DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1, 2, 4, 6-8, 10 and 18 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Draper et al. (US Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0145380) in view of Farrow et al. (US Patent No. 4,199,856).
In reference to claim 1, Draper discloses a sensor transportation apparatus 40 to convey a sensor assembly (par. 0031) through a bore (Fig. 7), the sensor transportation apparatus 40 comprising:
at least one engagement structure 52 to connect the sensor transportation apparatus 40 to the sensor assembly 54 (Fig. 5),
one or more wheels 48, each wheel 48 arranged to rotate on a bearing 44 or 46 (par. 0029) about an axis of rotation substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the bore in use (Figs. 5 and 6A).
Draper fails to disclose a lubrication system configured to provide a lubricant to the bearing, wherein the lubrication system comprises a reservoir with an elastomer diaphragm, and wherein an exterior side of the elastomer diaphragm is subject to an ambient bore pressure.
Farrow discloses a lubrication system configured to provide a lubricant 31 to the bearing 20, wherein the lubrication system comprises a reservoir 29 with an elastomer diaphragm 32, and wherein an exterior side of the elastomer diaphragm 32 is subject to an ambient bore pressure (Fig. 1). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a lubrication system with a reasonable expectation of success so that the bearing will be properly lubricated.
In reference to claim 2, Farrow discloses that the lubrication system comprises a valve 63 through which the lubricant may be injected to fill the reservoir 29 thereby stretching the elastomer diaphragm 32 (Figs. 2-4).
In reference to claim 4, Farrow discloses that the apparatus comprises a body 13 and the elastomer diaphragm 32 is sealed against the body 13 to form the reservoir 29 between an interior surface of the elastomer diaphragm 32 and a surface of the body 13 covered by the elastomer diaphragm (Fig. 1).
In reference to claim 6, Farrow discloses that the elastomer diaphragm 32 is connected to and sealed against the body 13 by a protective housing 36.
In reference to claim 7, Farrow discloses that the protective housing 36 comprises a port 39 to allow the ambient bore pressure to act on the exterior side of the elastomer diaphragm 32 (Fig. 1).
In reference to claim 8, Farrow discloses that the apparatus comprises a seal 19 to limit or control a flow of the lubricant 31 from the reservoir 29 through the bearing 20 to the bore ambient environment (Fig. 1).
In reference to claim 10, Draper discloses that the sensor transportation apparatus 40 comprises a body 42. Farrow discloses that the lubrication system comprises one or more outlet channels 14 extending from the reservoir 29 through the body 13, each outlet channel 14 terminating in an outlet port 43 to deliver the lubricant to a corresponding said bearing 20 (Fig. 3).
In reference to claim 18, Draper does not disclose any details for bearings 44 and 46. However, the examiner takes Official Notice that bearings are known in the art to be either ball bearings or bush bearings. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use a ball or bush bearing in place of the generic bearing with a reasonable expectation of success as it amounts to a substitution of equivalents to perform the same function, which is in this case to function as a bearing.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 5, 9, 11-17 and 19 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Elstone (US Patent No. 7,685,946) discloses a downhole transportation apparatus (Fig. 1); and Illakowicz (US Patent No. 4,838,170) discloses a downhole transportation apparatus (Figs. 1 and 2).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRAD HARCOURT whose telephone number is (571)272-7303. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, 9am to 6pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Doug Hutton can be reached at (571)272-4137. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BRAD HARCOURT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3674
3/23/26