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 Statement submitted on 1/16/2024 is being considered by the Examiner.
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,
the corner portion and four corners in claims 20-23, 26-29, and 32;
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 21 and 22 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 21 recites the limitation “the termination is located at [sic] one-side end of the processing tooth…” There is an article missing before “one-side end.” For examination purposes, the Examiner has interpreted the article to be “the.” Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 22 recites the limitation “the termination is located at [sic] one-side end of the processing tooth in the tool axis direction.” There is an article missing before “one-side end.” For examination purposes, the Examiner has interpreted the article to be “the.” 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 21-22 and 27-28 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 21 recites “the corner portion of the gear workpiece on a tooth tip side,” but it is unclear whether the applicant is referring to a tip side of the processing tooth or of the workpiece tooth. For examination purposes, the limitation has been construed to be “the corner portion on a tooth tip side of a gear workpiece tooth.”
Claim 22 recites “the corner portion of the gear workpiece on a tooth root side,” but it is unclear whether the applicant is referring to a root side of the processing tooth or of the workpiece tooth. For examination purposes, the limitation has been construed to be “the corner portion on a tooth root side of a gear workpiece tooth.”
Claim 22 also recites “the termination tooth surface set in the other-side tooth surface” after claiming the termination is located at “the one-side end.” It is unclear whether claim 22 is claiming that the tooth termination surface is located at the “one-side end,” if there is another termination tooth surface located at the “other-side end,” or both. For examination purposes, the Examiner has construed the claim limitation to be “the termination tooth surface set in the one-side tooth surface.”
Claim 27 recites “the one corner portion of the tooth surface of the gear workpiece on a tooth tip side,” but it is unclear whether the applicant is referring to a tip side of the processing tooth or of the workpiece tooth. For examination purposes, the limitation has been construed to be “the one corner portion of the tooth surface on a tooth tip side of the gear workpiece tooth.”
Claim 28 recites “the one corner portion of the tooth surface of the gear workpiece on a tooth root side,” but it is unclear whether the applicant is referring to a root side of the processing tooth or of the workpiece tooth. For examination purposes, the limitation has been construed to be “the one corner portion of the tooth surface on a tooth root side of the gear workpiece tooth.”
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 26 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mackowsky (US 5573449 A).
Regarding claim 26, Mackowsky discloses a gear manufacturing apparatus configured to grind a gear workpiece including teeth formed on its outer circumferential surface, (machine 50 configured to grind a work gear 2 including teeth 4 formed on its outer circumferential surface; see FIGs. 1 and 8)
by meshing and rotating the gear workpiece and a threaded tool including one or more spiral processing teeth formed on an outer circumferential surface of a base portion of the tool, (by meshing and rotating work gear 2 and grinding wheel 20 including multiple spiral grinding threads 24 formed on an outer circumferential surface of a base portion of the tooth; see FIGs. 3 and 6 and [Col. 5, Lines 1-8])
comprising: a control device configured to control a relative position and a relative angle of the tool with respect to the gear workpiece, (computer control configured to control a relative position and a relative angle of the grinding wheel 20 with respect to the work gear 2; see FIGs. 3, 6, 8 and [Col. 5, Lines 1-8], as well as Col. 9, lines 34-52 disclosing controlling a relative position and angle; see also Col. 9, line 64-Col. 10, line 7)
wherein the control device is configured to execute a corner portion grinding control in which meshing of the processing tooth and the tooth of the gear workpiece starts or ends by contact of a termination, which is an edge of the processing tooth in a tooth trace direction, and one corner portion among four corners of a tooth surface of the gear workpiece (the computer control is configured to execute a corner portion grinding control in which meshing of the spiral grinding thread 24 and the work gear tooth 4 starts by contact of the edge of the thread 24 in a tooth trace direction, shown in annotated FIG. 6 below, and the root 10 of Corner 1 among 4 corners; see annotated FIG. 1 below and [Col. 4, Lines 19-36]; see also Col. 8, lines 39-46 and 57-65).
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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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 20-23 and 27-29, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mackowsky (US 5573449 A) in view of Jankowski (US 6491568 B1).
Regarding claim 20, Mackowky discloses a gear manufacturing apparatus configured to grind a gear workpiece including teeth formed on its outer circumferential surface, (machine 50 configured to grind a work gear 2 including teeth 4 formed on its outer circumferential surface; see FIGs. 1 and 8)
by meshing and rotating the gear workpiece and a threaded tool including one or more spiral processing teeth formed on an outer circumferential surface of a base portion of the tool, (by meshing and rotating work gear 2 and grinding wheel 20 including multiple spiral grinding threads 24 formed on an outer circumferential surface of a base portion of the tooth; see FIGs. 3 and 6 and [Col. 5, Lines 1-8]) comprising:
a control device configured to execute a corner portion grinding control (computer control configured to execute P1, grinding control of a corner portion; see [Col. 9, Line 64]-[Col. 10, Line 7], as well as Col. 9, lines 34-37 regarding computer control) in which one corner portion among four corners of each tooth surface of the gear workpiece is ground (in which Corner 1 among 4 corners of the surface of each work gear tooth 4 is ground; corners identified in the annotated FIG. 1 above) such that a termination, which is an edge of the processing tooth in a tooth trace direction, comes into contact with the gear workpiece (an edge of grinding thread 24 in section Q1 in a tooth trace direction comes into contact with the work gear 2; see FIGS. 6 and 7A and [Col. 8, Lines 39-46 and 57-65]).
However, Mackowsky does not explicitly teach that one corner portion among four corners of each tooth surface of the gear workpiece is ground such that a termination (which is an edge of the processing tooth in a tooth trace direction) comes into contact with the gear workpiece, utilizing only a termination tooth surface in a one-side tooth surface of the processing tooth or the other-side tooth surface of the processing tooth, the termination tooth surface being set to include part of the termination and being one closed region (emphasis added).
However, Jankowski, in the same field of endeavor related to gear machining apparatuses, teaches of a control device configured to execute a corner portion grinding control (control unit 22 configured to control motors and rotary encoders to execute the grinding of the corner portion of worm thread 4; see [Col. 5, Line 49-Col. 6, Line 19]) in which one corner portion of each tooth surface of the gear workpiece is ground such that a termination, which is an edge of the processing tooth in a tooth trace direction, comes into contact with the gear workpiece, (one corner portion is ground such that a termination of profiling tool 1 comes into contact with worm thread 4; see annotated FIG. 7 below)
utilizing only a termination tooth surface in a one-side tooth surface of the processing tooth or the other-side tooth surface of the processing tooth, (utilizing only active surface 26 on a one-side tooth surface of the profiling tool 1)
the termination tooth surface being set to include part of the termination and being one closed region (active surface 26 being set to include part of the termination and being one closed region; see annotated FIG. 7 below)
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the corner portion grinding control of Mackowsky so that it utilizes only a termination tooth surface in a one-side tooth surface of the processing tooth with the termination tooth surface being set to include part of the termination and being one closed region, as taught by Jankowski. One would have been motivated to make such a modification because it is favorable for “profiling in worm thread zones of tight curvature” and “[reduces] profiling time without adversely affecting the form error of the profile contour during generation grinding of the gear” ([Col. 8, Line 58]-[Col. 9, Line 16]).
Regarding claim 21, the rejection of claim 20 is incorporated. However, modified Mackowsky does not explicitly teach where an axial direction of the tool is defined as a tool axis direction (see axis 22, Figure 6), the termination is located at a one-side end of the processing tooth in the tool axis direction, and wherein, in the corner portion grinding control, the control device allows the corner portion on a tooth tip side to be ground utilizing only the termination tooth surface set in the one-side tooth surface of the processing tooth in the tool axis direction.
However, Jankowski teaches where an axial direction of the tool is defined as a tool axis direction, (see FIG. 6A: horizontal axis E)
the termination is located at a one-side end of the processing tooth in the tool axis direction, (see annotated FIG. 7 below: the termination is located at a one-side end of profiling tool 1 along horizontal axis E)
and wherein, in the corner portion grinding control, the control device allows the corner portion on a tooth tip side to be ground utilizing only the termination tooth surface set in the one-side tooth surface of the processing tooth in the tool axis direction (control unit 22 allows the corner portion of worm thread 4 in the outer zone 37 to be ground utilizing only the active surface 26 set in the one-side tooth surface of the profiling tool along horizontal axis E; see FIGs. 7 and 11 and [Col. 6, Lines 2-19]).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the tool of Mackowsky combined with Jankowski to further include the above features further taught by Jankowski. One would have been motivated to make such a modification because it is favorable for “profiling in worm thread zones of tight curvature” and “[reduces] profiling time without adversely affecting the form error of the profile contour during generation grinding of the gear” ([Col. 8, Line 58]-[Col. 9, Line 16]).
Regarding claim 22, the rejection of claim 20 is incorporated. However, modified Mackowsky does not explicitly teach where an axial direction of the tool is defined as a tool axis direction (see axis 22, Figure 6), the termination is located at a one-side end of the processing tooth in the tool axis direction, and wherein, in the corner portion grinding control, the control device allows the corner portion on a tooth root side to be ground utilizing only the termination tooth surface set in the one-side tooth surface of the processing tooth in the tool axis direction.
However, Jankowski teaches where an axial direction of the tool is defined as a tool axis direction, (see FIG. 6A: horizontal axis E)
the termination is located at a one-side end of the processing tooth in the tool axis direction, (see annotated FIG. 7 above: the termination is located at a one-side end of profiling tool 1 along horizontal axis E)
and wherein, in the corner portion grinding control, the control device allows the corner portion on a tooth root side to be ground utilizing only the termination tooth surface set in the one-side tooth surface of the processing tooth in the tool axis direction (control unit 22 allows the corner portion of worm thread 4 in the inner zone 38 to be ground utilizing only the active surface 26 set in the one-side tooth surface of the profiling tool along horizontal axis E; see FIGs. 7 and 11 and [Col. 6, Lines 2-19]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the tool of Mackowsky combined with Jankowski to further include the above features further taught by Jankowski. One would have been motivated to make such a modification because Jankowski teaches that it is favorable for “profiling in worm thread zones of tight curvature” and “[reduces] profiling time without adversely affecting the form error of the profile contour during generation grinding of the gear” ([Col. 8, Line 58]-[Col. 9, Line 16]).
Regarding claim 23, Mackowsky in view of Jankowski teaches the claimed invention as applied above, wherein modified Mackowsky further teaches wherein the control device is configured to execute a tooth surface grinding control in which the tooth surface of the gear workpiece is ground by the processing tooth by meshing and rotating the tool and the gear workpiece, (computer control configured to execute grinding of the tooth surface P2 in which the tooth surface of work gear 2 is ground by the grinding wheel 20 by meshing and rotating the grinding wheel and work gear; see Col. 9, Line 64-Col. 10, Line 7 and Col. 3, Lines 28-35) before starting or after completing the corner portion grinding control without changing the tool (before starting the corner portion grinding control on section P3 and after completing the corner portion grinding control on section P1 without changing the grinding wheel 20; see Col. 5, Lines 25-33 and Col. 6, Lines 8-29).
Regarding claim 27, the rejection of claim 26 is incorporated. However, Mackowsky does not explicitly teach that the corner portion grinding control is set such that the meshing of the processing tooth and the tooth of the gear workpiece starts by contact of the termination of the processing tooth and the one corner portion of the tooth surface of the gear workpiece on a tooth tip side.
However, from the same or similar field of endeavor, Jankowski teaches that the corner portion grinding control is set such that the meshing of the processing tooth and the tooth of the gear workpiece starts by contact of the termination of the processing tooth and the one corner portion of the gear workpiece on a tooth tip side (the corner portion grinding control in the outer zone 37 is set such that the meshing of the profiling tool 1 and the corner portion of the tooth surface on a tooth tip side of the worm thread 4; see annotated FIG. 7 above in the discussion of claim 20 and ¶[0385]-[0386]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the corner portion grinding control of Mackowsky so that it is set such that the meshing of the processing tooth and the tooth of the gear workpiece starts by contact of the termination of the processing tooth and the one corner portion of the tooth surface on a tooth tip side of the gear workpiece tooth, as taught by Jankowski. One would have been motivated to make such a modification because it is favorable for “profiling in worm thread zones of tight curvature” and “[reduces] profiling time without adversely affecting the form error of the profile contour during generation grinding of the gear” ([Col. 8, Line 58]-[Col. 9, Line 16]).
Regarding claim 28, the rejection of claim 26 is incorporated. However, Mackowsky does not explicitly teach that the corner portion grinding control is set such that the meshing of the processing tooth and the tooth of the gear workpiece ends by contact of the termination of the processing tooth and the one corner portion of the tooth surface of the gear workpiece on a tooth root side.
However, Jankowski, in the same field of endeavor related to gear manufacturing apparatuses, teaches that the corner portion grinding control is set such that the meshing of the processing tooth and the tooth of the gear workpiece ends by contact of the termination of the processing tooth and the one corner portion of the tooth surface of the gear workpiece on a tooth root side (the corner portion grinding control is set such that the meshing of the profiling tool 1 and the worm thread 4 ends by contact of the termination of the profiling tool 1 and the one corner portion on the tooth surface on a tooth root in the inner zone 38 of the profiling tool; see FIGs. 7 and 11 and [Col. 6, Lines 2-19]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the corner portion grinding control of Mackowsky so that it utilizes only a termination tooth surface in a one-side tooth surface of the processing tooth with the termination tooth surface being set to include part of the termination and being one closed region, as taught by Jankowski. One would have been motivated to make such a modification because it is favorable for “profiling in worm thread zones of tight curvature” and “[reduces] profiling time without adversely affecting the form error of the profile contour during generation grinding of the gear” ([Col. 8, Line 58]-[Col. 9, Line 16]).
Regarding claim 29, Mackowsky discloses the claimed invention as applied to claim 26 above, wherein Mackowsky further discloses that the control device is configured to execute a tooth surface grinding control in which the tooth surface of the gear workpiece is ground by the processing tooth by meshing and rotating the tool and the gear workpiece, (computer control is configured to execute grinding control of a tooth surface in which the tooth surface P2 of the work gear 2 is ground by meshing and rotating the grinding wheel 20 and the work gear 2)
before starting or after completing the corner portion grinding control without changing the tool (before starting the corner portion grinding control P3 and after completing the corner portion grinding control P1 without changing the grinding wheel 20; [Col. 6, Line 62]-[Col. 7, Line 2]).
Claims 24 and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mackowsky (US 5573449) in view of Jankowski (US 6491568), and further in view of Erhardt (US 4649671 A).
Regarding claim 24, the rejection of claim 20 is incorporated. However, Mackowsky in view of Jankowski does not explicitly teach a first termination portion including a first termination that is a one-side edge of the processing tooth in the tooth trace direction;
a second termination portion including a second termination that is the other-side edge of the processing tooth in the tooth trace direction;
and a central portion located between the first termination portion and the second termination portion,
wherein a surface of at least one of the first termination portion and the second termination is covered with a coating layer, and a surface of the central portion is not covered with the coating layer.
However, Erhardt, in the same field of endeavor, related to gear manufacturing apparatuses, teaches a gear manufacturing apparatus (Abstract) with
a first termination portion including a first termination that is a one-side edge of the processing tooth in the tooth trace direction;
a second termination portion including a second termination that is the other-side edge of the processing tooth in the tooth trace direction;
and a central portion located between the first termination portion and the second termination portion (shown in annotated FIG. 2 below, edited to show both sides of one processing tooth),
wherein a surface of at least one of the first termination portion and the second termination is covered with a coating layer, and wherein a surface of the central portion is not covered with the coating layer (wherein a surface of the first termination portion and a surface of the second termination is covered with a coating of boron nitride granules 22, and a surface of the central portion is not covered with the boron nitride coating 22; wherein the tool 6 comprising the coating layer operates on workpiece 2; see also Col. 2, lines 43-66).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the processing tooth of Mackowsky combined with Jankowski to further comprise the coating features above that Erhardt teaches. One would have been motivated to make such a modification for enhanced precision working of the flanks of the gears (Col. 1, Lines 26-50).
Regarding claim 25, the rejection of claim 20 is incorporated. However, Mackowsky in view of Jankowski does not explicitly teach the processing tooth includes: a first termination portion including a first termination that is a one-side edge of the processing tooth in the tooth trace direction;
a second termination portion including a second termination that is the other-side edge of the processing tooth in the tooth trace direction;
and a central portion located between the first termination portion and the second termination portion,
and wherein a material of at least one of the first termination portion and the second termination portion is different from a material of the central portion.
However, Erhardt, in the same field of endeavor, related to gear manufacturing apparatuses, teaches a gear manufacturing apparatus (Abstract) with
a first termination portion including a first termination that is a one-side edge of the processing tooth in the tooth trace direction;
a second termination portion including a second termination that is the other-side edge of the processing tooth in the tooth trace direction;
and a central portion located between the first termination portion and the second termination portion (shown in annotated FIG. 2 in the discussion of claim 24 above, edited to show both sides of one processing tooth),
and wherein a material of the first termination portion and the second termination portion is different from a material of the central portion (the first termination portion and the second termination portion comprise a boron nitride material that is not disposed on the central portion; Claim 3; see also Col. 2, lines 43-66).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the processing tooth of Mackowsky combined with Jankowski to further comprise the coating features above that Erhardt teaches. One would have been motivated to make such a modification for enhanced precision working of the flanks of the gears (Col. 1, Lines 26-50).
Claims 30 and 31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mackowsky (US 5573449) in view of Erhardt (US 4649671 A).
Regarding claim 30, the rejection of claim 26 is incorporated. However, Mackowsky does not explicitly teach that the processing tooth includes: a first termination portion including a first termination that is a one-side edge of the processing tooth in the tooth trace direction;
a second termination portion including a second termination that is the other-side edge of the processing tooth in the tooth trace direction;
and a central portion located between the first termination portion and the second termination portion,
wherein a surface of at least one of the first termination portion and the second termination is covered with a coating layer, and a surface of the central portion is not covered with the coating layer. However, Erhardt, in the same field of endeavor, related to gear manufacturing apparatuses, teaches a gear manufacturing apparatus (Abstract) with
a first termination portion including a first termination that is a one-side edge of the processing tooth in the tooth trace direction;
a second termination portion including a second termination that is the other-side edge of the processing tooth in the tooth trace direction;
and a central portion located between the first termination portion and the second termination portion (shown in annotated FIG. 2 in the discussion of claim 24 above, edited to show both sides of one processing tooth),
wherein a surface of at least one of the first termination portion and the second termination is covered with a coating layer, and wherein a surface of the central portion is not covered with the coating layer (wherein a surface of the first termination portion and a surface of the second termination is covered with a coating of boron nitride granules 22, and a surface of the central portion is not covered with the boron nitride coating 22).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the processing tooth of Mackowsky to further comprise the features above that Erhardt teaches. One would have been motivated to make such a modification for enhanced precision working of the flanks of the gears (Col. 1, Lines 26-50).
Regarding claim 31, the rejection of claim 26 is incorporated. However, Mackowsky does not explicitly teach that the processing tooth includes: a first termination portion including a first termination that is a one-side edge of the processing tooth in the tooth trace direction;
a second termination portion including a second termination that is the other-side edge of the processing tooth in the tooth trace direction;
and a central portion located between the first termination portion and the second termination portion,
and wherein a material of at least one of the first termination portion and the second termination portion is different from a material of the central portion.
However, Erhardt, in the same field of endeavor, related to gear manufacturing apparatuses, teaches a gear manufacturing apparatus (Abstract) with
a first termination portion including a first termination that is a one-side edge of the processing tooth in the tooth trace direction;
a second termination portion including a second termination that is the other-side edge of the processing tooth in the tooth trace direction;
and a central portion located between the first termination portion and the second termination portion (shown in annotated FIG. 2 in the discussion of claim 24 above, edited to show both sides of one processing tooth),
and wherein a material of the first termination portion and the second termination portion is different from a material of the central portion (the first termination portion and the second termination portion comprise a boron nitride material that is not disposed on the central portion; Claim 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the processing tooth of Mackowsky to further comprise the features above that Erhardt teaches. One would have been motivated to make such a modification for enhanced precision working of the flanks of the gears (Col. 1, Lines 26-50).
Claim 32 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mackowsky (US 5573449) in view of Faulstich (US 5765974 A) and Jankowski (US 6491568 B1).
Regarding claim 32, Mackowsky discloses a gear manufacturing apparatus for grinding a gear workpiece including a plurality of teeth by meshing and rotating the gear workpiece and a tool for grinding or cutting (see FIG. 8: computer controlled machine 50 for grinding a work gear 2 including a plurality of teeth 4 by meshing and rotating the work gear 2 and grinding wheel 20 for grinding) that includes one or more spiral processing teeth on an outer circumferential surface of the tool, (that includes multiple spiral grinding threads 24 on an outer circumferential surface of grinding wheel 20; see FIG. 3 and Col. 5, Lines 1-11) the apparatus comprising:
a first spindle configured to hold the gear workpiece; (“work gear 2 is mounted to work support 58 by appropriate work holding equipment for rotation about the work gear axis;” see [Col. 9, Lines 38-45] and the annotated FIG. 8 below)
a first holding table rotatably holding the first spindle about a first axis that is an axis of the first spindle; (work support 58 rotatably holding the appropriate work holding equipment about the work gear axis C-axis; see [Col. 9, Lines 38-45])
a second holding table rotatably holding [the tool] about a second axis; (tool support 64 rotatably holding the tool 20 about tool axis S-axis; see [Col. 9, Lines 46-51])
a drive device configured to rotate [the tool] about the second axis and move at least one of the first holding table and the second holding table; (drive motors configured to rotate the tool 20 about S-axis and move work support 58 along Z-axis and tool support 64 along X-axis and Y-axis; see [Col. 9, Lines 34-51] and [Col. 9, Line 64]-[Col. 10, Line 8])
and a control device configured to control the drive device to adjust a relative position and a relative angle of the tool with respect to the gear workpiece, ([Col. 9, Line 44]-[Col. 10, Line 7]: “Each of the respective motors is associated with either a linear or rotary encoder (not shown) as part of a computer numerical control (CNC) system which governs the operation of the drive motors in accordance with instructions input to a computer”)
wherein a radial direction of the gear workpiece is defined as a workpiece radial direction, (see radial direction of work-gear in FIG. 8)
and an axial direction of the tool is defined as a tool axis direction, (see [Col. 8, Line 38-47]: direction of axis 22 of the grinding wheel)
wherein the control device is configured to execute, by controlling the drive device, a tooth surface grinding control in which the tool and the gear workpiece are meshed and rotated to grind each of the teeth of the gear workpiece in a predetermined shape over an entire circumference of the gear workpiece using a central portion of the tool in the tool axis direction; (the CNC system is configured to execute, by controlling the drive motors, grinding control of the tooth surface P2 in which the tool 20 and the work gear 2 are meshed and rotated to grind each of the work gear teeth 4 in a predetermined shape over an entire circumference of the work gear 2 using central portion Q2 in the direction of axis 22; see FIG. 6 and [Col. 5, Lines 11-24])
and a corner portion grinding control in which the tool and the gear workpiece are meshed and rotated, so as to grind, over the entire circumference of the gear workpiece, (grinding control of the corner portion P1 in which the tool 20 and the work gear 2 are meshed and rotated, so as to grind, over the entire circumference of the work gear 2)
one corner portion of four corners of a tooth surface of the gear workpiece which is an end portion of the tooth surface in the workpiece radial direction and a tooth trace direction, (see the annotated FIG. 1 below: Corner 1 among 4 corners of a tooth surface of the work gear 2 which is an end portion of the tooth surface in the radial direction of C-axis and a tooth trace direction)
and wherein the tooth surface grinding control and the corner portion grinding control are executed at different timings (the tooth surface grinding control done on section P-1- and the corner portion grinding control done on section P-1 are executed at different timings; [Col. 6, Line 62]-[Col. 7, Line 2]).
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However, Mackowsky does not explicitly show the element holding the tool 20 comprises a spindle, i.e. Mackowsky does not explicitly teach a second spindle configured to hold the tool;
the second holding table (64) holding the second spindle about the rotational axis S;
the drive motors described in Col. 9, lines 34-51 rotating the second spindle about axis S;
and corner portion grinding control in which only a one-side tooth surface or the other-side tooth surface of the processing tooth in the tool axis direction at a portion located the nearest to one end of the processing tooth in the tool axis direction is brought into contact with the gear workpiece.
However, Faulstich in the same field of endeavor, related to gear manufacturing apparatuses, teaches a gear manufacturing apparatus for grinding a gear workpiece including a plurality of teeth by meshing and rotating the gear workpiece (a gear manufacturing apparatus for grinding a gear workpiece 2 including a plurality of teeth by meshing and rotating the gear workpiece 2; shown in FIG. 6) and a tool for grinding or cutting that includes one or more spiral processing teeth on an outer circumferential surface of the tool (and a tool 0 for grinding or cutting that includes one or more spiral processing teeth on an outer circumferential surface of the tool), the apparatus comprising:
a first spindle configured to hold the gear workpiece; (table 7 configured to hold the gear workpiece 2)
a first holding table rotatably holding the first spindle about a first axis that is an axis of the first spindle; (a machine bed 10 rotatably holding the table 7 about a first axis vertical in FIG. 6 that is an axis of the table 7)
a second spindle configured to hold the tool; (tool spindle 3 configured to hold the tool 0)
a second holding table rotatably holding the second spindle about a second axis that is an axis of the second spindle; (column 9 rotatably holding the tool spindle 3 about axis 11 that is an axis of the tool spindle 3)
a drive device configured to rotate the second spindle about the second axis and move at least one of the first holding table and the second holding table; (a drive 1 configured to rotate the tool spindle 3 about the second axis and move at least one of the first holding table and the second holding table)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the gear manufacturing apparatus of Mackowsky to include first and second spindles, first and second holding tables, and a drive device, as taught by Faulstich. One would have been motivated to make such a modification to provide the mechanisms to actuate the parts taught by Mackowsky (Col. 2, Lines 20-26 and Col. 9, Line 30-Col. 10, Line 23).
Jankowski, in the same or similar field of endeavor related to gear manufacturing apparatuses, teaches a gear manufacturing apparatus with a corner portion grinding control in which only a one-side tooth surface or the other-side tooth surface of the processing tooth in the tool axis direction at a portion located the nearest to one end of the processing tooth in the tool axis direction is brought into contact with the gear workpiece (see annotated FIG. 7 in the discussion of claim 21 above: grinding control of the corner portion in which a one-side end of active surface 26 of profiling tool 1 in the tool axis direction at a portion located the nearest to one end of the tool 1 in the tool axis direction is brought into contact with the work gear; also see [Col. 6, Lines 2-19]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the tool of Mackowsky combined with Faulstich to further include the corner portion grinding control taught by Jankowski. One would have been motivated to make such a modification because it is favorable for “profiling in worm thread zones of tight curvature” and “[reduces] profiling time without adversely affecting the form error of the profile contour during generation grinding of the gear” ([Col. 8, Line 58]-[Col. 9, Line 16]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Zimmerman (US 10898961 B2) discloses a gear manufacturing apparatus that uses a tool with teeth grinding the teeth of the gear workpiece at an angle.
Geiser (US 10173278 B2) discloses a gear manufacturing apparatus used to modify the profile of the flanks of the teeth of the gear workpiece.
Sulzer (US 4850155 A) discloses a gear manufacturing apparatus that uses a tool to grind gears by continuous diagonal hobbing.
Yokoi (JP 2009034785 A) discloses a gear manufacturing apparatus with different grinding controls.
Buschmeier (US 4693231 A) discloses a gear manufacturing apparatus utilizing a rotating tool of teeth to do precision working on a gear workpiece.
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/C.J./Examiner, Art Unit 3723
/MAKENA S MARKMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723