DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 2 and 3 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Meckel (US 2005/0087406) in view of Toby (US 6,457,566).
In Re claim 2, Meckel discloses a method comprising: surface finishing at least a portion of two parallel surfaces (20a, 20b) of a brake disk (12); applying a first material (first coating layer 28) via energized vapor deposition (figs. 6-8; Abstract; pars. 0033-0039); and applying a second material (second coating layer 30) via energized vapor deposition (figs. 6-8; Abstract; pars. 0033-0039). Meckel fail to teach applying insignia on to a surface of the brake disk.
Toby is related to the art of disk brakes. Toby teaches providing a disk brake (100) with insignia (150; fig. 9) as a visual wear indicator (abstract). The wear indicator allows for easy visual inspection of brake rotor condition without the need for measurement tools. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the brake disk of Meckel to include a visual wear indicator, as taught by Toby, to allow for easy visual inspection of brake rotor condition without the need for measurement tools. The examiner notes that the applying the wear indicator and two layers of material encompass the claimed three-dimensional surface texture.
In Re claim 3, Toby discloses the use of machining, understood to encompass “carving”.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 1 is allowed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS W IRVIN whose telephone number is (571)270-3095. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Robert Siconolfi can be reached at 571-272-7124. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/THOMAS W IRVIN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616
Prosecution Insights