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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 1-6 and 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by United States Patent No. 4693278 to Wilson et al. (Wilson).
With regard to the claims, Wilson discloses a system (Wilson, title, abstract) comprising:
a fitting (12, fig. 10), plug (24, figs. 10-11), and a locking mechanism (84/86, figs. 10-11),
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With regard to claim 1, Wilson discloses a method of sealing a bore of a fitting with a plug (Wilson, title, abstract), the method comprising:
inserting the plug into the bore of the fitting (as shown in annotated fig. 10 above), the fitting defining a fitting recess within the bore (as labeled in annotated fig. 10 above), the plug defining a plug recess (as labeled in annotated fig. 10 above); and
translating a locking bar of a locking mechanism to engage the locking bar with the fitting recess and the plug recess and secure the plug within the bore (the position shown in annotated fig. 10 above).
With regard to claim 2, Wilson discloses the method of claim 1 as set forth above, and further discloses wherein engaging the locking bar of the locking mechanism with the fitting recess and the plug recess comprises rotating a driving member of the locking mechanism about a fitting axis of the bore to radially translate the locking bar relative to the fitting axis (column 4, lines 44-58) .
With regard to claim 3, Wilson discloses the method of claim 1 as set forth above, and further discloses wherein the locking bar is rotationally fixed relative to a body of the plug (the locking bar is capable of radial movement only, not rotational in a circumferential direction).
With regard to claim 4, Wilson discloses the method of claim 1 as sets forth above, and further discloses wherein the locking bar is coupled to the fitting when the locking mechanism is in an unlocked configuration (as the locking bars are transitioned from the unlocked configuration to the locked configuration, the device is considered in the unlocked configuration until it is in the locked configuration. Under that interpretation of Wilson, the locking member extends into the fitting while in the unlocked configuration up to the point of being in the locked configuration).
With regard to claim 5, Wilson discloses the method of claim 1 as set forth above, and further discloses wherein engaging the locking bar of the locking mechanism with the fitting recess and the plug recess comprises translating the locking bar in a radial direction relative to a fitting axis of the bore from an unlocked position to a locked position, the locking bar engaging either the fitting recess or the plug recess in the unlocked position (the locking bar engages the plug recess in the unlocked position), the locking bar engaging each of the fitting recess and the plug recess in the locked position (as shown in the annotated fig. 10 above).
With regard to claim 6, Wilson discloses the method of claim 1 as set forth above, and further discloses wherein translating the locking bar of the locking mechanism to engage the locking bar with the fitting recess and the plug recess and secure the plug within the bore comprises axially moving a driving member of the locking mechanism parallel to a fitting axis of the bore to radially translate the locking bar relative to the fitting axis (column 4, lines 59-62 -- the hexagonal opening 74 of the link plate receives the hexagonal tool 80 of the driving member 72 in a direction that is parallel to the fitting axis. The rotation of the tool 80 is part of a two-step process that requires both axial movement (the engagement of the tool in the plate) and then rotational movement).
With regard to claim 8, Wilson discloses the method of claim 1 as set forth above, and further discloses wherein the locking mechanism further comprises: a center pin (52A, figs. 10 and 11);
a driving member (72, fig. 7 as applied to the embodiment of figs. 10 and 11) coupled to the center pin (shown in fig. 10); and
a link (74, fig. 10) engaging the driving member (via opening 76, the driving member element 80 engages the link) and coupled to the locking bar (shown in fig. 10).
With regard to claim 9, Wilson discloses the method of claim 8 as set forth above, and further discloses wherein the link is rotatable relative to the locking bar and the driving member (column 6, lines 8-22).
With regard to claim 10, Wilson discloses the method of claim 8 as set forth above, and further discloses wherein the link is rotationally fixed to the locking bar (the locking bar attaches to the link via the pin 52A, which also functionally fixes the link rotationally to the locking bar in such a manner that the locking bar is moved in and out radially through a fixed arc of rotation of the link member).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 is 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 prior art of record fails to teach or suggest a method wherein the driving member is a linear cam, together in combination with the other steps of claim 7.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. USPNs 8596484, 9726288 and 12104738 disclose similar methods of closing a pipe.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID R DEAL whose telephone number is (469)295-9216. The examiner can normally be reached M-F generally 8-4 pm CST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisors can be reached at: Craig M Schneider (571) 272-3607 and Ken Rinehart (571) 272-4881. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DAVID R DEAL/Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3753
