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
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.
Claim(s) 1-8 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KR20150040059 (English translation relied upon for reference herein).
Claim 1: KR20150040059 provides a cable feeding device [at least for feeding cables into conduits], comprising: a pulling device (400, Fig. 9-11); at least one pulling device storage unit (330) configured to receive the pulling device, wherein the at least one pulling device storage unit comprises a pulling device drum (333); and a threading unit (350) configured to guide the pulling device, wherein the threading unit is configured to tension the pulling device when the pulling device is wound onto the pulling device drum, such as by braking or pre-tensioning the pulling device drawn toward the pulling device drum by feeding and/or winding [0089], and at least one threading element (351) of the threading unit is supported, along an axis which is at least substantially perpendicular to a feeding direction of movement of the pulling device into the at least one pulling device storage unit, such that the at least one threading element is displaceable along the axis (Fig. 9-11;[0089;0104-0111;0118-0123]).
The remaining limitations in brackets, recited in claim 1 have been treated as merely the intended use of the claimed apparatus. The apparatus of KR20150040059 is capable of performing the recited intended use and therefore meets the limitations of the claims.
Claim 2: KR20150040059 provides the at least one threading element (351) is formed as at least one threading roller (Fig. 9-11;[0105-0106]).
Claim 3: KR20150040059 provides the axis along which the at least one threading roller (351) is supported is at least substantially parallel to a winding rotation axis of the pulling device drum and/or to a rotational axis of the at least one threading roller (Fig. 9-11).
Claim 4: KR20150040059 provides at least the at least one threading element (351) of the threading unit is supported such that the at least one threading element is displaceable freely along the axis (Fig. 9-11).
Claim 5: KR20150040059 provides a power unit (355) configured to drive the displacement of the at least one threading element (351) along the axis ([0105;0108]).
Claim 6: KR20150040059 provides the power unit (355) comprises a spiral configured to drive the displacement of the at least one threading element (Fig. 9-11).
Claim 7: KR20150040059 provides the threading unit comprises: a braking mechanism configured to reduce, from a current winding speed of the pulling device drum, a speed of movement of the pulling device through the threading unit (the motor 355 can be varied to reduce the speed).
Claim 8: KR20150040059 provides the braking mechanism uses motor braking and/or gear braking (the motor 355 can be varied to reduce the speed).
Claim 10: KR20150040059 provides the at least one threading element (351) of the threading unit is supported along the axis such that the at least one threading element is displaceable in an oscillating manner (Fig. 9-11).
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.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KR20150040059 (English translation relied upon for reference herein) in view of Finzel (WO2004027953; English translation relied upon for reference herein).
Claim 9: KR20150040059 fails to disclose the threading unit comprises: a pre-tensioning mechanism configured to press at least one of a threading roller of the threading unit, and a tensioning roller of the threading unit different from the threading roller, against the pulling device transversely to the feeding direction of movement directed toward the at least one pulling device storage unit, such that the pulling device is deflected from a straight path at least in an area of the threading unit.
However, Finzel teaches utilizing a pre-tensioning mechanism (26, Fig. 4) against a pulling device (16) transversely to the feeding direction of movement directed toward the at least one pulling device storage unit (19), such that the pulling device (16) is deflected from a straight path at least in an area of the threading unit (18; Fig. 4).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device provided by KR20150040059 to include the pre-tensioning mechanism as taught by Finzel in order to provide tensile force on the cable that can be variably regulated and monitored (Page 6 under Page number 12 paragraph: Finzel).
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sauber (US 4,445,668) in view of KR20150040059 (English translation relied upon for reference herein).
Claim 11: Sauber provides a method for feeding cables (15) into the conduits (20) (Fig.1) using a cable feeding device (Fig. 1) that includes a pulling device (15), at least one pulling device storage unit (12), a threading unit (10), and at least one threading element (53) but fails to explicitly disclose receiving the pulling device into the pulling device drum of the at least one pulling device storage unit by feeding; tensioning the pulling device with the threading unit, when the pulling device is fed into the at least one pulling device storage unit by winding the pulling device onto the pulling device drum, by braking or pre-tensioning the pulling device as the pulling device is drawn toward the pulling device drum by feeding and/or winding; and moving the at least one threading element, during the feeding of the pulling device, along an axis which is at least substantially perpendicular to a feeding direction of movement of the pulling device into the at least one pulling device storage unit.
However, KR201500440059 teaches a cable feeding device comprising receiving the pulling device (400) into the pulling device drum (333) of the at least one pulling device storage unit (330) by feeding; tensioning the pulling device with the threading unit (350), when the pulling device is fed into the at least one pulling device storage unit by winding the pulling device onto the pulling device drum, by braking or pre-tensioning the pulling device as the pulling device is drawn toward the pulling device drum by feeding and/or winding [0089]; and moving the at least one threading element (351), during the feeding of the pulling device, along an axis which is at least substantially perpendicular to a feeding direction of movement of the pulling device into the at least one pulling device storage unit (Fig. 9-11; [0089; 0104-0111;0118-0123]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to substitute the device as taught by KR201500440059 for the device provided by Sauber in order to provide a method for feeding cables into conduits using a cable device that can wind and unwind cable.
Further, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to substitute the device as taught by KR201500440059 for the device provided by Sauber because it is prima facie obvious to substitute one known prior art element for another to achieve predictable results (MPEP 2143(B)).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Sandered et al. (US4447013) teaches a cable feeding device (Fig. 1).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Amanda J Kreiling whose telephone number is (571)272-6091. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 EST.
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/Amanda Kreiling/ Examiner, Art Unit 3726 9/2/26
/JASON L VAUGHAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3726
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