DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Germany on 4/23/2024. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the German application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites, “wherein the coupling bushing or the bushing body or the securing part is/are designed such that the establishment of the axially secured state is decoupled spatially and/or temporally from a tangential securing of the connection between the head part and the sealing part.” The Examiner does not know exactly what this means, and is unable to determine the metes and bounds of the claim.
Claim 2 recites, “the coupling bushing or the bushing body or the securing part is/are configured such that the axially secured state can be produced independently of the angular position between the head part and the sealing part - at least in sections in the circumferential direction and preferably over a complete circumference.” The Examiner does not know exactly what this means, and is unable to determine the metes and bounds of the claim.
Regarding claims 3 and 5-7, the phrase "preferably" renders the claim(s) indefinite because the claim(s) include(s) elements not actually disclosed (those encompassed by "preferably"), thereby rendering the scope of the claim(s) unascertainable.
Claim 5 recites “it”; however, it is not clear to the Examiner exactly what “it” is referencing within the context of the claim.
Claim 10 recites, “wherein the coupling bushing or the bushing body or the securing part is/are designed such that the axially secured state is established after the connection between the head part and the sealing part has been tangentially secured.” The Examiner does not know what this means, and is unable to determine the metes and bounds of the claim.
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, 4-7 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by DE 102021124681, Ginczek.
In regards to claim 1, in Figures 1-15 and paragraphs detailing said figures, Ginczek discloses a coupling bushing comprising a bushing body and a retainer (12), the bushing body having a connecting section (10, 22) and a coupling section (2), the retainer being arranged in the coupling section, the coupling section being configured to receive a complementary coupling plug, the connecting section being connectable or connected to a tube or an aggregate, wherein a fluid channel of the bushing body fluidically connects the coupling section and the connecting section to one another, wherein a center axis of the coupling section defines an axial, a radial and a circumferential direction of the coupling section, said bushing body having a head part (10, 22) and a sealing part (2), said head part and said sealing part being manufactured separately from each other and being connected or connectable to each other via a connection at an angular position in a circumferential direction, said head part at least partially comprising said coupling section, the sealing part at least partially comprising the connecting section, the coupling bushing comprising a securing part (12) for connecting the head part and the sealing part, the securing part defining an axially secured state in which the head part and the sealing part are axially secured to one another by the securing part, wherein the coupling bushing or the bushing body or the securing part is/are designed such that the establishment of the axially secured state is decoupled spatially and/or temporally from a tangential securing of the connection between the head part and the sealing part.
In regards to claim 4, in Figures 1-15 and paragraphs detailing said figures, Ginczek discloses the coupling bushing is configured such that the securing part can be inserted or is inserted in the radial direction into the bushing body in order to establish the axially secured state.
In regards to claim 5, in Figures 1-15 and paragraphs detailing said figures, Ginczek discloses the bushing body has a securing groove (near 50), wherein the securing part and/or the bushing body is/are preferably configured such that the securing part engages at least partially in the securing groove when it is inserted into the bushing body and/or during the axially secured state.
In regards to claim 6, in Figures 1-15 and paragraphs detailing said figures, Ginczek discloses the securing part is manufactured separately from the sealing part and/or the head part and is preferably movable in the axially secured state relative to the bushing body and/or to the sealing part and/or to the head part.
In regards to claim 7, in Figures 1-15 and paragraphs detailing said figures, Ginczek discloses the securing part is U-shaped and is preferably formed as a wire bow.
In regards to claim 10, in Figures 1-15 and [0031]-[0076], Ginczek discloses method for producing a coupling bushing, wherein the coupling bushing has a bushing body and a retainer, wherein the bushing body comprises a connecting section and a coupling section, wherein the retainer is arranged or can be arranged in the coupling section , the coupling section being designed to receive a complementary coupling plug, the connecting section being connectable or connected to a tube or an aggregate, wherein a fluid channel of the bushing body fluidically connects the coupling section and the connecting section to one another, wherein a center axis of the coupling section defines an axial, a radial and a circumferential direction of the coupling section, said bushing body comprising a head part and a sealing part, said head part and said sealing part being manufactured separately from each other and connected to each other via a connection at an angular position in a circumferential direction, said head part at least partially comprising said coupling section, the sealing part at least partially comprises the connecting section, the coupling bushing comprising a securing part for connecting the head part and the sealing part, the securing part defining an axially secured state in which the head part and the sealing part are axially secured to one another by the securing part, wherein the coupling bushing or the bushing body or the securing part is/are designed such that the axially secured state is established after the connection between the head part and the sealing part has been tangentially secured.
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, 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(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ginczek.
In regards to claim 8, Ginczek discloses the claimed invention except for the retainer comprising metal. It 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 to fabricate the retainer from metal, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure because it illustrates the claimed invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AARON M DUNWOODY whose telephone number is (571)272-7080. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 6:00 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, Matthew Troutman can be reached at 571-270-3654. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AARON M DUNWOODY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3679
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