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.
Claims 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 10 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Winslow, U.S. 2,422,327.
Regarding claim 1, Winslow discloses a method for connecting a tang (fig 2, connecting rod 13; col. 3, lines 30-31) between a first arm (fig 2, area of opposing holes 11; col. 3, lines 18-29) and a second arm (fig 2, opposing hole 11) of a connecting rod (piston 10 includes the opposing mounting points for the tang or connecting rod),
providing a first contact ring (bushing 4; col. 3, line 57 – col. 4, line 14) having a cylindrical portion (at annular groove 7) having a first end and a second end (ends at flanges 5) and a first flange (one flange 5) at the first end of the cylindrical portion of the first contact ring,
inserting (col. 3, lines 57-64; the bushing is inserted via deformation of the flange 5) the cylindrical portion of the first contact ring (bushings 4) into a bore (pin hole 11) of the first arm until a bearing surface of the first flange (flange 5) of the first contact ring (bushing 4) contacts a first side of the first arm or a second side of the first arm (flange 5 contacts both axial sides of the pin hole 11; col. 3, lines 18-29), deforming the second end (the flanges 5 are flexed to the required circumference) of the cylindrical portion (portion of bushing 4 at annular groove 7) of the first contact ring (bushing 4) to form a second flange (flange 5) at the second end of the cylindrical portion of the first contact ring and to cause a bearing surface (areas adjacent flanges 5) of the second flange of the first contact ring to contact the second side of the first arm or the first side of the first arm,
inserting the tang (connecting rod 13) axially between the first arm and the second arm,
inserting a mounting shaft (piston pin 8; col. 3, lines 18-29) through the bore of the first arm and a bore of the tang (bore at pin 8 of connecting rod 13) and a bore of the second arm, and
positioning the tang (connecting rod 13) and the first arm such that the first flange (flange 5) of the first contact ring or the second flange (flange(s) 5) of the first contact ring contacts or faces a first lateral face of the tang (13) and such that the first arm and the tang are spaced apart by a gap (fig 2, area between the connection rod eye for pin 8 and adjacent areas of opposing holes 11).
As to claim 2, the reference discloses a second contact ring (fig 2, the other bushing 4) having a cylindrical portion (col. 3, lines 18-29) having the limitations of the first contact ring.
As to claim 4, the reference discloses an outer surface (surface opposite of annular groove 7) of the cylindrical portion of the first contact ring (4) contacts an inner cylindrical surface (inner surface of pin hole 11) of the bore of the first and second arm.
As to claim 5, the reference discloses the connecting rod 13 faces the pair of the pair of opposing holes 11 at flanges 5 as translated to the limitations directed to “the first lateral face of the tang faces the second side of the first arm and the second lateral face of the tang cases (or faces) the first side of the second arm”.
As to claim 6, the reference discloses the flanges 5 contact both radial areas of the piston at the pin holes 11 in accordance with the limitations requiring “the first flange of the first contact ring contacts the first side of the first arm and the first flange of the second contact ring contacts the second side of the second arm”.
Regarding claim 10, Winslow discloses a connecting rod as noted above, a tang (connecting rod 13) having a bore (bore for pin 8) extending between the first arm and the second arm,
a mounting shaft (pin 8) extending through the bore (bores of pin holes 11) of the first arm, the bore of the tang and the bore of the second arm,
the mounting shaft (pin 8) connecting the tang ( rod 13) to the connecting rod (piston 10), and a first contact ring (bushings 4) having a cylindrical portion (at annular groove 7) extending through the bore of the first arm, a first flange (flange 5) at a first end of the cylindrical portion of the first contact ring having a bearing surface (surfaces of the flange 5 contacting the areas of the piston 10 in pin holes 11) contacting the first side of the first arm, and a second flange (flange 5) at a second end of the cylindrical portion of the first contact ring having a bearing surface contacting the second side of the first arm, wherein a contact surface of the second flange of the first contact ring faces or contacts a first side of the tang, wherein the first contact ring is formed as one piece (fig 1; col. 2, line 50-51), and
the first arm is spaced from the first side of the tang (both sides of the piston pin holes 11 are internally spaced from the connecting rod 13).
As to claim 11, the reference discloses all the claimed limitations including a second contact ring (the other of bushing 4) having the same relational characteristics of the first contact ring.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3, 7, 8, 9 and 12-14 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 KENNETH L THOMPSON whose telephone number is (571)272-7037. The examiner can normally be reached Weekdays; 9:00-5:00, est.
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10 August 2026
/KENNETH L THOMPSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3676
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