DETAILED ACTION
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 is the first office action for application number 18/941,624, ANTI-VIBRATION MOUNT FOR MACHINE, filed on November 8, 2024.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Europe on November 9, 2023. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the EP232208927.6 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55. (Note, a Priority Document Exchange Report was mailed on April 20, 2025).
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference character “15” has been used to designate both a nut in Figs. 4 & 5 and threaded holes in Fig. 6. 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.
Claim Objections
Claims 13 and 15 are objected to because of the following informalities: in line 1 of both claims "Anti-vibration mount" should be changed to --The anti-vibration mount--. 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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent No. 2,241,026 to Wylie. Wylie discloses an anti-vibration mount (27) for a machine, comprising: a first support part (28), a second support part (28) separated from the first support part by a predetermined gap, and at least a first damping module, wherein the first damping module comprises: a first enveloping surface (Fig. 6, formed by 36) of the first support part, a first enveloping surface of the second support part, and a first vibration damping element (30) connecting the first enveloping surface of the first support part and the first enveloping surface of the second support part, the first enveloping surface of the first support part encompassing partially the first vibration damping element, and the first enveloping surface of the second support part encompassing partially the first vibration damping element.
Claim(s) 1-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent No. 6,722,481 to Maeno et al., hereinafter, Maeno. Maeno discloses an anti-vibration mount (10) for a machine, comprising: a first support part (22), a second support part (24) separated from the first support part by a predetermined gap, and at least a first damping module, wherein the first damping module comprises: a first enveloping surface (44) of the first support part, a first enveloping surface (46) of the second support part, and a first vibration damping element (20) connecting the first enveloping surface of the first support part and the first enveloping surface of the second support part, the first enveloping surface of the first support part encompassing partially the first vibration damping element, and the first enveloping surface of the second support part encompassing partially the first vibration damping element; further comprising: at least a second damping module (Fig. 1) comprising: a second enveloping surface of the first support part, a second enveloping surface of the second support part, and a second vibration damping element connecting the second enveloping surface of the first support part and the second enveloping surface of the second support part, the second enveloping surface of the first support part encompassing partially the second vibration damping element, and the second enveloping surface of the second support part encompassing partially the second vibration damping element, wherein the second damping module being adjacent to the first damping module so that a longitudinal axis of the first vibration damping element and a longitudinal axis of the second vibration damping element are parallel, the longitudinal axis extending according to a length of the first vibration damping element and the second vibration damping element, the first damping module and the second damping modules forming a first damping line; further comprising: at least a second damping line comprising: at least a first damping module, the first damping module of the second damping line comprising a third enveloping surface of the first support part, a third enveloping surface of the second support part and a third vibration damping element connecting the third enveloping surface of the first support part and the third enveloping surface of the second support part, the third enveloping surface of the first support part encompassing partially the third vibration damping element and the third enveloping surface of the second support part encompassing partially the third vibration damping element, the first damping module of the second damping line being adjacent to the first damping module of the first damping line or to the second damping module of the first damping line so that an longitudinal axis of the third vibration damping element of the first damping module of the second damping line and the longitudinal axis of the first vibration damping element of the first damping module of the first damping line or the longitudinal axis of the second vibration damping element of the second damping module of the first damping line are coaxial, the longitudinal axis of the third vibration damping element extending according to a length of the third vibration damping element; and wherein the first support part comprises a first and a second front surfaces perpendicular to the first enveloping surface of the first support part, and the second support part comprises a first and a second front surfaces perpendicular to the first enveloping surface of the second support part, the first vibration damping element, the second vibration damping element and the third vibration damping element of the first damping module, the second damping module and the third damping module connecting the first and second surfaces of the first support element and of the second support element.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-15 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the limitations of wherein the first support part and the second support pat each comprise vertical retaining means configured to compress and maintain compressed the first vibration damping element, the second vibration damping element, and the third vibration damping element, which is not found in the prior art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. U.S. Patent No. 10,274,037 to Sato is directed to an outer attachment member coupled to a vibration generator or a vibration receiver, an inner attachment member coupled to a vibration generator or a vibration receiver, and an elastic body. U.S. Patent No. 9,051,990 to Helferich is directed to a vibration bearing for a vehicle exhaust system, having an elastic damping element and a pretension device which compresses the elastic damping element. U.S. Patent No. 7,581,721 to Kobayashi is directed to a cylindrical vibration isolating device. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0113349 to Rivin is directed to a bushing for connecting mechanical components while providing a limited mobility between them has rubber elastic elements having nonlinear load deflection characteristics. U.S. Patent No. 5,799,930 to Willett is directed to a shock absorbing assembly capable of being connected to a vehicle frame member. U.S. Patent No. 5,601,031 to Carlson is directed to a side bearing for installation between a railcar body and the bolster of the railcar track. U.S. Patent No. 4,134,561 to Atkinson et al. is directed to an engine having attaching elements.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANITA M KING whose telephone number is (571)272-6817. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30am-4:00pm.
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, Terrell Mckinnon can be reached at 571-272-4797. 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.
/ANITA M KING/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3632 April 4, 2026
Prosecution Insights