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 § 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.
Claim 7 is 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 7 recites “ and is in particular pressed in.” The phrase "in particular" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitations following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d). For purposes of examination, the limitation following the phrase is preferred, but not required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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- 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Zamuner (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2007/ 0062922).
Regarding claim 1, Zamuner discloses a torch neck (Zamuner, figs. 1, 2), for a welding device for thermally joining at least one workpiece (Title, Abstract, “a welding torch”), comprising: a nozzle stock (Zamuner, fig. 15, 440+460+470+560), which has an internal cavity with an inner wall (Zamuner, inner wall of 440, surrounding area with “g”) and at least one gas-outlet opening (562), which gas-outlet opening (462) is in fluidic connection with a gas-outlet (“g” leading out of the nozzle near element 544) of a gas nozzle (540) for the outflow of a stream of protective gas,
a nozzle-stock insert (“NSI”, see annotated fig. below) arranged in the internal cavity of the nozzle stock, said nozzle-stock insert having a front end (area farther forward than the “rear end”, broad limitation) and a rear end (area farther back than the front end, broad limitation) and an outer wall (wall of 560), wherein the outer wall of the nozzle-stock insert is at a distance from the inner wall of the nozzle stock (there are points where 440 is distanced from 560), at least in some regions, to form a flow space (FS) for the stream of protective gas, and the flow space (FS) is in fluidic connection with the
gas-outlet opening (562) of the nozzle stock, and
a front and/or rear inflow region, which is formed by a front (area of 452 which then has the gas move into FS and out through 562) and/or rear gap (area of 446 which then has the gas move into 450 which then moves into FS and out through 562) provided at the front end and/or at the rear end of the nozzle-stock insert through which protective gas is introduced into the flow space (Zamuner, annotated figs., FS, figs. 15A, 15B).
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Regarding claim 2, Zamuner discloses all the limitations of claim 1, as above, and further discloses a torch neck wherein the front end of the nozzle stock insert is spaced at a distance to a front dead stop (runs up against 470) of the nozzle stock to form the front inflow region formed by the front gap.
Regarding claim 3, Zamuner discloses all the limitations of claim 1, as above, and further discloses a torch neck wherein the rear end of the nozzle stockinsert (Zamuner, the slanted right-most part of inner extension insert NSI, as seen in fig. 15B) is spaced at a distance to the front end of an inner tube (Zamuner, flexible tube 410, fig. 14; and from front end where 430 ends, fig. 15A) of the torch neck to form the rear inflow region formed by the rear gap (Zamuner, as seen in fig. 15B).
Regarding claim 4, Zamuner discloses all the limitations of claim 1, as above, and further teaches a torch neck wherein the rear gap is located upstream - as seen in flow direction of the protective gas - of the gas outlet opening of the nozzle stock to form a linear gas flow (Zamuner, fig. 15B, 446 with gas arrow into FS is upstream of 562).
Regarding claim 5, Zamuner discloses all the limitations of claim 1, as above, and further teaches a torch neck wherein the front gap (452) is located downstream - as seen in flow direction - of the gas outlet opening of the nozzle stock to form a reverse flow of the stream of protective gas (Zamuner fig. 15B, gas has a little reverse flow from 452 to 562).
Regarding claim 6, Zamuner discloses all the limitations of claim 1 as above, and further discloses a torch neck wherein the nozzle stock insert has an outer surface and the protective gas flows on the outer surface of the nozzle stock insert and/or in the interior of the nozzle stock insert (Zamuner, figs. 15A and 15B, gas flows inside and outside, particularly on the outer surface facing FS ).
Regarding claim 7, Zamuner discloses all the limitations of claim 1 as above, and further discloses a torch neck wherein the nozzle stock insert is connected to the nozzle stock (fig. 15B), and is in particular pressed in.
Regarding claim 8, Zamuner discloses all the limitations of claim 1 as above, and further discloses a torch neck wherein the flow space is substantially at least one linear gap between the inner wall of the nozzle stock and an outer wall of the nozzle stock insert (the gap thickness of the wall of space 450 between the outer wall of NSI facing FS and the inner wall of NSI facing 446) .
Regarding claim 9, Zamuner discloses all the limitations of claim 8 as above, and further discloses a torch neck wherein the linear gap is formed by the grooves substantially extending in length direction of the nozzle stock insert on the outer wall of the nozzle stock insert (gap of 450 extends horizontally to allow gas to flow through).
Regarding claim 10, Zamuner discloses all the limitations of claim 1 as above, and further discloses a torch neck wherein the flow space is substantially formed by a helical gap that is formed by a thread (product by process is not given substantial weight unless the process results in a significant structural difference, which it does not here) that substantially extends in length direction on an outer wall of the nozzle stock insert (Zamuner, Fig. 15B).
Regarding claim 11, Zamuner discloses all the limitations of claim 1 as above, and further discloses a torch neck wherein the opposing first and second ends of the nozzle stock insert extend along the axis of the nozzle stock insert with a length between the ends, and in that the diameter of the nozzle stock insert varies along its length (opposing ends in length and diameter changes, fig. 15B).
Regarding claim 12, Zamuner discloses all the limitations of claim 1 as above, and further discloses a torch neck wherein the nozzle stock insert on its front end facing the gas outlet of the gas nozzle has a smaller cross-section compared to the rear end of the nozzle stock insert facing away from the gas outlet in order to form an annular channel of the flow space (Zamuner, the diameter of the inside tips of FSI is smaller than the back outside diameter of FSI).
Regarding claim 13, Zamuner discloses all the limitations of claim 12 as above, and further discloses a torch neck wherein the flow direction of the stream of protective gas in the annular channel is changed at least once, such that the flow duration or the flow path of the stream of protective gas is lengthened within the gas nozzle (Fig. 15B, the gas flows through the NSI and then through space 452 and then it moves back a little to move through opening 462 to then change direction again to then flow out the front of the nozzle).
Regarding claim 14, Zamuner discloses all the limitations of claim 1 as above, and further discloses a torch neck wherein the nozzle stock insert has an inner passageway configured to receive and pass therethrough an electrode or a wire for generating an arc between the electrode or the wire and the workpiece (Zamuner, fig. 15A, wire W going through middle passageway to come out the end).
Regarding claim 15, Zamuner discloses all the limitations of claim 1 as above, and further discloses a torch neck wherein the gas flow flows from an inner tube (20, 62) into the nozzle stock insert (Zamuner, Fig. 15A, gas flows through the NSI, into area 452) ).
Regarding claim 16, Zamuner discloses all the limitations of claim 1 as above, and further discloses a torch neck comprising a flow contact nozzle is positioned in the internal cavity of the nozzle stock such that the flow contact nozzle extends into the internal cavity of the nozzle stock (Zamuner, contact nozzle, 500)
Regarding claim 17, Zamuner discloses all the limitations of claim 1 as above, and further discloses a torch neck wherein the nozzle stock insert, the flow contact nozzle, and the nozzle stock are constructed of a conductive material (Abstract, “main cylindrical conductive assembly”), and the nozzle stock insert contacts the flow contact nozzle (fig. 15A).
Regarding claim 18, Zamuner discloses all the limitations of claim 1 as above, and further discloses a torch neck comprising either an electrode, arranged in the torch neck, or a wire for producing an arc between the electrode or the wire and a workpiece (Abstract, Torch for arc welding gun, fig. 1, the arc is depicted between the wire W and the workpiece WP).
Regarding claim 19, Zamuner discloses all the limitations of claim 18 as above, and further discloses a torch neck wherein the nozzle stock insert is arranged axially in a cavity of the nozzle stock between the torch neck and the flow contact nozzle (Zamuner, Fig. 15A, torch neck includes behind the cavity of the NSI, while the flow contact nozzle is in front of it, so art reads on the claim).
Regarding claim 20, Zamuner discloses a welding apparatus having a torch according to claim 19 (Zamuner, fig. 15A).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please see attached form PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LAWRENCE H SAMUELS whose telephone number is (571)272-2683. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ibrahime Abraham can be reached at 571-270-5569. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LAWRENCE H SAMUELS/Examiner, Art Unit 3761
/IBRAHIME A ABRAHAM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3761
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