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 Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the base portion 11” in line 5 should read “the base portion (11)”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the straight guide portion” of line 39 and line 46 should read “the straight guide groove”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the straight guide groove portion” of line 40 and 47 should read “the straight guide . Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the fixing groove (50)” in line 9 should read “the fixing groove ([[50]]222)”. Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-3 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.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the arch wire" in Line 6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the pin insertion hole" in Line 22. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 2 recites the limitation "a pair of cover protrusions (132)" in line 12 which renders the claim indefinite as it is unclear if this is in reference to the pair of cover protrusions (24 and 24) recited in line 6 or an additional pair of protrusions.
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.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoon (US 20220218444) in view of Rodriguez et al. (US 20100055637, hereinafter Rodriguez).
Regarding Claim 1, Yoon a discloses slide-type self-ligating orthodontic bracket assembly (100; Figures 3-7b), comprising: a bracket body block (Figure 5) including a base portion (115; figures 3-4) configured to be attached to the surface of a tooth (paragraph [0039]), and a body portion (110; figures 3-7b) formed on the base portion (figures 3-4) and provided with a wire slot (113; figures 3-5), into which the arch wire (paragraph [0038]) is inserted, between a first wall (figure 7b, wall on one side or arch wire slot) and a second wall (figure 7b, wall on second side of the slot); a cover block (130; figures 3-7b) configured to slide between an open position for opening the wire slot (figure 7a) and a closed position for closing the wire slot (figure 7b); and a restraining unit (150, 151, 155; figure 5) configured to restrain the cover block in the closed position and the open position (paragraph [0043]); wherein a guide protrusion (see illustrated figure 5), both sides of which are flat surfaces parallel to each other (Figure 5), is formed on a flat top surface of the first wall (see illustrated figure 7b; figure 3-7b); wherein a guide portion (lower surface of 130; figures 7a-7b) into which the guide protrusion is inserted to slide forward and backward (figure 7a-7b), wherein the restraining unit comprises: a tubular pin (151; figures 3-7b) inserted and fixed into the pin insertion hole (figures 5-7b) formed to a certain depth from the flat top surface of the guide protrusion (figures 7a-7b); and a restraint ring (155; figures 5-7b) made of metal (paragraph [0053]), inserted and fixed into a fixing groove (130a; figures 7a-7b; paragraph [0051]) formed on a ceiling surface inside the guide portion (figure 7a-7b), and configured to restrain the cover block in the open position and the closed position while operating in conjunction with the tubular spring pin (Figures 7a-7b; paragraphs [0044]-[0045] and [0049]); and wherein the restraint ring comprises: a straight guide groove (155b;figure 6) configured to guide the tubular spring pin (paragraph [0049]) through straight sliding in a state in which an end of the tubular spring pin (paragraph [0049]) contracted radially upward is fitted into the straight guide groove (figured 6-7b; paragraph [0049]); a first restraint groove (155a; figure 6) provided at one end of the straight guide portion (figure 6) to have an inner diameter larger than a width of the straight guide groove portion (figure 6), and configured to restrain movement of the cover block in a closed position in a state in which an end of the tubular spring pin extended in the radial direction is inserted into the first restraint groove (figure 7b); and a second restraint groove (155a; figure 6) provided at a remaining end of the straight guide portion (figure 6) to have an inner diameter larger than the width of the straight guide groove portion (figure 6), and configured to restrain movement of the cover block in an open position in a state in which an end of the tubular spring pin extended in the radial direction is inserted into the second restraint groove (figure 7a; paragraph [0049]).
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Yoon does not disclose wherein a guide recess, into which the guide protrusion is inserted to slide forward and backward, is formed through a bottom surface of the cover block; a tubular spring pin, the tubular spring pin configured to be elastically deformed or elastically restored in order to contract or extend in the radial direction.
Rodriguez discloses an a slide-type self-ligating orthodontic bracket assembly (Figures 1-14), comprising: a bracket body block (10; Figure 1) including a base portion (32 and 33; figure 1) configured to be attached to the surface of a tooth (paragraph [0049]), and a body portion (12; figure 1) formed on the base portion (figure 1) and provided with a wire slot (16; figures 1-15), into which the arch wire (18; figures 1-2) is inserted, between a first wall (38; figure 1) and a second wall (36; figure 1); a cover block (14; figures 1-14) configured to slide between an open position for opening the wire slot (figure 1) and a closed position for closing the wire slot (figure 2); a restraining unit (78, 80, 82, 84; figure 5) configured to restrain the cover block (paragraph [0062]) in the closed position and the open position (paragraph [0064]); wherein a guide protrusion (52; figure 4), both sides of which are flat surfaces parallel to each other (Figures 1-7), is formed on a flat top surface of the first wall (figure 46 wherein a guide recess (see illustrated figure 6), into which the guide protrusion is inserted to slide forward and backward, is formed through a bottom surface of the cover block (figure 6), wherein the restraining unit comprises: a tubular spring pin (78; figure 4; paragraph [0063]) inserted and fixed into the pin insertion hole (paragraph [0088]) formed to a certain depth from the flat top surface of the guide protrusion (figures 1-15; paragraph [0088]), and configured to be elastically deformed or elastically restored in order to contract or extend in the radial direction (paragraph [0063]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have modified the guide protrusions of the tie-wings of Yoon to be reversed so that it a centralized protrusion such that a guide recess, into which the guide protrusion is inserted to slide forward and backward, is formed through a bottom surface of the cover block as taught by Rodriguez in order to accommodate the imposed/mastication forces on the bracket in an improved manner (paragraph [0052]).
Additionally, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have modified the reverse the mechanism of the tubular pin and the restraint ring of Yoon so that the restraint ring is fixed and the tubular spring pin is tubular spring pin and capable to be elastically deformed or elastically restored in order to contract or extend in the radial direction as taught by Rodriguez, since a mere reversal of the essential working parts of a device only involves routine skill in the art and would still ensure the cover block is in the correct position to retain the arch wire.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoon (US 20220218444) and Rodriguez et al. (US 20100055637, hereinafter Rodriguez) further in view of Kwon (US 20240390115)
Regarding Claim 2, Yoon as modified by Rodriguez disclose the bracket assembly of claim 1. Yoon does disclose the back of the guide recess is closed (figures 3a-7b) but does not disclose a front of the guide recess (22) is open; the cover block (20) further includes a pair of cover protrusions (24 and 24) protruding forward to cross the wire slot (120) when it is in the closed position; and the second wall (140) includes an upper protrusion (142) protruding to a position facing a front surface of the cover block (20) in the closed position, and an accommodation depression (144) depressed to accommodate a pair of cover protrusions (132) having crossed the wire slot (120) in the closed position.
Rodriguez discloses the front of the guide recess is open (figures 1-6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have modified the guide recess of Yoon to be open in the front ass taught by Yoon in order to easily slide of the door onto the bracket.
Kwon discloses a slide-type self-ligating orthodontic bracket assembly (Figures 1-15), comprising: a bracket body block (100; Figure 1) including a base portion (130; figure 1) configured to be attached to the surface of a tooth (paragraph [0068]), and a body portion (120; figure 1) formed on the base portion (figure 1) and provided with a wire slot (101; figures 1-3b), into which the arch wire (W; figure 3a; paragraph [0047]) is inserted, between a first wall (figure 4) and a second wall (figure 4); a cover block (200; figures 1-15) configured to slide between an open position for opening the wire slot (figure 5a) and a closed position for closing the wire slot (figure 5b); and a restraining unit (300; figure 6) configured to restrain the cover block in the closed position and the open position (figure 6; paragraph [0080]); a front of the guide recess (212a; figure 12) is open (figure 12); the cover block further includes a pair of cover protrusions (221 and 222; figure 2) protruding forward to cross the wire slot (figure 5b) when it is in the closed position (figure 5b); and the second wall (figure 5b) includes an upper protrusion (121d; figure 5a) protruding to a position facing a front surface of the cover block (figure 5b) in the closed position (figure 5b), and an accommodation depression (121; figure 4) depressed to accommodate a pair of cover protrusions (figure 5b) having crossed the wire slot (figure 5b) in the closed position.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the cover block of Yoon so the cover block further includes a pair of cover protrusions protruding forward to cross the wire slot when it is in the closed position; and the second wall includes an upper protrusion protruding to a position facing a front surface of the cover block in the closed position, and an accommodation depression depressed to accommodate a pair of cover protrusions having crossed the wire slot in the closed position as taught by Kwon in order to allow the cover body to easily slide over the archwire in the archwire slot even if the archwire partially protrudes upward at the center portion of the slot (paragraph [0056]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3 is 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art of render does not disclose nor render obvious: the fixing groove (222) is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and the restraining ring (50) is coupled and installed into the fixing groove (222) in an elastically compressed state in such a manner that three points on an outer surface of the first restraint groove (54) and three points on an outer surface of the second restraint groove (56) come into close contact with an inner surface of the fixing groove (50).
Yoon discloses the fixing groove (figures 7a-8) is formed in an elongated shape with rounded ends (see fig. 8), and the restraining ring is coupled and installed into the fixing groove (figures 7a-7b; paragraph [0044]) in an elastically compressed state.
Yoon does not disclose the fixing groove is a substantially rectangular shape, the restraining ring is coupled and installed in the fixing groove in such a manner that three points on an outer surface of the first restraint groove and three points on an outer surface of the second restraint groove come into close contact with an inner surface of the fixing groove.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Sydney J Pulvidente whose telephone number is (571)272-8066. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday, 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m..
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/SYDNEY J PULVIDENTE/Examiner, Art Unit 3772 /HEIDI M EIDE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3772