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 .
This office action is a response to the election of species filed on 6/26/2026.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Species A, sub-species AA, claims 1-3 and 5, in the reply filed on 6/26/2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Claims 4 and 6-11 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 6/26/2026.
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 1-3 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Buck et al. (PGPub 2020/0070329 A) in view of Conway (PGPub 2014/0331488 A1).
Buck et al. teach a electric tool, comprising: a main body including an electric motor, a feed screw (150) to be actuated by the electric motor (106), a slide part (190) to be moved by the feed screw, and a control part (126); and a tool head that is coupled to the main body and includes a first jaw and a second jaw (170) pivotally coupled to each other as shown in Fig. 5 (paragraphs [0040]-[0046]), wherein the tool head is provided with a spring (a biasing member, not shown, paragraph [0044]) that urges a distal end side of the first jaw and a distal end side of the second jaw in directions toward each other, and processes a work with a first shape part on the distal end side of the first jaw and a second shape part on the distal end side of the second jaw, the slide part is provided with a first roller (202) at a position slidable to a rear end side of the first jaw, and provided with a second roller (202) at a position slidable to a rear end side of the second jaw a shown in Fig. 5.
However, Buck et al. fail to teach that when the slide part is at an intermediate position, the rear end side of the first jaw and the second jaw and the second roller are separated as shown in Fig. 7, and the distal end side of the first jaw and the distal end side of the second jaw are urged by the spring and closed, and by retracting and moving the slide part, the first roller slides on the rear end side of the first jaw, the second roller slides on the rear end side of the second jaw, and the first shape part and the second shape part are brought closer to each other to process the work. Conway teaches a electric tool for securing items together including when a slide part (100) is at an intermediate position as shown in Fig. 6A, the rear end side of a first jaw (32) and a first roller (104) are separated as shown in Fig. 6A, the rear end side of a second jaw (34) and a second roller (104) are separated as shown in Fig. 6A, and the distal end side of the first jaw and the distal end side of the second jaw are urged by the spring and closed, and by retracting and moving the slide part, the first roller slides on the rear end side of the first jaw, the second roller slides on the rear end side of the second jaw, and the first shape part and the second shape part are brought closer to each other to process the work as shown in Fig. 6B (paragraphs [0037]-[0042]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify an electric tool of Buck et al. by open and retrack to control rollers as taught by Conway in order to provide crimping the items by opening and retracking the jaws by rollers.
Re. claim 2: Conway also teaches that the second jaw is provided with an operation part (290, Fig. 3, paragraphs [0032]-[0033]) that, when operated by an operator while the slide part is at the intermediate position, separates the first shape part and the second shape part from each other so as to allow the work to be removed as shown in Fig. 6A-6B.
Re. claim 3: Buck et al. also teach that the main body is provided with a trigger switch that is actuated in conjunction with a trigger lever operated by the operator so that the control part drives the electric motor, and a control switch that is actuated by operation by the operator so that the control part enables actuation of the trigger switch (paragraph [0041]).
Re. claim 5: Buck et al. also teach that the feed screw is supported by a bearing and coupled to the electric motor via a speed reducer (paragraphs [0041]-[0043]).
The Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. MIYAZAWA (PGPub 2025/0100117 A1), RADTKE et al. (PGPub 2021/0328399 A1), Kehoe et al. (PGPub 2016/0252112 A1), and Kehoe (US PAT. 9,484,700) are cited to further show the state of the art with respect to an electric tool.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL D KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-4565. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 6:00 AM-2:00 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thomas Hong can be reached at 571-272-0993. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/PAUL D KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729
Prosecution Insights