DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the AIA first to invent provisions. 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 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.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1, lines 6-7 recite “the bottom axle being connected with the top clamping plate” which appears that it should recite - - the bottom axle being connected with the bottom clamping plate - - per e.g. paragraph [0114] in the instant specification which recites “bottom axle 208b may be coupled with and/or extend through a bottom clamping plate 120b.” Nowhere does the instant specification disclose or suggest that the bottom axle is connected with the top clamping plate other than by way of intermediate structure e.g. fasteners 70 and the bottom clamping plate 120b.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ilan (IL 289441 A; “Ilan”).
Regarding claim 1:
A flywheel (10; FIG. 1A) comprising:
two or more clamping plates (60; alternatively 60, 20A, 20B) including a bottom clamping plate and a top clamping plate (¶ [0034]; “each securing member 60 faces outer face 21 of a respective one of first plate 20A and second plate 20B”; FIG. 1A depicts clamping plates 60 on the very top and very bottom of the unit) using a plurality of fasteners (70), the bottom clamp plate being physically distanced from the top clamping plate (depicted in FIG. 1A, see MPEP § 2125; ¶ [0034]; “each securing member 60 faces outer face 21 of a respective one of first plate 20A and second plate 20B”; FIG. 1A depicts clamping plates 60 on the very top and very bottom of the unit i.e. physically distanced in the axial direction),
two or more axles (30) including a top axle and a bottom axle (¶ [0034], “each shaft 30 is secured to a respective securing member 60 and extends therefrom”; FIG. 1A depicts one axle on the top clamping plate and one axle on the bottom clamping plate), the bottom axle being physically disconnected from the top axle (¶ [0034], “each shaft” indicating separate shafts i.e. physically disconnected shafts), the bottom axle being connected with the bottom [top] clamping plate and the top axle being connected with the top clamping plate (¶ [0034], “Each shaft 30 extends from a respective one of first plate 20Aand second plate 20B”; FIG. 1A depicts the bottom axle 30 connected with the bottom clamp plate 20B, and the top axle 30 connected with the top clamp plate 20A); and
the plurality of fasteners coupling the top clamping plate with the bottom clamping plate (¶ [0035] describes fasteners 70 using a “screw mechanism” which causes a clamping force on the massive plates 20 via the clamping plates 60).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL D YABUT whose telephone number is (571)270-5526. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor John Olszewski can be reached on (571) 272-2706. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/DANIEL D YABUT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3656