DETAILED ACTION
This communication is a first office action on the merits. All currently pending claims have been considered below. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Objections
Claims 1 & 6 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1, line 11, the phrase "the at least one of the first cone and the second cone is configured to" should read "the at least one of the first cone and the second cone are configured to".
Claim 6, line 2, the phrase "first recess receives" appears to be a typo of "first recess that receives"
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 8, 9 & 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, regards as the invention.
Claim 8 recites "configured to limit a proximal movement and a distal movement of the slip with respect to he mandrel". The examiner is unclear as to what this movement entails in light of the specification. The claim appears to be directed to element 165 on mandrel 25 mating with recess 170 on the slips (present as-filed ¶ 114, further shown by dependent claim 9), but the examiner is still unclear what kind of movement is being excluded by this limitation. For example, does this limitation require that the slips are axially fixed on the mandrel? Claim 9 depends from claim 8.
Claim 11 recites "the mandrel comprises a full-bore mandrel". The structural metes and bounds of this are unclear in light of the specification. This feature is only discussed in as-filed ¶ 126, and there in the same language as claimed. It is unclear how or if this further limits parent claim 1, which already requires "a mandrel that defines an internal channel". Is the "bore" of claim 11 different than the "internal channel" of claim 1? Or are they the same feature redundantly recited with differing nomenclature?
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 8, & 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2018/0355689 (Bringham).
Independent claim 1. The examiner initially notes that Bringham discloses both a hydraulically set embodiment (figs 1-9A, ¶s 13-27, 82 & 83) and a rotationally set embodiment (figs 10-15A, ¶s 28-38, 82, & 85). Less of the features are numerically identified in figs 10-15A relative to figs 1-9A. When necessary, the examiner cites element numbers from figs 1-9A that are clearly shown in figs 10-15A, but which are not numbered in figs 10-15A.
Bringham discloses a tubing anchor catcher ("The anchor, which also serves as a catcher" - ¶ 80) comprising:
a mandrel ("inner mandrel 12" fig 10) that defines an internal channel (clearly shown in figs 11A-13A, inter alia);
a first cone (one of the two "cone pieces 17" - clearly shown in figs 1-3, 8B [not individually numbered], 10, 11A-15A);
a second cone (one of the other two "cone pieces 17" clearly shown, as cited above);
a cone coupler ("slip cage 19" - ¶ 88 & figs 3 & 10) that extends between the first cone and the second cone (cones 17 are mounted in 19 and 19 extends between 17 / spans the gap between 17 - figs 3, 8A, & 10) and that is configured to lock a rotational movement of the first cone to a rotational movement of the second cone (due to being mounted thereon); and
a slip that is at least partially disposed between the first cone and the second cone ("slip 20" - fig 10 & ¶ 55);
wherein the first cone and the second cone are coupled to the mandrel (fig 10) such that when the mandrel is rotated in a first direction with respect to at least one of the first cone and the second cone ("drag blocks 70" hold the outer assembly stationary relative to the internal setting rotation, as is well understood - ¶ 86; " rotationally set anchors" - ¶ 80; "In rotational embodiments, a J-slot (“Jay”) design may be used for easy setting and releasing with quarter-turn right-hand set, right-hand release... During setting and releasing, a setting mechanism, which may be in the form of a sleeve, moves axially toward a slip cage between a run-in or unset position and a set position" - ¶ 82), the at least one of the first cone and the second cone [are] configured to move to reduce a distance between the first cone and the second cone (transition between figs 11A-13A. "Setting sleeve 16" is attached to "cone 17 at 32 & 33 - ¶ 89. "Setting sleeve 16" attaches to 17 via "thru-slot 49" in "slip cage 19" because 16 is radially inside 19 - ¶s 11 & 89, figs 2, 3, & 10 [also shown in figs 11A-13A without 16 & 19 being numbered]. Axial movement of 16 brings the cones closer together: transition between figs 11A-13A) to force the slip to move laterally from the tubing anchor catcher (transition between figs 11A-13A), and
wherein the tubing anchor catcher lacks a cylindrical outer housing that extends around a circumference of, and that receives, the first cone and the second cone (no element "that extends around a circumference of, and that receives, the first and second cones" is taught).
2. The tubing anchor catcher of claim 1, wherein the first cone comprises a first slip protector that is coupled to and that extends laterally from the first cone (a raised "slip protector 30" - ¶s 59 & 84 - is shown on each end of "thru-slot 49" - figs 3 & 10).
3. The tubing anchor catcher of claim 1, wherein the second cone comprises a second slip protector that is coupled to and extends laterally from the second cone (a raised "slip protector 30" - ¶s 59 & 84 - is shown on each end of "thru-slot 49" - figs 3 & 10).
8. The tubing anchor catcher of claim 1, further comprising a slip retention mechanism that is configured to limit a proximal movement and a distal movement of the slip with respect to the mandrel ("thru-slot 49" - fig 11A shows slips within the thru-slot, which will limit its movement to only radial movement) where the tubing anchor catcher lacks the cylindrical outer housing (no outer housing is taught).
11. The tubing anchor catcher of claim 1, wherein the mandrel comprises a full-bore mandrel (fig 11A; the bore passes entirely through the mandrel).
Independent claim 12. A tubing anchor catcher ("The anchor, which also serves as a catcher" - ¶ 80) comprising:
a mandrel ("inner mandrel 12" fig 10) that defines an internal channel (clearly shown in figs 11A-13A, inter alia);
a first cone (one of the two "cone pieces 17" - clearly shown in figs 1-3, 8B [not individually numbered], 10, 11A-15A);
a second cone (one of the other two "cone pieces 17" clearly shown, as cited above);
a cone coupler ("slip cage 19" - ¶ 88 & figs 3 & 10) that extends between the first cone and the second cone (cones 17 are mounted in 19 and 19 extends between 17 / spans the gap between 17 - figs 3, 8A, & 10) and that locks a rotational movement of the first cone to a rotational movement of the second cone (due to being mounted thereon); and
a slip that is at least partially disposed between the first cone and the second cone ("slip 20" - fig 10 & ¶ 55);
wherein the first cone and the second cone are coupled to the mandrel (fig 10) such that when the mandrel is rotated in a first direction with respect to at least one of the first cone and the second cone ("drag blocks 70" hold the outer assembly stationary relative to the internal setting rotation, as is well understood - ¶ 86; " rotationally set anchors" - ¶ 80; "In rotational embodiments, a J-slot (“Jay”) design may be used for easy setting and releasing with quarter-turn right-hand set, right-hand release... During setting and releasing, a setting mechanism, which may be in the form of a sleeve, moves axially toward a slip cage between a run-in or unset position and a set position" - ¶ 82), the at least one of the first cone and the second cone moves to reduce a distance between the first cone and the second cone (transition between figs 11A-13A. "Setting sleeve 16" is attached to "cone 17 at 32 & 33 - ¶ 89. "Setting sleeve 16" attaches to 17 via "thru-slot 49" in "slip cage 19" because 16 is radially inside 19 - ¶s 11 & 89, figs 2, 3, & 10 [also shown in figs 11A-13A without 16 & 19 being numbered]. Axial movement of 16 brings the cones closer together: transition between figs 11A-13A) to force the slip to move laterally from the tubing anchor catcher (transition between figs 11A-13A), and wherein the first cone comprises a first slip protector that is coupled to and that extends laterally from the first cone (a raised "slip protector 30" - ¶s 59 & 84 - is shown on each end of "thru-slot 49" - figs 3 & 10).
13. The tubing anchor catcher of claim 12, wherein the tubing anchor catcher lacks a cylindrical outer housing that extends around a circumference of the first cone and a circumference of the second cone and that receives the first cone and the second cone (no element "that extends around a circumference of, and that receives, the first and second cones" is taught).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-7, 10, & 14-16 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.
Claim 9 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 17-22 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 4 recites that the "cone coupler comprises a first end that is fixedly coupled to either of the first cone and the second cone and a second end that is slidably coupled to the other of the first cone and the second cone". Claims 5 & 6 depend from claim 4. Claim 14 similarly recites "a first end of the cone coupler is fixedly coupled to the first cone and a second end of the cone coupler is slidably received in a recess defined in the second cone". Claim 15 depends from claim 14.
Bringham discloses that both the cones (17) are slidably connected to the cone connector (19) as shown in the transition between figures 11A-15A.
US 3,036,640 (Clark) teaches a tubing anchor catcher (title) comprising:
a mandrel (10, fig 1) that defines an internal channel (clearly shown);
a first cone (one of 16 or 30. Both are conical / frusto-conical);
a second cone (the other one of 16 or 30); and
a slip that is at least partially disposed between the first cone and the second cone ("a plurality of circumferentially spaced slips 26" - figs 1 & 2);
wherein the first cone and the second cone are coupled to the mandrel such that when the mandrel is rotated in a first direction with respect to at least one of the first cone and the second cone ("When the location in the well casing C is reached at which the anchor A is to be set, the tubular string B and the mandrel 10 are rotated to the left, or in a counterclockwise direction…" - ¶ bridging cols 3 & 4), the at least one of the first cone and the second cone is configured to move to reduce a distance between the first cone and the second cone ("…The frictional engagement of the drag blocks 48 against the wall of the casing will resist or prevent rotation of the drag body 41. Accordingly, the rotation of the spring 38 to the left will cause it to feed downwardly in the drag body 41, the spring pushing the slip ring 30 and the slips 26 downwardly along the body 10 and the expander 16 to expand the slips outwardly against the well casing to the positions illustrated in FIG. 2" - ibid) to force the slip to move laterally from the tubing anchor catcher (ibid), and
wherein the tubing anchor catcher lacks a cylindrical outer housing that extends around a circumference of, and that receives, the first cone and the second cone (no such housing is taught: figs 1 & 2).
The lower slip is fixed to the mandrel by "split shear ring 22" (shown by the transition between figs 1 & 2). However there is no "cone coupler that extends between the first cone and the second cone that is configured to lock a rotational movement of the first cone to a rotational movement o the second cone" and similarly, does not teach one of the cones being "fixedly coupled to" the "cone coupler". Adding the split shear ring 22 to the cone coupler of Bringham is not suggested by the references and would appear to be hindsight.
The same is similarly true of US 2015/0322740, with lower cone 63 and lower cone screw 63: one cone is fixed to the mandrel and there is no cone coupler as claimed.
Claim 7 recites "the cone coupler comprises a first catch that is configured to catch a portion of the slip[p to prevent the slip from overextending laterally from the tubing anchor." The prior art identified by the examiner does not teach nor suggest this feature in combination with the features of parent claim 1.
The same is similarly true of claims 9, 10, & 16.
Independent claim 17 recites similar features as found in claims 9 / 16. Claims 18-22 depend from claim 17.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Blake Michener whose telephone number is (571)270-5736. The examiner can normally be reached Approximately 9:00am to 6:00pm CT.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tara Schimpf can be reached at 571.270.7741. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BLAKE MICHENER/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3676
Prosecution Insights