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 § 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.
Claim 18 is 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 18 recites “wherein the expansion sleeve is formed to be massive at least
in a length region of the dividing wall”. What are the mets and bounds for the limitation “massive”.
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 1-5, 9, 10 and 12-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by DE 102015118757.
Regarding claim 1, ‘757 discloses a hydraulic expansion chuck with a central clamping opening (5) extending along a longitudinal central axis for receiving and clamping a tool shank and a pressure chamber, which surrounds the clamping opening and to which pressurized fluid can be applied (figures 1 and abstract), and which is delimited from the clamping opening by means of a radially elastically deformable dividing wall (6a/b: see English translation paragraph 28), characterized in wherein a plurality of expansion joints (8), which are distributed around the clamping opening and which extend along the longitudinal central axis (figures 2-6) and which are open towards the clamping opening and closed towards the pressure chamber, are formed in the dividing wall (figures 3-5).
Regarding claim 2, ‘757 discloses wherein the expansion joints (8) are equidistantly distributed around the longitudinal central axis (figure 4).
Regarding claim 3, ‘757 discloses wherein the expansion joints (8) are formed as axial slots with narrow cross section (8a) (figures 5 and 6).
Regarding claim 4, ‘757 discloses wherein the expansion joints (8), viewed in
direction of extension, have a U-shaped (broadly reading the term u-shaped), V-shaped or rectangular cross section (figure 6).
` Regarding claim 5, ‘757 discloses wherein the clamping opening (5) and the expansion joints (8) lead into a hollow space adjoining the clamping openings in the an axial direction (figures 5 and 6).
Regarding claim 9, ‘757 discloses wherein a maximum outer jacket diameter (DD) of the hydraulic expansion chuck lies in the a range of 2.6 to 2.9 times a diameter of the clamping opening diameter (D1) in the a length region of the clamping opening (see figure below).
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Regarding claim 10, ‘757 discloses wherein the pressure chamber forms two pressure spaces (9: see X1 and X2 above), which are axially spaced apart from one another and which are connected to one another by means of a ring channel (Y) (see figure above).
Regarding claim 12, ‘757 discloses a base body (2) extending along the longitudinal central axis and an expansion sleeve (3), which is arranged in a central receiving opening in the base body and which forms the radially elastically deformable dividing wall and which is connected on its two axial ends to the base body (2) so as to be sealed in a positive manner and/or by means of a substance-to-substance bond (figures 1-4).
Regarding claim 13, ‘757 discloses wherein the expansion sleeve (3) abuts on a base of the receiving opening (5) of the base body (2) in an axial direction (figure 1-4).
Regarding claim 14, ‘757 discloses wherein a front side of the expansion sleeve (3) is flush with a front side of the base body (2) (figure 2).
Regarding claim 15, ‘757 discloses measured from a front side of the expansion sleeve (3), the expansion joints (8) extend over a length in a range of 0.8 to 0.9 times the a length of the expansion sleeve (3) (figure 5).
Regarding claim 16, ‘757 discloses wherein the expansion sleeve (3) has a structured outer jacket surface representing the pressure chamber (English translation paragraph 26 recites “To form the pressure chamber, two depressions 9 which are axially spaced apart from one another and extend annularly around the wall 6 in the circumferential direction are formed on the outer side of the wall” (figure 5).
Regarding claim 17, ‘757 discloses wherein the receiving opening (5) is formed in a circular cylindrical manner (figures 3 and 4).
Regarding claim 18, ‘757 discloses wherein the expansion sleeve (3) is formed to be massive at least in a length region of the dividing wall (figure 5).
Claims 1-5, 12, 13 and 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by DE 202012104969.
Regarding claim 1, ‘969 discloses a hydraulic expansion chuck with a central clamping opening (8a) extending along a longitudinal central axis for receiving and clamping a tool shank and a pressure chamber (6a), which surrounds the clamping opening and to which pressurized fluid can be applied (figures 1 and 3), and which is delimited from the clamping opening by means of a radially elastically deformable dividing wall (6: see English translation paragraph 40), wherein a plurality of expansion joints (13), which are distributed around the clamping opening and which extend along the longitudinal central axis (figure 3) and which are open towards the clamping opening and closed towards the pressure chamber, are formed in the dividing wall (figure 1).
Regarding claim 2, ‘969 discloses wherein the expansion joints (13) are equidistantly distributed around the longitudinal central axis (figure 3).
Regarding claim 3, ‘969 discloses wherein the expansion joints (13) are formed as axial slots with narrow cross section (figure 3).
Regarding claim 4, ‘969 discloses wherein the expansion joints (13), viewed in
direction of extension, have a U-shaped, V-shaped or rectangular cross section (figure 3).
Regarding claim 5, ‘969 discloses wherein the clamping opening (8a) and the expansion joints (13) lead into a hollow space adjoining the clamping openings in the an axial direction (figure 3).
Regarding claim 12, ‘969 discloses a base body (1) extending along the longitudinal central axis and an expansion sleeve (7), which is arranged in a central receiving opening in the base body and which forms the radially elastically deformable dividing wall (6) and which is connected on its two axial ends to the base body (1) so as to be sealed in a positive manner and/or by means of a substance-to-substance bond (figures 1-3 and English translation paragraph 40).
Regarding claim 13, ‘969 discloses wherein the expansion sleeve (7) abuts on a base of the receiving opening (8a) of the base body (1) in an axial direction (figure 1).
Regarding claim 16, ‘969 discloses wherein the expansion sleeve (7) has a structured outer jacket surface representing the pressure chamber (English translation paragraph 40 (figure 1).
Regarding claim 17, ‘969 discloses wherein the receiving opening (8a) is formed in a circular cylindrical manner (figure 3).
Regarding claim 18, as best understood, ‘969 discloses wherein the expansion sleeve (7) is formed to be massive at least in a length region of the dividing wall (6).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 6-8 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DE 102015118757.
Regarding claims 6 and 8, ‘757 discloses the claimed invention (i.e. the pressure chamber extends radially inwards up to an inner extension diameter (D3), a diameter of the clamping opening diameter (D1) and the expansion joints (38) extend radially
outwards up to a diameter (D2) (see figure below), except for (D3) being the a range of 1.6 to 1.7 times (D1) nor (D2) being in a range of 1.54 to 1.58 times (D1). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify ‘757 such that the dimensions D1, D2 and D3 are chosen to a desired value depending on the size of the tool/chuck/tool shank size being held etc, being held by the chuck, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to to modify ‘757 such that the dimensions D1, D2 and D3 are chosen to a desired value depending on the size of the tool/chuck/tool shank size etc being held by the chuck.
Regarding claim 7, ‘757 discloses wherein the pressure chamber extends radially outwards up to an outer extension diameter (D4), which lies in the range of 1.05 to 1.15 times the inner extension diameter (D3) of the pressure chamber (see figure below).
Regarding claim 11, ‘757 discloses the claimed invention (i.e. clamping opening, dividing wall and pressure chamber) except for at least one length section of the hydraulic expansion chuck, the clamping opening, dividing wall and pressure chamber being formed in one piece. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to make the different components of ‘757 chuck one piece, since it has been held that constructing a formerly integral structure in various elements involves only routine skill in the art. Nerwin v. Erlichman, 168 USPQ 177, 179.
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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 9/18/26
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