DETAILED ACTION
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement has been received and considered.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the limitation in claim 3 of “.. wherein at least one of the suction plates (110) is disposed in contact with an adjacent suction plate (110)..” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
Claim(s) 1,6,7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by JP H07842769.
Regarding claim 1 JP ‘769 shows in the several different embodiments but particularly figures 1,5,6:
A caliper brake comprising: a piston (3) configured to move forward and backward in an axial direction; and a back plate (5 provided to face a front side of the piston (3), wherein the piston is provided with at least one suction plate (7) provided on a front surface of the piston (3) and having a center concavely formed rearward capable of adsorbing the back plate (5) during the piston (3) moving forward.
Regarding claim 6 note the fastener 8 in the embodiment of figures 5,6.
Regarding claim 7 these limitations are met as broadly claimed.
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.
Claim(s) 2-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP H0742769 in view of DE 29724807 U1.
Regarding claim 2 JP ‘769 lacks specifically showing a plurality of the suction plates 7.
The reference to DE ‘807 shows a damping arrangement for a disc brake caliper piston at 12,22 comprising a plurality of damping elements.
It is notoriously well known in the art to make singular parts plural (and vice-versa) as a matter of engineering choice of design or as specific applications warrant.
One having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have found it obvious to have used a plurality of the suction members 7 in JP ‘769 for this reason, or to accommodate a different piston design.
Regarding claims 3-5 these limitations are considered to be obvious for the same reasons.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER P SCHWARTZ whose telephone number is (571)272-7123. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00 A.M.-7:00P.M..
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/CHRISTOPHER P SCHWARTZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616
1/11/26