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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on 1/13/26, 9/29/25 and 5/6/25 have been considered by the examiner. It is noted that one of the foreign patent documents on the IDS filed 9/29/25 has been lined through since no English language explanation of relevance for that document has been provided by the Applicant.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Paragraph 0031 of the specification discloses the transverse cross-section of the tip of the barb portion 115 is “R-shaped”, however, as seen in Figures 6 and 7, the transverse cross-section of the tip of the barb portion 115 does not appear to be “R-shaped”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities:
As discussed above, the transverse cross-section of the tip of the barb portion does not appear to be “R-shaped” (see Figures 6 and 7 which are disclosed as depicting transverse cross-sections of the barb portion). Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-3 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Rolion et al. (U.S. Patent 9,662,927, hereinafter Rolion, as cited by the Applicant).
In regard to claim 1, the Rolion reference discloses an attachment structure in a writing instrument comprising:
a first component 1 (see Figure 2); and
a second component 15 (see Figure 5) configured to be fitted into a fitting hole (between walls 10 and 11, see Figure 2) provided at an end of the first component wherein
the second component includes: a small diameter portion 6; (see Figure 5), a large diameter portion (at 30C of element 20; see Figure 5) disposed in front of the small diameter portion 6; and a first outer step portion 20B (see Figures 5 and 8) disposed between the small diameter portion and the large diameter portion,
the fitting hole includes: a small diameter hole (between walls 10A and 11A; see Figure 4); and an inner step portion 10B (see Figure 4) disposed in front of the small diameter hole portion,
the small diameter portion 6 is fitted into or loosely fitted into the small diameter hole portion,
the first outer step portion 20B comes into contact with the inner step portion 10B (see column 5, lines 20-25), and
the small diameter hole portion includes a barb portion 12 protruding from an inner face of the small diameter hole portion, and the barb portion is deformable by contact with the small diameter portion when the second component is fitted (see column 4, lines 41-51).
In regard to claim 2, the barb portion 12 is disposed at a rear end of the inner face of the small diameter hole portion.
In regard to claim 3, the fitting hole further includes a large diameter hole portion (defined by the upper, wider spaced ends of walls 10 and 11 as seen in Figure 4) disposed in front of the inner step portion 10B and the large diameter portion is fitted into or loosely engaged in the large diameter hole portion.
In regard to claim 5, inasmuch as the transverse cross-section of a tip of the barb portion of the Applicant’s device is considered to be “R-shaped”, the transverse cross-section of a tip of the barb portion 12 in the Rolion device is considered to be “R-shaped”.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 6-10 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. The Gueret, Ballot et al. and Dunlap, Jr. et al. references are cited as being directed to the state of the art as teachings of other attachment structures for writing instruments having first and second components with small and large diameter portions.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID J WALCZAK whose telephone number is (571)272-4895. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 6:30-4:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, David Angwin can be reached at 571-270-3735. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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DJW
7/14/26
/DAVID J WALCZAK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3754
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