DETAILED ACTION
This application is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 1-16 and 24-25 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group and/or Species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election of Group II (relating to Claims 17-39) and Species D (relating to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 10-12) was made without traverse in the reply filed on 01/05/2026. The Office notes that Applicant elected Claims 17 to 39; however, Claims 24-25 read on Species A, which Applicant did not elect. Accordingly, the 11/05/2025 restriction requirement is made FINAL.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because its language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, "The disclosure concerns," "The disclosure defined by this invention," "The disclosure describes," etc. The phrase “This application is directed to” is a phrase which can be implied. Correction is required. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Drawings
The drawings are acceptable.
Claim Objections
Claim 17 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 17: The limitation “first one of plurality of peripheral walls” (Line 12) should be amended to recite “first one of the plurality of peripheral walls.”
Claim 17: The Office recommends amending the limitation “having” (Line 12 and Line 13) to recite “has.”
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 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.
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 19: The last three indented limitations of Claim 19 render the claim unclear because these limitations are double inclusions; the Office recommends deletion of these limitations.
Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 103
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.
Claims 17 and 19-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Chinese Patent Publication No. 212878226 U to Hua, in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2025/0169602 A1 to Clausen.
Claim 17: Hua discloses a braking mechanism, comprising:
a first connecting component (element 2 shown above mounting panel 6 shown in FIG. 2), a mounting seat 11, and a second connecting component (element 2 shown below mounting seat 11 in FIG. 2), wherein:
the mounting seat 11 includes an inner circle wall encircling at least a portion of the second connecting component (see FIG. 2);
a portion of the first connecting component is inserted into the inner circle wall and connects to the second connecting component, forming an integrated unit that is configured to be installed into a housing 4; and
the first connecting component and the second connecting component perform a synchronous circumferential rotation relative to the mounting seat 11;
wherein the mounting seat 11 includes a plurality of peripheral walls,
wherein the housing 4 includes an assembly hole that is adapted to connect to an outer contour shape of the plurality of peripheral walls (see FIG. 2).
Hua does not disclose wherein at least a first one of the plurality of peripheral walls [of the mounting seat 11 has] an outwardly protruding edge and at least a second one of the plurality of peripheral walls [has] a snap-fit,
wherein after the snap-fit is compressed and inserted into the assembly hole, the snap-fit is reset and clamped with the housing 4.
The Office turns to Clausen, which is of the same art as Hua and which teaches an actuator including a mounting seat 3 which includes a plurality of peripheral walls, wherein at least a first one of the plurality of peripheral walls 38 has an outwardly protruding edge and at least a second one of the plurality of peripheral walls has a snap-fit 32. Clausen also teaches a housing 14 which includes an assembly hole that is adapted to connect to an outer contour shape of the plurality of peripheral walls, and wherein after the snap-fit is compressed and inserted into the assembly hole, the snap-fit is reset and clamped within the housing.
In view the Clausen teaching, the Office finds that it would have been obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective date of filing to modify, with a reasonable expectation of success, the braking mechanism disclosed by Hua such that at least a first one of the plurality of peripheral walls [has] an outwardly protruding edge and at least a second one of the plurality of peripheral walls [has] a snap-fit, and wherein after the snap-fit is compressed and inserted into the assembly hole of the housing 4, the snap-fit is reset and clamped with the housing 4, in order to securely couple the mounting seat 11 of Hua to the housing 4.
Claim 19: Hua discloses an assembly, comprising:
a housing 4; and
[portions of the braking mechanism of claim 17 – see the rejection of Claim 17 above], wherein
the integrated unit is installed in the housing 4,
wherein the mounting seat 11 (as modified by Clausen in the rejection of Claim 17) remains stationary relative to the housing 4.
As described above in the rejection of Claim 17, the combination of Hua and Clausen teaches the remaining limitations recited in Claim 19, as well as the braking mechanism of claim 17.
Claim 20: The mounting seat 11 disclosed by Hua includes four peripheral walls.
The mounting seat 3 of Clausen also has four peripheral walls. A first two peripheral walls of the four peripheral walls of Clausen are opposite to each other and the first two peripheral walls include outwardly protruding edges 33 positioned on top edges of the two of the four peripheral walls; and
a second two peripheral walls of the four peripheral walls are opposite to each other and the second two peripheral walls include snap-fits 32.
In view the Clausen teaching, the Office finds that it would have been obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective date of filing to modify, with a reasonable expectation of success, the assembly formed by the combination of Hua and Clausen (as described above in the rejection of Claim 17) such that the mounting seat includes four peripheral walls, wherein:
a first two peripheral walls of the four peripheral walls are opposite to each other and the first two peripheral walls include outwardly protruding edges positioned on top edges of the two of the four peripheral walls; and
a second two peripheral walls of the four peripheral walls are opposite to each other and the second two peripheral walls include snap-fits, in order to reduce number of parts of the braking assembly of Hua.
Claim 21: The second two peripheral walls (proximate 31 and 32) of the mounting seat of the Clausen teaching, which have the snap-fits 32, include clearance holes (a space behind the snap-fits 32), and the snap-fits 32 are positioned obliquely upward along bottom edges of the clearance holes; and
after the snap-fits 32 are compressed into the clearance holes, the snap-fits 32 are reset and clamp the mounting seat 3 to the housing 14.
The Office submits that it would have been obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective date of filing to modify the braking mechanism disclosed by Hua (as modified above by Clausen in the rejection of Claim 17) such that the second two peripheral walls that have the snap-fits (taught by Clausen) include clearance holes, and the snap-fits are positioned obliquely upward along bottom edges of the clearance holes; and
after the snap-fits are compressed into the clearance holes, the snap-fits are reset and clamp the mounting seat to the housing, in order to securely couple the mounting seat 11 of Hua to the housing 4.
Claim 22: Hua discloses a first connecting component which includes a spline portion (bottom section of element 2 above mounting panel 6 shown in FIG. 2), a flange potion (middle section of element 2 above mounting panel 6 shown in FIG. 2), and an external gear ring portion (top section of element 2 above mounting panel 6 shown in FIG. 2 – the Office notes that the element disclosed as an “external gear ring portion” of the pending disclosure – i.e., “external gear ring portion 1043” – appears to be a splined portion which is splined to a worm wheel of motor 1011; see FIG. 14 of the pending disclosure).
Hua also discloses a second connecting component which includes a cavity that accommodates the spline portion, wherein the cavity includes an inner wall having internal splines adapted to connect to the spline portion, and the cavity includes an edge having a flange edge; and
the inner circle wall of the mounting seat contacts the flange edge and the flange portion.
Thus, the braking mechanism of Claim 22 is rendered obvious over the combination of Hua and Clausen.
Claim 23: Regarding Hua, the inner circle wall of the mounting seat 11 of Hua includes an inner ring having a mounting hole, wherein:
an inner diameter of the mounting hole is greater than an outer diameter of the spline portion; and
the inner diameter of the mounting hole is less than an outer diameter of the flange portion and an outer diameter of the flange edge.
Thus, the braking mechanism of Claim 23 is rendered obvious over the combination of Hua and Clausen.
Claims 29-31, 34, and 39 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Chinese Patent Publication No. 212878226 U to Hua, in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2025/0169602 A1 to Clausen, as applied to Claim 17 above, and further in view of Chinese Patent Publication No. 209100418 U to Hu et al.
Claim 29: Hua discloses a lifting column (see the Title and FIG. 2), comprising:
a housing 4;
an inner tube assembly 3 and a driving tube 7 arranged in a nested configuration, an end of the inner tube assembly 3 fixed to the housing 4;
a drive motor 5 and a transmission mechanism (part of 5) located within the housing 4.
According to the rejection of Claim 17 above, in which Hua is modified in view of the Clausen teaching, the braking mechanism of claim 17 is located within the housing 4. The transmission mechanism is connected to the first connecting component 2 of the braking mechanism;
the driving tube 7 has a non-circular fit with the second connecting component 2 of the braking mechanism, and the driving tube 7 is inserted into the inner tube assembly 3.
Hua does not disclose an intermediate tube assembly and an outer tube assembly which are in nested configuration with the inner tube assembly 3 and the driving tube 7; and/or
a hollow threaded rod assembly and a solid threaded rod assembly [which] are positioned within the intermediate tube assembly and the outer tube assembly, respectively.
Hu teaches a lifting assembly similar to the lifting assembly disclosed by Hua. Specifically, the lifting assembly taught by Hu comprises an inner tube assembly 1, an intermediate tube assembly 2, an outer tube assembly 3, and a driving tube 13 in a nested configuration. Hu further teaches a first connecting component 26 and second connecting component 16, wherein the driving tube 13 has a non-circular fit with the second connecting component 16, and the driving tube 13 is inserted into the inner tube assembly 1, and a hollow threaded rod assembly 5 and a solid threaded rod assembly 4 [which] are positioned within the intermediate tube assembly 2 and the outer tube assembly 3, respectively.
In view of the Hu teaching, the Office finds that it would have been obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective date of filing to modify, with a reasonable expectation of success, the lifting assembly disclosed by Hua, as modified above by Clausen to include a snap-fit mounting seat, so as to further comprise an intermediate tube assembly and an outer tube assembly which are in nested configuration with the inner tube assembly 3 and the driving tube 7; and a hollow threaded rod assembly and a solid threaded rod assembly [which] are positioned within the intermediate tube assembly and the outer tube assembly, respectively, so as to increase the distance the lifting column is able to displace.
Claim 30: Hua discloses wherein the second connecting component 2 includes an end having a spline head; and the driving tube 7 includes an end having an internal spline adapted to connect to the spline head. Thus, the lifting column recited in Claim 30 is rendered obvious over the combination of Hua, Clausen, and Hu.
Claim 31: The lifting column taught by Hu comprises a hollow screw nut 8 [which] is installed at a tube opening of the inner tube assembly 1, and the hollow screw nut 8 is threadedly mounted on the hollow threaded rod assembly 5.
In view of the Hu teaching, the Office finds that it would have been obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective date of filing to modify, with a reasonable expectation of success, the lifting assembly disclosed by Hua, as modified above by Clausen to include a snap-fit mounting seat and modified by Hu to include an intermediate tube assembly and an outer tube assembly, so as to further comprise an intermediate tube assembly, an outer tube assembly, a hollow threaded rod assembly, and a solid threaded rod assembly, to further comprise a hollow screw nut which is installed at a tube opening of the inner tube assembly (taught by Hu), such that the hollow screw nut is threadedly mounted on the hollow threaded rod assembly (taught by Hu), so as to increase the distance the lifting column is able to displace.
Claim 34: The hollow threaded rod assembly 5 of the lifting column taught by Hu includes an end having a solid screw nut (see FIG. 2 of Hu), and the solid threaded rod assembly 4 is positioned inside the hollow threaded rod assembly 5, and the solid threaded rod assembly 4 is threadedly adapted to connect to the solid screw nut.
In view of the Hu teaching, the Office finds that it would have been obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective date of filing to modify, with a reasonable expectation of success, the lifting assembly disclosed by Hua (as modified above by Clausen to include a snap-fit mounting seat and modified by Hu to include an intermediate tube assembly and an outer tube assembly, so as to further comprise an intermediate tube assembly, an outer tube assembly, a hollow threaded rod assembly, and a solid threaded rod assembly), such that it further comprises a hollow screw nut which is installed at a tube opening of the inner tube assembly (taught by Hu), such that the hollow screw nut is threadedly mounted on the hollow threaded rod assembly (taught by Hu), so as to increase the distance the lifting column is able to displace.
Claim 39: The braking mechanism disclosed by Hua further comprises a self-locking spring 12 positioned radially outward of a cylinder outer wall of the second connecting component 2, the self-locking spring 12 including an end 121 protruding radially outward, the end 121 inserted into a groove formed by a space between two peripheral walls included in the mounting seat 11; and
a retaining ring (collar of 2 positioned below spring 12 shown in FI. 1 of Hua) is positioned between the braking mechanism and the driving tube 7 for preventing axial movement of the self-locking spring 12.
Thus, the lifting column of Claim 39 is rendered obvious over the combination of Hua, Clausen, and Hu.
Claim 35 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Chinese Patent Publication No. 212878226 U to Hua, in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2025/0169602 A1 to Clausen and Chinese Patent Publication No. 209100418 U to Hu et al., as applied to Claims 17, 29, and 34 above, further in view of Chinese Patent Publication No. 209621790 U to Li et al.
Regarding Claim 35, the combination of Hua, Clausen, and Hu does not disclose or suggest the Hafner box/first Hafner component/second Hafner component recited therein.
The Office turns to Li, which is of the same art as Hua, Clausen, and Hu, and which teaches an outer peripheral surface of a solid screw nut 52 which is circular, and a Hafner box 7 which is adapted to connect to the outer peripheral surface of the solid screw nut 52; and
the Hafner box 7 includes a first Hafner component 71 and a second Hafner component 72 joined together, and each of the first and second Hafner components is block-shaped and has a semi-circular inner surface.
In view of the Li teaching, the Office finds that it would have been obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective date of filing to modify, with a reasonable expectation of success, the lifting column disclosed by Hua, as modified by Clausen and Hu in the rejection of Claims 17, 29, and 34 above, such that an outer peripheral surface of the solid screw nut (taught by Hu and Li) is circular, and such that the lifting column further comprises a Hafner box which is adapted to connect to the outer peripheral surface of the solid screw nut; and
the Hafner box includes a first Hafner component and a second Hafner component joined together, and each of the first and second Hafner components is block-shaped and has a semi-circular inner surface, in order to easily assemble the lifting column.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 18, 26-28, 32-33, and 36-38 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:
Chinese Patent Publication No. 212878226 U to Hua, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2025/0169602 A1 to Clausen, Chinese Patent Publication No. 110107620 A to Xu et al., Chinese Patent Publication No. 209100418 U to Hu et al., and Chinese Patent Publication No. 209621790 U to Li et al. are the closest prior art.
Regarding Claim 18, the combination of Hua and Clausen discloses the braking mechanism of claim 17, but does not disclose the “fastening screw” or “nut” recited in Claim 18.
The Office turns to Xu, which is of the same art as Hua and Clausen, and which teaches a first connecting component and a second connecting component connected with a threaded rod end and a nut; however, the nut of Xu is applied to the first connecting component; whereas the nut of Claim 18 is applied to the second connecting component. Because Xu teaches a braking mechanism which is connected directly to a threaded spindle and the braking mechanism of the elected species (which Claim 18 reads on) is connected to a driving tube, the Office does not find that it would have been obvious to modify the combination of Hua and Clausen in view of the Xu teaching.
Regarding Claim 26, the closest art does not disclose the “rubber pad” recited therein.
Regarding Claim 32, the closest art does not disclose or suggest the “square groove” and “rivet” recited therein.
Regarding Claim 36, the closest art does not disclose or suggest the “oil reservoir half-rings” recited therein.
Regarding Claim 38, the lifting column taught by Hu further teaches wherein:
the outer tube assembly 3 includes an end having a fixed plate (see FIG. 2);
the solid threaded rod assembly 4 includes an end that is fixed to the fixed plate (see FIG. 2). Hu and the closest art does not disclose or suggest the “spline hole” and “spline” recited in Claim 38.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RANDELL J KRUG whose telephone number is (313) 446-6577. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri: 9:00-14:00 AZ time.
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/RANDELL J KRUG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3618