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 .
This is a non-final Office action responsive to the reply filed on 07/20/2026.
Claims 15 and 16 have been amended.
Claims 1-20 are pending.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 08/20/2026 has been entered.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, from claim 15:
a lever member having an execution end
an elastic check claw elastically deflectably arranged on the operating mechanism at the execution end
a locking element arranged on the operating mechanism at the execution end
must be shown from the elected figures 15-18 or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Paragraph [0066], line 5 “the connecting plate 2101” should be - - the connecting plate 2021 - -.
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.
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 15-20 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 15 recites the limitation "execution end" in line 11. It is not clearly understood if the execution end for the lever member is the same for the elastic check claw and the locking element. Appears to be different parts as depicted on figure 18.
Claims 16-20 are rejected as being dependent upon a rejected claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee (US Patent No. 6,648,301).
Regarding claim 15, Lee discloses an anti-jamming ratchet-type tensioning device, comprising:
a base (see annotated Fig. 2);
a winding and unwinding mechanism rotatably mounted on the base, the winding and unwinding mechanism comprising a ratchet wheel with gear teeth (see annotated Fig. 2); and
an operating mechanism comprising an operation part wherein the operating mechanism is operably connected to the ratchet wheel to control rotation and locking of the ratchet wheel (see annotated Fig. 2);
wherein:
the operation part comprises:
a lever member having an execution end arranged toward the winding and unwinding mechanism (see annotated Fig. 2);
an elastic check claw elastically deflectably arranged on the operating mechanism at the execution end and at least partially located within a rotation radius of the ratchet wheel (see annotated Fig. 2),
wherein the elastic check claw is configured such that:
when the ratchet wheel tends to rotate counterclockwise, the gear teeth are blocked from passing, thereby locking the ratchet wheel (see annotated Fig. 2); and
when the ratchet wheel rotates clockwise, the gear teeth are capable of pushing the elastic check claw to elastically deflect and yield, allowing the gear teeth to slide past (see annotated Fig. 2);
further comprising an elastic reset element acting on the elastic check claw to provide a resetting elastic force to the elastic check claw to continuously keep the elastic check claw in a tendency to contact the gear teeth of the ratchet wheel (see annotated Fig. 2);
a locking element arranged on the operating mechanism at the execution end to selectively enter the rotation radius of the ratchet wheel to restrict a clockwise rotation of the ratchet wheel or exit the rotation radius of the ratchet wheel to allow a clockwise rotation of the ratchet wheel (see annotated Fig. 2),
wherein the locking element and the elastic check claw are separate and independent components having mutually independent movements (see annotated Fig. 2); and
the operating mechanism further comprises:
a handle having a pressing end and a press handle (see annotated Fig. 2); and
a sliding rod which is fixed on a side of the press handle away from the winding and unwinding mechanism (see annotated Fig. 2);
wherein a connecting plate is fixed on an end of the handle facing the sliding rod (see annotated Fig. 2);
wherein the connecting plate comprises a center (see annotated Fig. 2);
wherein a center hole is arranged at the center of the connecting plate and the sliding rod is slidably inserted into the center hole (see annotated Fig. 2); and
wherein a spring is fixed between the press handle and a surface of the connecting plate (see annotated Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 16, Lee discloses, wherein the operating mechanism comprises a connecting part and the handle, and the connecting part is rotationally connected to the winding and unwinding mechanism (see annotated Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 17, Lee discloses, wherein the connecting part has an extended end away from the winding and unwinding mechanism, the handle is mounted on the extended end, and both side surfaces of the extended end are provided a sliding chute and a movable slot in a penetrating manner, wherein the movable slot is located behind the sliding chute, and a boss is arranged on an inner wall of the movable slot (see annotated Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 18, Lee discloses, wherein the locking element is provided with a positioning part slidably arranged inside the sliding chute; and when the locking element is pressed, the positioning part is capable of sliding laterally within the sliding chute, driving the locking element to move, enabling the locking element to selectively enter or exit the rotation radius of the ratchet wheel, thereby achieving locking or unlocking of the ratchet wheel (see annotated Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 19, Lee discloses, wherein the elastic check claw has a root part rotationally arranged in the movable slot and abutting against the boss; and when the gear teeth exert a force on the elastic check claw, the elastic check claw elastically deflects around a fulcrum of the boss within the movable slot, allowing the elastic check claw to perform a slight offset or yielding motion (see annotated Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 20, Lee discloses, wherein the elastic check claw is provided with a torsion spring, one end of which is connected to the operating mechanism away from the elastic check claw, and the torsion spring provides a continuous resetting elastic force to the elastic check claw, allowing the elastic check claw to always have a tendency to deflect toward the gear teeth of the ratchet wheel (see annotated Fig. 2).
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Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 07/20/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant alleged that “Lee does not disclose that the locking element and the elastic check claw are both arranged at the execution end of the same lever member, and that the locking element and the elastic check claw work together as independent members separated from each other”, and “Lee does not disclose the structural relationship in which a locking element and an elastic check claw are both arranged at the execution end of a same lever member and the two remain separate and independent”.
Regarding claim 15, Lee broadly discloses the locking element, the elastic check claw and the lever member. Also, the locking element and the elastic check claw are separated from each other (see annotated Fig. 2). Claim 15 does not recite that the locking element and the elastic check claw are part of the lever member, and the locking element and the elastic check claw work together. Applicants’ arguments are more limiting than the claimed invention.
Examiner’s Comment
In view of applicant’s amendments to the claims submitted in the reply filed on 07/20/2026, the claim objections indicated in the prior Office action have been withdrawn.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LOUIS A MERCADO whose telephone number is (571)270-5388. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jason W. San can be reached at 571-272-6531. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LOUIS A. MERCADO/
Examiner
Art Unit 3677
/JASON W SAN/SPE, Art Unit 3677
Prosecution Insights