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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Paragraph 58 describes Figure 10 and states “the spring 1006 is positioned about the motor shaft 304 and biases the electric motor 302, the motor shaft 304, and the abrasive wheel 204 in a first direction 1010”, however upon inspection of Figure 10, the spring 1006 is between the motor 302 and abrasive wheel 204, and it is unclear how the spring can bias the motor and wheel in the same first direction 1010 if they are on opposite sides of the spring. The examiner respectfully requests clarification
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claims 14 and 15 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 14, line 7 recites “the first base adapter, wherein the first base adapter”, and the first instance of “the first base adapter” and the comma should be deleted. The limitation refers to the feature, but does not add any details. Deleting this reference improves the grammar of the claim and clarifies that a limitation is not missing.
Claim 14, line 11 similarly recites “the second base adapter, wherein the second base adapter” and the first instance of “the second base adapter” and the comma should be deleted.
Claim 15, line 3 recites “the angle plate secured the housing base” and the word “to” should be added after “secured” to correct the grammar.
Appropriate correction is required.
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) 1, and 14-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CH 646,611 to Farcinade (a machine translation will be referred to herein) in view of US 7,115,027 to Thomaschewski.
In Reference to Claims 1, 14, and 18
Farcinade teaches:
An edge sharpening device/system, comprising:
an electric motor (2) housed by a housing (frame 1 and shoulder 1a), wherein a motor shaft (5) extends from the electric motor and is rotatable by the electric motor about a rotation axis (axis of rotation), the motor shaft being configured to secure an abrasive wheel (7), the abrasive wheel is connectable to the motor shaft;
the housing comprising:
a housing base (1b) configured to secure a first base adapter (9), wherein the first base adapter comprises an angle plate (wing 9a) that is configured to interface with a surface (left surface in Figure 3) of a material (ski 21) comprising an edge (20) to configure the abrasive wheel to contact a side bevel (not numbered, see Figure 3) of the edge in accordance with a side bevel sharpening angle (90 degrees, see Figure 3) (see page 2, line 5 through page 3, line 6 and Figures 1 and 3).
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Farcinade fails to teach:
The housing comprises a second base adapter, wherein the second base adapter comprises a base bevel adapter that is configured to interface with the surface of the material comprising the edge to configure the abrasive wheel to contact a base bevel of the edge in accordance with a base bevel sharpening angle.
Thomaschewski teaches:
An edge sharpening device (10) comprising a first base adapter (22a) and a second base adapter (22b), wherein the second base adapter comprises a base bevel adapter that is configured to interface with a surface (lower side of workpiece 50 in Figure 3) of the material comprising an edge (lower surface of 52 in Figure 3) to configure the abrasive wheel to contact a base bevel of the edge in accordance with a base bevel sharpening angle (alpha) (see column 4, lines 5-47 and Figures 3, 4, and 4a).
The first and second adapters allow the material to approach the sharpening device at different angles (column 4, lines 48-51).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the edge sharpening device of Farcinade by adding a second base adapter configured to interface the surface with the abrasive wheel at a base bevel in accordance with a base bevel sharpening angle as taught by Thomaschewski as both references are directed to sharpening devices using adapters, and for the purpose of being able to sharpen a part of the material at a different angle (column 4, lines 48-51 of Thomaschewski).
Regarding the adapters, using either adapter to create a “side” or “base” bevel on surfaces of the material is an intended use for the adapters. One having ordinary skill in the art could interface either the side or base with either adapter. The difference between the adapters is the bevel sharpening angle which the material approaches the abrasive wheel. Based on the teachings of Thomaschewski, the adapters have different angles, and therefore one having ordinary skill in the art could use the desired adapter for each surface to sharpen the side at the desired angle.
Regarding claim 18, the edge sharpening system of Farcinade as modified by Thomaschewski would perform a method comprising: obtaining the edge sharpening device having the claimed structure, and securing the base bevel adapter to the housing base.
In Reference to Claim 15#
Farcinade as modified by Thomaschewski teaches:
The edge sharpening system of claim 14, wherein the edge sharpening system is configurable to operate in a side bevel sharpening configuration, wherein the side bevel sharpening configuration comprises the angle plate secured to the housing base.
In Reference to Claim 16#
Farcinade as modified by Thomaschewski teaches:
The edge sharpening system of claim 15, wherein the edge sharpening system comprises a plurality of angle plates (22a, 22b of Thomaschewski), wherein the housing base is configured to secure any of the plurality of angle plates, and wherein each angle plate of the plurality of angle plates is associated with a different side bevel sharpening angle (column 4, lines 48-51 of Thomaschewski).
In Reference to Claim 17#
Farcinade as modified by Thomaschewski teaches:
The edge sharpening system of claim 14, wherein the edge sharpening system is configurable to operate in a base bevel sharpening configuration, wherein the base bevel sharpening configuration comprises the base bevel adapter secured to the housing base.
In Reference to Claim 19#
Farcinade as modified by Thomaschewski teaches:
The method of claim 18, further comprising:
prior to securing the base bevel adapter to the housing base, unsecuring and removing the angle plate from the housing base; and
securing the abrasive wheel to the motor shaft with an abrasive side (right side of abrasive wheel in Figure 3 of Farcinade) of the abrasive wheel facing away from the electric motor.
When replacing the angle plate with the base bevel adapter, the angle plate would necessarily be unsecured (by removing the screws 11 through the tapped holes 10 of Farcinade) before being removed. The base bevel adapter would then be attached in place of the angle plate.
Regarding the abrasive wheel, Figure 3 of Farcinade shows the abrasive wheel was secured with the abrasive side facing away from the electric motor when assembling the system.
Claim(s) 2 and 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CH 646,611 to Farcinade as modified by US 7,115,027 to Thomaschewski as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of EP 1,530,988 to Schachermayer (a machine translation will be referred to herein).
In Reference to Claim 2
Farcinade as modified by Thomaschewski teaches:
The edge sharpening device of claim 1, comprising the electric motor within the housing.
Farcinade as modified by Thomaschewski fails to teach:
The electric motor is configured to translate within the housing along a translation axis.
Schachermayer teaches:
An edge sharpening device comprising an electric motor (1) in a housing (8), wherein the electric motor is configured to translate within the housing along a translation axis (by moving via the spring 4) (see paragraph 17 and Figure 1).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the edge sharpening system of Farcinade as modified by Thomaschewski by adding a spring and configuring the electric motor to translate within the housing as taught by Schachermayer as both references are directed to edge sharpening systems having electric motors, and for the purpose of dampening vibrations of the motor (paragraph 17 of Schachermayer).
In Reference to Claim 3#
Farcinade as modified by Thomaschewski and Schachermayer teaches:
The edge sharpening device of claim 2, wherein the edge sharpening device further comprises a first spring (4 of Schachermayer) positioned between the electric motor and a spring seat (bottom of housing 8 of Schachermayer in Figure 1) of the housing to bias the abrasive wheel in a first direction (upward in Figure 1 of Schachermayer) along the translation axis when the angle plate is secured by the housing base.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-13 and 20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art of record fails to teach a second spring configured to bias the abrasive wheel in a second direction when the first spring is compressed by a switching system as recited in claim 4. Schachermayer only teaches a single spring and does not teach a switching system for the first spring.
The prior art of record fails to teach a spring lever that is pivotally connected to the housing and that is positioned at least partially between the electric motor and the spring seat as recited in claim 5. Schachermayer fails to teach a spring lever and its claimed features.
Claim 20 similarly recites “a spring lever” which the prior art fails to teach.
Claims 6-13 depend from claim 5 and contain its limitations, and therefore would be allowable for the same reason.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 6,702,656 to Hibbert teaches an edge sharpening device comprising a base adapter. US 6,386,068 to Weissenborn teaches an edge sharpening device comprising pegs (60) of different sizes/lengths which are replaceable to change the bevel angle of the material being sharpened (column 4, line 63 through column 5, line 17 and Figures 13 and 16).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON GREGORY DAVIS whose telephone number is (571)270-3289. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th: 8:00-5:00, F: 8:00-12:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nathan Wiehe can be reached at (571) 272-8648. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JASON G DAVIS/Examiner, Art Unit 3745
/NATHANIEL E WIEHE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3745