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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-2 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Akoi et al.(US 2019/0366502 A1) hereinafter Akoiin view of Kwon (KR20190086137 A)
Regarding Claim 1 Akoi teaches a grinder comprising: a housing (13) ; a drive assembly (Fig 3) within the housing (13), the drive assembly (Fig 3) including an electric motor (3) having a motor shaft (31), and an output spindle (5) coupled to the motor shaft (31) for rotatably driving a grinding tool (Fig 3); and a tool-free attachment mechanism for selectively mounting the grinding tool to the output spindle (5) for co-rotation therewith (Fig 3), the attachment mechanism including a flange nut (7) threaded (using matching threads 611,751) to the output spindle (5), and a backing flange (51) (Fig 2-5).
However, Akoi is silent regarding the backing flange being axially movable along the output spindle between a first position, in which a space exists to position the grinding tool between the flange nut and the backing flange, and a second position, in which the grinding tool is clamped between the backing flange and the flange nut.
However, Kwon teaches fixating device which is used to conveniently attach or detach a grinder blade including a flange nut (20) threaded with a mating part (12) of a spindle shaft (13) (Fig 2-4). Kwon further teaches a backing flange (19) being axially movable along the output spindle shaft (13) between a first position, in which a space exists to position a grinding tool (110) between the flange nut (20) and the backing flange (19), and a second position, in which the grinding tool (110) is clamped between the backing flange (19) and the flange nut (20) (see Fig 2 and 5, Pa r0025-32). Kwon states such a configuration provides a stable mounting arrangement (par.0062).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Akoi to include the teachings of Kwon by forming the backing flange to be axially movable along the output spindle between a first position, in which a space exists to position the grinding tool between the flange nut and the backing flange, and a second position, in which the grinding tool is clamped between the backing flange and the flange nut. Doing so allows a formation of a stable mounting arrangement.
Regarding Claim 2 Akoi teaches a battery receptacle (eternal housing of 93); and a battery pack (93) selectively electrically coupled to the battery receptacle to provide electrical power to the motor (3) (par.0038, Fig 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-8 are objected but would be allowable if rewritten including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Claims 9-20 are allowed. Regarding Claims 9-20 the prior art remains silent regarding the following limitations: having a flange nut portion and a stem portion extending from the flange nut portion, and a handle pivotably coupled to the housing between a release position, in which the flange nut portion is displaced from the backing flange portion to create a space for mounting the grinding tool between the flange nut portion and the backing flange portion, and a clamped position, in which the grinding tool is clamped between the backing flange portion and the flange nut portion. Similarly, the prior art remain silent regarding having an intra flange adjacent the flange nut and configured to rotate relative to the spindle; a backing flange at least partially fitting over the intra flange and biased toward the flange nut, wherein the intra flange includes a structure that at least partially nests in the backing flange, and wherein the intra flange is rotatable between a locked position to lock the grinding tool on the spindle and an unlocked position to unlock the grinding tool from the spindle
Conclusion
Prior art made of record not relied up on are pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. Tomonaga et al. (US 2018/0281146 A1), barth et al (US 2020/0156209 A1) and Thorson et al. (US 2023/0339135 A1) all teach grinders having an adjustable clamping arrangement that is pertinent to the claimed invention.
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/ABIY TEKA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745