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 .
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. In claim 1, line 4, there is no antecedent bas for “the other end”. In claims 1, line 6, there is no antecedent basis for “the surface of the rod”. In claim 1, line 8, there is no antecedent basis for “the surface of the tap-lock screw-in end” In each of claims 2, lines 1 and 2, there is no antecedent basis for each of “the crest height”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Stibitz (US 8,480,342) in view of Shih (US 11,598,363). Stibitz discloses a screw comprising: a head part (4) at one end of a rod (1) and a tapered tap-lock screw-in (2) at the other end of the rod part; a first thread (6) on a surface of the rod part in a spiral from adjacent the head to the tap-lock screw-in end in a clockwise spiral ring and; a second thread (7a, 7b or 7c) on a surface of the tap-lock screw-in end with counter-clockwise spiral ring. The crest height of the second thread is “about” half the first thread (column 2, lines 59-61) which would be inclusive of less than but close to half. The second thread includes a cutting edge (8) for cutting wood fibers. Stibitz does not disclose the second thread including several teeth. Shih discloses a screw having a second thread (40) with a cutting edge for cutting wood fibers similar to Stibitz but in Shih the second thread includes several equally spaced teeth (42) in the shape of a quadrangular pyramid. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to replace the cutting edge of the second thread of Stibitz with one including several teeth as disclosed in Shih because both are for the same purpose so replacing one of the other would yield the same predictable results or may be an improvement because Shih includes some additional crushing.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Hettich (US 6,328,516) and Shih (US 11,598,363) are cited to teach the equivalence of cutting threads in clockwise and counter-clockwise directions. The other reference cited are of general interest.
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/FLEMMING SAETHER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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