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 .
Detailed Action
The amendment filed on 03/30/2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejection - 35 U.S.C. 112(b)
1. The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
2. Claims 1 and 4-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
(1) In claim 1, lines 6, 7, 10, 17 and 21, “the tip” is vague. Does it refer to the one cited at line 1 or at line 2 of the claim? It is suggested “a substantially rectangular parallelepiped tip”, at line 2 of the claim, be changed to --the tip--.
(2) In claim 1, line 14, “a tip formed product” is vague and undefined.
(3) In claim 1, line 21, “the tip shape” is vague and indefinite. Does it refer to a substantially oblong rectangular parallelepiped tip shape cited at lines 12-13 of the claim or to a tip shape cited at line 18 of the claim?
(4) In claim 5, lines 7 and 19, “the tip” is vague. Does it refer to the one cited at line 2 or at line 3 of the claim? It is suggested “a substantially rectangular parallelepiped tip”, at line 3 of the claim, be changed to --the tip--.
(5) In claim 5, line 15, “a tip formed product” is vague and undefined.
(6) In claim 5, line 22, “the lower punch side” has no clear antecedent basis and should read --the lower punch--.
(7) In claim 6, line 2, “the other side portion” lacks clear antecedent basis and should read --a side portion--.
Indication of Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1 and 4-10 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) set forth in this Office action.
Remarks
Independent claims 1 and 5 as amended have overcome the prior art rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 in light of Applicants’ arguments. However, all pending claims stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as set forth.
Action Made Final
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
Point of Contact
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HWEI-SIU PAYER whose telephone number is (571)272-4511. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday -Friday from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Boyer Ashley, can be reached at telephone number 571-270-4502. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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Examiner interviews are available via a variety of formats. See MPEP § 713.01. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) Form at https://www.uspto.gov/InterviewPractice.
/HWEI-SIU C PAYER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3724
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