, there is no embodiment depicted where there is a groove without the third hole. As depicted in the figures, the terminal end passes back through the third hole and engages in the groove. Without the third hole, the terminal end wouldn’t be able to get to the groove. Any claimed subject matter must be depicted in the figures and no new matter will be permitted.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Prior art has been listed in the PTO-892 form.
US 2014/0283339 to Gallagher et al. teaches the end of a cord frictionally held within at least three holes.
US 2015/0001360 (Czech), US 2005/0098696 (Lowe), US 4,832,289 (Waggoner), US 2009/0230268 (Maltsev), US 7,014,156 (Apezetxea et al.), and US 6,736,359 (Murray) teach camming devices having trigger wires connected to apertures in the cams.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to INGRID M WEINHOLD whose telephone number is (571)272-8822. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Tuesday 7:00am-5:00pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Terrell McKinnon can be reached on 571-272-4797. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/INGRID M WEINHOLD/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3632
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