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 § 103
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) 1-3, 5, 7-8, 15-19, 21-23, 25-26, 28-29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Blount (US 5865392) in view of Coats (US 6435447).
Regarding claim 1, Blount teaches: A coiled tubing system for use with a subterranean well, the system comprising:
a reel (Blount 31);
tubing (Blount 36) wound onto the reel; and
a first roller (Blount 51) positioned adjacent the reel,
but does not expressly state: the first roller contacting only an outer wrap of the tubing on the reel.
Coats teaches a coiled tubing system for use with a subterranean well, the system comprising:
a reel (Coats 14); tubing (Coats 12/20) wound onto the reel; and
a roller (Coats comprising 136/302; 5:34-55) positioned adjacent the reel, the first roller contacting only (Coats comprising 136/302; 5:34-55; Fig. 2, 7) an outer wrap of the tubing on the reel.
It would have been considered obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date (AIA ) or at the time the invention was made (Pre-AIA ), to have modified Blount to include forming the roller from a shaped and rigid material in order to prevent pinching, ripping, or a flat tire effect when operating the coiled tubing system.
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Blount and Coats teaches: The system of claim 1, in which the first roller is rigid (Coats 5:34-55).
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Blount and Coats teaches: The system of claim 1, in which the first roller comprises an intermediate section (Blount positioned near 51) positioned between pivotably mounted arms (Blount comprising 53).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Blount and Coats teaches: The system of claim 4, in which each of the first roller ends has a bevel formed (Coats 5:34-55) on an outer side of the first roller end.
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Blount and Coats teaches: The system of claim 4, in which each of the arms is pivotably connected to a respective hydraulic cylinder (Blount comprising at least one of near 55, 53) operative to pivot the first roller relative to the reel.
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Blount and Coats teaches: The system of claim 7, further comprising a hydraulic control circuit (Blount 4:30-66) connected to the hydraulic cylinders, the hydraulic control circuit being configured to (Blount 4:30-66) maintain a pressure applied to the hydraulic cylinders within a predetermined range.
Regarding claim 15, Blount teaches: A method of operating a coiled tubing system, the method comprising:
mounting (Blount Fig. 4) a retaining roller assembly (Blount comprising 51) adjacent a reel (Blount 31), a roller (Blount comprising 51); winding (Blount 3:65-4:67) a coiled tubing (Blount 36) onto the reel,
but does not expressly state: the retaining roller assembly comprising
the roller having beveled ends; and
one of the beveled ends contacting the coiled tubing as the coiled tubing transitions between wraps on the reel.
Coats teaches a coiled tubing system for use with a subterranean well, the system comprising:
a reel (Coats 14); tubing (Coats 12/20) wound onto the reel; and
a roller (Coats comprising 136/302; 5:34-55) positioned adjacent the reel, the roller (Coats comprising 136/302; 5:34-55) having beveled ends; and
one of the beveled ends contacting (Coats 5:34-55) the coiled tubing as the coiled tubing transitions between wraps on the reel.
It would have been considered obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date (AIA ) or at the time the invention was made (Pre-AIA ), to have modified Blount to include forming the roller from a shaped and rigid material in order to prevent pinching, ripping, or a flat tire effect when operating the coiled tubing system.
Regarding claim 16, the combination of Blount and Coats teaches: The method of claim 15, further comprising actuating (Blount 4:30-66) at least one hydraulic cylinder (Blount comprising at least one of near 55, 53), thereby pivoting the roller relative to the reel.
Regarding claim 17, the combination of Blount and Coats teaches: The method of claim 16, in which the actuating comprises connecting (Blount 4:30-66) the hydraulic cylinder to a hydraulic control circuit comprising an accumulator.
Regarding claim 18, the combination of Blount and Coats teaches: The method of claim 17, in which the actuating further comprises the hydraulic control circuit maintaining (Blount 4:30-66) a pressure applied to the hydraulic cylinder within a predetermined range.
Regarding claim 19, the combination of Blount and Coats teaches: The method of claim 16, in which the pivoting comprises pivoting (Blount 4:30-66) at least one arm connected to the hydraulic cylinder and the roller.
Regarding claim 21, the combination of Blount and Coats teaches: The method of claim 19, in which the at least one arm comprises two arms (Blount near 51/52), and further comprising rotatably mounting an intermediate section (Blount positioned near 51) of the roller between the arms.
Regarding claim 22, the combination of Blount and Coats teaches: The method of claim 15, in which the contacting (Coats 5:34-55) comprises the roller contacting only an outer one of the wraps.
Regarding claim 23, Blount teaches: A coiled tubing system for use with a subterranean well, the system comprising:
a reel (Blount 31);
tubing (Blount 36) wound onto the reel; and
a first roller (Blount 51) positioned adjacent the reel,
but does not expressly state:
the roller is rigid first roller (Coats 5:34-55) positioned adjacent the reel, the rigid first roller having a bevel formed (Coats 5:34-55) on each end of the rigid first roller.
Coats teaches a coiled tubing system for use with a subterranean well, the system comprising:
a reel (Coats 14);
tubing (Coats 12/20) wound onto the reel; and
a rigid first roller (Coats 5:34-55) positioned adjacent the reel, the rigid first roller having a bevel formed (Coats 5:34-55) on each end of the rigid first roller.
It would have been considered obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date (AIA ) or at the time the invention was made (Pre-AIA ), to have modified Blount to include forming the roller from a shaped and rigid material in order to prevent pinching, ripping, or a flat tire effect when operating the coiled tubing system.
Regarding claim 25, the combination of Blount and Coats teaches: The system of claim 23, in which the first roller contacts (Coats 5:34-55) only an outer wrap of the tubing on the reel.
Regarding claim 26, the combination of Blount and Coats teaches: The system of claim 23, in which the first roller comprises an intermediate section (Blount positioned near 51) positioned between pivotably mounted arms (Blount comprising near 52).
Regarding claim 28, the combination of Blount and Coats teaches: The system of claim 26, in which each of the arms is pivotably connected (Blount 4:30-66) to a respective hydraulic cylinder (Blount comprising at least one of near 55, 53) operative to pivot the first roller relative to the reel.
Regarding claim 29, the combination of Blount and Coats teaches: The system of claim 28, further comprising a hydraulic control circuit (Blount 4:30-66) connected to the hydraulic cylinders, the hydraulic control circuit being configured to (Blount 4:30-66) maintain a pressure applied to the hydraulic cylinders within a predetermined range.
Claim(s) 36-37, 45, 47-48 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Blount (US 5865392) in view of Schlang (US 2757883).
Regarding claim 36, Blount teaches: A coiled tubing system for use with a subterranean well, the system comprising:
a reel (Blount 31);
tubing (Blount 36) wound onto the reel; and
a first roller (Blount 51) positioned adjacent the reel, but does not expressly state: a second roller pivotably mounted relative to the first roller.
Schlang teaches a cable winding system comprising a reel (Schlang 1), a cable (Schlang 53), a first roller (Schlang one of 24) positioned adjacent the reel, and a second roller (Schlang other of 24) pivotably mounted relative to the first roller.
It would have been considered obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date (AIA ) or at the time the invention was made (Pre-AIA ), to have modified Blount to include a second roller in order to provide a backup and more fully secure the wrapped cable/tubing on both sides of the reel, reducing the chance for slippage or tension release during operation and pauses in operation.
Regarding claim 37, the combination of Blount and Schlang teaches: The system of claim 36, in which the second roller is configured to (Blount 4:29-44) engage the tubing as it starts a new wrap on the reel.
Regarding claim 45, the combination of Blount and Schlang teaches: The system of claim 36, in which the first roller comprises an intermediate section (Blount positioned near 51) positioned between pivotably mounted arms.
Regarding claim 47, the combination of Blount and Schlang teaches: The system of claim 45, in which each of the arms is pivotably (Blount 4:30-66) connected to a respective hydraulic cylinder (Blount comprising at least one of near 55, 53) operative to pivot the first roller relative to the reel.
Regarding claim 48, the combination of Blount and Schlang teaches: The system of claim 47, further comprising a hydraulic control circuit (Blount 4:30-66) connected to the hydraulic cylinders, the hydraulic control circuit being configured to (Blount 4:30-66) maintain a pressure applied to the hydraulic cylinders within a predetermined range.
Claim(s) 44, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Blount and Schlang in view of Coats.
Regarding claim 44, the combination of Blount and Schlang teaches: The system of claim 36, but does not expressly state: in which the first roller contacts only an outer wrap of the tubing on the reel.
Coats teaches a coiled tubing system for use with a subterranean well, the system comprising:
a reel (Coats 14); tubing (Coats 12/20) wound onto the reel; and
a rigid roller (Coats comprising 136/302; 5:34-55) positioned adjacent the reel, in which the first roller contacts only (Coats comprising 136/302; 5:34-55; Fig. 2, 7).
It would have been considered obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date (AIA ) or at the time the invention was made (Pre-AIA ), to have modified the combination to include forming at least one roller from a shaped and rigid material in order to prevent pinching, ripping, or a flat tire effect when operating the coiled tubing system.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 6, 9-14, 20, 24, 27, 30-35, 38-43, 46 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.
Prior Art
The following prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure.
Appling (US 4795108) teaches a level wind system comprising a pair of pivoting spring loaded rollers.
Hall (US 10336590) teaches a level wind assembly comprising a roller extending the length of the wrapable portion of the reel.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to David Carroll whose telephone number is (571)272-4808. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 2:00-10:00 PM EDT.
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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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/David Carroll/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3674
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