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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
1. A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 09/19/2025 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
2. 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.
3. Claims 40-47 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Maggio (2,603,863) in view of Spencer et al. (10,449,683 B2), hereinafter Spencer, or Bresler (4,037,322) or Ueno et al. (5,220,728), hereinafter Ueno, or Lee (Des. 159,994). Regarding claim 40, Maggio teaches a blade member for a scissors 10, comprising: a blade portion 12, said blade portion having a back edge, a neck portion (close to the handle 11; Fig. 2), and a tip (Fig. 2); a slot 18 arranged within said back edge, said slot 18 having an open end 17 proximate said neck portion and a closed end 17 proximate said tip; and, a removable razor assembly (20, 21, 32) arranged to be removably inserted into said open end of said slot, said removable razor assembly comprising: a tapered razor 20. See Figs. 1-5 in Maggio.
Maggio does not teach that the removable razor assembly also includes a guard and a cover, wherein said guard and said cover are arranged to sandwich said tapered razor therebetween, and wherein at least one of said guard or said cover includes a dovetail arranged to rest on said back edge of said blade portion.
However, Spenser teaches a removable razor assembly 14 including a guard 40 and a cover 42, wherein said guard and said cover are arranged to sandwich a razor 22 therebetween, and wherein at least one of said guard or said cover includes a dovetail (defined by the ridge or shoulder of the inner surface 46, 48 which has the outer surface 56, 74 for resting against the back edge of the slot of the tool; Fig. 2) arranged to rest on a back edge of a blade portion. See Figs. 1-3 in Spencer.
Bresler also teaches a removable razor assembly (11-12) including a guard 37 and a cover 38, wherein said guard and said cover are arranged to sandwich a razor 11 therebetween, and wherein at least one of said guard or said cover includes a dovetail 39 arranged to rest on a back edge 26 (of the slot 25) of a blade portion 14. See Figs. 1-5 in Bresler. Ueno also teaches a removable razor assembly (7, 8) including a guard (defined by one side of the razor assembly; Fig. 3) and a cover (defined by the other side of the razor assembly 7), wherein said guard and said cover are arranged to sandwich a razor 8 therebetween, and wherein at least one of said guard or said cover includes a dovetail 12 arranged to rest on a back edge 14 of a blade portion 20. See Figs. 1-7 in Ueno. Lee also teaches a removable razor assembly (Fig. 2) including a guard (defined by one side of the razor assembly; Fig. 2) and a cover (defined by the other side of the razor assembly; Fig. 2), wherein said guard and said cover are arranged to sandwich a razor (inserted between the guard and the cover; Fig. 2) therebetween, and wherein at least one of said guard or said cover includes a dovetail (as the protrusion sections on the bottom of the guard and cover; Fig. 2) arranged to rest on a back edge of a blade portion. See Figs. 1-5 in Lee. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide Maggio’s razor assembly with an alternative structure has guard and partially located within the slot of the back edge of the blade or tool, as set forth in Spencer or Bresler or Ueno or Lee, since mechanisms for removably placing a blade within the slot in the back of the blade in Maggio, Spencer, Bresler, Ueno and Lee are art-recognized equivalents which produce the same result.
Regarding claim 41, Maggio in view of Spencer or Bresler or Ueno or Lee, teaches everything noted above including that each of said guard and said cover have a tapered configuration where a vertical height thereof proximate a second end of said removable razor assembly is greater than a vertical height thereof proximate a first end of said removable razor assembly. It should be noted that Maggio already teaches that the structure for receiving the tapered blade is also tapered. In this case, in the combination of Maggio’s razor blade assembly with the razor blade assembly taught by Spencer, Bresler, Ueno and Lee, the guard and the cover also would be tapered to receive the tapered blade set forth in Maggio.
Regarding claim 42, Maggio in view of Spencer or Bresler or Ueno or Lee, teaches everything noted above except that said guard and said cover are made of a plastic, where said guard and said cover are fixedly secured to said tapered razor via melting. However, Official Notice is taken that the use of a guard and cover formed from plastic and connected to each other vis melting is old and well known in the art.
Regarding claim 43, Maggio in view of Spencer or Bresler or Ueno or Lee, teaches everything noted above including that the guard (40 in Fig. 1 of Spencer; 37 in Fig. of 1 Bresler; one side of the razor assembly 7 in Fig. 3 of Ueno; and one side of the razor assembly shown in Fig. 2 of Lee) comprises a guard end having a substantially sinusoidal outer edge (60; Fig. 2 in Spenser; 46 in Fig. 1 of Bresler; 11 in Fig. 7 of Ueno; and Fig. 2 in Lee).
Regarding claim 44, Maggio teaches everything noted above including said blade portion 12 further comprises an aperture (defined by the aperture for receiving the fastener; Figs. 2-3 in Maggio) therein arranged proximate to said neck portion, wherein said slot 18 is further arranged to extend a first length relative to said aperture towards said open end and a second length relative to said aperture towards said closed end, and wherein said second length is greater than said first length.
Regarding claim 45, Maggio teaches everything noted above including a dynamic blade member 12 pivotally secured to the blade member.
Regarding claim 46, Maggio teaches everything noted above including that said slot 18 comprises a base and an upper opening, wherein said base has a first width and said upper opening has a second width, and wherein said first width is greater than said second width. See Fig. 4 in Maggio.
Regarding claim 47, Maggio, as modified by Spencer or Lee, teaches everything noted above including that the dovetail comprises a first dovetail portion extending from said guard (40 in Fig. 1 of Spence) and a second dovetail portion extending from said cover (42 in Fig, 1 of Spenser), wherein said first and second dovetail portions are secured to one another. See Figs. 1-3 in Spencer. It should also be noted that the dovetails of the guard and the cover are secured together via closed edge or folding section of the razor assembly in Lee. See Fig. 2 in Lee.
4. Claim 42 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Maggio in view of Spencer or Bresler or Ueno or Lee and in further view of Blake, III (4,344,226), hereinafter Blake or Cousins (5,036,591). Regarding claim 42, Maggio, as modified by Spencer, teaches everything noted above except that guard and said outer body are made of a plastic, where said guard and said outer body are fixedly secured to said tapered razor via melting. However, Blake teaches a plastic guard 24 and an outer body 2 for fixedly securing a razor blade 9 via melting. See Figs. 1-2 and col. 3, lines 49-57. Cousins also teaches a plastic guard 34 and an outer body 6 for fixedly securing a razor blade 54 via melting. See Figs. 1-6 and col. 4, lines 63-68 in Cousins. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to form the outer body and the guard of Maggio’s scissors, as modified above, from plastic and mechanism for fixing the blade via melting to the guard and the outer body, as taught by Blake or Cousins, in order to firmly and permanently hold the blade between the outer body and the guard.
Response to Arguments
5. Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
6. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to 3
applicant’s disclosure.
Cotant (2009/0044411 A1) teach a blade member.
7. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GHASSEM ALIE whose telephone number is (571) 272-4501. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:30 am-5:00 pm EST.
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/GHASSEM ALIE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3724 October 15, 2025