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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on February 12, 2026 has been entered.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3-5, 7, 9, 10, 12-17 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Katano, JP60-71730.
Regarding claim 1, Katano discloses a sliding bearing comprising: a bearing body (8) in a shape of a hollow cylinder (in the translation provided by Applicant 8 is defined as a disk, a disk with a hole forms a hollow cylinder, specifically the hole at 9 in figure 1 which is centrally located) having an inner side and an outer side, produced from a base material, and extending along a longitudinal axis, the inner side of the bearing body defining a feedthrough (9 defines the feedthrough); at least one sliding element (16/16’) made from an antifriction material (made of resin in the outline of the invention portion of the translation provided by Applicant) different from the base material, the sliding element (16/16’) being in a shape of a hollow cylinder having an
inner side and an outer side, being press fit into the feedthrough (9) of the bearing body
(8), and defining a sliding guide (central hole) on the inner side; and wherein the bearing body (8) has a recess (20) provided at the inner side of the bearing body (8), wherein the sliding element (16/16’) has on the outer side at least one projection (17), wherein the at least one projection (17) engages in the recess (20) of the bearing body (8) in such a way that the sliding element (16/16’) is fixed in a position along the longitudinal axis relative to the bearing body (8) by a form fit with the bearing body (8), and wherein the sliding element (16/16’) includes a jacket part (section to the right of 17 in figure 3) in a shape of a hollow cylinder, wherein the jacket part includes at least one spring section (spring elements defined by cutouts 18), wherein the projection (17) of the sliding element is formed on the at least one spring section, and wherein the at least one spring section is spaced from each longitudinal end of the feedthrough (9) by at least 25% of a total length of the feedthrough (9) along the longitudinal axis (in figure 4 the spring section is in the middle of the bearing body/feedthrough and is thus 50% of the total length from a longitudinal end).
Regarding claim 3, Katano discloses that the jacket part extends over a first longitudinal section through which the longitudinal axis passes (the hollow cylindrical shape extends in the longitudinal direction), wherein the jacket part has a constant cross-section along the entire first longitudinal section (from the end of 18 to the opposite end of the bearing element the cross-section is the same).
Regarding claim 4, Katano discloses that the at least one spring section (at 18) is formed between two slots (18 are the slots) running along the longitudinal axis and formed in a second longitudinal section of the jacket part.
Regarding claim 5, Katano discloses that the at least one projection are multiple projections (two spring elements each with a projection 17 are shown in figure 3) distributed in a rotary direction about the longitudinal axis.
Regarding claim 7, Katano discloses that the sliding element includes at least two sliding elements (16 and 16’), which are arranged adjacent to one another along the longitudinal axis and respectively in the feedthrough and which each have at least one projection with which they engage respectively in the recess of the bearing body (see figure 4).
Regarding claim 9, Katano discloses that the sliding elements (16/16’) have the same axial length (see figure 4).
Regarding claim 10, Katano discloses that the sliding bearing is formed as a round shaft sliding bearing (the bearing supports round shaft 7).
Regarding claims 12, 13 and 14, Katano discloses a sliding bearing arrangement comprising a sliding bearing according to claim 1 and a cylindrical shaft (7), which is arranged in the sliding guide of the sliding bearing, wherein the cylindrical shaft extends through the feedthrough and rests at the at least one sliding element, and at least 50% [clm 12], at least 70% [clm 13] or at least 80% [clm 14] of an outer surface of the cylindrical shaft lies within the feedthrough (all of the shaft section between 6 and 13 is within the feedthrough).
Regarding claim 15, Katano discloses that the first longitudinal section of the jacket part extends over at least 50% of a total longitudinal extension of the sliding element (the portion of the sleeve not forming the spring section covers over 50% of the total length of the sleeve, see figures 2 and 3) and/or is spaced by less than 10%
of the total longitudinal extension of the sliding element from a longitudinal end of the
feedthrough (aligns with the longitudinal end which would be a spacing of 0 which is less than 10% of the length).
Regarding claim 16, Katano discloses that the recess (20) is provided within a central area of the feedthrough with reference to the longitudinal axis (see figure 4).
Regarding claim 17, Katano discloses that the projections (17) of the at least two sliding elements (16/16’) engage respectively in the same recess (20) on the inner side of the bearing body (see figure 4).
Regarding claim 20, Katano discloses a sliding bearing comprising: a bearing body (8) in a shape of a hollow cylinder (in the translation provided by Applicant 8 is defined as a disk, a disk with a hole forms a hollow cylinder, specifically the hole at 9 in figure 1 which is centrally located) having an inner side and an outer side, produced from a base material, and extending along a longitudinal axis, the inner side of the bearing body defining a feedthrough (9 defines the feedthrough); at least one sliding element (16/16’) made from an antifriction material (made of resin in the outline of the invention portion of the translation provided by Applicant) different from the base material, the sliding element (16/16’) being in a shape of a hollow cylinder having an
inner side and an outer side, being press fit into the feedthrough (9) of the bearing body (8), and defining a sliding guide (central hole) on the inner side; and wherein the bearing body (8) has a recess (20) provided at the inner side of the bearing body (8), wherein the sliding element (16/16’) has on the outer side at least one projection (17), wherein the at least one projection (17) engages in the recess (20) of the bearing body (8) in such a way that the sliding element (16/16’) is fixed in a position along the longitudinal axis relative to the bearing body (8) by a form fit with the bearing body (8), and wherein the sliding element includes at least two sliding elements (16 and 16’), which are arranged adjacent to one another along the longitudinal axis and respectively in the feedthrough and which each have at least one projection with which the sliding element engages respectively in the recess of the bearing body (see figure 4).
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) 11, 18 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Katano, JP60-71730.
Regarding claim 11, Katano does not disclose that the sliding element is made from a tribological polymer.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing to make the sliding element out of any previously known material, including a tribological polymer, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Regarding claim 18, Katano does not disclose that the sliding element has a wall thickness of less than 1 mm.
It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to set a specific thickness for the sliding element, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955). It has also been held that wherein the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art (sleeve element with the same shape), discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Regarding claim 19, Katano discloses a sliding bearing comprising: a bearing body (8) in a shape of a hollow cylinder (in the translation provided by Applicant 8 is defined as a disk, a disk with a hole forms a hollow cylinder, specifically the hole at 9 in figure 1 which is centrally located) having an inner side and an outer side, produced from a base material, and extending along a longitudinal axis, the inner side of the bearing body defining a feedthrough (9 defines the feedthrough); at least one sliding element (16/16’) made from an antifriction material (made of resin in the outline of the invention portion of the translation provided by Applicant) different from the base material, the sliding element (16/16’) being in a shape of a hollow cylinder having an
inner side and an outer side, being press fit into the feedthrough (9) of the bearing body
(8), and defining a sliding guide (central hole) on the inner side; and wherein the bearing body (8) has a recess (20) provided at the inner side of the bearing body (8), wherein the sliding element (16/16’) has on the outer side at least one projection (17), wherein the at least one projection (17) engages in the recess (20) of the bearing body (8) in such a way that the sliding element (16/16’) is fixed in a position along the longitudinal axis relative to the bearing body (8) by a form fit with the bearing body (8), and wherein the sliding element (16/16’) includes a jacket part (section to the right of 17 in figure 3) in a shape of a hollow cylinder, wherein the at least one projection includes multiple projections (two sections 17) distributed in a rotary direction about the longitudinal axis.
Katano does not disclose that the sliding element has a wall thickness of less than 1 mm.
It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to set a specific thickness for the sliding element, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955). It has also been held that wherein the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art (sleeve element with the same shape), discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8 is 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Claim 8 further requires grooves to be placed on the bearing body, however absent impermissible hindsight reason there is no reason to add grooves to the bearing body of the Katano document as the bearing body in the case of the prior art is a housing element of the larger device and there would be no reason or benefit to adding any grooves to the surface. In the instant application the bearing body is an outer sleeve element of the bearing itself, while claim 1 does not preclude a housing from being considered as part of the bearing, there is no teaching in the prior art for the combination of a sleeve with outer circumferential grooves and the sliding element as defined by the claims.
Response to Arguments
All previous arguments by Applicant are moot in light of the newly provided and relied upon reference to Katano applied above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES PILKINGTON whose telephone number is (571)272-5052. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday 7-3.
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/JAMES PILKINGTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3617