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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 1/16/26 has been entered.
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) 1-4, 6, 10-11, 16-19, and 26-29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Patent Application 2003/0001323 to Hettler.
Re: claims 1-4, 16-18, and 26. Hettler shows in figures 1 and 2 a bush for inserting into a housing 25, the bush comprising: an outer anchor part 2 having a tubular sidewall defining a bore; an inner anchor part 4 within the bore; a first resilient portion 5 extending between the outer anchor part 2 and the inner anchor part 4 and operably engaged with the outer anchor part and the inner anchor part to isolate vibrations therebetween; a second resilient portion top element 3, 12 positioned along an outer surface of the sidewall before and after the bush is inserted
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into the housing 25 as shown in figure 6 and configured in use to contact the housing; wherein the second resilient portion top element 3, 12 comprises a protruding portion 3, 12 which protrudes above the outer surface of the sidewall and is configured in use to contact the housing as shown in figure 6, wherein the outer surface of the sidewall comprises a pushout surface, as labeled, adjacent the protruding portion, wherein, before the bush is inserted into the housing, the pushout surface is exposed as shown in figure 2, and wherein the second resilient portion top element 3, 12 is configured such that, when the bush is inserted into the housing, a part of the protruding portion moves onto the pushout surface (since a downward compression results in a lateral extension along the pushout surface) such that a pushout force is exerted on the housing by the pushout surface via the part of the protruding portion laterally extended over the pushout surface wherein the outer surface of the sidewall comprises a circumferential groove or the recessed portion shown to the right of the labeled flange portion extending in a circumferential direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal direction around a circumference of the outer anchor part and wherein the second resilient portion or top element 3, 12 is disposed in the circumferential groove, and wherein the circumferential groove is recessed from the outer surface or particularly the outer surface of the flange portion by a constant radial depth along a length of the circumferential groove in the circumferential direction as shown. With regard to claim 26, Hettler shows in figures 1 and 2 wherein the outer surface of the sidewall comprises a perimetrical groove shown to the right of the labeled flange portion extending in a perimetrical direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal direction around a perimeter of the outer anchor part and wherein the second resilient portion or top element 3, 12 is disposed in the perimetrical groove as shown, and wherein the perimetrical groove has a length (circumferential length) in the perimetrical direction which is greater than a width, as labeled, of the perimetrical groove in the longitudinal direction as shown.
Re: claim 6. Hettler shows in figures 1 and 2 the bush comprising a plurality of intermediate resilient portions or portions of element 5 extending through the different cutouts 10, 11 interposed between the first resilient portion 5 and the second resilient portion top element 3, 12, wherein the outer anchor part 2 comprises a plurality of apertures 10, 11 extending through the sidewall, and wherein each of the plurality of intermediate resilient portions or portions of element 5 in the cutouts extends through a corresponding one of the plurality of apertures.
Re: claim 10. Hettler shows in figure 2 wherein the first resilient portion (which in one interpretation may be considered the right portion of element 5) and the second resilient portion (which in the one interpretation may be considered the left portion of top element 3 and 12) are longitudinally offset from each other.
Re: claim 11. Hettler shows in figures 2 and 7 wherein a first or right end of the bush is configured to be inserted into the housing 25 and wherein the pushout surface, as labeled, is between the protruding portion 12 and a second or left end of the bush, the second end being opposite the first end.
Re: claims 27-29. Hettler shows in figures 2 and 7 the limitation wherein an intermediate resilient portion or portion of element 5 extending through cutouts 10, 11 interposed between the first and second resilient portions, wherein the outer anchor part 2 comprises an aperture 10 or 11 extending through the sidewall, and the intermediate resilient portion extends through the aperture as shown in figure 2.
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.
Claim(s) 9 and 12-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hettler in view of JP-2014145471 (JP’471).
Re: claim 9. Hettler shows in figure 2 an outer surface of the second resilient portion or top element 3, 12 but is silent with regards to it comprising a rib.
JP’471 teaches in figure 4(d) the use of a rib 32 or protruded portion extending from the base of the outer surface portions 32a, 32b.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the outer surface of the second resilient portion of Hettler to have comprised a rib, in view of the teachings of JP’471, in order to provide a means of improving axial retention of the bush with respect to the housing as the rib or further protruded portion increases contact area and friction with the housing to help reduce axial sliding.
Re: claim 12. Hettler shows in figure 2 the pushout surface, but is silent with regard to the pushout surface comprising a recess for receiving the part of the protruding portion which moves onto the pushout surface.
JP’471 teaches in figures 6a-c the use of a pushout surface comprising a recess 223a for receiving the part of the protruding portion which moves onto the pushout surface.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the pushout surface of Hettler to have comprised a recess, in view of the teachings of JP’471, in order to provide a reduced force on the housing once it is connected by having the protruding portion more recessed depending on the particular application needs to facilitate future decoupling such as for a repair.
Re: claim 13. Hettler, as modified, teaches the recess but is silent with regard to the recess being spaced from the protruding portion.
JP’471 teaches in figure 6a wherein the recess at the end of the lead line of 223a particularly the longitudinal bottom of which is spaced, particularly longitudinally spaced, from the protruding portion 232.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the recess of Hettler, as modified, to have been spaced from the protruding portion, in view of the teachings of JP’471, in order to provide varying pushout forces on the housing along the longitudinal direction depending on the needs of the particular application.
Re: claim 14. Hettler, as modified, teaches the recess, but is silent with regard to the specifically recited limitation in claims 14 and 23.
JP’471 teaches in figures 6a wherein the recess 223a (the longitudinally bottom portion of which) is longitudinally spaced from the protruding portion by a first distance or a short distance immediately below the protruding portion 232 and wherein a protruding portion 232 length such as that shown in figure 6a in a longitudinal direction is greater than the first short distance, as broadly recited.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the relative lengths of the distance of the recess from the protruding portion and the length of the protruding portion of Hettler, as modified, to have been such that length of the protruding portion was greater than the length of the distance of the recess from the protruding portion, in view of the teachings of JP’471, in order to provide a means of increasing the pushout force on the housing once the bush is inserted (by providing more protruding portion than space to accommodate it causing excess protruding portion to bulge radially outward) depending on the needs of the particular application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 1/16/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Upon further review Examiner notes that Hettler shows the limitation of the circumferential or perimetrical groove wherein the groove is recessed from the outer surface by a constant radial depth along the length of the groove in a circumferential direction and shows the length of the groove being greater than the width. Examiner maintains that in annotated figure 2 the labeled flange portion has the outer surface and the recessed or depressed portion shown to the right of the labeled flange portion is the recited circumferential groove, as broadly recited. Examiner also notes that the length of the circumferential groove is greater than the labeled width. Accordingly, the above rejections using the Hettler reference have been maintained.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MELODY M BURCH whose telephone number is (571)272-7114. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 6:30AM-3PM, generally.
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mmb
March 3, 2026
/MELODY M BURCH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616