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 § 103
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 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.
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 4,286,370 to Craig.
Concerning method claim 19 in view of the structure disclosed by Craig ‘370, the method of operating the device would have been obvious, since it is the normal and logical manner in which the device could be used.
Regarding claim 19, Craig ‘370 discloses a method of providing preferential compliance in a mount (figs 13-17 – co1. 12, lines 38 to col. 13, line 62), the method comprising: coupling a sensor turret to a base isolator (the sensing assembly including rotor 270 and cooperating sensors 296/298 is coupled to the flexure hinge suspension 10 within housing 230, Fig. 14; col. 13, lines 8-22); providing vertical compliance through slitted plates of the base isolator (see slits 192/194 – col. 12, lines 25-31); and providing horizontal compliance through a slotted flexible tube of the base isolator (see slots 186/188 – col. 12, lines 17-24).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-18 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: note the configuration of the components of the base isolator including the inner and outer mounts, inner and outer tubes, top and bottom plates (having specific slit configuration), and a flexible tube (having specific bending beam configuration) and how the plates and flexible tube are configured to deform under loads in axial and horizontal directions that are parallel and perpendicular to the axis of the inner tube, respectively.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and will be used in subsequent office action rejections, as applicable.
The list of supports is as follows: US-20250155785-A1 OR US-20150176752-A1 OR US-20100234844-A1 OR US-20100171377-A1 OR US-7320389-B1 OR US-8635938-B2 OR US-5030876-A OR US-20140008850-A1.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MONICA E MILLNER whose telephone number is (571)270-7507. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-4:00pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Terrell McKinnon can be reached at 571-272-4797. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/MONICA E MILLNER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3632
Prosecution Insights