Patent Application 18218480 - Swaging of Charge Tube for Attachment to - Rejection

Patent Application 18218480 - Swaging of Charge Tube for Attachment to

Title: Swaging of Charge Tube for Attachment to Perforating Hardware

Application Information

• Invention Title: Swaging of Charge Tube for Attachment to Perforating Hardware
• Application Number: 18218480
• Submission Date: 2025-05-15T00:00:00.000Z
• Effective Filing Date: 2023-07-05T00:00:00.000Z
• Filing Date: 2023-07-05T00:00:00.000Z
• National Class: 175
• National Sub-Class: 004570
• Examiner Employee Number: 85172
• Art Unit: 3676
• Tech Center: 3600

Rejection Summary

• 102 Rejections: 1
• 103 Rejections: 0

Cited Patents

No patents were cited in this rejection.

Office Action Text

    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 .

Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of claim 2 in the reply filed on 2/11/2025 is acknowledged. Applicant withdrawn claims 3, 22 and 23 from the consideration. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).

Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 9/11/2024 have been fully considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.

Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b)  CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.


The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.


Claims 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 24, and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA  35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 2, 4, 5 recite “a central body of the charge tube” that is confusing. Are the same central body of the charge tube or separate central body of the charge tube?
Claim 7 recites “the gun system components” and “the group” There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim.
Claim 8 recites “the component” and “the gun body”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim. 
Claims 24, 25 recite “the gun body”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claims.

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, 2, 4-9, 19-21, 24 and 25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Knight (10174595).
Knight discloses a method, comprising:
Re claim 1:
swaging a first and a second end 150 of the charge tube 140 (i.e., fig. 4) to form a first swaged end and a second swaged end on the charge tube (i.e., col. 6:60-64), wherein the charge tube comprises a plurality of charge ports 154;
coupling the first swaged (i.e., lower 150) end to a bulkhead (i.e., lower 200); and
coupling the second swaged end (i.e., upper 150) to a detonator housing (i.e., upper 200, col. 6:37-42).
Re claim 2, the at least one swaged end has increased inner and outer diameters D1 with respect to a central body D2 of the charge tube 140 (i.e., fig. 4).
Re claim 4, the at least one swaged end has an inner diameter that varies by about 2% or more with respect to a central body of the charge tube 140 (i.e., fig. 4).
Re claim 5, the at least one swaged end has an outer diameter that varies by about 2% or more with respect to a central body of the charge tube 140 (i.e., fig. 4).
Re claim 6, the at least swaged end comprises both ends of the charge tube 140 (i.e., fig. 4).
Re claim 7, the gun system component comprises at least one component selected from the group consisting of a detonator housing, a switch housing, and an end alignment fixture (i.e., col. 6:29-42).
Re claim 8, running a perforating gun system 100 into a wellbore 4 (i.e., fig. 1), wherein the perforating gun system comprises the charge tube 140 (i.e., fig. 4) secured to the gun component (i.e., any one of 200, and detonating cord 314, charges 316 in fig. 5 ), wherein charges are disposed in the charge ports 154, and wherein the charge tube and gun component are housed in a gun body 112.
Re claim 9. (Original) The method of claim 8, further comprising detonating one or more of the charges to create perforations through a casing 10  (i.e., fig. 1) in the wellbore (i.e., col. 4:48-51).
Re claim 24, the first swaged end and the second swaged end each have an inner diameter that varies by 2% or more with respect to a diameter of the gun body.
Re claim 25, the first swaged end and the second swaged end each have an outer diameter that varies by 2% or more with respect to a diameter of the gun body.
Knight discloses a system, comprising:
Re claim 19:
a detonator housing (i.e., upper 200, fig. 4, col. 6:37-42);
a gun body 112;
a gun system component (i.e., any one of 200, and detonating cord 314, charges 316 in fig. 5 ) housed in the gun body; and
a charge tube 140 housed in the gun body, wherein the charge tube comprises comprising 
a central body having one or more charge ports 154 adapted to hold charges 316 (i.e., fig. 5),
a first swaged end (i.e., upper 150) connected to the detonator housing (i.e., upper 200); and
a second swaged end (i.e., lower 150) on the opposite side as the first swaged end; and
a bulkhead (lower 200) secured to the second swaged end (lower 150).
Re claim 20, the first swaged end (upper 150)has either an increased size or decreased size with respect to the central body (i.e., fig. 4).
Re claim 21, the diameter of the first swaged end (upper 150) and the second swaged end (lower 150) is within about 1% of a diameter of the gun body 112 (i.e., see D1 in fig. 4).

Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.


Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YONG-SUK (PHILIP) RO whose telephone number is (571)270-5466. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00-4:30.
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/YONG-SUK (PHILIP) RO/
 Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3676