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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed December 18th, 2025 has been entered. Claims 1-3 remain pending in the application. New claims 4-5 are also pending in the application.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-4 are objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 1 introduces “an annular fixing member”. Claims 1-4 afterwards refer to this annular fixing member as “the fixing member”, and should instead read “the annular fixing member”. Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-3 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Dienes Werke (DE 20214515 U1 – hereinafter Werke).
Regarding claim 1, Werke teaches a cutting blade comprising: a hub (Fig. 1, Hub 10)
having a raised portion (Fig. 1, portion of Hub 10 with a smaller outer diameter); an annular
blade (Fig. 1, Circular Knife 11) having an opening with the raised portion inserted therein; and
an annular fixing member (Fig. 1, Spring Ring 14) having an outer peripheral edge (Fig. 3, outer peripheral edge including outer circumference of Spring Ring 14 as well as edges defining Recess 21, Hole 23, and Cut 18) defining an entirety of an outer surface of the annular fixing member and an inner peripheral surface (Fig. 3, inner circumference of Spring Ring 14) defining an entirety of the inner surface of the annular fixing member, and a cutout portion (Fig. 3, Cut 17) extending continuously in a straight line from the outer peripheral edge to the inner peripheral surface, fixing the blade on the hub, wherein the blade is sandwiched between the hub and the fixing member that is fixed on the raised portion (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 2, Werke further teaches the cutting blade according to claim 1,
wherein the raised portion includes a groove (Fig. 1, Groove 13) with the fixing member fitted
therein.
Regarding claim 3, Werke further teaches the cutting blade according to claim 1,
wherein the fixing member is an annular resilient member having a pair of end portions (Fig. 3,
end portions being the opposing surfaces on either side of Separating Cut 17), formed by the cutout portion, that are apart from each other.
Regarding claim 5, Werke further teaches the cutting blade according to claim 1 wherein the inner peripheral surface is coaxial to the outer peripheral edge (Fig. 5, the inner and outer circumference of Spring Ring 14 are coaxial).
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 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dienes Werke (DE 20214515 U1 – hereinafter Werke) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of What are retaining rings? [online]; January 10, 2018 [retrieved 2/25/2025]; Retrieved from internet: <<u> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mCN3VSw2yQ</u>> (Year: 2018); hereinafter Rings.
Regarding claim 4, Werke does not teach the cutting blade according to claim 1 further comprising a notched portion formed on the inner peripheral surface of the annular fixing member opposite the cutout portion and extending partly towards the outer peripheral edge of the fixing member.
However, Rings teaches an annular fixing member (1:37 of video and Fig. 1 of attached PDF; E-Clip shown) comprising a notched portion (1:37 of video and Fig. 1 of attached PDF; notched portion containing two notches across from the cutout portion in the E-Clip shown) formed on the inner peripheral surface of the annular fixing member opposite the cutout portion and extending partly toward the outer peripheral edge of the fixing member.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Werke to use the E-clip ring of Rings, which teaches the limitations of claim 4 above. Doing so is beneficial as sliding of the ring along the shaft can be avoided (Rings; 1:37 of video).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/18/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding claim 1, applicant argues that Werke cannot teach the newly added limitation of claim 1, where there is a straight-lined cutout portion extending from the inner peripheral surface of the annular fixing member to the outer peripheral edge, since there are two cuts in Werke (17 and 18), which are not together formed in a straight line and either of which individually do not pass through the entirety of the Spring Ring 14 of Werke. However, the plain meaning of the claim requires only a cut which passes in a straight line from the inner periphery to the outer periphery, which Cut 17 of Werke achieves (See the rejection of claim 1 above).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ELLA LORRAINE KEENA whose telephone number is (571)272-1806. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30am - 5:00 pm ET.
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/ELLA L KEENA/Examiner, Art Unit 3724 /BOYER D ASHLEY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3724