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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Claims 1-9 and 31-36 in the reply filed on 8/24/26 is acknowledged.
Please note: Claim 37 was elected, however it is directed to an embodiment that is not elected (i.e. Figure 24. Figure 24 shows the collar insert “1719”. Therefore, claim 37 has been withdrawn.
Claims 15-18 and 37 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “at least one of the plurality of jaws includes a third plurality of thread segments engageable with the second plurality of thread segments” (as claimed in claim 34) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 1-9 and 31-36 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.
Regarding claim recites “wherein at least one of the plurality of jaws includes a third plurality of thread segments engageable with the second plurality of thread segments”. There is no disclosure of the jaws having threading thus the claim limitation is unclear.
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 1-7, and 34 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Muller (DE 3604927).
Regarding claims 1 and 34, as best understood, Muller discloses a chuck assembly (1) for a rotary power tool, the chuck assembly comprising: a chuck body rotatable about a central axis, the chuck body including a plurality of slots/jaw guide (9); a plurality of jaws (2), each of the jaws movable along a respective one of the slots toward and away from the central axis (figures 1 & 2 and English translation paragraph 12); and a collar (6) coupled to the plurality of jaws (2), wherein the collar is selectively engageable with at least one of a group consisting of the chuck body and the plurality of jaws such that, when engaged, the plurality of jaws is movable along the plurality of slots in response to rotation of the collar (figures 1 and 5 & English translation paragraphs 12 and 15), wherein the collar is rotatable relative to the chuck body from an engaged orientation to a disengaged orientation to disengage the collar (figures 1 and 5 & English translation paragraph 15), and wherein the collar is movable relative to the chuck body along the central axis, without rotating the collar, when the collar is in the disengaged orientation (English translation paragraph 12).
Regarding claim 2, Muller discloses wherein each of the slots is oriented at an oblique angle relative to the central axis (figure 1).
Regarding claim 3, Muller discloses wherein the jaws (2) are movable along the slots (9) in response to movement of the collar along the central axis (English translation paragraph 12).
Regarding claims 4 and 5, as best understood, Muller discloses wherein the chuck body includes a first plurality of thread segments, and wherein the collar (6) includes a second plurality of thread, wherein the collar is rotatable relative to the chuck
body to selectively engage at least one of the first plurality of thread segments with at least one of the second plurality of thread segments (figures 1 and 5).
Regarding claims 6 and 7, Muller discloses a ring (11) coupled to the collar (6) for axial movement with the collar relative to the chuck body and coupled to the chuck body for co-rotation with the chuck body, and wherein the collar is rotatable relative to the ring (figure 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8, 9, 31-33, 35 and 36 are 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SARA ADDISU at (571) 272-6082. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (Mondays and Wednesday-Friday).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sunil K. Singh can be reached on (571) 272-3460. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SARA ADDISU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3722 9/19/26
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