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
Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) is acknowledged. However, it is unclear if the instant application is claiming benefit as a continuation or a continuation-in-part. The Application Data Sheet, filed November 4, 2025, indicates that the instant application is a CIP of 18/591791 however the first sentence of the specification indicates that it is a CON of 18/591791. As the instant application does not add disclosure not found in 18/591791, the instant application is being treated as a CON.
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, the “one or more grooves” recited in claims 1, 11, and 17 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). While the grooves 108, 116, and 124 are clearly shown, the use of these grooves to “facilitate passage of other components of the downhole tool between the first and second tubular components of the downhole tool” has not and it cannot be determined how these grooves, alone or together, would allow the passage of a component between the first and second tubulars shown in Figure 4. 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.
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, 8, 10-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fredd (US 3,494,417).
Regarding claims 1 and 11: Fredd discloses a shock damping ring Fig 7 – 6:70-7:3 for use in a downhole tool Fig 1C comprising:
a base ring structure 90/91;
a plurality of fingers 85 extending from the base ring structure axially parallel to a central axis of the base ring structure Fig 7, wherein each finger of the plurality of fingers is configured to physically abut first 81 and second 113 tubular components of a downhole tool Fig 1C and to reduce shock amplification between the first and second tubular components of the downhole tool 6:70-7:3, and wherein at least one finger of the plurality of fingers comprises:
a beveled, chamfered, or radiused surface 93/100/101 or 92/95 configured to physically abut one tubular component of the first and second tubular components of the downhole tool Fig 1C, 7; and
an orthogonal surface 92 or 93 configured to physically abut the other tubular component of the first and second tubular components of the downhole tool Fig 1C, 7; and
one or more grooves A, B, C (see reproduction of Figure 7 below) configured to facilitate passage of other components of the downhole tool between the first and second tubular components of the downhole tool. While the passage of other components between the first and second tubular components is not disclosed, the grooves in the damping ring would be capable of allowing the passage of such things as wires.
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Regarding claims 2 and 12: Wherein the one or more grooves comprise grooves A (see reproduction of Figure 7 above) in respective inner walls of the plurality of fingers.
Regarding claims 3 and 13: Wherein the one or more grooves comprise grooves B (see reproduction of Figure 7 above) in respective outer walls of the plurality of fingers.
Regarding claims 4 and 14: Wherein the one or more grooves comprise one or more grooves C (see reproduction of Figure 7 above) on an outer surface of the base ring structure.
Regarding claim 7: Wherein each finger of the plurality of fingers comprise the beveled, chamfered, or radiused surface disposed on a respective outer wall, and the orthogonal surface disposed on a respective inner wall Fig 1C, 7.
Regarding claim 8: Wherein each finger of the plurality of fingers comprise the beveled, chamfered, or radiused surface disposed on a respective inner wall, and the orthogonal surface disposed on a respective outer wall Fig 1C, 7.
Regarding claim 10: Wherein the plurality of fingers are circumferentially distributed evenly around the base ring structure Fig 7.
Regarding claim 11: Fredd discloses a downhole tool, comprising:
first 81 and second 113 tubular components; and
the above described shock damping ring,
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 17 and 18 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the double patenting rejection(s) set forth in this Office action or a Terminal Disclaimer filed. It is noted, however, that if the phrase “configured to facilitate…the downhole tool” in lines 14 and 15 is removed to address the above drawing objection, claims 17 and 18 would be rejected under 35 USC 101 for statutory double patenting.
Claims 5, 6, 9, 15, and 16 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 and to overcome the double patenting rejection(s) set forth in this Office action or a Terminal Disclaimer filed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claims 5 and 15: The prior art of record fails to disclose a shock damping ring that includes three fingers extending from the base ring structure axially parallel to the central axis of the base ring structure as recited in the claimed combination. The ring of Fredd includes two fingers, one extending from the end of each of the coils of the spring that forms part of the base. It would not have been obvious to add additional fingers as the additional fingers would have to be placed along the coils and would destroy the functionality of the base ring.
Regarding claims 6 and 16: The prior art of record fails to disclose a shock damping ring that includes four fingers extending from the base ring structure axially parallel to the central axis of the base ring structure as recited in the claimed combination. The ring of Fredd includes two fingers, one extending from the end of each of the coils of the spring that forms part of the base. It would not have been obvious to add additional fingers as the additional fingers would have to be placed along the coils and would destroy the functionality of the base ring.
Regarding claim 9: The prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a shock damping ring that includes a plurality of fingers that are circumferentially distributed unevenly around the base ring structure as recited in the claimed combination. It would not have been obvious to rearrange the fingers of Fredd to be unevenly spaced around the base ring as the fingers are positioned to extend from the end of each of the coils of the spring that forms part of the base and changing the position of the fingers would destroy the functionality of the damping ring.
Regarding claim 17: The prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a shock damping ring that includes one or more anti-rotation keys extending axially from the base ring structure on an opposite axial side of the base ring structure from the plurality of fingers as recited in the claimed combination.
Regarding claim 18: Claim 18 is considered allowable due to its dependence on claim 17.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JENNIFER H GAY whose telephone number is (571)272-7029. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Thursday, 6-3:30 and every other Friday 6-11.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anna M Momper can be reached on 571-270-5788. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JENNIFER H GAY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3619
JHG
7/27/2026
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