Office Action 2: Notice of Allowance (2025-08-13)

CLAIMS:
AMENDMENTS TO THE CLAIMS

This listing of the claims will replace all prior versions, and listings of claims in theApplication.

1\. (currently amended) A rope system for system level recoil control comprising:a first rope component comprising:
a first rope subcomponent, the first rope subcomponent having predetermined failure strength, the first rope subcomponent designed and configured to be a controlled failure point for the system; and
a second rope subcomponent, the second rope subcomponent having a predetermined elongation capability; and
a second rope component connected in series to the first rope component;
wherein the rope system contains strain energy when the first and second rope components are in tension, and each rope component contains a fraction of the rope system's strain energy;
wherein, upon failure of the first rope subcomponent, the second rope subcomponent is configured to elongate to absorb a predetermined amount of predetermined operational strain energy of the rope system and to stretch over a predetermined distance and/or predetermined period of time before the second rope subcomponent fails; and
wherein the predetermined elongation capability ofthe second rope subcomponent corresponds to at least 50% of the predetermined operational strain energy of the rope system, and the at least 50% of the predetermined operational strain energy of the rope system is dissipated through the elongation of the second rope subcomponent prior to failure of the second rope subcomponent.

2\. (original) The rope system of claim 1, wherein the first rope subcomponent further comprises a surface modification.

3\. (cancelled)

4\. (original) The rope system of claim 1, wherein the first rope component comprises three, eight,or twelve strands.

5\. (currently amended) The rope system of claim 1, wherein thefirst rope component comprises a core and jacket, wherein the first rope subcomponent forms the core, and the second rope subcomponent forms the jacket.

6\. (currently amended) The rope system of claim 1, wherein the first rope component further comprises a core and jacket, wherein the first rope subcomponent forms the jacket, and the second rope subcomponent forms the core.

7\. (original) The rope system of claim 1, wherein a tenacity of the first rope subcomponent is greater than approximately six grams per denier.

8\. (original) The rope system of claim 1, wherein a tenacity of the second rope subcomponent is greater than approximately 0.5 grams per denier.

9\. (original) The rope system of claim 1, wherein the first rope component is a braided or twisted rope.

10\. (original) The rope system of claim 1, wherein the first rope component is a mainline, and the second rope component is a tail.

11\. (original) The rope system of claim 1, further comprising at least one non-rope hardware component contributing to the rope system's strain energy.

12\. (original) The rope system of claim 11, wherein the at least one non-rope hardware component comprises a winch, fairlead, chock, bitt, cleat, or combinations thereof.

13\. (original) The rope system of claim 1, wherein the second rope component comprises a first rope subcomponent and second rope subcomponent.

14\. (original) The rope system of claim 1, wherein the relative difference in elongation at break between the first and second rope subcomponents ranges between 2% and 200%.

15\. (original) The rope system of claim 1, wherein the relative difference in elongation at break between the first and second rope subcomponents ranges between 6% and 19 %.

16\. (original) A rope system for system level recoil control comprising:a rope component comprising:

a first rope subcomponent, the first rope subcomponent having predetermined failure strength, the first rope subcomponent designed and configured to be a controlled failure point for the system; and
a second rope subcomponent, the second rope subcomponent having a predetermined elongation capability;
wherein the rope system contains strain energy when the rope component is in tension, and the rope component contains a fraction of the rope system's strain energy;
and wherein, upon failure of the first rope subcomponent, the second rope subcomponent is configured to elongate to absorb at least 70% of predetermined operational strain energy of the rope system prior to failure of the second rope subcomponent.

17\. (original) A method for providing a rope system for system level recoil control comprising:identifying components of a rope system having at least two rope components connected in series, at least one of the rope components having a first rope subcomponent and a second rope subcomponent;
determining total maximum strain energy of at least the two rope components when the rope system is subject to a predetermined operational load;
determining elongation of the second rope subcomponent to absorb at least 50% of the determined total maximum strain energy upon failure of the first rope subcomponent of the first rope component; and
providing the first rope component having the first rope subcomponent with predetermined failure strength and having the second rope subcomponent with elongation greater than or equal to the determined elongation.

18\. (original) The method of claim 17, wherein determining the total maximum strain energy includes accounting for operational wear of the rope system.

19\. (original) The method of claim 17, further comprising using a mathematical model in determining the total maximum strain energy of at least the two rope components when the rope system is subject to a predetermined operational load.

20\. (original) The method of claim 17, further comprising determining the relative difference in elongation at break between the first and second rope subcomponents ranging between 2% and 200%.

21\. (new) A rope system for system level recoil control comprising:a first rope component comprising:
a first rope subcomponent, the first rope subcomponent having predetermined failure strength, the first rope subcomponent designed and configured to be a controlled failure point for the system; and
a second rope subcomponent, the second rope subcomponent having a predetermined elongation capability; and
a second rope component connected in series to the first rope component;
wherein the rope system contains strain energy when the first and second rope components are in tension, and each rope component contains a fraction of the rope system's strain energy;
wherein, upon failure of the first rope subcomponent, the second rope subcomponent is configured to elongate to absorb a predetermined amount of predetermined operational strain energy of the rope system and to stretch over a predetermined distance and/or predetermined period of time before the second rope subcomponent fails; and
wherein the relative difference in elongation at break between the first and second rope subcomponents ranges between 6% and 19 %.

22\. (new) A rope system for system level recoil control comprising:a first rope component comprising:
a first rope subcomponent, the first rope subcomponent having predetermined failure strength, the first rope subcomponent designed and configured to be a controlled failure point for the system; and
a second rope subcomponent, the second rope subcomponent having a predetermined elongation capability; and
a second rope component connected in series to the first rope component;

wherein the rope system contains strain energy when the first and second rope components are in tension, and each rope component contains a fraction of the rope system's strain energy;
wherein, upon failure of the first rope subcomponent, the second rope subcomponent is configured to elongate to absorb a predetermined amount of predetermined operational strain energy of the rope system and to stretch over a predetermined distance and/or predetermined period of time before the second rope subcomponent fails; and
wherein a tenacity of the first rope subcomponent is greater than approximately six grams per denier or a tenacity of the second rope subcomponent is greater than approximately 0.5 grams per denier.

OFFICE ACTION:
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 .
Drawings
The replacement drawings were received on 23 July 2025.  These drawings are acceptable.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 2, and 4-22 are allowed.
Conclusion

APPLICANT REBUTTAL: REMARKSThis Response is filed in response to the Non-Final Office Action dated June 13, 2025.Upon entry of this Response, claims 1-2 and 4-22 will be pending in the Application, claims 1 and 5-6 being amended and claim 3 being cancelled by this response. Claims 21-22 are new.In the outstanding Office Action, the Examiner objected to the drawings, rejected claims 5-6 under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite, rejected claims 1-2, 4-6, and 9-14 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent No. 7,127,878 (hereinafter "Wilke") in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0063768 (hereinafter "Fields"), claims 16-20 were allowed, and claims 3, 7-8, and 15 were objected to.Claims 1 and 5-6 are amended. Claims 21-22 are new. No new matter is introduced. Support for the amendment to claim 1 can be found, inter alia, at claims 1 and 3 of the application, as originally filed. Claims 5-6 were only amended for antecedent basis. Support for new claim 21 can be found, inter alia, at claims 1 and 15 of the application, as originally filed. Support for new claim 22 can be found, inter alia, at claims 1 and 7-8 of the application, as originally filed.The drawings are also amended. No new matter is introduced. Support for the amendment to FIG. 1 can be found, inter alia, at paragraphs [0030]-[0031] of the specification as originally filed.Also submitted herewith is a supplemental information disclosure statement.Reconsideration and allowance of all pending claims is respectfully requested.ALLOWABLE SUBJECT MATTERApplicant gratefully acknowledges the Examiner's statement that claims 16-20 are allowed.Claims 3, 7-8, and 15 were objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim but were indicated as allowable if rewritten in independent form.In response thereto, the features of claim 3 were incorporated into claim 1, claim 15 was rewritten in independent form as new claim 21, and claims 7 and 8 were combined by an "or" and rewritten in independent form as new claim 22.Therefore, amended independent claim 1 and new independent claims 21 and 22 should now be allowable. Dependent claims 2 and 4-15, being dependent upon and further limiting amended independent claim 1, should also now be allowable for that reason as well as the additional features that each claim includes that further distinguishing over the prior art.DRAWING OBJECTIONSThe drawings were objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5).Specifically, the Examiner stated that the drawings do not include reference numeral 100, referenced in the specification.In response thereto, FIG. 1 has been amended to include reference numeral 100.Reconsideration and withdrawal of the objection are respectfully requested.REJECTION UNDER 35 U.S.C. 112 Claims 5-6 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite.Specifically, the Examiner stated that "the rope component" in claims 5 and 6 is unclear.In response thereto, claims 5 and 6 have been amended to specify "the first rope component".Reconsideration and withdrawal of the rejection are respectfully requested.REJECTION UNDER 35 U.S.C. 103 Claims 1-2, 4-6, and 9-14 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wilke in view of Fields. Claim 1 is independent.As noted above, claim 1 is currently amended to incorporate the subject matter of dependent claim 3, which the Examiner indicated as allowable.Therefore, claim 1 should now be allowable.Dependent claims 2, 4-6, and 9-14, being dependent upon and further limiting amended independent claim 1, should also now be allowable for that reason as well as the additional features that each claim includes that further distinguishing over the prior art.Reconsideration and withdrawal of the rejection are respectfully requested.CONCLUSIONIn view of the above, Applicant respectfully requests reconsideration of the Application and withdrawal of the outstanding objections and rejections. As a result of the amendments and remarks presented herein, Applicant respectfully submits that the claims are not anticipated by nor rendered obvious by the applied references or their combination and thus, are in condition for allowance. As the claims are not anticipated by nor rendered obvious in view of the applied art, Applicant requests allowance of all pending claims in a timely manner. If the Examiner believes that prosecution of this Application could be expedited by a telephone conference, the Examiner is encouraged to contact the Applicant.The Commissioner is hereby authorized to charge any additional fees and credit any overpayments to Deposit Account No. 50-1059.Respectfully submitted, McNEES WALLACE & NURICK LLC /KLH #57457/ By Kraig L. Haverstick Reg. No. 57,457 100 Pine Street P.O. Box 1166 Harrisburg, PA 17108-1166 Dated: July 23, 2025