Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
Claims 1, 3, 17-18, 21-22 & 24-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Knepper, US 1,436,882. Knepper shows a scaffold or safety decking leg adapter (2) comprising:
a first shaped adapter part (see the left end of adapter 2 in Fig. 1) at a first end and with a first exterior dimension;
a second shaped adapter part (see the right end of adapter 2 in Fig. 1) at a second end opposite to the first end and with a second exterior dimension that is larger to the first exterior dimension;
a circular first bore portion (see Fig. 1) through the first shaped adapter part and with a first interior dimension;
a circular second bore portion 2b through the second shaped adapter part, in communication with the first bore portion and with a second interior dimension different to the first interior dimension;
a perpendicular abutment shoulder 2a between the first bore portion and the second bore portion;
a lateral flange 2c extending radially outwardly from the first shaped adapter part and/or the second shaped adapter part; and
a resilient and/or deformable shock absorbing member 3.
Claims 1-4, 6-8, 10, 17-18, 21-22 & 24-25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Spanio, US 5,048,366. Spanio shows a scaffold or safety decking leg adapter (2) comprising:
a first shaped adapter part 6 at a first end and with a first exterior dimension;
a second shaped adapter part 7 at a second end opposite to the first end and with a second exterior dimension that is larger to the first exterior dimension;
a circular first bore portion 30 through the first shaped adapter part and with a first interior dimension;
a circular second bore portion 8 through the second shaped adapter part, in communication with the first bore portion and with a second interior dimension different to the first interior dimension;
a perpendicular abutment shoulder (see Fig. 4) between the first bore portion and the second bore portion; and
a lateral flange 3 extending radially outwardly from the first shaped adapter part and/or the second shaped adapter part,
wherein the first and second shaped adapter parts have a rectangular outer shape (col. 1, lines 23-25),
wherein an outer shape of the first and second shaped adapter parts are formed by respective external surfaces of a plurality of ribs 9 (col. 2, lines 35-38).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11, 13-14 & 20 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.
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/Greg Binda/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3679
