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 Objections
Claim 4 is objected to because of the following informalities: it appears that “spring a retract” should most likely be “spring and retract”. Appropriate correction is required.
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) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by US 7373984 to Pratt et al.
Regarding claim 1, Pratt discloses an extensible transition joint deployment tool (ETJDT) comprising: a tool body 210 comprising a central bore 214; at least one first component 244 and at least one second component 250, each component operable to extend and retract laterally from the tool body, wherein the at least one second component is axially offset from the at least one first component along the tool body; a movable member 220 or 234 disposed within the central bore and operable to move; and a first spring 222 disposed axially between a portion of the movable member and the at least one second component (figs. 3B-3C; it is noted that since the tool of Pratt discloses each of the claimed structural elements, then it must be, by definition of the claim, considered to be an ETJDT).
Regarding claim 2, the ETJDT of claim 1, wherein the at least one first component and the at least one second component are different sizes (figs. 3B-3C).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 18-20 are allowed.
Claims 3-17 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 in the parent application (18662512) and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 20080078555 teaches components 51 and 67 that extend and retract laterally, but from two different bodies (figs. 1-4).
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/SHANE BOMAR/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3674
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