DETAILED ACTION
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on January 28, 2026 has been entered.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: paragraph [0049] labels the lateral face 1032d, and the section 1032c, while paragraph [0047] recites the lateral face is 1032c.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claims 13-14 and 18 are objected to because of the following informalities: in each of these claims, line 4 “the least one roller” should be “the at least one roller”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 25 is objected to under 37 CFR 1.75 as being a substantial duplicate of claim 12. When two claims in an application are duplicates or else are so close in content that they both cover the same thing, despite a slight difference in wording, it is proper after allowing one claim to object to the other as being a substantial duplicate of the allowed claim. See MPEP § 608.01(m).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 12 and 25-27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claims 12 and 25 recite the bending rings further comprises a chamfer on each edge between a radially facing surface and the lateral face. Claims 12 and 25 also depend on claim 13, which recites a chamber on each edge between the inner face and a lateral face. The specification does not appear to have support for this combination. If the Examiner has erred in this, please point to the paragraph where support can be found.
Claim 26 recites the chamfers have a width between 0.2 and 0.4mm. The chamfers, as defined in claim 13, are formed on the edge between the inner face and a lateral face. The specification indicates these chamfers have a width between 1mm-5mm, preferably between 2 and 4 mm ([0062] of PGPub). Thus, the specification does offer support for chamfers formed on the edge between the inner face and a lateral face having a width between 0.2 and 0.4 mm.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-11 and 13-23 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Applicant incorporated the allowable subject matter of claims 13, 14, and 18 into independent form. As stated previously, the prior art fails to suggest a flexible roller for conveying glass sheets, comprising bending rings tightly mounted on a shaft, wherein each bending ring has chamfered edges between an inner face of a central opening and the lateral faces. The prior art teaches chamfered edges between an outer face and the lateral face, but fails to specify chamfers having a width between 0.1 and 0.5 mm and an angle between 30° and 60°.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed December 11, 2025, with respect to the 112 rejections have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 112 rejections have been withdrawn.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to QUEENIE S DEHGHAN whose telephone number is (571)272-8209. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00-4:30.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Alison Hindenlang can be reached at 571-270-7001. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/QUEENIE S DEHGHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1741