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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 6-7, 9 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jones 796,220.
In regard to claim 1, Jones discloses an anti-rotation apparatus for a pipe joint, the apparatus comprising:
a stop piece 13 having a body with a retaining portion 14 and a locking part (nose of the dog 13);
a first joint part 4 and a second joint part 9 coupled to one another and having an axis in a lengthwise direction of the pipe joint;
a locking receptacle 6 provided in the first joint part; and
a receiving receptacle 12 provided in the second joint part,
wherein the retaining portion 14 of the body of the stop piece 13 is disposed in the receiving receptacle 12 of the second joint part 9,
wherein the locking part (nose of the dog) protrudes and is movable in a radial direction relative to the axis, and
wherein, when the locking part and the locking receptacle are rotationally aligned,
the locking part is disposed in the locking receptacle 6 of the first joint part, relative
rotation about the axis between the first joint part and the second joint part is prevented.
In regard to claim 2, wherein the first joint part 1 is a spigot end of a first pipe, wherein the second joint part 9 is a belled end of a second pipe, wherein the spigot end is disposed in the belled end, and wherein the axis is a center axis of the first and second pipes.
In regard to claim 3, wherein the receiving receptacle 12 comprises a hole through a wall of the second joint part 9.
In regard to claim 6, wherein the locking receptacle 6 comprises one or more locking grooves in a wall of the first joint part 1.
In regard to claim 7, wherein the one or more locking grooves 6 each has a finite length and extends in an axial direction on the first joint part 1, and wherein the finite length is adequate to receive the locking part (nose of the dog 13) of the stop piece 13 therein.
In regard to claim 9, Jones discloses a method of forming a pipe joint having an anti-rotation feature and an axis, the method comprising:
providing a first joint part 1 having one or more locking grooves 6 formed in an outer
surface of the first joint part;
installing a retaining portion (nose of the dog 13) of a body of a stop piece 13 into a receiving receptacle 12 of a second joint part 9, whereby a locking part of the body protrudes from an inner surface of the second joint part and is movable in a radial direction (see fig. 3);
inserting the first joint part into the second joint part to an extent that the locking
part and the one or more locking grooves are circumferentially aligned with one another;
and when the locking part is not yet axially aligned with any of the one or more locking grooves, facilitating rotation of the first joint part and the second joint part relative to one another until the locking part engages one of the one or more locking grooves, thereby preventing relative rotation about the axis between the first joint part and the second joint part.
In regard to claim 11, Jones discloses a pipe joint assembly comprising:
a first pipe 1 having a first pipe first end and a first pipe second end, the first pipe
first end defining a spigot end of the first pipe;
a second pipe 9 having a second pipe first end and a second pipe second end, the
second pipe second end defining a belled end of the second pipe, the spigot end of the
first pipe inserted into the belled end of the second pipe; and
an anti-rotation apparatus configured to prevent relative rotation between the first
pipe and the second pipe,
wherein the anti-rotation apparatus includes a stop piece 13 installed in a radial
direction through a wall of the belled end of the second pipe 9, and
wherein a locking part of the stop piece 13 is received in a locking groove 6 in an outer
surface of a wall of the spigot end of the first pipe 1.
Claim(s) 1 and 4-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Canale 8,038,173.
In regard to claim 1, Canale discloses an anti-rotation apparatus for a pipe joint, the apparatus comprising:
a stop piece 8 having a body with a retaining portion 83 and a locking part 5;
a first joint part 2 and a second joint part 3 coupled to one another and having an axis in a lengthwise direction of the pipe joint;
a locking receptacle 23 provided in the first joint part; and
a receiving receptacle 32, 33 provided in the second joint part 3,
wherein the retaining portion 83 of the body of the stop piece is disposed in the receiving receptacle 32, 33 of the second joint part,
wherein the locking part 5 protrudes and is movable in a radial direction relative to
the axis, and
wherein, when the locking part 5 and the locking receptacle 23 are rotationally aligned,
the locking part 5 is disposed in the locking receptacle 23 of the first joint part, relative
rotation about the axis between the first joint part and the second joint part is prevented.
In regard to claim 4, wherein the receiving receptacle comprises two holes 32, 33 through a wall of the second joint part 3 and spaced apart from one another.
In regard to claim 5, wherein the two holes 32, 33 are spaced apart from one another in an axial direction on the second joint part (see fig. 1).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Steen et al. 2014/0167408 in view of Younger et al. 2022/0412172.
In regard to claim 13, Steen et al. discloses a drop pipe system comprising:
a pipe string including a plurality of pipes 13;
a first pipe of the plurality of pipes having a first pipe first end 11 and a first pipe
second end;
a second pipe of the plurality of pipes having a second pipe first end 29 and a second
pipe second end, the first pipe first end connected to the second pipe second end to form a
pipe joint; and
an anti-rotation apparatus 39, 21a at the pipe joint configured to prevent relative rotation
between the first pipe and the second pipe when the pump is operated, wherein the anti-rotation apparatus includes a stop piece 39 installed in a radial direction through a wall 29 the pipe joint, and wherein a locking part 43a of the stop piece is received in a locking groove 21b in an outer surface of another wall 15 of the pipe joint (see fig. 2).
Steen et al. discloses using the splined 43a, 21b anti-rotation connection in an oil well, but does not specifically disclose the splined connection as being used in combination with a pump and power supply. Younger et al teaches that using splined 222, 232 anti-rotation pipe connections, forming a pipe string, in combination with a pump 124 and power supply cable 126, is common and well known in the art (see figs. 1 and 2 of Younger et al.). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use the splined ant-rotation pipes of Steen et al. in combination with a pump and power line, as the practice of using these types of pipe couplings in pipe strings, in combination with pumps and power lines is common and well known in the art, as taught by Younger et al.
In regard to claim 14, further comprising a coupler (threads 17, 31 of Steen et al.) between and connecting the first pipe first end to the second pipe second end.
In regard to claim 15, wherein the first pipe first end 11 is a spigot end, wherein the second pipe second end 29 is a belled end, and wherein the spigot end of the first pipe is directly received within the belled end of the second pipe.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8,10, 12 and 16-17 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. Williams, Bauer, Sewell, Burke, Leavitt and Ferguson disclose similar couplings that are common and well known in the art.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID E. BOCHNA whose telephone number is (571)272-7078. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00-5:30.
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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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/DAVID BOCHNA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3679
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