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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 3-4 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 1/23/2026.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are:
Moving mechanism … to move at least either one of said headstock and said tailstock in a Z-axis direction in claim 1 (corresponds to a ball screw and a motor; paragraph [0054])
Guide mechanism … guiding said tooling base in said Z-axis direction and fixing said tooling base to said base in claim 1 (corresponds to a guide groove, a clamp piece and a clamp bolt; paragraph [0060])
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Arii (Japanese patent document JP S62-255043 A).
As per claim 1, Arii discloses a cylindrical grinder comprising: a base (base shown in the lower portion of the drawing; figure 1); a headstock (6) arranged on said base and configured to rotatably support one end of a workpiece (via chuck 4; figure 1); a tailstock (10) arranged on said base and configured to rotatably support another end of said workpiece (tailstock 10 inherently capable of rotatably supporting a workpiece); a moving mechanism (8a, 14, collectively; figures 1, 2) provided to said base and configured to move at least either one of said headstock and said tailstock in a Z-axis direction (slidable along recess 8 shown; figure 2), which is an axial direction of said workpiece (as shown; figures 1, 4); and a protective cover (20) provided on said base (as shown; figures 1, 3) and configured to protect said moving mechanism (cover plate 20 is on the base which covers recess 8 from debris; figure 1), wherein in an area between said headstock and said tailstock and at a height position above said protective cover, a tooling base for mounting a tooling instrument thereon is arranged in a freely movable manner in said Z-axis direction (sliding base 36 (tooling base) is in an area between the headstock 6 and tailstock 10 above plate 20; figure 1), and between said base and said tooling base, a guide mechanism (8, 38, 40, 42, 44, collectively) being capable of guiding said tooling base in said Z-axis direction and fixing said tooling base to said base at a required position is provided (slidable along recess 8 shown; figures 1, 4).
As per claim 5, Arii discloses the cylindrical grinder according to claim 1, and further discloses wherein said base is a table provided on a bed (see annotated figure 6 below).
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 2 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 2 contains allowable subject matter a clamp bolt provided to said leg part of said tooling base and configured to fix said clamp piece at a required position in said guide groove and fix said tooling base to said base.
In the closest prior art, Arii teaches the cylindrical grinder according to claim 1 and to at least either one of a part toward an operator side beyond said protective cover and a part toward an anti-operator side beyond said protective cover, of said tooling base, a leg part extending downward is provided in a fixed manner (see annotated figure 5 below), and
said guide mechanism comprises: a guide groove (8) formed on an upper surface of said base and extending in said Z-axis direction (as shown; figures 1, 4); a clamp piece (44) fitted in said guide groove (8) in a freely movable manner in said Z-axis direction.
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While Arii teaches a clamping fastener provided to said leg part of said tooling base and configured to fix said clamp piece at a required position in said guide groove and fix said tooling base to said base (hydraulic piston 42 locking 44 to lock 30 in position; figures 1, 4), the clamping fastener is not a bolt and is not provided in the leg part.
In another prior art, Kan (Japanese Patent Document JP S59-112546) teaches to at least either one of a part toward an operator side beyond said protective cover and a part toward an anti-operator side beyond said protective cover, of said tooling base, a leg part extending downward is provided in a fixed manner (leg 16; figure 4), and a clamp bolt provided to said leg part of said tooling base and configured to fix said clamp piece at a required position (via bolt 15; figure 4). However, Kan fails to teach a guide groove and the clamp bolt in said guide groove to fix said tooling base to said base.
No relevant prior art of record sufficiently teaches the allowable subject matter in such a way that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the prior arts to create the claimed invention.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Nakamura (U.S. Patent No. 7,503,244) teaches a machine tool that has moveable headstock, tailstock and a cover plate in the area between the headstock and the tailstock.
Ido (U.S. Patent No. 8,408,967) also teaches a machine tool that has moveable headstock, tailstock and a cover plate in the area between the headstock and the tailstock.
Davies (U.S. Patent No. 3,140,626) teaches a work support between a headstock and a tailstock having a cover plate.
Uehara (U.S. Patent No. 6,868,304) teaches a slidable tailstock.
Izor (U.S. Patent No. 5,583,647) teaches a slidable tailstock.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SANG K KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-1324. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 5:00 pm EST.
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/SANG K KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745