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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I and Species A1 and B1 (encompassed by claims 1-7) in the reply filed on 01/26/2026 is acknowledged. Claims 8-10 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention and species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because it is not directed to the elected apparatus claims and it is not written in a narrative form including multiple short sentences within the single paragraph. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, a first bottom surface and a second bottom surface (as in claim 1), the straight line section parallel to the first bottom surface and the second bottom surface and parallel to a virtual straight line passing a winding axis (as in claim 5) and straight line sections parallel to the first and second bottom surfaces and parallel to one of virtual straight lines passing the winding axis and plurality of straight line sections parallel to different virtual straight lines (as in claim 7) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-7 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 1, the preamble and body of claim appears to be on same line and can cause confusion as to where the preamble ends and where the body of the claim begins. Based on the examiner’s understanding, the following amendment is suggested for Applicant’s consideration:
1.(Currently Amended) A winding apparatus comprising:
a jig driven rotatably and configured to wind a metal wire,
wherein the jig includes:
a rotation jig formed in a cylindrical shape having a first bottom surface, a second bottom surface, and a side surface formed with a cut surface and configured to rotate about a winding axis orthogonal to the first bottom surface and the second bottom surface to wind the metal wire; and
a support plate disposed in contact with the first bottom surface of the rotation jig and configured to guide the metal wire wound by the rotation jig to be wound on the same plane.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-7 are 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 1, lines 4-5 recites a rotating jig formed in a cylindrical shape having “a first bottom surface” and “a second bottom surface” which is confusing and unclear what the two bottom surfaces are. From Applciant’s figures it appears that rotating jig 220 has only one bottom surface. For examination purposes, any two different areas of the single bottom surface will be considered to be first and second bottom surfaces.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the same plane" in line 8. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “a winding axis” and claim 5 dependent on claim 1 also recites the limitation “a winding axis.” It is unclear if these are the same or different winding axes.
Claim 5, lines 1-3 recites the limitation “wherein the straight line section is a section which is parallel to the first bottom surface and the second bottom surface of the rotation jig and parallel to a virtual straight line passing a winding axis.” It is unclear how section could be parallel to a surface. Is it a surface of the section or any other part of the section that needs to be parallel with the first and second surfaces. Similarly, it is unclear how a section could be parallel to a straight virtual line. Furthermore, it is unclear what a straight line passing a winding axis means. How could a line pass another line. Does it mean that the virtual straight line traverses or crosses the winding axis.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-7, as best understood, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 10 as being Chiu et al. (US 10,447,062, hereinafter “Chiu”).
As applied to claim 1, Chiu teaches a winding apparatus comprising a jig driven rotatably (jig 310 rotated by motor 320, col. 5, lines 12-13) and configured to wind a metal wire (intended use limitation but see wires 1101, 110N, Fig. 7), wherein the jig includes a rotation jig formed in a cylindrical shape (311/314, see Fig. 7) having a first bottom surface (right-hand surface of protrusion 314, Fig. 7), a second bottom surface (311A, Fig. 7), and a side surface formed with a cut surface (peripheral surface of plate 311 of rotation jig 310 with slot 312, Fig. 7) and configured to rotate about a winding axis orthogonal to the first bottom surface and the second bottom surface to wind the metal wire (intended use limitation but the winding axis extended left to right in Fig. 7); and a support plate (330, Fig. 7) disposed in contact with the first bottom surface of the rotation jig (right-hand side surface of 330 is disposed in contact with right-hand side surface of protrusion 314) and configured to guide the metal wire wound by the rotation jig to be wound on the same plane (intended use limitation).
The above claim limitations in bold text are considered as intended use limitations. Although the recitations have been fully considered, it carries limited patentable weight. The applicant is reminded that a recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the structural limitations of the claim, as is the case here; refer to MPEP 2114-II. In the instant case, the apparatus of Chiu meets all of the structural limitations, as claimed, and is capable of performing the limitations above.
As applied to claim 2, Chiu teaches the invention cited included wherein the metal wire is wound around the side surface of the rotation jig multiple times to form a loop-shaped flat coil having one or more straight line sections (method limitation but Chiu’s apparatus is capable of performing the winding step, see a loop-shaped flat coil with one or more straight line sections, Figs. 5-S2, col. 4, lines 51-54).
As applied to claim 3, Chiu teaches the invention cited including wherein the cut surface (a surface of slot 312) is orthogonal to the first bottom surface (right-hand surface of protrusion 314, Fig. 7) and the second bottom surface (311A, Fig. 7).
As applied to claim 4, Chiu teaches the invention cited including wherein the rotation jig has a straight line section formed by the cut surface (straight liens and surface of 311, Fig. 7).
As applied to claim 5, Chiu teaches the invention cited including wherein the straight line section is a section which is parallel to the first bottom surface and the second bottom surface of the rotation jig and parallel to a virtual straight line passing a winding axis (the section of 311 with slot 312 includes multiple surfaces extended in multiple directions which would be parallel with the first and second bottom surfaces and orthogonal with virtual line parallel and cross the winding axis, Fig. 7).
As applied to claim 6, Chiu teaches the invention cited including wherein the rotation jig is formed with a plurality of cut surfaces to have a plurality of straight line sections (the section of 311 with slot 312 includes multiple cut surfaces with a plurality of straight line sections, Fig. 7).
As applied to claim 7, Chiu teaches the invention cited including wherein the plurality of straight line sections are sections which are parallel to the first bottom surface and the second bottom surface of the rotation jig (sections of cutout 312 in jig 311) and parallel to one of virtual straight lines passing the winding axis (any line that crosses the winding axis which runs from left to right in Fig. 7), and the plurality of straight line sections are parallel to different virtual straight lines (the plurality of sections can be parallel to any imaginary and virtual straight lines that can be selected from an infinite number of virtual straight lines).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Finn et al. (US 6,055,720) teaches a device and method for manufacturing a coil arrangement including a winding device 30 with a matric support circumferential element 31 (abstract, Fig. 3).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SARANG AFZALI whose telephone number is (571)272-8412. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7 am - 4 pm EST.
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/SARANG AFZALI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3726 04/18/2026