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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of species A in the reply filed on 11/10/2025 is acknowledged. Claims 5-8 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b).
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, and 3-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ZANG, LIN-LI (TW M304595) in view of Shih (US 11,371,547). ZANG discloses a screw (10) comprising: a shank (20) with a head (11) at one end and a drill portion at an opposite end; a plurality of thread convolutions (21) with a crest formed at a junction of upper and lower flanks; the convolutions are axially spaced along the shank to define surfaces sections between adjacent convolutions; a plural surface sections include knurled portions (22) with a plurality of recessedly-formed troughs (221) crossing one another; and a plurality of notches (221) cut into the thread crest defining cutting edges and cutting units between adjacent notches. In ZANG the orientation of the notches and cutting units of adjacent thread convolutions is unclear. Shih discloses a screw similar to ZANG including notches (33) formed in a thread crest (30) and shows that cutting units formed between adjacent notches are in alternating alignment with the notches in successive convolutions of the thread (see Figs. 2B and 2C). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to orientate the notches and cutting units of ZANG in alternating alignment as disclosed in Shih because both ZANG and Shih are from the same field of field of endeavor, namely self-tapping screws, where the alternating orientation of notches would yield the same predictable results.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ZANG in view of Shih as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Chen (US 7,393,170). Modified ZANG does not disclose the notches are curved in shape. Chen disclose a self-tapping screw similar to modified ZANG including notches but in Chen the notches (331) are curved in shape (column 2, lines 40-41). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to shape the notches of modified ZANG with a curved shape as disclosed in Chen to provide for arcuate tips (332 as shown in Chen) for improved cutting.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Lin (US 10,797,680) and Timothy (US 12,369,959) are cited to teach other examples of curved grooves. Shih (US 9,850,935), Park (US 11,191,138) and Hu (US 11,149,776) are cited to teach other examples of the knurled shanks sections. The other references cited are of general interest.
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/FLEMMING SAETHER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3675