DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 1-14 are currently pending in the application.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested:
WELDING END ASSEMBLY FOR NON-ROUND WIRE WITH INDEXED ANGULAR ORIENTATION BETWEEN DIFFUSER AND TIP.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim 12 is 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 12 recites “the internal indexing surface” and “the external indexing surface”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim. Note, that claim 12 is dependent on claim 3, yet “an internal indexing surface” and “an external indexing surface” were introduced in claim 4.
Claim 12, line 3, recites “the tapered bore”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim.
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 1-5, 7, 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Dinse GMBH (DE 29905592 U1, as cited in the 02/10/2025 Information Disclosure Statement, see attached English translation).
Regarding independent claim 1, Dinse discloses an end assembly (Fig. 1) for a welding device (“shielding gas welding torch”, Para. 0023) for use with a consumable electrode (“flat electrode”) having a non-round cross-sectional shape and defining at least one reference cross-sectional axis (Para. 0024, “The flat wire electrode preferably has a rectangular cross-section”), comprising
a diffuser 5 (“profile tube”) forming an internal cavity 9 (“receptable”, the diffuser is a tube with a hollow interior as shown in Fig. 1), and a distal end 4 (“clamping base”), at least one of the internal cavity and the distal end forming a diffuser indexing surface (Fig. 1 & 2, an interior surface of the diffuser at the distal end has an “indexing surface” forming a nonagon shape),
a tip 1 (“contact tip”) having a tip indexing surface 8 (a “clamping portion”, Fig 1 & 3, Para. 0026) engageable with the diffuser indexing surface (Fig. 2, the surfaces mate with each other, having a matching nonagon shape; Para. 0026, “The contact tip 1 has a clamping element 8 which is inserted into the receptacle 9 of the profile tube 5”), the tip further having a central bore 11 (“feedthrough channel”) for conducting the consumable electrode (Para. 0027-29) and a tip opening having a non-round shape closely conforming with the cross-sectional shape of the consumable electrode (Fig. 4 & 5, the tip opening has a non-round shape meant to conform to and conduct therethrough the flat shape of the wire; note, the language “closely conforming” is very broad, as the term “closely” is a relative term of degree that could encompass a range of meanings; in this case, the tip opening shown in Fig. 5 is meant to receive a flat/rectangular wire shape, and thus “closely conforms” to the electrode), the tip 1 adapted to assemble with the diffuser 5 with the tip and diffuser indexing surfaces interacting to provide at least one indexed angular orientation between the diffuser and the tip whereby the orientation of the reference cross-sectional axis of the consumable electrode is established in a predetermined manner relative to the diffuser ((Fig. 1 & 2, Para. 0027-28, “the contact tip 1, as well as the receptacle 9 of the clamping base 4, is designed as a regular nonagon on its clamping part 8. By rotating the contact tip and selecting the feedthrough channel 11, i.e. the corresponding feedthrough slot, the angle of rotation of the flat wire electrode between the not shown entry into the shielding gas welding torch and the entry into the contact tip can be changed in steps of 10°, since the feedthrough channel 11 has two slots intersecting at right angles”; the tip and diffuser has several predetermined angular positions imparted by the nonagonal shape of their respective indexing surfaces, and the tip can be rotated into one of a plurality of angular orientations to adjust the position of the flat electrode wire; Para. 0012), and
a fastener 2, 3 for clamping the tip and the diffuser together (Fig. 1, Para. 0026, “A clamping nut 2 and a longitudinally carved clamping cone 3 clamp the contact tip 1 to the clamping base 4 at the end of the profile tube 5”).
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Regarding claim 2, Dinse discloses the end assembly in accordance with claim 1 further comprising, the welding device in the form of an electrical resistance welding torch (Para. 0023, the welding device is a shielding gas welding torch using a flat electrode wire).
Regarding claim 3, Dinse discloses the end assembly in accordance with claim 1 further comprising, the fastener is in the form of a nut 2 threaded onto the diffuser 5 (implicit from Fig. 1 & Para. 0026, “A clamping nut 2 and a longitudinally carved clamping cone 3 clamp the contact tip 1 to the clamping base 4 at the end of the profile tube 5”; the nut 2 is shown threaded over the outside surface of the distal end of the diffuser 5).
Regarding claim 4, Dinse discloses the end assembly in accordance with claim 1 further comprising, the diffuser indexing surface is formed by the internal cavity 9 and is further formed as an internal indexing surface (Fig. 1 & 2 above, the diffuser indexing surface is formed in the receptacle/cavity 9 of the diffuser 5, and is thus an “internal surface” thereof), and the tip indexing surface 8 is formed by an external indexing surface (Fig. 2 & 3, the tip indexing surface is formed at the “clamping portion” 8 of the tip 1, and is an externally facing surface).
Regarding claim 5, Dinse discloses the end assembly in accordance with claim 4 further comprising, the internal indexing surface and the external indexing surface extend respectively along the longitudinal axes of the diffuser and the tip (Fig. 1 above, the indexing surfaces extend longitudinally as shown) whereby the tip may be inserted into the diffuser along the longitudinal axis of the diffuser (Fig. 1 above, Para. 0026, “contact tip 1 has a clamping element 8 which is inserted into the receptacle 9 of the profile tube 5”).
Regarding claim 7, Dinse discloses the end assembly in accordance with claim 1 further comprising, the non-round shape is one of; elliptical, flattened, formed with concave or convex sides, formed with a radius of curvature which is not constant around a perimeter, rectangular, square, or a cross-sectional shape which is not circular (Para. 0024, “The flat wire electrode preferably has a rectangular cross-section. However, it can also have a different cross-section than a circle, which, by adjusting the cross-section of the feedthrough channel, allows the desired rotation to be ensured”).
Regarding claim 14, Dinse discloses the end assembly in accordance with claim 4 further comprising, the tip 1 and the diffuser 5 forming at least one indicia indicating an angular orientation between tip and the diffuser (Fig. 5, the cross-shaped feed through channel 11 in the tip would provide at least some indicia of its angular orientation relative to the diffuser when the tip is inserted in a particular angular orientation within the diffuser, for instance, by noting the angle of the cross-shape relative to a vertical or horizontal direction; note, the claim limitation of “at least one indicia” is very broad, as the term “indicia” could encompass any number of possible features that would provide an indication of an angular orientation between the tip and diffuser).
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 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dinse in view of Cooper (US 2015/0273615 A1).
Regarding claim 6, Dinse discloses the end assembly in accordance with claim 1, but fails to disclose further comprising, the diffuser internal cavity having an end concave surface and the tip forming an end convex surface whereby when the tip is assembled into the diffuser, the end concave surface and the end convex surface are brought into mating contact.
Cooper discloses an end assembly for a welding device (Fig. 1), including a diffuser 40 (“insert”) having an internal cavity 40C (“indentation”, Fig. 3), a tip 32 (“contact tip”) having an external surface (Fig. 3), the diffuser internal cavity having an end concave surface 40C (“radiused inner surface 40C”, Para. 0042, Fig. 3) and the tip forming an end convex surface 32D (“radiused outer end surface”, Fig. 3, Para. 0038) whereby when the tip is assembled into the diffuser, the end concave surface and the end convex surface are brought into mating contact (Para. 0051, “where the contact tip 32 has a radiused end surface 32D and the insert 40 has the indention 40C with a radiused inner surface 40D, diffuser sleeve 20 secures the contact tip 32 in contact with the insert 40 so that the radiused end surface 32D of the contact tip extends into the indention 40C in the second end 40B of the insert 40 and contacts the radiused inner surface 40D of the insert 40 to increase the surface contact area between the insert 40 and the contact tip 32”).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have incorporated into the assembly of Dinse, the diffuser internal cavity having an end concave surface and the tip forming an end convex surface that are brought into mating contact, as taught by Cooper, in order to increase the contact surface area between the tip and diffuser, improving heat transfer and current conductivity between the diffuser and tip (Cooper Para. 0010, 0055-56).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dinse.
Regarding claim 8, Dinse discloses the end assembly in accordance with claim 4 further comprising, the internal indexing surface and the external indexing surfaces are each formed in a polygonal/nonagonal shape elongated along the longitudinal axes of the diffuser and the tip (Para. 0027-28), the polygonal/nonagonal shapes of the internal indexing surface and the external indexing surface configured to mate together (Fig. 1 & 2 above), the hexagonal shapes allowing the tip to be inserted into engagement with the diffuser in any one of a plurality of indexed positions (Para. 0027-28).
Dinse fails to disclose the internal indexing surface and the external indexing surfaces are each formed in a hexagonal shape, the hexagonal shapes allowing the tip to be inserted into engagement with the diffuser in any one of six indexed positions.
Dinse does teach the indexing surfaces can be of a “regular polygon” shape, with a “nonagon” used as an exemplary shape (claim 2 & 4, Para. 0027-28). Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the polygonal shape/number of sides of the tip and diffuser indexing surfaces is recognized is a result-effective variable, since such a variable determines the number of positions the contact tip can rotate into, and consequently, the number of positions the wire can be rotated into, to optimally adjust the contact pressure at the entry point of the contact tip on the electrode wire.
It has been held that optimizing a result effective variable was an obvious extension of prior art teachings, In re Antonie, 559 F.2d 618, 195 USPQ 6 (CCPA 1977). Furthermore, it has been held that “[W]here the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." See In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955), MPEP § 2144.05, II, A.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have modified the assembly of Dinse such that the regular polygon of the tip and diffuser indexing surfaces is hexagonal, as an obvious design optimization, discovering the optimal number of angular positions of the contact tip relative to the diffuser to permit adjustment of the contact pressure at the entry point of the contact tip on the electrode wire (Dinse Para. 0027-28). Reducing the number of sides of the polygonal indexing surfaces could also serve to simplify manufacture of the contact tip and diffuser.
Claim 9-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dinse in view of Jaeger (US 2017/0080511 A1).
Regarding claim 9, Dinse discloses the end assembly in accordance with claim 4, but fails to disclose further comprising, the internal indexing surface and the external indexing surface are each formed having a splined configuration, the splined configurations of the internal indexing surface and the external indexing surface configured to mate together, and allowing the tip to be inserted into engagement with the diffuser in any one of a multiplicity of indexed positions.
Jaeger teaches an end assembly for a welding device (Fig. 2-6) including a diffuser assembly 48 (Fig. 3-6) having an internal cavity and an internal indexing surface (formed in a retention mechanism 88 that is part of the diffuser assembly 48, Fig. 9A-9B), and a tip 56 having an external indexing surface (Fig. 10A-10B), the internal indexing surface and the external indexing surface are each formed having a splined configuration (Fig. 9A-10B, the external indexing surface of the tip 56 includes “splines” 66 arranged circumferentially about the external surface of the tip as shown, which mesh with respective depressions 68 formed in an internal surface of a retention mechanism 88 of the diffuser; a “spline” has a broad definition of being “a key that is fixed to one of two connected mechanical parts and fits into a keyway in the other”, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, which the elements of Jaeger reads on), the splined configurations of the internal indexing surface and the external indexing surface configured to mate together (Para. 0053, 0055, 0078-79), and allowing the tip to be inserted into engagement with the diffuser in any one of a multiplicity of indexed positions (Fig. 11A-C, Para. 0081-82, the tip can be inserted to engagement with the diffuser in a number of angular orientations so long as the locking elements 66 mate with the locking shoulders 68).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have incorporated into the end assembly of Dinse, the splined configuration of the internal and external indexing surfaces, as taught in Jaeger, in order to provide a more secure locking configuration between the tip and the diffuser by providing features on the indexing surfaces that can lock together such that the tip and diffuser are secured in an angular and axial configuration, while still permitting a multiplicity of angular orientations between the tip and diffuser (Jaeger Para. 0072-75, 0078-82). Such a configuration to lock the tip in an changeable angular orientation relative to the diffuser could be implemented in place of the polygonal configuration already taught by Dinse (Dinse does discuss that other means of securing the angular orientation of the tip other than a polygonal indexing surface arrangement can be used, Dinse Para. 0030), or in addition to the polygonal configuration to provide an extra degree of securement.
Regarding claim 10, Dinse discloses the end assembly in accordance with claim 4 further comprising, but fails to disclose the internal indexing surface formed having a single inwardly protruding surface and the external indexing surface formed to have a multiplicity of equally angularly spaced depressions each engageable with the inwardly protruding surface, allowing the tip to be engageable with the diffuser in any one of a multiplicity of indexed positions.
Jaeger teaches an end assembly for a welding device (Fig. 2-6) including a diffuser assembly 48 (Fig. 3-6) having an internal cavity and an internal indexing surface (formed in a retention mechanism 88 that is part of the diffuser assembly 48, Fig. 9A-9B), and a tip 56 having an external indexing surface (Fig. 10A-10B), the internal indexing surface formed having a single inwardly protruding surface (Fig. 9A below, there is a “single surface” forming a respective one of the shoulders 68, extending radially inward as shown; note, the claim does not explicitly preclude other inwardly protruding surfaces) and the external indexing surface formed to have a multiplicity of equally angularly spaced depressions (Fig. 10B below, the spaces circumferentially between the elements 66) each engageable with the inwardly protruding surface (the single inwardly protruding surface of the diffuser retention mechanism 88 can “engage” with any one of the depressions when in the positions shown in Fig. 11C below, with the protruding surface partially within two of the depressions such that the elements 66 of the tip rest within a shoulder 68), allowing the tip to be engageable with the diffuser in any one of a multiplicity of indexed positions (Fig. 11A-C, Para. 0081-82, the tip can be inserted to engagement with the diffuser in a number of angular orientations so long as locking elements 66 mate with locking shoulders 68).
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Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have incorporated into the end assembly of Dinse, the internal indexing surface having a single protruding surface engageable with the external indexing surface having a multiplicity of depressions, as taught in Jaeger, in order to provide a more secure locking configuration between the tip and the diffuser by providing features on the indexing surfaces that can lock together such that the tip and diffuser are secured in an angular and axial configuration, while still permitting a multiplicity of angular orientations between the tip and diffuser (Jaeger Para. 0072-75, 0078-82). Such a configuration to lock the tip in an changeable angular orientation relative to the diffuser could be implemented in place of the polygonal configuration already taught by Dinse (Dinse does discuss that other means of securing the angular orientation of the tip other than a polygonal indexing surface arrangement can be used, Dinse Para. 0030), or in addition to the polygonal configuration to provide an extra degree of securement.
Regarding claim 11, Dinse discloses the end assembly in accordance with claim 4, but fails to disclose further comprising, the internal indexing surface formed having a multiplicity of inwardly protruding surfaces and the external indexing surface formed to have a multiplicity of equally angularly spaced depressions each engageable with the inwardly protruding surfaces, the inwardly protruding surfaces of the internal indexing surface and the external indexing surfaces configured to mate together, allowing the tip to be engageable with the diffuser in any one of a multiplicity of indexed positions.
Jaeger teaches an end assembly for a welding device (Fig. 2-6) including a diffuser assembly 48 (Fig. 3-6) having an internal cavity and an internal indexing surface (formed in a retention mechanism 88 that is part of the diffuser assembly 48, Fig. 9A-9B), and a tip 56 having an external indexing surface (Fig. 10A-10B), the internal indexing surface formed having a multiplicity of inwardly protruding surfaces (Fig. 9A above, the surfaces defining a respective one of the shoulders 68, extending radially inward as shown) and the external indexing surface formed to have a multiplicity of equally angularly spaced depressions (Fig. 10B below, the spaces circumferentially between the elements 66) each engageable with the inwardly protruding surfaces (the inwardly protruding surfaces of the diffuser retention mechanism 88 can each “engage” with the depressions of the tip when in the positions shown in Fig. 11C below, with each of the protruding surfaces partially within two of the depressions such that the locking elements 66 of the tip rest within a respective shoulder 68), allowing the tip to be engageable with the diffuser in any one of a multiplicity of indexed positions (Fig. 11A-C, Para. 0081-82, the tip can be inserted to engagement with the diffuser in a number of angular orientations so long as locking elements 66 mate with locking shoulders 68).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have incorporated into the end assembly of Dinse, the internal indexing surface having a multiplicity of protruding surfaces engageable with the external indexing surface having a multiplicity of depressions, as taught in Jaeger, in order to provide a more secure locking configuration between the tip and the diffuser by providing features on the indexing surfaces that can lock together such that the tip and diffuser are secured in an angular and axial configuration, while still permitting a multiplicity of angular orientations between the tip and diffuser (Jaeger Para. 0072-75, 0078-82). Such a configuration to lock the tip in an changeable angular orientation relative to the diffuser could be implemented in place of the polygonal configuration already taught by Dinse (Dinse does discuss that other means of securing the angular orientation of the tip other than a polygonal indexing surface arrangement can be used, Dinse Para. 0030), or in addition to the polygonal configuration to provide an extra degree of securement.
Regarding claim 12, Dinse discloses the end assembly in accordance with claim 3 (interpreted as claim 4, see 112(b) rejection above) but fails to disclose further comprising, the internal indexing surface formed as a tapered surface, and the external indexing surface formed as a conical shoulder, the tapered bore and conical shoulder enabling the tip to be engageable with the diffuser in any one of a multiplicity of indexed positions.
Jaeger teaches an end assembly for a welding device (Fig. 2-6) including a diffuser assembly 48 (Fig. 3-6) having an internal cavity and an internal indexing surface (formed in a retention mechanism 88 and piston 86 that are part of the diffuser assembly 48, Fig. 9A-9B), and a tip 56 having an external indexing surface (Fig. 10A-10B), the internal indexing surface formed as a tapered surface 108 (Fig. 8A-8B, Para. 0076, forming a “tip seat” for the tip 56), and the external indexing surface formed as a conical shoulder 110 (Fig. 10A, Para. 0076, a conical end protrusion is formed on an external surface of the tip at the end as shown), the tapered bore 108 (interpreted as the “tapered surface”, see 112(b) rejection above) and conical shoulder 110 enabling the tip to be engageable with the diffuser in any one of a multiplicity of indexed positions (the tapered surface 110 and conical shoulder 110 contact each other to provide an axial seat for the tip in the diffuser, while other features of the indexing surfaces, e.g. the locking elements 66 and shoulders 68, enabling the tip to be engaged in the diffuser in a number of angular orientations, is unaffected).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have incorporated into the end assembly of Dinse, the internal indexing surface having a tapered surface engageable with a conical shoulder formed in the external indexing surface, as taught by Jaeger, in order to provide an axial end seat for the tip to engage with the diffuser, forming an axial stop to maintain the tip in position within the diffuser (Jaeger Para. 0076), the conical/tapered shape enabling the tip to still be engageable with the diffuser in a number of angular orientations (as taught by Dinse).
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dinse in view of Centner (US 2017/0080512 A1).
Regarding claim 13, Dinse discloses the end assembly in accordance with claim 4, but fails to disclose further comprising, the internal indexing surface formed as an inwardly protruding pin and the external indexing surface formed as a plurality of downwardly opening notches each engageable with the pin.
Centner teaches an end assembly for a welding device (Fig. 2-4) including a diffuser 58 (Para. 0081, Fig. 3-5, “shielding gas diffuser”) having an internal cavity with an internal indexing surface (Fig. 6, the inward surface of the locking element 69, Para. 0073), and a tip 56 having an external indexing surface 68 (retention groove, Para. 0070-71), further comprising, the internal indexing surface formed as an inwardly protruding pin 69 (locking element that can be a pin disposed in the diffuser and extending inwardly towards the tip 56, Para. 0071) and the external indexing surface 68 formed as a plurality of downwardly opening notches each engageable with the pin (Para. 0071, “the retention groove 68 may extend only partially around the circumference of the contact tip 56 to receive a portion of the retention device 64 when the contact tip 56 is in a specific orientation (e.g., rotated at a specific angle or range of angles about a central axis of the contact tip 56 and the receiving assembly 58, for example, corresponding to the axial direction 66) within the receiving assembly 58… the retention groove 68 may be replaced by one or more discrete recesses 67 circumferentially surrounding the contact tip 56 corresponding to a shape of the retention device 64 such that the contact tip 56 may be positioned within the receiving assembly 58 in a number of discrete orientations (e.g., rotated at any one of a number of discrete angles about a central axis of the contact tip 56 and the receiving assembly 58, for example, corresponding to the axial direction 66”).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have incorporated into the assembly of Dinse, the internal indexing surface formed as an inwardly protruding pin and the external indexing surface formed as a plurality of downwardly opening notches engageable with the pin, as taught by Centner, in order to provide a retention device that can hold the tip in both an axial and angular position relative to the diffuser in a mechanically compliant manner, allowing the tip to be retainable and releasable via toolless application of axial force (Centner Para. 0071-75). Such a configuration to maintain the tip in an changeable angular orientation relative to the diffuser could be implemented in place of the polygonal configuration already taught by Dinse (Dinse does discuss that other means of securing the angular orientation of the tip other than a polygonal indexing surface arrangement can be used, Dinse Para. 0030), or in addition to the polygonal configuration to provide an extra degree of securement.
Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Cooper (US 20150048056 A1, US 9440304 B2) teaches a welding device with a contact tip having an external surface with a hexagonal shape.
Stuart (US 20030209530 A1, US 6847009 B2) teaches a welding contact tip engageable with a diffuser having a spring biased bearing urged against a tapered surface of the contact tip.
Jaeger (US 20200147715 A1, US 10583514 B2, US 11491574 B2) teaches a similar welding device as Jaeger (US 20170080511 A1) cited above.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALAIN CHAU whose telephone number is (571)272-9444. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9am-6pm PST.
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/ALAIN CHAU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3741
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