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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claim(s) 1-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2,192,876 to Willard.
Re-claim 1, Willard discloses a rotary damper comprising: a cylinder 10 having a partition wall (combination of elements 12, 16 and 17), a rotor 22 has a shaft part 21/23 facing the partition wall, the cylinder is a casting (although this limitation is not needed, as this limitation is a product by process recitation, see page 3 column 1 lines 21-25), and a distal end of the partition wall and the shaft part have a tapered shape. The tapered shape is due to the tapered shape of the die element, see page 3 column 1 lines 30-34. See also figure 4 which shows the rotor shaft having a tapered shape and see figure 2 which shows the partition walls having a tapered shape.
Re-claim 2, a vane 25a protrudes from the shaft part 23, a first oil passage 35 is formed in the vane, a valve 33 changes a flow rate of oil passing through the first oil passage in one direction according to a load.
Re-claim 3, a second oil passage 34 (or one of 47-50) is formed in the vane in which the first oil passage is not formed, a check valve 32 (or 45) is provided to the second oil passage.
Re-claim 4, Willard discloses a method for producing a rotary damper that comprises a cylinder 10 having a partition wall 12, a rotor 22 having a shaft part 23 of a tapered shape facing the partition wall, the method comprising a step of casting the cylinder using a mold, wherein an upper mold of the mold includes a tapered part that molds a distal end of the partition wall into a tapered shape, and a dent (such as bottom recess 24) is formed in a surface of the tapered part. The bottom surface of the tapered part is formed with the dent.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Nash, Haba and Kanno each teach a rotary damper with tapered features. Chikaraishi teach a rotary damper having a tapered appearance, see figures 2b and 2c.
Any inquiries concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Thomas Williams whose telephone number is 571-272-7128. The examiner can normally be reached on Tuesday-Friday from 6:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Robert Siconolfi, can be reached at 571-272-7124. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the receptionist whose telephone number is 571-272-6584.
TJW
February 11, 2026
/THOMAS J WILLIAMS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616