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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, Species 5 in the reply filed on 7/24/2026 is acknowledged. Claims 14 and 18-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b).
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: The Summary and Detailed Description should not include the text of the claims.
Appropriate correction is required.
Content of Specification
(a) TITLE OF THE INVENTION: See 37 CFR 1.72(a) and MPEP § 606. The title of the invention should be placed at the top of the first page of the specification unless the title is provided in an application data sheet. The title of the invention should be brief but technically accurate and descriptive, preferably from two to seven words. It may not contain more than 500 characters.
(b) CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS: See 37 CFR 1.78 and MPEP § 211 et seq.
(c) STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT: See MPEP § 310.
(d) THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT. See 37 CFR 1.71(g).
(e) INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A READ-ONLY OPTICAL DISC, AS A TEXT FILE OR AN XML FILE VIA THE PATENT ELECTRONIC SYSTEM: The specification is required to include an incorporation-by-reference of electronic documents that are to become part of the permanent United States Patent and Trademark Office records in the file of a patent application. See 37 CFR 1.77(b)(5) and MPEP § 608.05. See also the Legal Framework for Patent Electronic System posted on the USPTO website (https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2019LegalFrameworkPES.pdf) and MPEP § 502.05
(f) STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR. See 35 U.S.C. 102(b) and 37 CFR 1.77.
(g) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION: See MPEP § 608.01(c). The specification should set forth the Background of the Invention in two parts:
(1) Field of the Invention: A statement of the field of art to which the invention pertains. This statement may include a paraphrasing of the applicable U.S. patent classification definitions of the subject matter of the claimed invention. This item may also be titled “Technical Field.”
(2) Description of the Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98: A description of the related art known to the applicant and including, if applicable, references to specific related art and problems involved in the prior art which are solved by the applicant’s invention. This item may also be titled “Background Art.”
(h) BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION: See MPEP § 608.01(d). A brief summary or general statement of the invention as set forth in 37 CFR 1.73. The summary is separate and distinct from the abstract and is directed toward the invention rather than the disclosure as a whole. The summary may point out the advantages of the invention or how it solves problems previously existent in the prior art (and preferably indicated in the Background of the Invention). In chemical cases it should point out in general terms the utility of the invention. If possible, the nature and gist of the invention or the inventive concept should be set forth. Objects of the invention should be treated briefly and only to the extent that they contribute to an understanding of the invention.
(i) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S): See MPEP § 608.01(f). A reference to and brief description of the drawing(s) as set forth in 37 CFR 1.74.
(j) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION: See MPEP § 608.01(g). A description of the preferred embodiment(s) of the invention as required in 37 CFR 1.71. The description should be as short and specific as is necessary to describe the invention adequately and accurately. Where elements or groups of elements, compounds, and processes, which are conventional and generally widely known in the field of the invention described, and their exact nature or type is not necessary for an understanding and use of the invention by a person skilled in the art, they should not be described in detail. However, where particularly complicated subject matter is involved or where the elements, compounds, or processes may not be commonly or widely known in the field, the specification should refer to another patent or readily available publication which adequately describes the subject matter.
(k) CLAIM OR CLAIMS: See 37 CFR 1.75 and MPEP § 608.01(m). The claim or claims must commence on a separate sheet or electronic page (37 CFR 1.52(b)(3)). Where a claim sets forth a plurality of elements or steps, each element or step of the claim should be separated by a line indentation. There may be plural indentations to further segregate subcombinations or related steps. See 37 CFR 1.75 and MPEP 608.01(i) - (p).
(l) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE: See 37 CFR 1.72 (b) and MPEP § 608.01(b). The abstract is a brief narrative of the disclosure as a whole, as concise as the disclosure permits, in a single paragraph preferably not exceeding 150 words, commencing on a separate sheet following the claims. In an international application which has entered the national stage (37 CFR 1.491(b)), the applicant need not submit an abstract commencing on a separate sheet if an abstract was published with the international application under PCT Article 21. The abstract that appears on the cover page of the pamphlet published by the International Bureau (IB) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the abstract that will be used by the USPTO. See MPEP § 1893.03(e).
(m) SEQUENCE LISTING: See 37 CFR 1.821 - 1.825 and MPEP §§ 2421 - 2431. The requirement for a sequence listing applies to all sequences disclosed in a given application, whether the sequences are claimed or not. See MPEP § 2422.01.
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 1-13 and 15-17 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. In the claims it is unclear if applicant intends to the coupling system to include the vertical and horizontal structures because as claimed the coupling system is only “configured to” couple the structures yet the claims go into some detail of the structures. The meets and bounds of the vertical structure is indefinite because what is disclosed as the vertical structure as pointed to at 2 in the drawings is shown as horizontal and is even described as horizontally oriented (under WORKING EXAMPLES) which contradicts the vertical. Even as shown in Figs. 1 and 14 the coupling system including the fastener and washer are only shown to couple the horizontal members; it is only the bracket which couples a vertical structure. It is unclear how the coupling system comprising the fastener and washer would couple a vertical structure particularly how the fastener would extend through the vertical structure into horizontal structure (claim 4 and 6) and how face of the washer would bear on the vertical surface (claim 9). Additionally: in claim 5, it is unclear what is intended by “the fastener remains flush”; in claim 10, it unclear how bearing face would bear against the vertical structure with a bracket or other intermediate part; claims 11 and 12, are not further limiting because in the context of the claimed invention the washer receives a fastener by definition; in claim 12, the bore on the cross-section is unclear and what would be the thicker or wider point. The claims were examined as best understood to be directed to the combination of the coupling system and the vertical and horizontal structures. The claims should be further reviewed and revised as necessary to ensure complete compliance with section 112.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 1-5, 8-13 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tiramani (US 2022/0220726). In considering the coupling shown in Figs. 8A-10B, Tiramani discloses coupling system comprising: a fastener (136); a washer (288); a vertical structure (200P) in the form of a wall; a horizontal structure (300b) in the form of a timber foundation; wherein the washer is configured to direct the fastener at an incline angle (φ1) relative to a vertical plane; the incline angle is between 10 and 30 degrees; the fastener is shown with a head, threaded shaft, and point (see Fig. 10A); the fastener extends through the vertical structure and into horizonal structure (Fig. 10B); the fastener is shown flush with a top of the washer (Fig. 10B); the washer is generally triangular in cross-section (Fig. 8); the washer includes a bearing face (294) to bear against the vertical structure and an opposing outer surface (293); the washer includes an alignment feature (199) to align with an other part (216) between the bearing face and a vertical structure of the wall (220); the washer has a bore (225) that receives the fastener where the fastener is smaller, equal to, or larger than the bore; the bore is located an the triangular cross-section at a thicker part; and the washer would be capable of being struck by a hammer.
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.
Claims 1-7, 9-11, 13, 15 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DiGirolamo (US 7,299,593) in view of Allen (US 11,608,628). DiGirolamo discloses a coupling system comprising: a fastener (72); a washer (28); a vertical structure (50, 60) in the form of a wall; a horizontal structure (70) in the form of a concrete foundation; the fastener is shown to include a head, threaded shaft and point (Fig. 3); the fastener point extends through the “vertical structure” (62) into the horizontal structure (Fig. 3); the fastener head is flush with the washer; the washer has a bearing face with an alignment feature formed as a pair of channels (30) that complement opposing features (18) of a bracket (12). The washer includes a bore (28a) with an opening that is smaller than, equal to, or larger than the fastener which receives the fastener. DiGirolamo does not disclose the fastener received at an incline angle relative to the vertical and horizontal planes. Allen discloses a coupling system including a washer (10) and fastener (6) for coupling a vertical structure to a horizontal structure similar to DiGirolamo but, Allan teaches the washer configured to direct the fastener at an angle (α) relative to the vertical and horizontal planes to improve the strength of the coupling (column 1, paragraph beginning line 22). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have the washer of DiGirolamo direct the fastener at an angle relative to the vertical and horizontal planes as disclosed in Allen for the same reason so as to improve the strength of the coupling. The specific size and angle would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed as a matter of scale because it is well known to make fasteners in different sizes for different application. The washer would be capable of being hit by a hammer.
Claims 1-7, 9-11, 13 and 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Young (US 5,092,097) in view of Allen (US 11,608,628). Young discloses a coupling system comprising: a fastener (40); a washer (11); a vertical structure (42, 43) in the form of a wall; a horizontal structure (44) in the form of a concrete foundation; the fastener is shown to include a head, threaded shaft and point (Fig. 6); the fastener point extends through the “vertical structure” (43) into the horizontal structure (Fig. 6); the fastener head is flush with the washer; the washer has a bearing face with an alignment feature formed as a pair of lips (32, 34) at the ends of the bearing face that engage the sides of a bracket (10, Fig. 5). The washer includes a bore (31) with an opening that is smaller than, equal to, or larger than the fastener which receives the fastener. Young does not disclose the fastener received at an incline angle relative to the vertical and horizontal planes. Allen discloses a coupling system including a washer (10) and fastener (6) for coupling a vertical structure to a horizontal structure similar to Young but, Allen teaches the washer configured to direct the fastener at an angle (α) relative to the vertical and horizontal planes to improve the strength of the coupling (column 1, paragraph beginning line 22). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have the washer of Young direct the fastener at an angle relative to the vertical and horizontal planes as disclosed in Allen for the same reason to improve the strength of the coupling. The specific size and angle would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention as a matter of scale because it is well known to make fasteners in different sizes for different application. The washer would be capable of being hit by a hammer.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Riesberg (US 5,497,593), Gilb (US 5,419,649) and Gingras (US 2024/0093485) are cited to teach other examples of washers directing fasteners at an angle relative to horizontal and vertical members. The other references cited are to general interest.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FLEMMING SAETHER whose telephone number is (571)272-7071. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 - 7:00 eastern.
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, Christine Mills can be reached at 571-272-8322. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/FLEMMING SAETHER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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