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 .
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) 1-3, 5, 6, 13, and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Japanese Patent No. JP 10-299832 to Tsunoda.
Regarding Claim 1, Tsunoda discloses a spring unit (see Figure 1) having most all the features of the instant invention including: a spring part 3 comprising a plurality of plate-shaped leaf springs 2 and a plate-shaped support part (see Figure 1 and lower element 1) and a plate-shaped load part (see Figure 1 and upper element 1) connected to opposite ends of each of the leaf springs 2 in a first direction, wherein each of the leaf springs 2 is defined by a plurality of sheet-shaped members laminated on one another in a thickness direction thereof (see Figure 1), and the plurality of sheet-shaped members 2 are bonded together.
However, Tsunoda does not disclose that the sheet-shaped members are bonded together by intermolecular force.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have bonded the sheet-shaped members of Tsunoda together by intermolecular force as a matter of design preference dependent upon the desired overall strength and rigidity of the spring unit, as well as its intended operating environment.
Regarding Claim 2, Tsunoda, as modified, further discloses that the plurality of sheet-shaped members 2 defining the leaf springs have surfaces perpendicular to the thickness direction, the surfaces being parallel to one another (see Figure 1), and the perpendicular surfaces of each of the leaf springs 2 to the thickness direction are connected to the load part (upper element 1 in Figure 1) and the support part (lower element 1 in Figure 1) at a predetermined angle (see Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 3, Tsunoda, as modified, further discloses that the support part (lower element 1) and the load part (upper element 1) are formed integrally with the spring part 3 at opposite end portions of each of the leaf springs 2 in the first direction, the support part and the load part being defined by the sheet-shaped members laminated on one another in the thickness direction (see Figure 1).
However, Tsunoda, as modified, does not disclose that the spring part, load part, and the support part are formed of the same material.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have designed the spring part, load part, and support part of Tsunoda, as modified, to all be formed of the same material as a matter of design preference dependent upon the desired overall strength and rigidity of the entire spring unit and the desired strength and durability of each of the individual components of the spring unit.
Regarding Claim 5, Tsunoda, as modified, further discloses that the sheet-shaped members 2 contain a two-dimensional material (see Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 6, Tsunoda, as modified, do not disclose that the two dimensional material is at least one material selected from the group consisting of graphene, hexagonal boron nitride, molybdenum disulfide, molybdenum telluride, indium selenide, and tin telluride.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have constructed the two dimensional material of the sheet-shaped members of Tsunoda, as modified, to be at least one material from the claimed group as a matter of design preference dependent upon the desired overall strength and rigidity of the sheet-shaped members and the desired damping characteristics of the spring unit they form part of.
Regarding Claim 13, Tsunoda, as modified, discloses most all the features of the instant invention as applied in Claim 1 above, and further including: removing, from a base material (see Figures 2 and 3 and the base material that elements 2 are located therein), a portion thereof other than the spring part 3, the support part (lower element 1) and the load part (upper element 1), the base material including the sheet-shaped members 2 being laminated on one another (see Figures 2 and 3).
Regarding Claim 14, Tsunoda, as modified, does not disclose that the base material is highly oriented pyrolytic graphite.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have designed the base material of Tsunoda, as modified, to be formed of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite as a matter of design preference dependent upon the desired material characteristics of the base material and desired damping characteristics of the spring unit itself.
Claim(s) 7 and 10-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Japanese Patent No. JP 10-299832 to Tsunoda in view of Chinese Patent No. CN 107207018 to Mitsue et al.
Regarding Claim 7, Tsunoda, as modified, discloses most all the features of the instant invention as applied above, except for an actuator comprising the spring unit of Claim 1, a first electrode connected to the support part, a second electrode connected to the load part, and a power supply connected to the first and second electrodes via a conductor wire, wherein the spring part, the support part, and the load part are all formed of an electrically insulating material.
Regarding the actuator structure, Mitsue et al are relied upon merely for their teachings of an actuator 30 (see Figure 4) having a spring unit 10, a first electrode (see Figure 4 and lower element 42) connected to a support part (see Figure 4 and the lower portion of element 10), a second electrode (see Figure 4 and upper element 42) connected to a load part (see Figure 4 and the upper portion of element 10), and a power supply 45 connected to the first and second electrodes 42 via a conductor wire (see Figure 4), wherein the support part and the load part are formed of an electrically insulating material (see the examiner translation, page 6, last paragraph).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided the spring unit of Tsunoda, as modified, on an actuator, as claimed, as taught by Mitsue et al in order to create a device to monitor the state of the spring unit during a damping function to improve loading for detecting precision of any fractures or damage that may occur to the spring unit.
Regarding the spring part also being formed of an electrically insulating material, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have designed the spring part of Tsunoda, as modified, to be formed of an electrically insulating material as a matter of design preference dependent upon the desired circuitry for the actuator and desired level of current to run through each of the actuator components.
Regarding Claim 10, Tsunoda, as modified, further disclose the actuator, as outlined in the rejection of Claim 7 above, and further including that the spring part 10 is formed of an electrically conductive material (see page 5 of the examiner provided translation of Mitsue et al, last paragraph), and the support part and the load part are formed of an electrically insulating material (see page 5 of the examiner provided translation of Mitsue et al., last paragraph).
Regarding Claim 11, Tsunoda, as modified, further disclose that the first electrode (lower element 42 in Figure 4 of Mitsue et al) is provided on the support part (lower portion of element 10 in Figure 4 of Mitsue et al) at a position other than a position corresponding to a disposition position (i.e., an end position) of the spring part 10 (see Figure 4 of Mitsue et al), and the second electrode (see upper element 42 in Figure 4 of Mitsue et al) is provided on the load part (upper portion of element 10 in Figure 4 of Mitsue et al) at a position other than a position corresponding to a disposition position (i.e., end position) of the spring part 10 (see Figure 4 of Mitsue et al).
Regarding Claim 12, Tsunoda, as modified, further disclose an actuator 30 (see Figure 4 of Mitsue et al) having the spring unit of Claim 1 and a power supply 45 connected to the support part (lower portion of element 10 in Figure 4 of Mitsue et al) and to the load part (upper portion of element 10 in Figure 4 of Mitsue et al) via a conductor wire (see Figure 4 of Mitsue et al).
However, Tsunoda, as modified, do not disclose that the spring part is formed of an electrically insulating material and the support part and the load part are formed of an electrically conductive material.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have designed the spring part of Tsunoda, as modified, to be formed of an electrically insulating material and the support part and load part to be formed of an electrically conductive material as a matter of design preference dependent upon the desired circuitry for the actuator and desired level of current to run through each of the actuator components.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 8, and 9 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Patent No. 3,390,873 to Wallerstein, Jr., PG Publication No. 2003/0223174 to Prophet, PG Publication No. 2010/0295220 to Hotta et al., Japanese Patent No. JP 2002161650 to Inoue et al., Japanese Patent No. JP 2013539343, and WO document no. WO 2021/205678 to Kurita et al all disclose spring units similar to applicant’s.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAMELA RODRIGUEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-7122. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 7 AM - 5 PM.
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PAMELA RODRIGUEZ
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3616
/PAMELA RODRIGUEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616 02/03/26