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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.
Applicant's submission filed on May 19th, 2026 has been entered. Claim 2 has been canceled. Claims 1 and 3-7 remain pending in the application. Claim 1 is currently amended. Claims 6-7 are newly added. Applicant's amendments to the claims have overcome the objections to the claims and the rejections under 35 U.S.C. 103 previously set forth in the Final Office Action mailed December 22nd, 2025.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1 and 3-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Okada (US 6,227,474).
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Figure 1. Annotated Figure 28 from Okada
Regarding Claim 1, Okada, Figures 2-3, 28-29 and annotated Figure 1 above, teaches a fishing spinning reel comprising:
a rotor 5 rotated by a winding operation of a handle 7;
a bail support member 14 attached to a support arm 10 of the rotor 5, and supporting a bail 13;
a line roller 16 supported by the bail support member 14, and guiding a fishing line 1 to a spool 8 around which the fishing line 1 is wound and held (See Okada, Col. 8, Ln. 20-25);
a line slider 14a supporting one end of the bail 13, and guiding the fishing line 1 picked up by the bail 13 to the line roller 16; and
an attachment portion 56 at the one end of the bail 13 and disposed at a bottom portion 14ab within the line slider 14a (See Okada, Col. 16, Ln. 7-10), wherein
the attachment portion 56 is fixed to the line slider 14a, which is separate from the bail support member 14 (“the fishing line sliding portion 14a according to the eighteenth embodiment is formed separately from the bail arm lever 14”; See Okada, Col. 15, Ln. 2-4), by a fixing screw 55 from a side of a line slider 14a side (See Okada, Fig. 28, Col. 16, Ln. 7-10), and
the attachment portion 56 is sandwiched between the bottom portion 14ab of the line slider 14a and an inner surface of a head 55b of the fixing screw 55 (“indentation groove 56 is formed in one end of the bail arm 13. Protrusions 57 are formed annularly at an inner face of the head portion 55b to engage the indentation groove 56; See Okada, Col. 16, Ln. 20-25).
Regarding Claim 3, Okada is advanced above.
Okada further teaches an accommodation portion 58’ having a bottomed tubular shape, provided in the line slider 14a, and accommodating the attachment portion 56 (annular groove 58 in line slider 14a creates a bottomed tubular shape in the line slider 14a; See Figure 1 above; See Okada, Fig. 28-29, Col. 16, Ln. 20-32),
wherein the fixing screw 55 is inserted into the line slider 14a through an opening of the accommodation portion 58’ (annular groove 58 and recess 54 of line slider 14a are open in order to accept protrusion 57 on fixing screw 55; See Figure 1 above; See Okada, Fig. 28-29, Col. 16, Ln. 20-32).
Regarding Claim 4, Okada is advanced above.
Okada further teaches wherein an insertion hole 54a into which the one end of the bail 13 is inserted is formed on a side surface 14ac of the line slider 14a (See Figure 1 above), and
the insertion hole 54a has an inner diameter larger than an outer diameter of the one end of the bail 13 (insertion hole 54a must have a larger inner diameter than the outer diameter of the one end of the bail 13 in order for the bail 13 to be inserted into the insertion hole 54a as shown; See Figure 1 above).
Regarding Claim 5, Okada is advanced above.
Okada further teaches wherein the inner surface of the head 55b of the fixing screw 55 directly contacts the attachment portion 56 (“indentation groove 56 is formed in one end of the bail arm 13. Protrusions 57 are formed annularly at an inner face of the head portion 55b to engage the indentation groove 56; See Okada, Col. 16, Ln. 20-25).
Regarding Claim 6, Okada is advanced above.
Okada further teaches wherein the fixing screw 55 is screwed to a cylindrical support shaft 19’ of the bail support member 14 in a state where the line roller 16 is disposed between the line slider 14a and the bail support member 14, and the line roller 16 is rotatably supported by the cylindrical support shaft 19’ (See Figure 1 above; See Okada, Fig. 28, Col. 13, Ln. 15-17, Col. 16, Ln. 49-50).
Regarding Claim 7, Okada is advanced above.
Okada further teaches wherein the accommodation portion 58’ accommodates the attachment portion 56 and at least a part 57 of the head 55b of the fixing screw 55 (See Figure 1 above; See Okada, Fig. 28, Col. 16, Ln. 25-32).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments, see Pg. 4-7, filed May 19th, 2026, have been fully considered.
Regarding the objections to the Claims, Applicant has submitted acceptable amendments. Therefore, the objections have been withdrawn.
Regarding the rejection of Claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. 103, Applicant has amended the claim. The amendments are sufficient to overcome the previously set forth rejection. Therefore, this rejection has been withdrawn. However, a new ground of rejection has been set forth under 35 U.S.C. 102 based on the amended claim.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Okada is utilized in the current rejection of claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. 102 (See Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 above).
Regarding the rejections of Claims 3-5, the claims are dependents of rejected claim 1 and Applicant has provided no additional arguments. Therefore, these claims are also rejected based on the new ground of rejection presented above.
Regarding newly added Claim 6, the claim is a dependent of rejected claim 1, and Applicant’s arguments regarding the cited art, as it applies to claim 1, are moot. Additionally, a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102 has been made for additional limitations outlined in claim 6.
Regarding newly added Claim 7, the claim is a dependent of rejected claims 1 and 3, and Applicant’s arguments regarding the cited art, as it applies to claim 1, are moot. Additionally, a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102 has been made for additional limitations outlined in claim 7.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TIFFANY DOMONIQUE JEFFERSON whose telephone number is 571-272-0403. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10:30am-7:30pm ET.
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, Victoria Augustine can be reached at 313-446-4858. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/T.D.J./Examiner, Art Unit 3654
/Victoria P Augustine/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3654
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