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 .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 12, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (CN216941350), hereinafter Wang, in view of CN212402596.
Regarding claim 1, Wang teaches a holding mechanism of a slicer substantially as claimed except for the limitations in the bolded texts, comprising a holding seat 1 and at least two limiting members 13,
wherein the at least two limiting members 13 are movably disposed on the holding seat;
an outer surface of the holding seat is provided with an accommodating groove, each of the at least two limiting members has an avoiding state and a limiting state;
when the at least two limiting members are in the avoiding state, at least a part of each of the at least two limiting members is accommodated in the accommodating groove, so as to give way to a crystal bar holder in a moving process of the crystal bar holder;
when the at least two limiting members are in the limiting state, at least a part of each of the at least two limiting members protrudes out from the outer surface of the holding seat to abut against the crystal bar holder, and
the at least two limiting members comprises a first limiting member and a second limiting member, and the first limiting member and the second liming member are disposed at intervals along a length direction of the holding seat.
See Figs. 3-4.
Wang does not teach “the second liming member are disposed at intervals along a length direction of the holding seat”. The phrase “the second liming member are disposed at intervals along a length direction of the holding seat” is interpreted as a second set of limiting members being provided at the other end of the holding seat.
CN212402596 teaches a holding seat 11 having to set of limiting members 12 arranged at both ends of the holding seat 11. See Fig. 3.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a second set of limiting members at the other end of the holding seat as taught by CN212402596 so that an operator can install the holding seat to a cutting device from either ends of the holding seat for easy of operation and for restraining the holding seat on the cutting better due to two restraining locations.
Regarding claim 2, Wang teaches the limiting member 16 having an articulated end connected to a spring 17. Wang does not teach the limiting member being a pivoting limiting member.
CN212402596 teaches a pivoting limiting member 12 having a pivot 124. See Fig. 4.
The reciprocating limiting member 13 in Wang and the pivoting limiting member 12 in CN212402596 are art equivalents known in the art for restraining movement of a carrier.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to use the pivoting limiting members in Wang since it has been held that substituting equivalents known for the same purpose is obvious to one skilled in the art. See MPEP. 2144.06.
Regarding claim 4, the limiting members 13 retracting into the groove 16 is best seen in Fig. 4 in Wang.
Regarding claim 6, the limiting members 13 retracting into and extending from the groove 16 is best seen in Fig. 4 in Wang.
Regarding claim 7, a spring 17 is best seen in Fig. 4 in Wang.
Regarding claim 9, the groove 16 guiding the movement of the limiting members is best seen in Fig. 4 in Wang.
Regarding claim 12, CN212402596 teaches an electric actuator for automatically actuating the limiting members.
Regarding claim 15, Wang teaches a crystal bar conveying structure, comprising a holding mechanism and a crystal bar holder of claim 1, wherein the crystal bar holder is movably disposed on a bottom of the holding seat along a length direction of the holding seat.
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (CN216941350), hereinafter Wang, in view of CN212402596, and Nagatsuka et al. (5,904,136) as applied to claims 1 and 15 above, and further in view of Nagatsuka et al. (5,904,136), hereinafter Nagatsuka.
Regarding claim 16, Wang teaches a slicer substantially except for the limitations in the bolded texts, comprising a slicing cabinet and a crystal bar conveying structure of claim 15, wherein both a front sidewall of the slicing cabinet and a back sidewall of the slicing cabinet are provided with ports, and the ports are configured to allow a material to get in or out.
Wang teaches a slicing device and thus has a slicing station. However, Wang does not teach a slicing cabinet.
Nagatsuka teaches a slicing cabinet 40. See Fig. 1.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to provide the slicing station in Wang a cabinet as taught by Nagatsuka for blocking debris and slurry from flying out into a working environment.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 5, 8, 10, 11, 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 3 is allowable for setting forth the inner surface of the groove having a locking part.
Claim 5 is allowable for setting forth the holding seat having a pair of proximity switches.
Claim 8 is allowable for setting forth the groove having a locking member for locking with the limiting members.
Claim 10 is allowable for setting forth the limiting members being an extendable tube.
Claim 11 is allowable for setting forth the groove having a pair of detector switches for detecting the states of the limiting members.
Claim 13 is allowable for setting forth the holding seat having a lifting cylinder and a third proximity switch for detecting a distance between the crystal bar holder and the bottom surface of the holding seat.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Crystal bar slicing devices of general interest are cited in form PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHONG H NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-4510. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8-5.
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/PHONG H NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3724