DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed 11/12/2025 has been entered. Claims 1-2, 4-7, 9 and 11 remain pending in the application. Claims 3, 8 and 10 were canceled.
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.
Claims 1-2, 4-7, 9 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Graig (US 2232315) in view of Gibbs (US 2732620), Hoffman (US 20020014012 A1) and Schluter (US 2079879).
Regarding claim 1, Graig teaches an apparatus comprising:
a first arm (11) including a first planar outer surface (right surface of 14 on top, see Figure 3);
a hinge (12);
a second arm (10), different from the first arm (at least 34 on 10 is different from 35 on 11), including a second planar outer surface (right surface of 14 on bottom, see Figure 3), wherein a first end of the first arm is pivotally coupled to a first end of the second arm via the hinge (see Figure 2);
a first screw (30 on top);
a first blade (15 on top) having a first plurality of sharpened edges and points coupled via the first screw to the first arm and received in a first recessed region in the first arm planar outer surface, the first blade having including a first blade outer surface (see Figure 3);
a second screw (30 on bottom); and
a second blade having coupled via the second screw to the second arm and received in a second recessed region in the second arm planar outer surface, the second blade having including a second blade outer surface (see Figure 3).
Graig fails to teach having a first plurality of sharpened edges and points, having a second plurality of sharpened edges and points, wherein the first planar outer surface, the first blade outer surface, the second planar outer surface, and the second blade outer surface are coplanar and the hinge, the first screw, and the second screw are located behind the first planar outer surface, the first blade outer surface, the second planar outer surface, and the second blade outer surface.
Gibbs teaches a first screw (17), a first blade (6) having a first plurality of sharpened edges and points coupled via the first screw to the first arm (4, see Figure 1) and received in a first recessed region in the first arm planar outer surface (See Figures 1-2), the first blade having including a first blade outer surface (see Figure 1-2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of Graig to change the blade shape and mounting arrangement, as taught by Gibbs, in order to prolong the life of the blade (col. 1 lines 15-42 of Gibbs).
Hoffman teaches a blade recess (28) with the same depth as the thickness of a blade (12, paragraph 0021).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of modified Graig to make the recess and the blade to have the same thickness, as taught by Hoffman, in order to better retain the blade (paragraph 0021 of Hoffman).
Schluter teaches a countersunk screw head that is behind the outer surface of the mounted blade (see Figure 7).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of modified Graig to use a countersunk screw head, as taught by Schluter, in order have quick detachable system (page 1 lines 30-35 of Schluter).
The resulting device of modified Graig teaches a first screw (as modified by Gibbs and Schluter, function like Figure 2 of Gibbs and behind the surface like Figure 7 of Schluter); a first blade having a first plurality of sharpened edges and points coupled via the first screw to the first arm and received in a first recessed region in the first arm planar outer surface (as modified by Gibbs, see Figure 2 of Gibbs), the first blade having including a first blade outer surface (as modified by Gibbs and Hoffman, function like Figure 2 of Gibbs and with the same thickness, paragraph 0021 of Hoffman); a second screw (as modified by Gibbs and Schluter, function like Figure 2 of Gibbs and behind the surface like Figure 7 of Schluter); and a second blade having a second plurality of sharpened edges and points coupled via the second screw to the second arm and received in a second recessed region in the second arm planar outer surface (as modified by Gibbs, see Figure 2 of Gibbs), the second blade having including a second blade outer surface (as modified by Gibbs and Hoffman, function like Figure 2 of Gibbs and with the same thickness, paragraph 0021 of Hoffman), wherein the first planar outer surface, the first blade outer surface, the second planar outer surface, and the second blade outer surface are coplanar (as modified by Gibbs and Hoffman, same thickness of recess and blade see Figure 2 of Gibbs and paragraph 0021 of Hoffman) and the hinge, the first screw, and the second screw are located behind the first planar outer surface, the first blade outer surface, the second planar outer surface, and the second blade outer surface (as modified by Gibbs and Schluter, function like Figure 2 of Gibbs and behind the surface like Figure 7 of Schluter, while also see Figure 3 of Graig).
Regarding claim 2, modified Graig further teaches the hinge, the first screw, and the second screw located behind the first planar outer surface, the first blade outer surface, the second planar outer surface, and the second blade outer surface (as modified by Gibbs and Schluter, function like Figure 2 of Gibbs and behind the surface like Figure 7 of Schluter, while also see Figure 3 of Graig); and at least one of: the first planar outer surface and the first blade outer surface, or the second planar outer surface and the second blade outer surface are configured to lie parallel to and contact an outer surface edge of a structure; and when lying parallel to and contacting the outer surface edge of the structure, the apparatus is configured to cut a sheet material extending beyond the outer surface edge and behind the first planar outer surface, the first blade outer surface, the second planar outer surface, and the second blade outer surface flush with and along the outer surface edge of the structure (as the material and the outer surface edge of a structure is not required by the claim, this is treated as indented use limitation for an apparatus claim, as long as the structure of the device are the same, the same function can be performed, which means the blades of the device of Graig can perform this function, thus meeting the limitation, as modified by Gibbs and Schluter, function like Figure 2 of Gibbs and behind the surface like Figure 7 of Schluter, while also see Figure 3 of Graig, since the modified device have all the surface on the right in Figure 3 of Graig).
Regarding claim 4, modified Graig further teaches a first shape of the first recessed region prevents rotation of the first blade, and wherein a second shape of the second recessed region prevents rotation of the second blade (as modified by Gibbs, see Figure 1 of Gibbs).
Regarding claim 5, modified Graig further teaches the first and second planar outer surfaces are both located on a same side of the apparatus (see Figure 3 of Graig).
Regarding claim 6, modified Graig further teaches the first blade is at a second end of the first arm, distal from the first end of the first arm, and the second blade is at a second end of the second arm, distal from the first end of the second arm (see Figures 2-3 of Graig)
Regarding claim 7, modified Graig further teaches a stabilizer tab (34, see Figures 2-3 of Graig); and a stabilizer tab cavity (35, see Figures 2-3 of Graig) that is configured to receive the stabilizer tab, wherein the stabilizer tab, once received in the stabilizer tab cavity, is configured to maintain a coplanar alignment of the first blade and the second blade when the first and second arms are clamped together (see Figures 2-3 of Graig).
Regarding claim 9, modified Graig further teaches at least a portion of a top surface of the first arm and at least a portion of a bottom surface of the second arm are configured to accommodate a hand of a user (see Figure 2 of Graig)
Regarding claim 11, modified Graig further teaches entireties of the first planar outer surface, the first blade outer surface, the second planar outer surface, and the second blade outer surface are coplanar (as modified by Gibbs and Hoffman, see Figure 2 of Gibbs with the same thickness of recess and blade, paragraph 0021 of Hoffmann).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 11/12/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-2, 4-7, 9 and 11 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
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/LIANG DONG/Examiner, Art Unit 3724 12/04/2025