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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: ‘pass through in axial direction’ at Line 2 contains a minor grammatical error and should read, ‘pass through in an axial direction. 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 recites the limitation "the axis X" in Line 7. The axis X has not been established, and therefore there is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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, 5 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ray (US 3234974) in view of Brown (US 4553575).
Regarding claim 1, Ray discloses a round bar cutting device including a tool rest 12. The tool rest is axially penetrated by a perforation 22 allowing a round bar to pass through in an axial direction. The tool rest has a front side 28 and a back side 26, the perforation extending to the front and back sides. A virtual axis is defined to pass through the radial center of the perforation in the extension direction of the perforation. Four planer tools 34 protrude forward from the front side, the planer tools being spaced apart around the axis as the center. A first edge 42 is formed on one side of each planer tool and faces an X axis (depending on how the tool is held) so as to cut a square bar which moves towards the perforation among the planer tools and rotates round the axis to form the round bar (see e.g. Fig. 1). The round bar passes through the back side and leaves the perforation. Ray does not disclose the particular cutting edge geometry claimed.
Brown discloses a similar round bar cutting device, wherein four planer tools are provided, wherein the cutting edges 58c form an angle with the axis A of the tool, such that the distance between each first edge and the axis in the diameter direction of the perforation/through hole increases from one end of each first edge close to the front side (i.e. the bottom of the tool) to the other end of the first edge so as to guide the square bar to the midst of the first edges along the axis.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to provide the first edges of the planer tools of Ray in the angular arrangement taught by Brown in order to better guide the workpiece through the cutting edges during operation.
Regarding claim 5, Ray discloses the device including a mounting base 16 which is penetrated by a mounting hole, the tool rest being disposed in the mounting hole (see Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 7, Ray discloses the device including a guide piece 18, one end of which is connected to the mounting base. The guide piece is provided with a guide plate 74 towards the front side of the tool rest. The guide plate is penetrated by a guide hole 64 along the axis. The axis passes through the radial center of the guide hole, and the distance is smaller than or equal to the radius of the guide hole (see Fig. 3).
Claims 2-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ray (US 3234974) in view of Brown (US 4553575) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Wellman (US 0326000).
Regarding claims 2-4, neither Ray nor Brown disclose the claimed cambered walls, second edges and/or flutes.
Wellman discloses a similar round bar cutting device, wherein the tool rest C forms several cambered hole walls and flutes spaced apart around the perforation on the axis with a second edge E’ formed on one side of the intersection of each hole wall and the flutes in the circumferential direction of the perforation. The radius between the second edges and the axis is smaller than the minimum value of the distance (see Fig. 6, the distance being the closest distance between the stepped cutting edges) so that the second edges cut the radial periphery of the round bar.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the device of claim 1 by incorporating the second edges and flutes/cambered walls taught by Wellman, in order to cut the round bar to the final dimension cleanly and to allow chips/debris enough space to be evacuated from the cutting area so as not to damage the workpiece.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ray (US 3234974) in view of Brown (US 4553575) as applied to claim 5 above, and further in view of Newton (US 2584492).
Regarding claim 6, neither Ray nor Brown disclose the claimed plane and propping bolt.
Newton discloses a similar round bar cutting device, wherein two elements 11 and 12 are joined in a coaxial arrangement, and a propping bolt 29 is screwed radially inward, ensuring the two elements do not rotate with respect to each other.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to incorporate the teaching of the propping bolt of Newton into the device of claim 5, such that a plane is formed on a portion of the radial periphery of the tool rest and a propping bolt is screwed through the mounting base, abutting said plane, so as to position and lock the tool rest in place such that it does not rotate during use.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Degen (US 2681086), Samsky (US 2545931), Hancharik (US 2529018), Brown (US 2049685) and Kovatsch (US 0620152) all disclose elements of, or similar to the instant invention.
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/Alan Snyder/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3722