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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description:
13Ba in Fig. 3
R1r in Figs. 6A, 6B, and 6C
R2r in Figs. 8A, 8B, and 8C
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) 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. 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.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
It is unclear what the portion of the sentence after the closing parentheses, “)”, in the following sentence is intended to mean as it does not make grammatical sense with the rest of the sentence. “the pair of first projections 13P1 of a core 13 respectively have a first recess R1 on a surface 13P1a facing the second projections 13P2 of another adjacent core 13 (the surface on the inner side in the crawler width direction WD in the present embodiment) of the surfaces on the two sides in the crawler width direction WD” (pg. 9, lines 1-5 and lines 7-11).
Page 10, lines 8-24 have the same issue as above where the grammatical issues interfere with the ability to understand the meaning of the sentences.
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 1-6 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, lines 19-21 recite the limitation “a first recess on a surface facing the second projection of another core of surfaces on two sides in the crawler width direction”. It is unclear what is meant by “the second projection of another core of surfaces on two sides” as there is no reference to or description of what a “core of surfaces” would be. In order to advance prosecution, it is assumed the last portion is added in error or translated incorrectly and the applicant intended the limitation to simply read “a first recess on a surface facing the second projection of another core.”
Claim 1, line 27 recites the limitation “an end on a side of a tip of the first projection”. It is unclear if this is the same end on a side of a tip of the first projection referred to in line 22-23.
Claim 1, line 29 recites the limitation “a side of a root of the first projection”. It is unclear if this is the same side that is referred to in line 24 or a different side.
Claim 2, line 3 recites the limitation “a side of a root of the first projection”. It is unclear if this is the same side that is referred to in claim 1, lines 24 or 29 or if this is a different side.
Claim 3, lines 5-8 recite the limitation “a second recess on a surface facing the first projection of another core of surfaces on two sides in the crawler width direction”. It is unclear what is meant by “the second projection of another core of surfaces on two sides” as there is no reference to or description of what a “core of surfaces” would be. In order to advance prosecution, it is assumed the last portion is added in error or translated incorrectly and the applicant intended the limitation to simply read “a first recess on a surface facing the second projection of another core.”
Claim 3, line 13 recites the limitation “an end on a side of a tip of the first projection”. It is unclear if this is the same end on a side of a tip of the first projection referred to in line 8-9.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-6 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The closest prior art is Katoh US 5522655 A. Katoh teaches a rubber crawler comprising: an endless crawler body made of rubber, and a plurality of cores 1b embedded in the crawler body and arranged along a crawler circumferential direction, wherein each of the cores 1b comprises: a base portion extending in a crawler width direction, a pair of horn portions 2 extending from the base portion to a crawler inner circumferential side, a pair of first projections 5a, 5b extending from the base portion to a crawler circumferential direction first side, and a pair of second projections 5c, 5d extending from the base portion to a crawler circumferential direction second side, wherein the pair of first projections of each of the cores respectively face the pair of second projections of another core adjacent to the core on the crawler circumferential direction first side in the crawler width direction, at least a first projection on a crawler width direction first side in the pair of first projections of each of the cores has a first recess on a surface facing the second projection of another core of surfaces on two sides in the crawler width direction, the first recess is open on a crawler inner circumferential side and closed on a crawler outer circumferential side. (Fig. 5a and 7c)
Katoh does not teach, nor would it have been obvious in combination with other references, that the first recess is configured such that an end on a side of a tip of the first projection in the crawler circumferential direction of the first recess is positioned closer to a side of a root of the first projection than a tip of the first projection in the crawler circumferential direction, the first recess is configured such that, in a portion including at least an end on a side of a tip of the first projection in the crawler circumferential direction, a length in the crawler width direction increases as it goes toward a side of a root of the first projection in the crawler circumferential direction, and the first recess has a substantially triangular prism shape.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Kimura et al. US 20100013297 A1, Kato et al. US 20100096916 A1, Togashi EP 0493875 A1 all teach different variations of core bar.
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/AP/Examiner, Art Unit 3615
/S. Joseph Morano/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3615