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
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.
Claim(s) 1-14 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Rittershofer U.S. Patent No. 9,485,915.
Claim 1, Rittershofer teaches a conveyor take-up assembly 20 comprising: a frame of 10 configured to mount adjacent to a conveyor pulley 80; a bearing assembly C6 L20-25 movably coupled to the frame 62 and configured to support one end of a conveyor pulley 80; a housing 62 defining an internal space Fig. 1; a threaded element 98 disposed within the internal space, the threaded element 98 being fixed against rotation within the housing of 10; a threaded rod 92 coupled to the bearing assembly C6 L20-25 and threadedly engaged with the threaded element 98 within the housing 62 C4 L30-410; and a force indication assembly 106 providing a visual representation of force on a conveyor pulley 80 supported by the bearing assembly C6 L20-25, the force indication assembly 106 being associated with the threaded element 98 and providing the visual representation as a function of a position of the threaded element 98 relative to at least one of the threaded rod 82 and the housing 62 C6 L60-67; C7 L1-30.
Claim 2, Rittershofer teaches a scale 106 having a plurality of visual indications cooperating with the force indication assembly 106 C8 L45-51.
Claim 3, Rittershofer teaches the housing 62 includes a removable cover of 62 (assembly can be removed), the scale 106 being disposed on the removable cover of 62 Fig. 2.
Claim 4, Rittershofer teaches a resilient compressible element 86 disposed in the housing 62 adjacent to the threaded element 98, the resilient compressible element 86 offering increasing resistance to movement of the threaded element 98 within the housing 62.
Claim 5, Rittershofer teaches the resilient compressible element 86 is a spring Abstract.
Claims 6 and 11, Rittershofer teaches the resilient compressible element 86 is a coil spring, the coil spring being disposed about the threaded rod 92 Fig. 2.
Claim 7, Rittershofer teaches an indicator 100 extending from the threaded element 98, the indicator 100 disposed in a position adjacent to the scale 106, whereby movement of the threaded element 98 moves the indicator 100 along the scale 106 C4 L10-30.
Claim 8, Rittershofer teaches the threaded element 98 has a first side and a second side Fig. 2; and further including a resilient compressible element 86 disposed in the housing on the first side of the threaded element 98, the resilient compressible element 86 offering increasing resistance to movement of the threaded element 98 in a first direction within the housing 62, the force indication assembly 106 including a scale providing graduations associated with movement of the threaded element 98 in the first direction C4 L10-30.
Claim 9, Rittershofer teaches the resilient compressible element 86 is readily movable to the second side of the threaded element 98, whereby the compressible element 86 offers increasing resistance to movement of the threaded element 98 in a second direction within the housing 62, the force indication assembly 106 including a scale providing graduations associated with movement of the threaded element 98 in the second direction C4 L10-30.
Claim 10, Rittershofer teaches the resilient compressible 86 is a spring, the spring being selectively movable between a first position between the first side of the threaded element 98 and the housing 62 and a second position between the second side of the threaded element 98 and the housing 62 C4 L10-30.
Claim 12, Rittershofer teaches a non-threaded nut (washer which are known to be used in mechanical assemblies) fitted over threaded rod 92 and disposed between the spring 86 and the housing 62 C3 L20-30.
Claim 13, Rittershofer teaches a spacer (washer which are known to be used in mechanical assemblies) fitted over the threaded rod 92 and disposed between the non-threaded nut and the housing 62.
Claim 14, Rittershofer teaches a removable cover of 62, the cover of 62 being removably attached to the housing 62, the housing 62 including the scale 106, the non-threaded nut (washer which are known to be used in mechanical assemblies) being secured to the cover C4 L10-30.
Claim 17, Rittershofer teaches conveyor take-up apparatus 10, comprising: a base structure 62 supporting a conveyor pulley 80; an adjustment mechanism 20 configured to move the conveyor pulley 80; a force-indicating device 106 used in conjunction with the adjustment mechanism 20, such that the force-indicating device 106 provides a visual indication of force in take-up adjustments in either a push or pull arrangement C4 L10-30.
Claim 18, Rittershofer teaches the force-indicating device 106 is integrated into the take-up adjustment mechanism 10 and is selectively movable between a first position to provide a visual indication of force in take-up adjustments in a push arrangement and a second position to provide a visual indication of force in take-up adjustments in a pull arrangement C4 L 10-30.
Claim 19, Rittershofer teaches the force-indicating device 106 includes at least one coil spring 86 of known spring constant and a reversible force-indicating scale C4 L10-30.
Claim 20, Rittershofer teaches the force-indicating device 106 includes at least one of a reversible force-indicating scale that is reversible to permit use in push and pull arrangements and a force-indicating scale which indicates force in both pull and push arrangements via an indicator in about a center of the scale C4 L10-40.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15-16 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 KAVEL SINGH whose telephone number is (571)272-2362. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8am-6pm.
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, Gene Crawford can be reached at (571) 272-6911. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/KAVEL SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651
KS
Prosecution Insights