CTNF 18/441,774 CTNF 83640 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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. 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-15 AIA Claim s 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102( a)(1 ) as being anticipated by Dorsch (US 4,042,285) . In Re claim 1, Dorsch discloses an annular spring member (cage 30), comprising: a flat annular beam (30) having opposing top and bottom surfaces; a first set of stand-offs (see upwardly extending 33); a second set of stand-offs (see downwardly extending 33); wherein the first and second sets of stand-offs are angularly offset from each other by an equal spacing, and said first and second stand-offs are able to be deflected under an axial load. The examiner points out that the cage is formed of sheet metal or plastic (col. 4, lines 42-45), and therefore understood to be capable of being elastically bent to store energy therein. In Re claim 2, the stand-offs (33) are protrusions. In Re claim 3, each stand-off (33) is a single protrusion. In Re claim 4, Dorsch discloses at least 3 stand-offs. The examiner notes that the claims do not preclude additional axial projection features from existing. In Re claim 5, the cage of Dorsch is annular and would bend in a similar fashion to applicant’s invention . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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. 07-20-aia AIA The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. 07-22-aia AIA Claim s 6 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dorsch (US 4,042,285) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kokumai et al. (US 2016/0108965) . In Re claims 6 and 7, Dorsch further discloses forming the race of metal (col. 4, lines 42-45), but fails to disclose aluminum or stainless steel. Kokumai et al. is related to the art of bearings and bearing races, and teaches forming a bearing race of aluminum or stainless steel (par. 0043). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have formed the metal bearing race of Dorsch of aluminum or stainless steel, as taught by Kokumai et al., as they were readily available, cheap, and lightweight materials suitable for use in bearings . Allowable Subject Matter 12-151-07 AIA 07-97 12-51-07 Claim s 7-20 are allowed. Conclusion 07-96 AIA 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 Application/Control Number: 18/441,774 Page 2 Art Unit: 3616 Application/Control Number: 18/441,774 Page 3 Art Unit: 3616 Application/Control Number: 18/441,774 Page 4 Art Unit: 3616
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