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 .
DETAILED ACTION
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 of this title, 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.
Claims 1-3, 5-6, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EP 2823942 A1, Warrick, in view of US 20120276826, Floter, USPN 3863340, Perry, and USPN 2244053, Comstock, and WO 9300204 A1, to Galloway.
Regarding Claim 1, Warrick discloses a shaving device (shaving razor 10) for shaving a skin surface (par 0012) comprising:
a housing 16 with a skin contacting surface 18 (along which skin contacting plane P2 extends) and
at least one cutting blade 40 mounted in the housing (fig 2), wherein the at least one cutting blade has an asymmetric cross-sectional shape (since the bottom has a bevel and the top does not) with a first face (see annotated fig 6 below), a second face opposed to the first face (see annotated fig 6 below) as well as a cutting edge (see annotated fig 6 below) at the intersection of the first face and the second face, (see annotated fig 6 below) wherein the first face comprises a first surface (see annotated fig 6 below) and the second face comprises a primary bevel having a straight cross-sectional shape (see annotated fig 6 below).
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Warrick lacks:
(I) wherein the at least one cutting blade is mounted in the housing that the clearance angle between the skin contacting surface and the first surface is less than or equal to 11° (per claim 1),
(II) wherein the asymmetric cross sectional shape is within the first 150 micrometers from a tip of the blade (per claim 1) and
(III) where the second face has a secondary bevel having a straight or concave cross-sectional shape with the primary bevel extending from the cutting edge to the secondary bevel, wherein a first intersecting line connects the straight or convex primary bevel with the straight or concave secondary bevel, wherein a first wedge angle q1 between the first surface and the primary bevel or between the first surface and the tangent of the primary bevel through the cutting edge, and a second wedge angle q2 between the first surface and the secondary bevel or between the first surface and the tangent of the secondary bevel through the first intersecting line, and the effective cutting angle E between the skin contacting surface and the bisecting line of the first wedge angle q1 is greater than or equal to 10° and q1 is greater than q2 (Claim 1), and wherein the effective cutting angle first wedge angle c is > 15°, or > 20° (emphasis added to emphasize that this limitation is claimed in the alternative) (Claim 2), wherein q1 ranges from 5° to 75", and/or the second wedge angle q2 ranges from -5° to 60°, 0° to 45°, or 5° to 25°, (Claim 3), and wherein the second face further comprises a straight or concave tertiary bevel with a second intersecting line connecting the straight or concave secondary bevel with the straight or concave tertiary bevel; the tertiary bevel extending from the second intersecting line rearward; and a third wedge angle q3 between the first surface and the tertiary bevel or its tan- gent through the second intersecting line, wherein the third wedge angle q3 ranges from 1° to 60 (Claim 15); and
(IV) wherein the primary bevel has a length d1 being the dimension projected onto the first surface taken from the cutting edge to the first intersecting line from 0.1µ to 7µ.
With regard to feature (I) wherein the at least one cutting blade is mounted in the housing that the clearance angle between the skin contacting surface and the first surface is less than or equal to 11°, Warrick is silent as to this angle. Floter discloses that in a blade that may be made for a razor blade (See abstract), in the same field of endeavor as the razor blade of the present invention, which blade has an asymmetrical shape, as in Warrick’s blades, and discloses that in such a blade a clearance angle (Beta, fig 2e) between a skin contacting surface (tip) and a first surface (surface which is sloped in fig 2e, analogous to the first surface defined in Warrick) is less than 11°, (see par 0029, fig 2e), in order to provide a good cutting ability, par 0029.
With regard to feature (II) wherein the asymmetric cross sectional shape is within the first 150 micrometers from a tip of the blade, Warrick is silent as to this distance. Perry discloses a shaving razor blade (Abstract), in the same field of endeavor as the razor blade of the razor blade tool of the present invention, and Perry includes an asymmetrical shape, as in Warrick’s blades and discloses that an asymmetrical part of the blade (angled part from tip 26 to surface 24) is within the first 150 micrometers from a tip of the blade (col 2, 50-66, 0.001 inches = 25 micrometers), in order to provide a clean/comfortable shave by limiting the cutting edge exposure to -.0002 inch to .0004 inches, col. 1, 55-67.
With regard to feature (III) Comstock discloses a shaving razor blade, in the same field of endeavor as the razor blade of the razor blade tool of the present invention and of Warrick and discloses that such a system includes carrying out first and second pre-sintering operations and a grinding operation in the creation of a razor blade (page 8, lines 40-58) which produces a blade the blade having a first face (face facing the bottom of fig 1), the first face having a first surface (See annotated fig 1 below), and a second face (face facing the top of fig 1), where the second face has a primary bevel having a straight cross-sectional shape (see annotated fig 1 below) a secondary bevel having a straight cross-sectional shape (see annotated fig 1 below) with the primary bevel extending from a cutting edge to the secondary bevel (see annotated fig 1 below), wherein a first intersecting line connects the straight primary bevel with the straight secondary bevel (see annotated fig 1 below), wherein the blade has a first wedge angle (angle shown as 15 to 20 degrees in fig 1) between the first surface and the primary bevel (col 4 lines 40-60), and a second wedge angle (angle shown as 8 to 12 degrees in fig 1, since the angle 8 to 12 between the line shown in fig 1 is corresponding to an angle drawn crossing the first surface, parallel to the line defining this angle and a line drawn through the second bevel) between the first surface and the secondary bevel (col 4 lines 40-60), and the effective cutting angle E between the skin contacting surface and a bisecting line of the first wedge angle is greater than or equal to 10° (since a line which cuts the angle of 20 degrees in half is 10 degrees) and the first bevel angle is greater than the second bevel angle (col 4 lines 40-60), (Claim 1), and wherein the first wedge angle c is > 15°, or > 20° (col 4 lines 40-60), (Claim 2), wherein the first bevel angle ranges from 5° to 75°, 10° to 60°, from 15° to 20° (col 4 lines 40-60), and the second wedge angle q2 ranges from -5° to 75°, (col 4 lines 40-60) (Claim 3), and wherein the second face further comprises a straight tertiary bevel with: a second intersecting line connecting the straight secondary bevel with the straight tertiary bevel (see second annotated fig 1 below); the tertiary bevel extending from the second intersecting line rearward (see 2nd annotated fig 1 below); and a third wedge angle (angle defined as 3 to 9 degrees in fig 1) between the first surface and the tertiary bevel, wherein the third wedge angle q3 ranges from 1° to 60 (col 4 lines 40-60) (Claim 15) in order to produce blades having the desired angles thereon without breaking, page 8, lines 1-5).
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With regard to feature IV, Galloway discloses a shaving razor blade (fig. 3), in the same field of endeavor as the razor blade of the razor blade tool of the present invention and of Warrick and discloses that such a system includes a first primary bevel (surface 64 as it transitions to surface 68) having a length being the dimension projected onto a first surface 64 taken from the cutting edge 70 to a first intersecting line (of bevel formed by surfaces 64 and 68) which length is from 0.1µ to 7µ (page 5, lines 1-20), in order to make the blade comprise excellent shaving properties and long shaving life, pg. 3, 5-10.
To further clarify what is disclosed in Galloway: on pg. 5 lines 1-20 it is noted that “a layer of strengthening material on the wedge-shaped cutting edge that has a thickness of at least twelve hundred angstroms from the sharpened tip of the substrate to a distance of forty micrometers from the sharpened tip, and an ultimate tip defined by facets that have lengths of at least about 0.1 micrometer and define an included angle of at least sixty degrees”. This is further expounded upon on page 7 of Galloway where it is also disclosed “Deposited on molybdenum interlayer 58 is outer layer 60 of diamond-like carbon (DLC) that has a thickness of about 2,000 angstroms, with facets 62, 64 that have lengths of about one-quarter micrometer each and define an included angle of about 80”. Looking at figure 3 of Galloway, in light of this text, it can be seen that the angles and distances of the parts are as follows:
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Using the Pythagorean theorem, it can thus be concluded that the length from the tip 70, to the intersection of the facets 64 and 64 to the facets 66 and 68, is .185 micrometers (since sin40 = opposite face/hypotenuse of right triangle, thus .25*sin40 = length of opposite side of triangle = .185).
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With regard to feature (I), it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Warrick by having the device comprise wherein the at least one cutting blade is mounted in the housing that the clearance angle between the skin contacting surface and the first surface is less than or equal to 11°, Warrick is silent as to this angle, in order to, provide a good cutting abilities, as taught by Floter.
With regard to feature (II), it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Warrick by having the asymmetric cross sectional shape be within the first 150 micrometers from a tip of the blade, in order to provide a clean/comfortable shave by limiting the cutting edge exposure to -.0002 inch to .0004 inches, col. 1, 55-67.
With regard to feature (III), it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Warrick by having the device comprise producing blades by carrying out first and second pre-sintering operations and a grinding operation in the creation of a razor blade which process produces blades having desired angles to include the second face has a secondary bevel having a straight or concave cross-sectional shape with the primary bevel extending from the cutting edge to the secondary bevel, wherein a first intersecting line connects the straight or convex primary bevel with the straight or concave secondary bevel, wherein a first wedge angle q1 between the first surface and the primary bevel or between the first surface and the tangent of the primary bevel through the cutting edge, and a second wedge angle q2 between the first surface and the secondary bevel or between the first surface and the tangent of the secondary bevel through the first intersecting line, and the effective cutting angle E between the skin contacting surface and the bisecting line of the first wedge angle q1 is greater than or equal to 10° and q1 is greater than q2 (Claim 1), and wherein the first wedge angle c is > 15°, or > 20° (Claim 2), wherein q1 ranges from 5° to 75", 10° to 60°, from 15° to 46°, or from 20° to 45° and/or the second wedge angle q2 ranges from -5° to 60°, 0° to 45°, or 5° to 25°, (Claim 3), and wherein the second face further comprises a straight or concave tertiary bevel with a second intersecting line connecting the straight or concave secondary bevel with the straight or concave tertiary bevel; the tertiary bevel extending from the second intersecting line rearward; and a third wedge angle q3 between the first surface and the tertiary bevel or its tan- gent through the second intersecting line, wherein the third wedge angle q3 ranges from 1° to 60 (Claim 15), in order to produce blades having the desired angles thereon without breaking as taught by Comstock.
With regard to feature (IV), it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Warrick by having the device comprise wherein the primary bevel has a length d1 being the dimension projected onto the first surface taken from the cutting edge to the first intersecting line from 0.1µ to 7µ, in order to make the blade comprise excellent shaving properties and long shaving life, as taught by Galloway.
Regarding Claim 5, Warrick also lacks, wherein the dimension projected onto the first surface taken from the cutting edge to the second intersecting line has a length d2 which ranges from 1 to 150 µ (par 0077).
In Galloway, the blade comprises a second facet, which is behind the first facet relative to the tip of the blade, and the second facet has a length of at least 40 to 100 micrometers in order to make the blade comprise excellent shaving properties and long shaving life, pg. 3, 5-10.
it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Warrick by having the device comprise wherein the second facet length is between 1 to 150 micrometers, in order to make the blade comprise excellent shaving properties and long shaving life, as taught by Galloway.
In making this modification to have the second facet be between 1-150 µm, the dimension projected onto the first surface taken from the cutting edge to the second intersecting line would have a length d2 which ranges from 1 to 150 µ.
Regarding Claim 6, in Warrick, the cutting blade comprises a blade body consisting of a first material (par 0013).
Claims 7-10 and 12- 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Warrick, in view of Floter, Perry, Comstock and Galloway, as applied to Claim 6 above, and further in view of USPGPUB 20130031794, Duff.
Regarding Claims 7-10 and 12-13, Warrick lacks, the cutting blade comprises or consists of a blade body comprising or consisting of a first material and a second material joined with the first material (claim 7) wherein the first material comprises or consists of a material selected from the group consisting of: "metals, titanium, nickel, chromium, niobium, tungsten, tantalum, molybdenum, vanadium, platinum, germanium, iron, and alloys thereof, in particular steel (Claim 8), wherein the second material comprises or consists of a material selected from the group consisting of oxides, nitrides, carbides, borides, aluminum nitride, chromium nitride, titanium nitride, titanium carbon nitride, titanium aluminum nitride, cubic boron nitride (see par 0039) (claim 9) wherein the second material fulfills at least one of the following properties: " a thickness of 0.15 to 20 um;" a modulus of elasticity of less than 1200 GPa; " a transverse rupture stress Go of at least 1 GPa; and 0 a hardness of at least 20 GPa (Claim 10), wherein the first material and/or the second material are coated at least in regions with a low-friction material, said low-friction material selected from the group consisting of fluoropolymer materials, parylene, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyethylene, polypropylene, polymethyl methacrylate, graphite, diamond-like carbon (DLC) and combinations thereof (claim 12), wherein the first intersecting line is shaped within the second material (Claim 13).
Duff discloses a shaving razor blade, in the same field of endeavor as the razor blade tool of the present invention and of Warrick and discloses that such a system includes the cutting blade comprising the cutting blade comprises a blade body comprising a first material and a second material joined with the first material (par 0008, and par 0035) (claim 7) wherein the first material comprises or consists of a material selected from the group consisting of: "metals, titanium, nickel, chromium, niobium, tungsten, tantalum, molybdenum, vanadium, platinum, germanium, iron, and alloys thereof, in particular steel (par 0035) (Claim 8), wherein the second material comprises or consists of a material selected from the group consisting of oxides, nitrides, carbides, borides, aluminum nitride, chromium nitride, titanium nitride, titanium carbon nitride, titanium aluminum nitride, cubic boron nitride (see par 0039) (claim 9), wherein the second material fulfills at least one of the following properties: a thickness of 0.15 to 20 um (par 0031, since 300 angstroms = 0.03 micrometers, and 5000 angstroms = 0.5 micrometers, and thus the thickness is within the range of 0.15-20micrometers) (Claim 10), wherein the first material and/or the second material are coated at least in regions with a low-friction material, said low-friction material selected from the group consisting of fluoropolymer materials, parylene, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyethylene, polypropylene, polymethyl methacrylate, graphite, diamond-like carbon (DLC) and combinations thereof (par 0036 and 0037) (claim 12), wherein the first intersecting line is shaped within the second material (since a first intersecting line maybe drawn through any of the material containing sections) in order to improve a blade element's hard coating performance and/or increase blade lubricity, par. 0004.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Warrick by making the blade the cutting blade comprising of a blade body comprising or consisting of a first material and a second material joined with the first material (Claim 7) wherein the first material comprises or consists of a material selected from the group consisting of: "metals, titanium, nickel, chromium, niobium, tungsten, tantalum, molybdenum, vanadium, platinum, germanium, iron, and alloys thereof, in particular steel (Claim 8), wherein the second material comprises or consists of a material selected from the group consisting of oxides, nitrides, carbides, borides, aluminum nitride, chromium nitride, titanium nitride, titanium carbon nitride, titanium aluminum nitride, cubic boron nitride (claim 9), wherein the second material fulfills at least the following, a thickness of 0.15 to 20 um (Claim 10), wherein the first material and/or the second material are coated at least in regions with a low-friction material, said low-friction material selected from the group consisting of fluoropolymer materials, parylene, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyethylene, polypropylene, polymethyl methacrylate, graphite, diamond-like carbon (DLC) and combinations thereof (claim 12), wherein the first intersecting line is shaped within the second material (Claim 13) in order to improve a blade element's hard coating performance and/or increase blade lubricity as taught by Duff Jr..
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Warrick, in view of Floter, Perry, Comstock, Galloway, and Duff, as applied to Claim 7 above, and further in view of 20150360376, Simms.
Regarding Claim 11, Warrick lacks the second material comprises or consists of nano-crystalline diamond and fulfills at least one of the following properties: an average surface roughness RMS of less than 100 nm; and an average grain size of the nano-crystalline diamond of 1 to 100nm.
Simms discloses a shaving razor blade, in the same field of endeavor as the razor blade tool of the present invention and of Warrick and discloses that such a razor includes a second material in the form of a coating material comprising nano-crystalline diamond (See par 0035) and fulfills at least one of the following properties: an average surface roughness RMS of less than 100 nm (since about 100 nm includes about 100 nm; par 0041); in order to provide for a more comfortable shave and less skin irritation experienced by the user par 041.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Warrick by including the razor including a second material in the form of a coating material comprising nano-crystalline diamond and fulfills at least one of the following properties: an average surface roughness RMS of less than 100 nm; in order to provide for a more comfortable shave and less skin irritation experienced by the user in order to provide for a more comfortable shave and less skin irritation experienced by the user as taught via Simms.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Warrick, in view of Floter, Perry, Comstock and Galloway, as applied to Claim 1 above, and further in view of 20170368704, Gester.
Regarding Claim 14, Warrick discloses lacks 14. The shaving device of claim 1, wherein the cutting edge has a tip radius of less than 200 nm.
Gester discloses a shaving razor blade, in the same field of endeavor as the razor blade tool of the present invention and of Warrick and discloses that such a system includes the cutting edge has a tip radius of less than 200 nm, par 003-0005, in order to properly cut hair (par 0005).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Warrick by making the cutting edge has a tip radius of less than 200 nm order to properly cut hair as taught by Gester.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) filed 11/21/2025 have been considered but are not persuasive. Applicant argues, in summary, that Galloway, WO93/00204, fails to teach the feature of a primary bevel length d1 being the dimension projected onto a first surface taken from the cutting edge (of a blade) to a first intersecting line (which connects a straight primary bevel of the blade with a secondary bevel of said blade) being in the range of 0.1 to 7 micrometers. As best understood, this is the distance d1 shown in fig 3b of Applicants drawings (shown annotated herein).
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In the non final office action dated 8/21/2025, Examiner cited Galloway for disclosing this feature, citing figure 3 and the text of page 5, lines 1-20 for this feature, which disclose in relevant part that “a layer of strengthening material on the wedge-shaped cutting edge that has a thickness of at least twelve hundred angstroms from the sharpened tip of the substrate to a distance of forty micrometers from the sharpened tip, and an ultimate tip defined by facets that have lengths of at least about 0.1 micrometer and define an included angle of at least sixty degrees”. This is further expounded upon on page 7 of Galloway where it is also disclosed “Deposited on molybdenum interlayer 58 is outer layer 60 of diamond-like carbon (DLC) that has a thickness of about 2,000 angstroms, with facets 62, 64 that have lengths of about one-quarter micrometer each and define an included angle of about 80”. Looking at figure 3 of Galloway, in light of this text, it can be seen that the angles and distances of the parts are as follows:
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Also, using the Pythagorean theorem, it can thus be concluded that the length from the tip 70, to the intersection of the facets 64 and 64 to the facets 66 and 68, is .185 micrometers (since sin40 = opposite face/hypotenuse of right triangle, thus .25*sin40 = length of opposite side of triangle = .185).
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Applicant argues that “the Office has intermixed diamond like carbon coating with the body portion. Applicant’s claims are not related to a coating but instead the cutting element or body portion”. This is not found persuasive. While it is true that the facets and tip 62, 64, and 70 are the dimensions of the outer layer 60 of the blade mechanism of the Galloway it also follows that these dimensions are what make up the outermost skin contacting portion of said blade. The present claims are directed to a “blade” see line 3 of claim 1, and the dimensions claimed are directed to a skin contacting outermost part of the blade, see figure 3b. Also, in modifying Warrick, the base reference in the Action, the part being modified is the outermost layer and skin contact pat of the blade. Thus, the dimensions of the outermost layer of the Galloway blade are what is relevant to an artisan tasked with modifying the outermost skin contacting portion/part of the Warrick blade. Thus, Galloway’s disclosures of the dimensions of the skin contacting portion of the Galloway blade are relevant to and do cure the deficiencies of Warrick.
As such, the rejection is maintained.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
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 FERNANDO A AYALA whose telephone number is (571)270-5336. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5pm Eastern standard.
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/FERNANDO A AYALA/Examiner, Art Unit 3724
/BOYER D ASHLEY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3724