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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species A in the reply filed on 23-Dec-2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 4-10 and 14-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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.
Claims 1 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hosei Brake Industry Co Ltd (JP 05-067830) (Applicant cited).
Regarding independent claim 1, Hosei discloses a guide pin (26) for a caliper brake (see FIG. 1; see also machine translation, ¶ 0007, “FIG. 1 is a view showing a main part of a disc brake”) allowing a caliper housing (10) to be slidably coupled to a carrier (12) during braking (see FIG. 1; see also machine translation, ¶ 0007, “[b]y fitting the slide pins 24 and 26 slidably, the caliper 10 is supported by the support member 12 so as to be floatable”), the guide pin comprising: a cylindrical guide shaft portion (see FIG. 1; portion of pin (26) surrounding central bore (66)); and a head portion (see FIG. 1, left end of pin (26)) provided at one end of the guide shaft portion in an enlarged diameter form (see FIG. 1, left end of pin (26) has enlarged diameter), wherein the guide shaft portion is provided in a form in which at least a portion of a center thereof is hollow in an axial direction to form a hollow portion (66) (see FIG. 1; see also machine translation, ¶ 0007, “a bottomed hole 66”).
Regarding claim 11, Hosei discloses a caliper brake (see machine translation, ¶ 0007, “FIG. 1 is a view showing a main part of a disc brake”) comprising: a carrier (12) fixed to a vehicle body (see machine translation, ¶ 0007, “[t]he support member 12 is provided . . . with a fixed portion 32 fixed to a non-rotating member (not shown)”); a caliper housing (10) installed in the carrier to be movable forward and backward (see FIG. 1; see also machine translation, ¶ 0007, “[b]y fitting the slide pins 24 and 26 slidably, the caliper 10 is supported by the support member 12 so as to be floatable”); and a guide pin (26) having one end fixed to the caliper housing (see FIG. 1; see also machine translation, ¶ 0007, “[s]lide pins 24 and 26 are respectively fixed to the arm portions 20 and 22”) and the other end slidably coupled to a guide hole provided in the carrier to slidably couple the caliper housing to the carrier (see FIG. 1; see also machine translation, ¶ 0007, “a bottomed guide hole 44 (only the guide portion 42 side is shown) extending in a direction parallel to the axis of the disc rotor 14, and the slide pins 24, 26 are slidably fitted into the guide holes 44”), wherein the guide pin includes: a cylindrical guide shaft portion (see FIG. 1; portion of pin (26) surrounding central bore (66)); and a head portion (see FIG. 1, left end of pin (26)) provided at one end of the guide shaft portion in an enlarged diameter form (see FIG. 1, left end of pin (26) has enlarged diameter), wherein the guide shaft portion is provided in a form in which at least a portion of a center thereof is hollow in an axial direction to form a hollow portion (66) (see FIG. 1; see also machine translation, ¶ 0007, “a bottomed hole 66”).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 2 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hosei Brake Industry Co Ltd (JP 05-067830) (Applicant cited), as applied to claims 1 and 11, above, and further in view of Philpott (US 2022/0186797).
Regarding claim 2, Hosei discloses that the guide shaft portion includes two or more parts (see Annotated FIG. 1, below; first part (26) and second part (A)).
Hosei, however, does not describe element (A) (see Annotated FIG. 1, below) and it is therefore unclear whether element (A) has a different material from portion (26) of the guide pin.
Philpott teaches a guide pin (82, 86) (see Abstract, FIGS. 2, 3) having a guide shaft portion that includes two or more parts (82, 86) having different materials from each other (see ¶ 00044, member (86) is formed from resilient material).
It would have been obvious to configure element (A) of Hosei from resilient matter, and/or to combine elements (86) of Philpott with Hosei, to provide retraction of the caliper housing relative to the support member after completion of a braking even (see Philpott, ¶¶ 0004, 0047), thereby providing a clearance between an outboard brake pad and a brake rotor (see Philpott, ¶¶ 0004, 0047).
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Regarding claim 12, Hosei discloses that the guide shaft portion includes two or more parts (see Annotated FIG. 1, above; first part (26) and second part (A)).
Hosei, however, does not describe element (A) (see Annotated FIG. 1, above) and it is therefore unclear whether element (A) has a different material from portion (26) of the guide pin.
Philpott teaches a guide pin (82, 86) (see Abstract, FIGS. 2, 3) having a guide shaft portion that includes two or more parts (82, 86) having different materials from each other (see ¶ 00044, member (86) is formed from resilient material).
It would have been obvious to configure element (A) of Hosei from resilient matter, and/or to combine elements (86) of Philpott with Hosei, to provide retraction of the caliper housing relative to the support member after completion of a braking even (see Philpott, ¶¶ 0004, 0047), thereby providing a clearance between an outboard brake pad and a brake rotor (see Philpott, ¶¶ 0004, 0047).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 13 are 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.
Regarding claims 3 and 13, neither Hosei nor Philpott disclose that the guide shaft portion includes: a first base layer and a second base layer having a cylindrical shape and integrally formed with the head portion; and an insertion material layer provided between the first base layer and the second base layer.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICHOLAS J LANE whose telephone number is (571)270-5988. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM.
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/NICHOLAS J LANE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616
January 7, 2026
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