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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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 matched anode conductive plate tank device, inner cavity shell, anode plate device, and pump as claimed in instant claims 1 and 2 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 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 and 2 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.
The claims are generally narrative and indefinite, failing to conform with current U.S. practice. They appear to be a literal translation into English from a foreign document and are replete with grammatical and idiomatic errors.
Claims 1 and 2 are rejected as failing to define the invention in the manner required by 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph.
The claim(s) are narrative in form and replete with indefinite language. The structure which goes to make up the device must be clearly and positively specified. The structure must be organized and correlated in such a manner as to present a complete operative device. The claim(s) must be in one sentence form only. Note the format of the claims in the patent(s) cited.
As to claim 1, the claim recites several structures repeatedly and thus indefinite if only a single structure is required or multiple of the structures. The recitations in questions are:
“a cathode conductive roller” / “a cathode conductive roller”
“a soaking tank” / “a soaking tank”
“an anode plate” / “a matched anode conductive plate tank device” because the instant specification does not recite plural anodes or the like with respect to the soaking tank
As to claim 1, the recitation “a cathode conductive roller is arranged between the soaking tank and the soaking tank” is indefinite how a roller may be between the singular structure of a soaking tank.
As to claim 1, the recitation “an anode plate device is arranged in the soaking tank and the soaking tank” is indefinite how a roller may be between the singular structure of a soaking tank.
Claim 2 recites the limitation "the pumps" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 2 recites the limitation "the soaking tanks" and “the soaking tank” in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim as it is unclear which soaking tank is being referred to in claim 1, or even if plural soaking tanks are required in light of the lack of distinction in instant claim 1.
As to claim 2, the recitations “a matched anode conductive plate tank device is arranged below the cathode conductive roller” and “an anode plate device is arranged in the soaking tank and the soaking tank” are duplicative of the structure recited in instant claim 1 and thus indefinite if an additional matched anode conductive plate tank device is required or merely the structure recited of claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Colin et al (US 5,188,720).
As to claim 1, Colin discloses A novel cathode conductive roller device for sheet-type plating or sheet-type cleaning machine (Title “installation” with citations drawn towards Fig. 2) comprising
a soaking tank (#1a) ,
a cathode conductive roller (#s 20 col. 7 lines 49-55),
a soaking tank (#1b),
device's partial shell and conductive plate wherein the device's partial shell is provided with a soaking tank device with an inner cavity shell (conductive plate #5, walls 28 delineating the partial shell and wall 27 the inner cavity as seen in Fig. 3) ;
a cathode conductive roller is arranged between the soaking tank and the soaking tank (See Fig. 2);
an anode plate device is arranged in the soaking tank and the soaking tank; a matched anode conductive plate tank device is arranged below the cathode conductive roller (#s 5 Fig. 2 where the anodes are lower in the device than the cathode rollers and therefore below them.).
As to claim 2, Colin further discloses wherein the pumps in the soaking tanks and the soaking tank are drawn with electrolyte circularly for cycle use (col. 7 lines 11-14); an anode plate device is arranged in the soaking tank and the soaking tank; a matched anode conductive plate tank device is arranged below the cathode conductive roller. (See citation above).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LOUIS J RUFO whose telephone number is (571)270-7716. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.
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/LOUIS J RUFO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1795