Specification
The disclosure is objected to because at paragraph 0001, Patent Application No. 17/767,172 is not identified as now abandoned.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 1-7 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 1 recites the limitation "the first axis" in line 14. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
The scope of the claims is unclear. The preamble of claim 1 indicates the claims are directed to single coupling, but in the body of the claims two couplings are positively recited. As such it is unclear whether the claims are directed at a single coupling or a combination of two couplings.
Claim 7 recites the limitation "the first axis" in line 13. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claim(s) 1 & 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Warner, US 1,923,649.
At Fig. 2, Warner shows a coupling comprising:
an inner member (8), an outer annular member (18, 19) and an intermediate annular member (14) which, when aligned, share a common axis and have a common center on the common axis;
the inner member comprising a central aperture in which a shaft (5) is engaged; one or a diametrically opposed pair of first axles (12, 13) disposed radially of the common center coupling the inner member and the intermediate annular member, and constraining the inner member and the intermediate annular member to rotate, one with respect to the other about a first axis perpendicular to the common axis;
one or a diametrically opposed pair of second axles (15, 16) disposed radially of the common center coupling the outer annular member and the intermediate annular member, and constraining the outer member and the intermediate annular member to rotate, one with respect to the other about a second axis perpendicular to both the common axis and the first axis; and
the inner member, intermediate annular and outer annular member are spaced apart with a gap between each of the members and in that the gaps and the concentricity of the intermediate annular member is maintained by the axles being fixed in the one or the other of the inner or outer member and intermediate annular members and supported in bearings (see also “bearings” at page 2, line 34) in the other,
wherein Fig. 2 shows an axle is supported in one of the bearings, wherein the said bearing is held in place against centrifugal forces by an engagement means engaging the bearing and the adjoining surface.
Fig. 1 shows two couplings like the one in Fig. 2, the couplings connected to together by a shaft (27) and each coupling connected to a drive shaft (8) and a driven shaft 31) respectively. Warner does not expressly disclose the shaft (27) being connected to the inner members of the couplings. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have the shaft (27) connected to the inner instead of the outer members since such a modification would have involved a mere shifting the location of the parts. Shifting the location of the parts is ordinarily within the skill of the art. In re Japikse 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4 & 6 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 7 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Conclusion
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/Greg Binda/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3679
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