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
Applicant’s election of Species A in the reply filed on 6/23/2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Claims 10, 12-16 and 19-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b).
Information Disclosure Statement
The listing of references in the specification is not a proper information disclosure statement. 37 CFR 1.98(b) requires a list of all patents, publications, or other information submitted for consideration by the Office, and MPEP § 609.04(a) states, "the list may not be incorporated into the specification but must be submitted in a separate paper." Therefore, unless the references have been cited by the examiner on form PTO-892, they have not been considered.
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 4-6 and 8 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 4, the limitation “the contact regions open up the contact level” is unclear. In claim 5 and 6, the DIN standards are indefinite because they are undefined; there are multiple different standards for different applications which are subject to change. It is suggested that applicant structurally define what facilitates the standard. And claim 8 also appears a double inclusion relative to the features introduced in claim 1. The claims were examined as best understood.
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.
Claims 1-4, 7 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lin (US 2006/0216129). Lin discloses a securing device comprising: a washer (3) with two opposite surfaces one configured as a contact side for contacting a counter layer (6); a through opening (31); the contact side includes a planer surface broken up by a plurality of separate and individual sharp-edged depressions (33) defining a contact level where there are no protrusion beyond the contact level; the ratio of planar contact surface to sharp-edged depressions is shown of be greater than 60%. The angle between the planer contact region and faces (332) of the sharp-edged depression is 90° and the hardness of the washer is greater than the counter layer (Fig. 5).
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Claims 1-4, 7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Madansky (US 3,212,387). In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, Madansky discloses a securing device comprising: a washer (12) with two opposite surfaces one surface (40a) configured as a contact side for contacting a counter layer (62); a through opening (14); the contact side includes a planer surface (54) broken up by a plurality of separate and individual sharp-edged depressions (50) defining a contact level where there are no protrusion beyond the contact level; the ratio of planar contact surface to sharp-edged depressions is shown of be greater than 60%. The angle between the planer contact region and faces of the sharp-edged depression is shown to be between 75-105° (Fig. 5). The sharp edged-depressions are shown as intersecting grooves forming a netlike structure.
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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 5, 6 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin or Madansky. Neither Lin nor Madansky discuss any standards. However, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to apply the claimed standards to the washers of Lin and Madansky so they would conform with the requirements of a particular application.
Claims 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin as applied to claim 1 and further in view of Chalandon (US 9,983,595). Lin does not disclose the contact body with a ceramic material. Chalandon discloses a securing device in the form of a washer similar to Lin and teaches the washer can consist of ceramic (column 4, paragraph beginning line 11). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have the washer of Lin consist of ceramic as disclosed in Chalandon it order to provide it with sufficient hardness to ensure it is harder than the counter layer. The specific material of the ceramic would have been obvious as a matter of design choice.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Chen (US 2014/0348609) and Shiu (US 2007/0128003) are cited teach other examples of washers with sharp-edged depressions occupying a smaller area. Rieschick (US 844,750) is cited to teach additional shapes for sharp-edged depressions. The additional references as cited as general interest.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FLEMMING SAETHER whose telephone number is (571)272-7071. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 - 7:00 eastern.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christine Mills can be reached at 571-272-8322. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/FLEMMING SAETHER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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