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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This is a Non-final Office Action for application number 19/101,173 BALANCE MECHANISM MOUNTING APPARATUS filed on 2/4/2025. Claims 1-18 are pending.
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.
Claims 1-7 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by United States Patent No. 4,955,568 to O’Connor et al.
With regards to claim 1, the patent to O’Connor et al. teaches a device (30) having a housing (35) adapted to be removably attachable to a support (31), a platform (33) for supporting a payload (instrument/camera, See Col. 3, line 46 and Col. 6, line 66), the platform being attached to a casing (44, 150, 152) which is pivotally attached to the housing and rotatable with respect to the housing around an axis (42), wherein the casing has an annular cam (inner surface of 44) arranged within it, the cam being arranged concentrically with the axis and having an inner cam face (inner surface of 44, similar to the cam surface 106 of the present application). O’Connor et al. also teaches the apparatus further having a cam follower (56, 166) having a cam engagement surface adapted to engage with and follow the inner cam face on rotation of the cam (See Figures 6 and 7) around the axis, the cam follower being attached pivotally to the housing at a pivot point (104) at which is eccentric from axis (42), the cam follower further having a yoke engagement surface adapted to engage a yoke (108, 109, 110) and to transfer force between the cam follower and the yoke, wherein the yoke is configured to engage the yoke engagement surface at a yoke engagement point, the yoke being adapted to engage a spring arrangement (100) and transfer force between the yoke engagement surface and the spring arrangement, so that rotation of the casing relative to the housing provides a transmittal of a force between the platform and the spring arrangement, wherein the spring arrangement is arranged with a spring arrangement axis (104) substantially orthogonally with respect to the axis of cam rotation. (See Figure 6)
With regards to claim 2, O’Connor et al. teaches wherein the cam follower, the yoke and the spring arrangement are generally attached to the housing (35) and not directly to the casing (44) so that they do not rotate with the casing as the casing is rotated on tilting.
With regards to claim 3, O’Connor et al. teaches wherein the spring arrangement (100) is arranged substantially perpendicularly to the platform (33), when the platform is in a neutral position.
With regards to claim 4, O’Connor et al. teaches wherein the spring arrangement comprises two springs (100).
With regards to claim 5, O’Connor et al. teaches wherein the spring arrangement (100) comprises two or more springs arranged in parallel to one another. (See Figure 6)
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]With regards to claim 6, O’Connor et al. teaches wherein the yoke engagement surface of the cam follower has a substantially planar portion.
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With regards to claim 7, O’Connor et al. teaches wherein the yoke further comprises a spring roller (166) having a cylindrical portion in the region where the yoke engages with the yoke engagement surface of the cam follower, wherein the spring roller is rotatable. (See Col. 9 Lines 14-15, “166, 168 are rotatably coupled to whiffle tree support shafts 170, 172”)
With regards to claim 12, O’Connor et al. teaches wherein the spring arrangement (100) is arranged with the spring arrangement axis (104) at an angle relative to the perpendicular to the platform. (See Figure 1)
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 of this title, 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 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over United States Patent No. 4,955,568 to O’Connor et al.
With regards to claim 13, O’Connor et al. teaches wherein the spring arrangement (100) is arranged with the spring arrangement axis at an angle, however does not disclose the exact angle, but it would be obvious that the angle is approximately about 23 degrees relative to the perpendicular to the platform as shown closely by the figures. (See specifically Figure 6)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-11 and 14-18 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.
With regards to claim 8, the prior art does not teach, wherein the spring arrangement and yoke are mounted with respect to a slider block which is adapted to be moveable with respect to the housing.
With regards to claim 14, the prior art does not teach wherein the cam is a first cam, wherein the mounting apparatus further comprises a second cam arranged within the casing co-axially which is substantially identical to the first cam.
Cited References
PN 2014/0263932 to Schroeder et al. teaches a vibration isolator
PN 12,624,742 to Jing teaches a vibration isolator
PN 10,816,370 to Cerniway teaches a vibration isolator
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication should be directed to Amy J. Sterling at telephone number 571-272-6823 or to Supervisor Jonathan Liu at 571-272-8227 if the examiner cannot be reached. The examiner can normally be reached (Mon-Fri 8am-5:00pm). The fax machine number for the Technology center is 571-273-8300 (formal amendments), informal amendments or communications 571-273-6823. Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application should be directed to the Technology Center receptionist at 571-272-3600.
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/AMY J. STERLING/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3631 6/2/26
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