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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-7 and 9-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yamada US 10,960,720 B2.
Yamada (see especially Figs. 3 and 4) discloses a method for imparting a rotational force between a towing vehicle and a trailer, said method comprising:
coupling said trailer 3 to a rear of said towing vehicle 2;
attaching a vehicle attachment portion 63 (upper) to said towing vehicle;
attaching a trailer attachment portion 61 (upper) to said trailer;
providing a cable 621 having a first end and a second end, extending said cable between said vehicle attachment portion and said trailer attachment portion, affixing said first and second ends to one of said vehicle attachment portion or said trailer attachment portion, passing said cable through the other of said vehicle attachment portion or trailer attachment portion; and
adding tension (via spring 64) to said cable to create said rotational force and distribute weight between said trailer and said towing vehicle (the changing cable lengths would distribute weight on at least a small scale);further providing a sheave 632, said sheave rotatable about a rotational axisfurther providing friction to said sheave to resist rotation about said rotational axis (there would be some friction between the sheave and the rope);positioning said first and second ends of said cable and said vehicle attachment portion to maintain said tension in said cable when said vehicle rotates with respect to said trailer in a yaw direction;tensiooning said first and second ends of said cable and said vehicle attachment portion to change said tension in said cable when said vehicle rotates with respect to said trailer in a pitch direction;wherein said vehicle attachment portion includes a sheave 631 vertically spaced from said coupling, said cable contacting said sheave; wherein said cable passes through said vehicle attachment portion and said first and second ends of said cable are attached to said trailer attachment portion.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8 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.
Claims 15-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claim 15 the prior art fails to disclose or suggest a weight distribution hitch having a ball and socket connection and a cable extending between a trailer and a towing vehicle and including the limitation of a tensioner having a drum rotatable about a drum axis, said drum having an aperture for receiving said cable, said drum having a clamp moveable between a clamped position and a released position, said clamp being clear of said aperture when said clamp is in said released position, when said clamp moves away from said released position toward said clamped position, a portion of said clamp extends into said aperture.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Kevin Hurley whose telephone number is (571)272-6646. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 9 am-5:30 pm Kevin.Hurley@USPTO.GOV.
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/KEVIN HURLEY/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3611
October 14, 2026
