Information Disclosure Statement
The listing of references in the specification is not a proper information disclosure statement. 37 CFR 1.98(b) requires a list of all patents, publications, or other information submitted for consideration by the Office, and MPEP § 609.04(a) states, "the list may not be incorporated into the specification but must be submitted in a separate paper." Therefore, unless the references have been cited by the examiner on form PTO-892, they have not been considered.
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 button plate (claim 1) and an elastic angle (claim1), an insertion groove (claim 4) and a snap-in connection inclined surface on an end portion of the locking column (claim 10) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Figs. 6 & 17 contradict each other. At Fig. 6, reference number 33 indicates a feature to the right of the second positioning hole 32, but at Fig. 17 reference number 33 indicates a different feature to the left of the second positioning hole 32.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: 11, A, 34 & 133.
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. 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.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because:
It begins with a phrase that can be implied.
It is not written in clear narrative form but is instead a cut-and-paste from the claims.
A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 4 & 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the enablement requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and/or use the invention.
Claim 4 recites, “the reducing tube [3] is provided with an insertion groove [34] arranged opposite to the locking column [13]”. Aside from where the claim is parroted in the specification, there is no suggestion, enabling disclosure, or depiction of any such insertion groove.
Claim 10 recites the limitation, “an end portion of the locking column [13] is provided with . . . a snap-in connection inclined surface.” Aside from where the claim is parroted in the specification, there is no suggestion, enabling disclosure, or depiction of any such surface on locking column 13.
As such, it would not be possible for one of ordinary skill in the art to make or use the claimed invention without undue experimentation. In making this determination the examiner affirms that he has considered the breadth of the claims;
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the nature of the invention;
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the state of the prior art;
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the level of one of ordinary skill;
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the level of predictability in the art;
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the amount of direction provided by the inventor; any
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existence of working examples; and the quantity of experimentation needed to make or use the invention based on the content of the disclosure.
Claims 6 & 9 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.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "the rotating shafts". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the elastic rod". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claims 1-3 & 5-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin, US 12,005,562 in view of Hampel, US 4,397,088. Lin discloses a connecting rod splicing device (10), comprising:
a casing tube (20), wherein one end of the casing tube is provided with a first positioning hole (22);
an insertion tube (30), and a second positioning hole (32) on the reducing tube, the reducing tube is inserted into one end of the casing tube, and the first positioning hole is communicated with the second positioning hole (see Fig. 5);
a locking sleeve (42), wherein the locking sleeve is sleeved at one end of the casing tube, and is provided with a locking hole (426) arranged opposite to the first positioning hole (see Fig. 5); and
a locking button (46), wherein the locking button is rotatably arranged on the locking sleeve (col. 3, lines 52-55) and provided with a button plate (58) and a locking column (54) that is arranged on the button plate and movably inserted into the locking hole, the first positioning hole and the second positioning hole (col. 4, lines 17-23); and an elastic rod (56) configured (col. 4, lines 42-48) to keep the locking column in an inserted state (P3), wherein an elastic angle (588) is formed between the elastic rod and the button plate, and the elastic angle enables that the locking column is pulled out of the first positioning hole and the second positioning hole when the locking button is pressed (col. 4, lines 48-57),
wherein Fig. 5 shows a positioning ring (nominally indicated by reference number 422 in Fig. 5) is arranged at one end of the locking sleeve (42), and the positioning ring is configured to abut against an end portion of the casing tube (20) to ensure that the locking hole is arranged opposite to the first positioning hole (22),
wherein a positioning block (nominally indicated by reference number 422 in Fig. 5) is arranged inside the locking sleeve, and the positioning block is arranged opposite to a positioning groove (see the unnumbered slot at the left end of the casing tube 20 in Fig. 4) on the casing tube to ensure that the locking hole is communicated with the first positioning hole,
wherein Fig. 4 shows the first positioning hole and the second positioning hole are waist-shaped holes,
wherein the locking sleeve (42) is provided with a locking groove/sliding surface (see Fig.4), rotating holes (422) are formed on both sides (see Fig. 3) of the locking groove, and the locking hole (426) is formed at a bottom of the locking groove; and the rotating shafts (48) are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the locking button, and the rotating shafts are rotatably arranged inside the rotating holes,
wherein the locking button is provided with an elastic pressure groove (582) arranged opposite to the elastic rod (56),
wherein an end portion of the locking column (54) is provided with an insertion arc surface or a snap-in connection inclined surface (544).
Lin does not expressly disclose one end of the insertion tube (30) is provided with a reducing tube. At Fig. 2, Hampel shows one end of an insertion tube (20) is provided with a reducing tube (30). At col. 3, lines 22-25, Hampel teaches providing one end of the insertion tube (20) with a reducing tube (30) in order allow the one end to be received inside a casing tube (18). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the connecting rod splicing device of Lin by providing one end of the insertion tube with a reducing tube in order allow the one end to be received inside the casing tube as taught by Hampel.
As to claim 7, at Fig. 2, Hampel shows a variable-diameter tube is further arranged between the reducing tube (30) and the insertion tube (20), and in the combination of Lin and Hampel this variable-diameter tube could abut against the locking sleeve to ensure that the second positioning hole is arranged opposite to the first positioning hole.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Huang discloses a connecting rod splicing device.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Greg Binda whose telephone number is (571)272-7077. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30-5:30 et.
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/Greg Binda/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3679
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