DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (Claims 1-14, 22 and 26) in the reply filed on 2/26/2026 is acknowledged. Claims 15-21 and 23-25 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected invention or having a multiple dependency issue there being no allowable generic or linking claim. The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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 1-12 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.
Claims 1 and 4 recite the limitation "the head rear surface". It is not clear whether it refers to “head front and rear end surfaces” in line 5 in Claim 1. For examination purpose, it is interpreted be “the head rear end surface.”
Claim 10 depends on itself. It is interpreted to depend on Claim 9.
Claim 12 recites the limitation “the driven surfaces” in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. It is interpreted as the driven surface and another driven surface located on the exactly two cutting arms.
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) 26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mani (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0306686).
Regarding Claim 26, Mani teaches a cutting head (Fig. 3, 22) having a head central axis (Fig. 1, 14) defining opposite forward to rearward direction (Fig. 4, upward & downward direction) and about which the cutting head (Fig. 3, 22) is rotatable in a rotational direction (Fig. 5, counterclockwise direction), the cutting head (Fig. 3, 22) comprising a cutting portion (Fig. 3, 23);
the cutting portion (Fig. 3, 23) being devoid of insert seats configured to receive a cutting insert (no additional inserts are mounted to the cutting insert body 23), and comprising:
opposite head front (see fig. below) and rear end surfaces (see fig. below) and a head peripheral surface (see fig. below) extending therebetween;
two cutting arms (see fig. below), each cutting arm extending radially outwards with respect to the head central axis (Fig. 1, 14) along an arm axis (see fig. below) and comprising:
opposite arm rotationally leading (Fig. 3, 46) and trailing surfaces (Fig. 3, 56) located on the head peripheral surface (see fig. below), the arm rotationally leading surface (Fig. 3, 46) being ahead of the arm rotationally trailing surface (Fig. 3, 56 & 58) in the rotational direction (Fig. 5, counterclockwise direction);
a forwardly disposed major cutting edge (Fig. 3, 44) formed along at least a portion of an intersection of the arm rotationally leading surface (Fig. 3, 46) and the head front surface (see fig. below);
an arm rear abutment surface (see fig. below) located on the head rear surface (see fig. below);
a driven surface (see fig. below) located on the arm rotationally trailing surface (Fig. 3, 56); and
at least one fastening recess (Fig. 5, 52 & 54) opening out at a recess opening (Fig. 5, openings of apertures 52 & 54) located at least partially on the arm rotationally trailing surface (Fig. 3, 56 & 58) of a respective cutting arm (see fig. below)
associated with the at least one fastening recess (Fig. 5, 52 & 54); wherein:
the at least one fastening recess (Fig. 5, 52 & 54) comprises a recess circumferential surface (Fig. 3, 62) extending about a recess central axis (Fig. 3A, 68), the recess circumferential surface (Fig. 3, 62) comprising a recess abutment surface (Fig. 3, a lower half circular surface of the apertures 52 & 54) oriented transversely to the head central axis (see fig. below) and facing away from the head rear surface (see fig. below); and
the at least one fastening recess (Fig. 5, 52 & 54) is blind and does not penetrate the entire thickness of the respective cutting arm (see fig. below) so as to intersect both the rotationally leading surface (Fig. 3, 46) and the rotationally trailing surface (Fig. 3, 56) of said respectively cutting arm (see fig. below) (Fig. 5 shows that the apertures 52 & 54 are blind and do not penetrate the entire thickness of the arms.).
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-14 and 22 would be allowed if the above 35 U.S.C. 112(b) rejections are overcome.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: None of the references of record teach “an arm rear abutment surface sloping forwardly in a direction away from the arm rotationally trailing surface towards the arm rotationally leading surface” in combination with remaining limitations in Claim 1.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Zhu (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2019/0283144) and Johansson (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2021/0154748) are considered the closest prior art, however they do not teach the aforementioned allowable subject matter and “the at least one fastening recess is blind” in Claim 26.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUN S YOO whose telephone number is (571)270-7141. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM.
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/JUN S YOO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3726 5/12/2026
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