DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed 8/20/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-20 remain pending in the application. Claims 15-20 were withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 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 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Olley (GB 2481038 A) in view of Hassler (US 2326854) and Gorenflo (US 20180215002 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Olley teaches A chainsaw comprising:
a housing (3);
a motor (motor 9n 3)supported by the housing, the motor comprising an output shaft (shaft for 13);
a guide bar (5) coupled to the housing, the guide bar defining a cutting track (track for 11);
a cutting implement guided (11) by the cutting track and driven about the guide bar by rotation of the output shaft (see Figure 1a); and
a tension adjusting system (assembly of 17, 21 and 23, see Figure 1b) for adjusting tension in the cutting implement by displacing the guide bar towards or away from the housing, the tension adjusting system comprising a user actuatable interface accessible from an exterior of the housing (see Figure 1b),
the user actuatable interface is configured to movable between the first and second positions, wherein the tension adjusting system tensions the cutting implement to a cutting tension when the user actuatable interface is in the first position, and wherein the tension adjusting system tensions the cutting implement to a relaxed tension when the user actuatable interface is in the second position (page 8 lines 26-36).
Olley fails to teach wherein the user actuatable interface is configured to automatically move to one of a first position or a second position, when the user actuatable interface is released based at least in part on a location of the user actuatable interface between the first and second positions.
Hassler teach a tensioning system for chain cutter including a slider (49) movably coupled to a rail (44) and displaceable along the rail by actuation of the user actuatable interface; a spring (47) disposed between the slider and the pin (52), wherein the spring transmits force to the tensioning pin as the slider moves towards the pin, and wherein the force transmitted from the slider to the pin causes sprocket to displace away from a housing of the chainsaw, thereby increasing tension in the cutting implement from a relaxed tension to a cutting tension (see Figures 7-8 and 11), the user actuatable interface is configured to biasing to move to one of a first position or a second position, when the user actuatable interface is released based at least in part on a location of the user actuatable interface between the first and second positions (see Figures 7-8).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of Olley to change the adjustment screw into the slider, as taught by Hassler, in order to make a quick tension system (page 1 col. 1 lines 36-45 of Hassler).
If there is any doubt that spring force of Hassler would not help the user actuatable interface move to a first position or a second position, Gorenflo teaches a saw device including a user actuatable interface (level of 12), which use spring to automatically move to one of a first position or a second position, when the user actuatable interface is released based at least in part on a location of the user actuatable interface between the first and second positions (between I and III, see Figure 1).
It would also have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of Olley to use the spring to help set the actuatable interface position, as taught by Gorenflo, in order to make a better lever (paragraph 0033, see Figure 1 of Gorenflo)
Regarding claim 2, modified Olley further teaches a slider movably coupled to a rail and displaceable along the rail by actuation of the user actuatable interface (as modified by Hassler, see Figure 11 of Hassler); a spring disposed between the slider and the tensioning pin (as modified by Hassler, using the pin 17 of Olley as the moving pin of 52 in Hassler, see Figure 11 of Hassler), wherein the spring transmits force to the tensioning pin as the slider moves towards the tensioning pin (as modified by Hassler, using the pin 17 of Olley as the moving pin of 52 in Hassler, see Figure 11 of Hassler), and wherein the force transmitted from the slider to the tensioning pin causes the guide bar to displace away from a housing of the chainsaw, thereby increasing tension in the cutting implement from a relaxed tension to a cutting tension (as modified by Hassler, using the pin 17 of Olley as the moving pin of 52 in Hassler, see Figure 11 of Hassler).
Regarding claim 3, modified Olley further teaches the tension adjusting system further comprises a linkage coupled between the user actuatable interface and the slider (as modified by Hassler, see Figures 7-8 and 11 of Hassler), wherein the linkage transforms rotational motion of the user actuatable interface to translational motion of the slider, and wherein the slider moves between the first and second positions by translating along a rail (as modified by Hassler, see Figures 7-8 and 11 of Hassler). and wherein an orientation of the linkage facilitates which of the first or second positions the user actuatable interface moves to when the user actuatable interface is released (see Figures 7-8 of Hassler).
Regarding claim 4, modified Olley further teaches the tension adjusting system further comprises a frame, wherein the frame defines an clongated slot in which the tensioning pin moves, and wherein the frame defines a pivot point for the user actuatable interface to move between the first position and the second position (as modified by Hassler, see Figures 7-8 and 11 of Hassler).
Regarding claim 5, modified Olley further teaches the slider is biased towards the second position by a spring, the spring disposed about a perimeter of at least a portion of the slider (as modified by Hassler, see Figures 7-8 and 11 of Hassler).
Regarding claim 6, modified Olley further teaches the spring defines a first length when the cutting implement is at the cutting tension and a second length when the cutting implement is at the relaxed tension, and wherein the second length is longer than the first length (as modified by Hassler, see Figures 7-8 and 11 of Hassler).
Regarding claim 7, modified Olley further teaches the user actuatable interface extends from the housing in a direction parallel with the guide bar (see Figure 1b of Olley).
Regarding claim 8, modified Olley further teaches the guide baris disposed in a first plane, and wherein movement of the user actuatable interface between the first and second positions occurs in a second plane oriented parallel to the first plane (see Figure 1b of Olley).
Regarding claim 9, Olley teaches a tension adjusting system for adjusting tension in a cutting implement of a chainsaw (see Figure 1), the tension adjusting system comprising:
a user actuatable interface accessible from an exterior of a housing of the chainsaw, wherein the user actuatable interface is a bistable movable between a first position and a second position (see Figure 1b);
a tensioning pin (17) operably coupled to a guide bar (5) of the chainsaw, the guide bar having a cutting track to guide the cutting implement (11, see Figure 1b).
Olley fails to teach a user actuatable interface accessible from an exterior of a housing of the chainsaw, wherein the user actuatable interface is configured to automatically move to one of a first position or a second position when a user releases the user actuatable interface based at least in part on a location of the user actuatable interface between the first position and the second position, a slider movably coupled to a rail and displaceable along the rail by actuation of the user actuatable interface; a spring disposed between the slider and the tensioning pin, wherein the spring transmits force to the tensioning pin as the slider moves towards the tensioning pin, and wherein the force transmitted from the slider to the tensioning pin causes the guide bar to displace away from a housing of the chainsaw, thereby increasing tension in the cutting implement from a relaxed tension to a cutting tension.
Hassler teach a tensioning system for chain cutter including a slider (49) movably coupled to a rail (44) and displaceable along the rail by actuation of the user actuatable interface; a spring (47) disposed between the slider and the pin (52), wherein the spring transmits force to the tensioning pin as the slider moves towards the pin, and wherein the force transmitted from the slider to the pin causes sprocket to displace away from a housing of the chainsaw, thereby increasing tension in the cutting implement from a relaxed tension to a cutting tension (see Figures 7-8 and 11), the user actuatable interface is configured to biasing to move to one of a first position or a second position, when the user actuatable interface is released based at least in part on a location of the user actuatable interface between the first and second positions (see Figures 7-8).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of Olley to change the adjustment screw into the slider, as taught by Hassler, in order to make a quick tension system (page 1 col. 1 lines 36-45 of Hassler). The resulting device of modified Olley teaches a slider movably coupled to a rail and displaceable along the rail by actuation of the user actuatable interface (as modified by Hassler, see Figure 11 of Hassler); a spring disposed between the slider and the tensioning pin (as modified by Hassler, using the pin 17 of Olley as the moving pin of 52 in Hassler, see Figure 11 of Hassler), wherein the spring transmits force to the tensioning pin as the slider moves towards the tensioning pin (as modified by Hassler, using the pin 17 of Olley as the moving pin of 52 in Hassler, see Figure 11 of Hassler), and wherein the force transmitted from the slider to the tensioning pin causes the guide bar to displace away from a housing of the chainsaw, thereby increasing tension in the cutting implement from a relaxed tension to a cutting tension (as modified by Hassler, using the pin 17 of Olley as the moving pin of 52 in Hassler, see Figure 11 of Hassler).
If there is any doubt that spring force of Hassler would not help the user actuatable interface move to a first position or a second position, Gorenflo teaches a saw device including a user actuatable interface (level of 12), which use spring to automatically move to one of a first position or a second position, when the user actuatable interface is released based at least in part on a location of the user actuatable interface between the first and second positions (between I and III, see Figure 1).
It would also have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of Olley to use the spring to help set the actuatable interface position, as taught by Gorenflo, in order to make a better lever (paragraph 0033, see Figure 1 of Gorenflo)
Regarding claim 10, modified Olley further teaches the tension adjusting system further comprises a frame, wherein the frame defines an elongated slot in which the tensioning pin moves, and wherein the frame defines a pivot point for the user actuatable interface to move between the first position and the second position (as modified by Hassler, see Figures 7-8 and 11 of Hassler).
Regarding claim 11, modified Olley further teaches the tensioning pin comprises a body slidably coupled to the rail, and wherein the body is prevented from sliding off the rail by delimiting portions of the frame (as modified by Hassler, see Figures 7-8 and 11 of Hassler).
Regarding claim 12, modified Olley further teaches movement of the user actuatable interface between the first and second positions occurs in a first plane, wherein the rail extends in a direction parallel to the first plane, and wherein movement of the tensioning pin occurs in a direction parallel to the first plane (as modified by Hassler, see Figures 7-8 and 11 of Hassler).
Regarding claim 13, modified Olley further teaches upon reaching a critical threshold of actuation from one of the first position or the second position, the user actuatable interface snaps to the other of the first position or the second position, the critical threshold of actuation occurring prior to reaching the other of the first position or the second position (as modified by Hassler, see Figures 7-8 and 11 of Hassler).
Regarding claim 14, modified Olley further teaches the tension adjusting further comprises a linkage extending between the user actuatable interface and the slider, wherein the linkage converts rotational motion from the user actuatable interface into translational motion of the slider (as modified by Hassler, see Figures 7-8 and 11 of Hassler).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 8/20/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LIANG DONG whose telephone number is (571)270-0479. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8 AM-6 PM.
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/LIANG DONG/Examiner, Art Unit 3724 9/23/2026
