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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of group I claims 1-14 in the reply filed on 5/01/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that there is no serious burden. This is not found persuasive because each group I and II requires unique text search such as an unique class search in B27B 17/0083 for group I and an unique class search in B27B 17/142 for group II without overlap. Therefore there is a serious search burden.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claims 15-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected group II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 5/1/2026.
Priority
Examiner acknowledges claims to priority under 35 U.S.C. 120 or 121 for U.S. application 18944645 is a CON of 63605038 filed on 12/01/2023.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/22/2025 was filed after the filing date of the application on 11/12/2024. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement has been considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1 and 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Olley (GB 2481038 A).
Regarding claim 1, Olley teaches a chainsaw comprising:
a housing (3);
a motor (motor in 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 (11) guided by the cutting track and driven about the guide bar by rotation of the output shaft (see Figure 1a);
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 (see Figure 1b), the tension adjusting system comprising a user actuatable interface (21) accessible from an exterior of the housing, wherein the user actuatable interface is a bistable movable between a first position and a second position (at least two different positions on 21), 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).
Regarding claim 7, Olley teaches the user actuatable interface extends from the housing in a direction parallel with the guide bar (see Figure 1b).
Regarding claim 8, Olley 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).
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 2-6 and 9-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Olley (GB 2481038 A) in view of Hassler (US 2326854).
Regarding claim 2, Olley teaches the tension adjusting system further comprises: and a tensioning pin (17) driven by the screw (21), wherein the tensioning pin interfaces with the bar such that movement of the user actuatable interface causes the tensioning pin to drive the bar to adjust tension in the cutting implement between the cutting tension and the relaxed tension (see Figure 1b).
Olley fails to teach a slider driven by the user actuatable interface between a first position and a second position; a tensioning pin driven by the slider.
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).
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).
Regarding claim 3, Olley 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).
Regarding claim 4, Olley 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, Olley 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, Olley 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 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 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).
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).
Regarding claim 10, Olley 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, Olley 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, Olley 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, Olley 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, Olley 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).
Conclusion
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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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ashley Boyer can be reached at 571-272-4502. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LIANG DONG/Examiner, Art Unit 3724 5/30/2026
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