DETAILED ACTION
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) 1,4,5,9,13 and14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yu et al. (CN 204842760). Regarding claims 1 and 9, Yu discloses a drawing unit (Fig. 3) and drawing method for moving at least one metal product (A) along an axis of feed (between rollers; 2,4 Fig. 4) comprising a motorized roller (2; [0025], lines 2-3) and at least two contrast rollers (4; [0025], lines 4-5) which are disposed opposite the same motorized roller (2; Fig. 3) with respect to the axis of feed of the metal product (A). The two contrast rollers (4) are selectively mobile ([0030], lines 2-6) with respect to the motorized roller (2) along an axis of transverse movement (swing axis; arrows, Fig. 4) which swing axis is at a small pivot angle, substantially parallel to the axis of rotation (41) of the contrast rollers (4) to adjust to changes in wire diameter ([0015], lines 4-7) in an adjustment step.
Regarding claim 4, Yu discloses a machine base (B) with which the motorized and contrast rollers (2,4) are operatively associated, a first support (6) and a second support (5) with which the contrast rollers (4) are operatively associated (Fig. 3). The second support (5) is selectively moved with respect to the base (B) along the axis of transverse movement (arrow, Fig. 4; [0026], lines 5-7). Regarding claim 5, the first support (21) “can be selectively moved” with respect to the second support by pivoting and the first support (6) is actuated by a pressing mechanism (7) to move transversely (downward, Fig. 3) to press the second support (5) and contrast rollers (4) against the motorized roller (2; [0028], lines 3-5 and [0030]). Regarding claim 13, the adjustment step moves the contrast rollers (4) at a small angle along the axis of transverse movement. Regarding claim 14, the adjustment step occurs as a function of diameter changes in the metal product ([0030], lines 2-5).
Claim(s) 1,2,9 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mizuno et al. (JP 2001-121211). Regarding claims 1 and 9, Mizuno discloses a method and apparatus for moving steel product (7) along an axis of feed along a pass line (Fig. 2). Mizuno discloses (page 3; [0009], paragraph 4) a motorized roll (drive roll, 2; Fig. 1) rotated by a drive shaft (6), the drive roll (2) is oppositely positioned across the pass line (7, Fig. 2) from two movable contrast rollers (3, Fig. 1). The contrast rollers comprise ring rollers (3) that rotate around a roller shaft (5) and which are configured to be selectively mobile in an axial direction (Fig. 1) along the roller shaft (5), transversely to the pass line direction, with respect to the motorized roll (2). Each ring roller (3) is axially movable wherein at least two ring rollers (Fig. 1) are movable transversely to any same motorized roll structure (4) that is fixed along the roller shaft axis (page 4, paragraph 3). Regarding claims 2 and 10, each ring roller (3) faces another along the roller shaft axis; Fig. 1).
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.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu et al. (CN 204842760) in view of Wang et al. (CN 104841804). Yu does not disclose that the contrast rollers are pressed against the metal product independently. Wang teaches that each contrast roller (4) is connected by an independent connecting plate (63) through a spring (64; Fig. 4) so that each of the contrast rollers press independently against metal product. It would have been obvious to the skilled artisan prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to modify the contrast rollers of Yu to include springs as taught by Wang so that the contrast rollers independently press against the metal product.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu et al. (CN 204842760) in view Kuwano et al. (6,604,663). Yu does not disclose a contrast roll position sensor. Kuwano teaches a transducer (10c,10d) for actuators (6) acting on a contrast roller (1a). It would have been obvious to the skilled artisan prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to include a position sensor in the drawing unit of Yu as taught by Kuwano in order to detect a position of the pinch roller.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 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 prior art of record does not disclose two pairs of contrast rollers and two motorized rollers wherein at least two contrast rollers of at least two different pairs of contrast rollers are homologous and pivoted to contrast supports associated with first support, including the limitations of base claim 1 and intervening claims 4 and 5.
Claim 12 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 prior art of record does not disclose that in said drawing step, at least two metal products are drawn at the same time, wherein a first contrast roller of said at least two contrast rollers acts only on a first metal product and a second contrast roller acts only on a second metal product different from said first metal product, including the limitations of base claim 9.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 7-7-2025 have been fully considered and Yu is used to respond to the amendment to claim 1, incorporating dependent claim 3. Yu discloses that the contrast rollers (4) are configured to adjust along the axis (41) by swinging around the shaft (61), Applicant is claiming “substantially parallel” in claim 1, line 7 and the specification recites “substantially parallel” which does not have to be strictly parallel and Yu discloses pivoting the contrast rollers in Fig. 3 about the axis (41) wherein small angular pivots are read as substantially parallel.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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/EDWARD T TOLAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3725