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 Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 1-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kinugasa et al (JP2002274953A with reference to machine translation and original Japanese publication as noted, hereinafter referred to as Kinugasa).
Regarding claim 1, Kinugasa discloses a sliding member (see Kinugasa at the Abstract, disclosing a sliding body) comprising: pore-dense portions with a plurality of densely packed pores on a sliding surface of a main body made of a ceramic (see Kinugasa at claim 1, disclosing fine pores independently formed of a sintered silicon carbide material dispersed in a dense silicon carbide structure).
Regarding claim 2, Kinugasa discloses the sliding surface has the pore-dense portions and voids located around the pore-dense portions (See Kinugasa at the second paragraph after [0006] of the machine translation, disclosing when a resin material for forming voids is added to the sintering raw material as in the case of the second porous material, cracks may occur inside the sintered material. While Kinugasa does not explicitly disclose the cracks are formed around the pore-dense portions, Kinugasa discloses spherical shaped densely packed pore-dense portions per Fig. 1 of Kinugasa. Kinugasa further discloses first and second porous materials (see Kinugasa at the third paragraph after [0006] of the machine translation. Kinugasa discloses mixing dense silicon carbide sintering raw material ... with pre-granulated material ... subjecting them to 100 MPa and firing at 2150°C (see Kinugasa at the last paragraph of page 3 to the first five paragraph of page 4 of the machine translation.) Kinugasa discloses adding a phenolic resin to the beta-silicon carbide powder and spray drying to form the granulated material (See Kinugasa at the seventh paragraph of page 6 from the machine translation). Because this composition and process is substantially identical to the instant composition and process disclosed by the instant specification at [0051]-[0060], the invention of Kinugasa would inherently form voids located around the pore-dense portions.) Where the claimed and prior art products are identical or substantially identical in structure or composition, or are produced by identical or substantially identical processes, a prima facie case of either anticipation or obviousness has been established (see MPEP 2112.01(I) first paragraph).
Regarding claim 3, Examiner notes that while Kinugasa does not explicitly disclose the voids are larger than the pores, this property would be inherently present because the composition and process of Kinugasa are substantially identical to the instantly disclosed composition and process as detailed in the rejection of claim 2 above.
Regarding claim 4, Kinugasa discloses the voids are shaped with an acute angle at end portions (see Kinugasa at the second paragraph after [0006] of the machine translation, disclosing when resin material for forming voids is added to the sintering raw material as in the case of the second porous material, cracks may occur inside the sintered material. Examiner notes cracks correspond to voids, and that cracks inherently possess shapes with acute angles at the end portions.).
Regarding claim 5, Kinugasa discloses the plurality of pores are densely packed in a spherical shape in the pore-dense portions (see Kinugasa at Fig. 1 of the original Japanese publication, showing spherical shaped densely packed pore-dense portions as circles of darker color approximately 100 µm wide.).
Regarding claim 6, Kinugasa discloses wherein on the sliding surface, an inner diameter of the pores located in the pore-dense portions is larger than an inner diameter of the pores located in the main body outside of the pore-dense portions (see Kinugasa at the first paragraph of page 3 of the machine translation, disclosing the pore diameter of the pores in the porous silicon carbide structure are less than 0.5 µm, and the size of each porous silicon carbide structure portion (hereinafter referred to as "porous portion diameter") is less than 10µm.).
Regarding claim 7, Kinugasa discloses wherein pores communicating with each other are present in the pore-dense portions (see Kinugasa at [0006] of the machine translation disclosing the pores are easily communicated with each other).
Regarding claim 8, Kinugasa discloses wherein the main body comprises silicon carbide as a main component (see Kinugasa at the Abstract, disclosing silicon carbide).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CAMERON K MILLER whose telephone number is (571)272-4616. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00am - 5:00pm EST.
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CAMERON K MILLER
Examiner
Art Unit 1731
/CAMERON K MILLER/Examiner, Art Unit 1731