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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: throughout the text of the specification, there are numerous instances of broken English (perhaps the result of a literal translation). Applicant is encouraged to thoroughly review the description portion of his specification and correct any and all instances of these translation errors.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 2, 5, and 8 are objected to because of the following informalities: in lines 3-4 of Claim 1, the terms “a bridge deck pier” should each read –a bridge deck pillar—to be consistent with the previous claim terminology for this element of the claims, in line 4 of Claim 1, the term “a shock shaft” should read –a swing shaft—to be consistent with the specification language that describes this term, in line 5 of Claim 1, the term “the bridge deck” should read –the bridge deck pillar—to be consistent with the previous claim terminology for this element of the claims, in line 6 of Claim 1, the term “a swing shaft” should read –the swing shaft--, to align with the amendment to the term in line 4 of the claim, in line 14 of Claim 1, the word “is” should be deleted for the claim to read more clearly, in line 28 of Claim 1, the term “a transfer cam” should read –the transfer cam--, as this term was previously recited in the earlier lines of the claim, in line 33 of Claim 1, the phrase “at least one main body assembly to connect the horizontal shock absorber assembly…” should read –the at least one main body assembly connects the horizontal shock absorber assembly…-- to align the amendment to lines 24-25 of Claim 1 above and for the claim to read more clearly, in line 35 of Claim 1, the term “the sliding axis” should read –a sliding axis--, as this is the first time this term is being introduced in the claim, in line 36 of Claim 1, the term “the cylindrical body” should read –the hollow cylindrical body structure—to be consistent with this term introduced in lines 34-35 of Claim 1, in lines 36-37 of Claim 1, the term “the shifting cam” should read –the transfer cam—to be consistent with the previous claim terminology for this element of the claim, in line 37 of Claim 1, the term “the first flange” should read –a first flange--, since this is the first time this term is being introduced in the claim, in lines 2-3 of Claim 2, the term “a bridge deck pillar—should read –the bridge deck pillar--, as this term was previously introduced in Claim 1, from which this claim depends therefrom, in line 3 of Claim 5, the term “the base” should read –a base--, as this is the first time this term is being introduced in the claim, in lines 4-6 of Claim 5, the phrase “hollow bottom of main body assembly to limit movement position of the sliding shaft inside the main body assembly.” should read –the bottom of the main body assembly limits movement position of the slide shaft inside the main body assembly.—to be consistent with the previous claim terminology of the elements previously described in Claim 1, from which this claim depends therefrom, and in the last two lines of Claim 8, the term “the shock shaft” should read –the swing shaft—to be consistent with the previous claim terminology of this element of the claim described in Claim 1, from which this claim depends therefrom. Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-9 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the body of the longitudinal shock absorber assembly" in lines 22-23. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 2 recites the limitation "the suspension shaft" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 2 recites the limitation "the support column" in line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 3-9 are rejected merely due to their dependencies from independent Claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1 and 2 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Claims 3-9 would be allowable if Claims 1 and 2 are rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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: Regarding independent Claim 1 (and its respective dependent Claims 2-9), while WO document no. WO 2011/027314 to Bruno et al disclose a shock absorber mechanism 10 (see Figure 1) having at least one horizontal shock absorber assembly 12/18/16 to absorb horizontal vibrations, the horizontal shock absorber assembly is structured to include a bridge deck pillar 20 to receive a load causing vibrations and a shaft 18 linked to the bridge deck pillar 20, a first elastic element 16 arranged around the shaft 18 so that when the shaft 18 moves, it will cause deformation of the first elastic element 16, at least one vertical shock absorber assembly 32 to absorb vibrations in a vertical direction, the body of the shock absorber mechanism being made of a cylindrical structure covering parts of the vertical shock absorber assembly 32, the vertical shock absorber assembly 32 body connecting to a main body assembly so that the vertical shock absorber assembly is perpendicular to the horizonal shock absorber assembly 12/18/16 (see Figures 1 and 4), the at least one main body assembly connects the horizontal shock absorber assembly 12/18/16 and the vertical shock absorber assembly 32 (see Figure 4), and the main body assembly is created with a hollow cylindrical structure to accommodate a sliding axis of the horizontal shock absorber assembly 12/18/16 (see Figure 4) and Japanese Patent No. JP 2005240998 to Fujiwara discloses a shock absorber mechanism with two load assemblies connected by a spherical joint, neither of these references taken either alone or in combination disclose that the swing shaft is linked to the bridge deck pillar in a rotating manner together with the bridge deck pillar and linked to a slide shaft in a rotatable manner inside the slide shaft, nor that the slide shaft is arranged around the swing shaft and is structured so that it can slide inside a main body assembly, nor that on the slide shaft body there is a part connected to a transfer cam, nor that the vertical shock absorber assembly is structured to include a pulley connected to the transfer cam, a first bushing having one end connected to the pulley in a fixed way, fixed with a pulling ear, an other end of the first bushing has an inner surface made to match an edge created on a centering shaft, the centering shaft is arranged inside the first bushing, one end of the centering shaft is made to match an edge on the inside of the first bushing so that the first bushing can pull the centering shaft to move in one direction and the first bushing slides on a surface of the centering shaft in an opposite direction, an other end of the centering shaft is fixed to an inside of a second bushing, the second bushing is arranged outside the centering shaft and opposite the first bushing, a second elastic element is arranged outside the second bushing, first bushing and the second bushing such that when the first bushing and/or the second bushing move, it will cause deformation of the second elastic element, nor that the horizontal shock absorber assembly is linked to the vertical shock absorber assembly through the transfer cam, the transfer cam is structured with one end linked in a rotatable manner with a sliding axis of the horizontal shock absorber assembly and one end connected in a rotatable manner, with the pulling ear of the vertical shock absorber assembly, the cam can rotate around a cam axis arranged perpendicular to both the horizontal shock absorber assembly and the vertical shock absorber assembly, nor a gap being created on the hollow cylindrical structure to accommodate the transfer cam and a first flange being created at the above clearance to connect with the body of the vertical shock absorber assembly.
It is for all these reasons that applicant’s invention defines over the prior art of record.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Patent No. 5,163,538 to Derr et al and WO document no. Wo 2008/045470 to Vanhees et al both disclose shock absorber mechanisms similar to applicant’s.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAMELA RODRIGUEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-7122. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 7 AM - 5 PM.
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PAMELA RODRIGUEZ
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3616
/PAMELA RODRIGUEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616 09/14/26
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