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 .
This correspondence is in response to applicant’s reply filed on 06/10/2026. Claims 1-8 and 10-21 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Altaras et al. (U.S. Pub. 20220193892) in view of Lukic et al. (U.S. Pub. 20110315834).
Regarding claim 21, Altaras teaches a positioning device comprising: a first rotary motor 1330 configured to rotate about an X axis, a second rotary motor 830 configured to rotate about a Y axis, and a third rotary motor 940 configured to rotate about a Z axis, where the first, second, and third rotary motors 1330,830,940 are connected in sequence along a substantially vertical axis (as seen in Fig. 13); a position sensor 1300 operably connected to each of the first, second, and third rotary motors 1330,830,940, each of the position sensors 1300 being configured to detect a rotational position of the first, second, or third rotary motors 1330,830,940 during use of the system (as discussed in para. [0069]; a control unit in electronic communication with each of the two or more motors 1330,830,940 and the position sensors 1300, the control unit having a remote communication interface (see discussion in para. [0053], lines 1-4); a controller in wireless communication with the control unit via the remote communication interface (as discussed in para. [0047], lines 8-11), where the control unit is configured to allow input of a desired position for each of the two or more motors 1330,830,940, where an actual position of the two or more motors 1330,830,940 is sent as a signal from the position sensor 1300 of each of the two or more motors 1330,830,940 to the control unit; and a support stand 100, where the support stand 100 comprises a fourth motor 1106 positioned on the support stand 100 (as seen in Fig. 11A) and configured to provide vertical motion of the first, second, and third rotary motors 1330,830,940, where the vertical motion is along the y axis with respect to a horizontal floor surface.
With regards to claim 21, Altaras is discussed above, and teaches the positioning device. However, Altaras fails to teach a single housing configured to surround and enclose the first, second, and third rotary motors 1330,830,940. Lukic teaches a positioning device 1 comprising a vertical adjustment mechanism 13, and a housing 15 surrounding a drive unit 16 located within the housing 15.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the positioning device of Altaras to have a housing that surrounds the motors 1330,830,940 of Altaras, in order to provide a means for surrounding the motors, and to protect the internal mechanisms in case of a fall, allowing most of the energy to be absorbed by the tripod head and by the articulated joints, so that the risk of damage to the height-adjustment means is reduced, as taught to be desirable by Lukic (see discussion in para. [0012], lines 3-7).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-8 and 10-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art of record fails to teach or disclose the device of claim 1, where the top attachment element comprises: a main body having a longitudinal extend delimited by a top end and a bottom end, and a central bore extending therethrough, where an upper region of the central bore proximate the top end of the main body comprises an enlarged inner diameter; a dial having a central bore extending therethrough and configured to receive the bottom end of the main body, wherein at least a portion of the central bore includes a threaded region; and a dowel sized and configured to fit within the central bores of the main body and the dial, the dowel comprising a top region having an expanded outer diameter sized and configured to fit within the upper region of the central bore of the main body and a bottom externally threaded region configured for connection with the threaded region of the central bore of the dial, where the main body is formed by at least three segments, each segment having a base connected to an adjacent segment that together form the bottom end of the main body, and a top region with an increasingly diminished thickness that together form the enlarged inner diameter of the central bore of the main body, where rotation of the dial threadedly pulls the dowel into the central bore of the main body and forces the at least three segments radially outward to expand an outer diameter of the main body.
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 MICHAEL D MCDUFFIE whose telephone number is (571)272-3832. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 8AM-4:30PM.
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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.
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/Michael McDuffie/Examiner, Art Unit 3632 27-Jul-26
/TERRELL L MCKINNON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3632
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