DETAILED ACTION
This application is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Drawings
The drawings are acceptable.
Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 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 1-6, 8-14, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chinese Patent Publication No. 105500747 A to Wang, which discloses:
Claim 1: A compound toggle submechanism for use with a compound toggle system to apply a force to an external object, the compound toggle submechanism comprising:
a crank bar 2 rigidly coupled to a drive shaft 2 of the compound toggle system and configured to rotate when the drive shaft 2 rotates;
a plurality of pull bars 3, 4 coupled to the crank bar 2, a portion of each pull bar 3, 4 configured to rotate about the drive shaft 2;
a plurality of linear toggles 7, 8 coupled to the pull bars 3, 4, each linear toggle configured to move linearly in a horizontal direction (along horizontal guide blocks 5, 6) when the drive shaft 2 rotates;
a plurality of coupling toggles 9, 10 coupled to the linear toggles, each coupling toggle configured to rotate and move when the drive shaft rotates;
a plurality of three-axis toggles 11, 12 coupled to the coupling toggles, each three-axis toggle configured to rotate about a respective one of a plurality of fixed points when the drive shaft rotates (see FIG. 1);
a plurality of bar toggles 15, 16 coupled to the three-axis toggles, each bar toggle configured to rotate about an upper opening on the respective three-axis toggle when the drive shaft rotates; and
an object connector 17 coupled to the bar toggles, the object connector configured to connect to the external object and to move in a vertical direction when the drive shaft rotates.
Claim 2: The compound toggle submechanism of claim 1, wherein
the crank bar 2 includes a left side lobe and a right side lobe, each side lobe configured to rotate about the drive shaft (as shown in FIG. 1, the crankshaft 2 includes lobes that allow reciprocation of connecting rods 3, 4), and
the pull bars 3, 4 include a left side pull bar 3 coupled to the left side lobe and a right side pull bar 4 coupled to the right side lobe such that a portion of one of the left side pull bar 3 or the right side pull bar 4 is configured to move above the drive shaft 2 when the drive shaft 2 rotates and a portion of the other of the left side pull bar 3 or the right side pull bar 4 is configured to move below the drive shaft 2 when the drive shaft 2 rotates.
Claim 3: The compound toggle submechanism of claim 2, wherein the left side pull bar 3 includes a first concave portion and the right side pull bar 4 includes a second concave portion and the first concave portion and the second concave portion are each positioned adjacent to the drive shaft 2 when the drive shaft 2 rotates in a first direction.
Claim 4: The compound toggle submechanism of claim 1, wherein the linear toggles include a left side linear toggle 7 coupled to a left side pull bar 3, the left side linear toggle 7 configured to slide on a left side linear toggle rail 5 when the drive shaft 2 rotates, and a right side linear toggle 8 coupled to a right side pull bar 4, the right side linear toggle 8 configured to slide on a right side linear toggle rail 6 when the drive shaft 2 rotates.
Claim 5: The compound toggle submechanism of claim 1, wherein the coupling toggles 9, 10 include
a left side coupling toggle 9 coupling a left side linear toggle 7 to a left side three-axis toggle 11, the left side coupling toggle 9 configured to convert the linear motion of the left side linear toggle 7 into rotational motion for the left side three-axis toggle 11, and
a right side coupling toggle 10 coupling a right side linear toggle 8 to a right side three-axis toggle 12, the right side coupling toggle 10 configured to convert the linear motion of the right side linear toggle 8 into rotational motion for the right side three-axis toggle 12.
Claim 6: The compound toggle submechanism of claim 1, wherein the three-axis toggles include
a left side three-axis toggle 11 coupled to a left side coupling toggle 9 and a left side bar toggle 15 such that the left side coupling toggle 9 and a portion of the left side bar toggle 15 each rotate about a left side fixed point when the drive shaft rotates 2, and
a right side three-axis toggle 12 coupled to a right side coupling toggle 10 and a right side bar toggle 16 such that the right side coupling toggle 10 and a portion of the right side bar toggle 16 each rotate about a right side fixed point when the drive shaft 2 rotates.
Claim 8: The compound toggle submechanism of claim 1, wherein the bar toggles include
a left side bar toggle configured to rotate about a left side opening of the object connector when the drive shaft rotates, and
a right side bar toggle configured to rotate about a right side opening of the object connector when the drive shaft rotates.
Claim 9: A compound toggle submechanism for use with a compound toggle system to apply a force to an external object, the compound toggle submechanism comprising:
a crank bar 2 rigidly coupled to a drive shaft 2 of the compound toggle system and configured to rotate when the drive shaft 2 rotates, the crank bar 2 including a left side lobe and a right side lobe (as shown in FIG. 1, the crankshaft 2 includes lobes that allow reciprocation of connecting rods 3, 4), each side lobe configured to rotate about the drive shaft;
a left side pull bar 3 coupled to the left side lobe, a portion of the left side pull bar 3 configured to rotate about the drive shaft 2;
a right side pull bar 4 coupled to the right side lobe, a portion of the right side pull bar 4 configured to rotate about the drive shaft 2;
a left side linear toggle 7 coupled to the left side pull bar 3, the left side linear toggle 7 configured to move linearly when the drive shaft 2 rotates;
a right side linear toggle 8 coupled to the right side pull bar 4, the right side linear toggle 8 configured to move linearly when the drive shaft 2 rotates;
a left side coupling toggle 9 coupled to the left side linear toggle 7, the left side coupling toggle 9 configured to rotate and move when the drive shaft 2 rotates;
a right side coupling toggle 10 coupled to the right side linear toggle 8, the right side coupling toggle 10 configured to rotate and move when the drive shaft 2 rotates;
a left side three-axis toggle 11 coupled to the left side coupling toggle 9, the left side three-axis toggle 11 configured to rotate about a left side fixed point when the drive shaft 2 rotates;
a right side three-axis toggle 12 coupled to the right side coupling toggle 10, the right side three-axis toggle 12 configured to rotate about a right side fixed point when the drive shaft 2 rotates;
a left side bar toggle 15 coupled to the left side three-axis toggle 11, the left side bar toggle 15 configured to rotate about an upper opening on the left side three-axis toggle 11 when the drive shaft 2 rotates;
a right-side bar toggle 16 coupled to the right side three-axis toggle 12, the right-side bar toggle 16 configured to rotate about an upper opening on the right side three-axis toggle 12 when the drive shaft rotates 2; and
an object connector 17 coupled to the left side bar toggle 15 and the right-side bar toggle 16, the object connector 17 configured to connect to the external object and to move in a vertical direction when the drive shaft 2 rotates.
Claim 10: The compound toggle submechanism of claim 9, wherein a portion of one of the left side pull bar 3 or the right side pull bar 4 is configured to move above the drive shaft 2 when the drive shaft 2 rotates and a portion of the other of the left side pull bar 3 or the right side pull bar 4 is configured to move below the drive shaft 2 when the drive shaft 2 rotates.
Claim 11: The compound toggle submechanism of claim 10, wherein the left side pull bar 3 includes a first concave portion and the right side pull bar 4 includes a second concave portion and the first concave portion and the second concave portion are each positioned adjacent to the drive shaft 2 when the drive shaft 2 rotates in a first direction.
Claim 12: The compound toggle submechanism of claim 9, wherein the left side linear toggle 7 is configured to slide on a left side linear toggle rail 5 when the drive shaft 2 rotates, and the right side linear toggle 8 is configured to slide on a right side linear toggle rail 6 when the drive shaft 2 rotates.
Claim 13: The compound toggle submechanism of claim 9, wherein the left side coupling toggle 9 is configured to convert the linear motion of the left side linear toggle 7 into rotational motion for the left side three-axis toggle 11, and the right side coupling toggle 10 is configured to convert the linear motion of the right side linear toggle 8 into rotational motion for the right side three-axis toggle 12.
Claim 14: The compound toggle submechanism of claim 9, wherein the left side coupling toggle 9 and a portion of the left side bar toggle 15 each rotate about the left side fixed point when the drive shaft 2 rotates, and the right side coupling toggle 10 and a portion of the right side bar toggle 16 each rotate about the right side fixed point when the drive shaft 2 rotates.
Claim 16: The compound toggle submechanism of claim 9, wherein the left side bar toggle 15 [is] configured to rotate about a left side opening of the object connector 17 when the drive shaft 2 rotates and the right side bar toggle 16 [is] configured to rotate about a right side opening of the object connector 17 when the drive shaft 2 rotates.
Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 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, 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 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Chinese Patent Publication No. 105500747 A to Wang, in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0009420 A1 to Bruno, SR. et al.
Claim 17: Wang discloses a compound toggle submechanism for use with a compound toggle system to apply a force to an external object, the compound toggle submechanism comprising:
a crank bar 2 rigidly coupled to a drive shaft 2 of the compound toggle system and configured to rotate when the drive shaft 2 rotates, the crank bar including a left side lobe and a right side lobe (as shown in FIG. 1, the crankshaft 2 includes lobes that allow reciprocation of connecting rods 3, 4), each side lobe configured to rotate about the drive shaft 2;
a left side pull bar 3 coupled to the left side lobe, a portion of the left side pull bar 3 configured to rotate about the drive shaft 2 and move above or below the drive shaft 2;
a right side pull bar 4 coupled to the right side lobe, a portion of the right side pull bar 4 configured to rotate about the drive shaft 2 and move above or below the drive shaft 2;
a left side linear toggle 7 coupled to the left side pull bar 3, the left side linear toggle 7 configured to move linearly along a left side toggle rail 5 when the drive shaft 2 rotates;
a right side linear toggle 8 coupled to the right side pull bar 4, the right side linear toggle 8 configured to move linearly along a right side toggle rail 6 when the drive shaft 2 rotates;
a left side coupling toggle 9 coupled to the left side linear toggle 7, the left side coupling toggle 9 configured to rotate and move when the drive shaft 2 rotates;
a right side coupling toggle 10 coupled to the right side linear toggle 8, the right side coupling toggle 10 configured to rotate and move when the drive shaft 2 rotates;
a left side three-axis toggle 11 coupled to the left side coupling toggle 9, the left side three-axis toggle 11 configured to rotate about a left side fixed point when the drive shaft 2 rotates;
a right side three-axis toggle 12 coupled to the right side coupling toggle 10, the right side three-axis toggle 12 configured to rotate about a right side fixed point when the drive shaft 2 rotates;
a left side bar toggle 15 coupled to the left side three-axis toggle 11, the left side bar toggle 15 configured to rotate about an upper opening on the left side three-axis toggle 11 when the drive shaft 2 rotates;
a right side bar toggle 16 coupled to the right side three-axis toggle 12, the right side bar toggle 16 configured to rotate about an upper opening on the right side three-axis toggle 12 when the drive shaft 2 rotates; and
an object connector 17 coupled to the left side bar toggle 15 and the right side bar toggle 16, the object connector 17 configured to connect to the external object and to move in a vertical direction when the drive shaft 2 rotates.
Wang does not expressly disclose a base plate rigidly coupled to a frame of the compound toggle system, the base plate including a left side opening corresponding to the left side fixed point and a right side opening corresponding to the right side fixed point.
Bruno teaches another compound toggle submechanism, in which a base plate 16 [is] rigidly coupled to a frame 22 of the compound toggle system, the base plate including a left side opening corresponding to the left side fixed point and a right side opening corresponding to the right side fixed point (see FIG. 10).
In view of the Bruno teaching, the Office finds that it would have been obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective date of filing to modify the compound toggle submechanism of Wang, such that the submechanism further comprises a base plate rigidly coupled to a frame of the compound toggle system, the base plate including a left side opening corresponding to a left side fixed point and a right side opening corresponding to the right side fixed point, as taught by Bruno, in order to provide a frame and enclosure for the submechanism.
Claim 18: Wang discloses wherein the left side coupling toggle 9 is configured to convert the linear motion of the left side linear toggle 7 into rotational motion for the left side three-axis toggle 11, and the right side coupling toggle 10 is configured to convert the linear motion of the right side linear toggle 8 into rotational motion for the right side three-axis toggle 12. Thus, the compound toggle submechanism recited in Claim 18 is rendered obvious over the combination of Wang and Bruno.
Claim 19: Wang discloses wherein the left side coupling toggle 9 and a portion of the left side bar toggle 15 each rotate about the left side fixed point when the drive shaft 2 rotates, and the right side coupling toggle 10 and a portion of the right side bar toggle 16 each rotate about the right side fixed point when the drive shaft 2 rotates. Thus, the compound toggle submechanism recited in Claim 19 is rendered obvious over the combination of Wang and Bruno.
Claim 20: Wang discloses wherein the left side bar toggle 15 [is] configured to rotate about a left side opening of the object connector 17 when the drive shaft 2 rotates and the right side bar toggle 16 [is] configured to rotate about a right side opening of the object connector 17 when the drive shaft 2 rotates. Thus, the compound toggle submechanism recited in Claim 20 is rendered obvious over the combination of Wang and Bruno.
Claims 7 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Chinese Patent Publication No. 105500747 A to Wang, as applied to Claims 6 and 14 above, respectively, and further in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0009420 A1 to Bruno, SR. et al.
Claim 7: Wang discloses the compound toggle submechanism of claim 6, but does not expressly disclose a base plate rigidly coupled to a frame of the compound toggle system, the base plate including a left side opening corresponding to a left side fixed point and a right side opening corresponding to the right side fixed point.
Bruno teaches another compound toggle submechanism, in which a base plate 16 [is] rigidly coupled to a frame 22 of the compound toggle system, the base plate including a left side opening corresponding to the left side fixed point and a right side opening corresponding to the right side fixed point (see FIG. 10).
In view of the Bruno teaching, the Office finds that it would have been obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective date of filing to modify the compound toggle submechanism of Wang, such that the submechanism further comprises a base plate rigidly coupled to a frame of the compound toggle system, the base plate including a left side opening corresponding to a left side fixed point and a right side opening corresponding to the right side fixed point, as taught by Bruno, in order to provide a frame and enclosure for the submechanism.
Claim 15: Wang discloses the compound toggle submechanism of claim 14, but does not expressly disclose a base plate rigidly coupled to a frame of the compound toggle system, the base plate including a left side opening corresponding to the left side fixed point and a right side opening corresponding to the right side fixed point.
Bruno teaches another compound toggle submechanism, in which a base plate 16 [is] rigidly coupled to a frame 22 of the compound toggle system, the base plate including a left side opening corresponding to the left side fixed point and a right side opening corresponding to the right side fixed point (see FIG. 10).
In view of the Bruno teaching, the Office finds that it would have been obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective date of filing to modify the compound toggle submechanism of Wang, such that the submechanism further comprises a base plate rigidly coupled to a frame of the compound toggle system, the base plate including a left side opening corresponding to a left side fixed point and a right side opening corresponding to the right side fixed point, as taught by Bruno, in order to provide a frame and enclosure for the submechanism.
Conclusion
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/RANDELL J KRUG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3618