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 .
This Office action is in response to amendments filed on 05/15/2026. Claims 9-14 are pending; claim 9-11 are withdrawn; and claims 12-14 are rejected.
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.
Claims 12-14 are 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The term “substantially” in claim 12 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “substantially” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. In claim 1, the speed at which the coolant is supplied and the circumferential speed of the tooth are indefinite due to the term “substantially.” As best understood from pp. [0022] and for examination purposes, the speed at which the coolant is supplied and the circumferential speed of the tooth are configured to be equal.
Claim 12, ll. 20-21, --the gear grinding machine is configured so that a speed at which the coolant is supplied to the tooth surface is
Claims 13-14 are rejected accordingly under 35 USC 112(b) since they are dependent on claim 12.
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.
Claims 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CH714436 (CH’436), as provided in IDS filed on 04/16/2025 and translation provided by Examiner in previous Office action, in view of Pigott (US Patent No. 2,818,696).
Regarding claim 12, as best understood, CH’436 discloses a gear grinding machine, comprising:
a grindstone tool (item 2; figs. 2 and 5-8) having an outer circumference (defined as outer cylindrical surface of tool 2) that includes a grinding thread (pp. [0133]; defined as screw-thread); and
a coolant discharge member (includes items 60’, 63; figs. 5-8) having a tip (item 60’, pp. [0189-0190]; fig. 8) that includes a discharge port (includes items 61, 62, pp. [0190]; figs. 5-7) that discharges coolant (pp. [0191]), wherein
the gear grinding machine is configured to grind a tooth surface of a gear workpiece (item 3; pp. [0187]; figs. 5-8) by rotating the grindstone tool and the gear workpiece in a state in which the thread is meshed with teeth of the gear workpiece (pp. [0126]; tooth surface is machined as grindstone tool 2 is rotated about axis B1 and workpiece 3 is rotated about axis C2) and supply the coolant from the discharge port to a meshing portion (pp. [0182] and [0186], defined as portion in which tooth surface of grindstone tool 2 and outer surface of workpiece 3 directly engage), between the thread and the teeth (pp. [0186]; coolant is supplied via discharge port 61 into meshing portion between the thread of the tool 2 and the teeth of the workpiece 3),
the discharge port is located on a meshing start side (designated in annotated fig. 8 below) of the meshing portion, the discharge port being configured to supply coolant toward the tooth surface from a trailing side (discharge port supplies coolant from a rear side, i.e. trailing side, of the meshing portion in which grindstone 2 and workpiece 3 directly engage) in a rotation direction of the gear workpiece (rotation direction defined along axis C2, best seen in fig. 4; pp. [0182], discharge port supplies coolant laterally toward the tooth surface, similar to applicant’s disclosure) through a space (pp. [0182]; defined as engagement area) between the gear workpiece and the grindstone tool,
the discharge port is located at least partially at a same position as the gear workpiece in a direction in which an axis of the gear workpiece extends (direction in which axis C2 extends is defined vertically in view of annotated fig. 8 below; therefore, the discharge port 61 is partially at a same position along the vertical direction as the gear workpiece 3; fig. 8),
the discharge port is arranged such that the coolant is directly supplied to a tooth located in a thread groove of the grindstone tool (pp. [0183] and [0189-0190]; the discharge port include items 61, 62 and supplies coolant along direction 65; the port is intended to transport as much coolant to the engagement area via items 61, 62 and thereby, the discharge port is capable of supplying a portion of the coolant, i.e. portion of the coolant that does not contact inclined planes 71, directly to a tooth located within a thread groove, i.e. groove between LF and RF in view of fig. 2, during the machining process), and
the grindstone tool is rotated in a direction (along direction B1; figs. 1, 3, and 5) in which the thread enters a tooth groove (defined as space between teeth of workpiece 3; figs. 3 and 5) of the gear workpiece from above (axis B1 rotates clockwise and therefore, enters the space between the tooth groove from above and exits below; figs. 3 and 5).
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Annotated Fig. 8.
CH’436 is silent on both a speed at which the coolant is supplied to the tooth surface and a circumferential speed of the tooth, and therefore does not explicitly disclose the speed at which the coolant is supplied is configured to be equal to the circumferential speed of the tooth, as required by the claim.
Pigott (US Patent No. 2,818,696) teaches a grinding machine comprising an application of coolant (item 13; fig. 1) to a portion between a workpiece (item 11; fig. 1) and a grinding wheel (item 10; fig. 1), analogous to the meshing portion between the thread and the teeth in CH’436, wherein the machine is configured so that a speed at which a coolant is supplied is equal to a circumferential speed of the grinding wheel (col. 2, ll. 10-13 and ll. 35-40; coolant from nozzle 12 is capable of being supplied at the same surface speed of the grinding wheel to achieve sufficient grinding operations).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the speed at which the coolant is supplied and the circumferential speed of the tooth, as disclosed in CH’436, to be equal, as disclosed in Pigott, in order for the device to function as intended and further, to achieve the optimal grinding operations (Pigott; col. 1, ll. 15-23), develop the pressure necessary to force the coolant over the meshing portion (Pigott; col. 1, ll. 62-64), reduce the coolant being thrown off by centrifugal force (Pigott; col. 1, ll. 65-67), and consequently reduce wear of the grindstone tool (Pigott; col. 1, ll. 15-20).
Regarding claim 13, CH’436 as modified, discloses the gear grinding machine as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a lifting table (item 30; fig. 1) that elevates the grindstone tool (pp. [0134]; grindstone tool 2 mounted onto lifting table 30 which is capable of moving along Z1 direction upward and downward, i.e. elevated), wherein the discharge port is configured to be elevated together with the grindstone tool (pp. [0192-0193]; the discharge port is mounted on a separate structure, i.e. item 23, and is capable of being elevated when the grindstone tool 2 is elevated in order for the coolant flow to always be aligned with the point of engagement).
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CH714436 (CH’436), as provided in IDS filed on 04/16/2025 and translation provided by Examiner in previous Office action, in view of Pigott (US Patent No. 2,818,696), and further in view of Bricker (US Patent No. 4,314,425).
Regarding claim 14, CH’436 as modified discloses the gear grinding machine as claimed in claim 12. CH’436 does not disclose wherein the discharge port is shaped along a rotation trajectory of an addendum circle of the gear workpiece. However, Bricker (US Patent No. 4,314,425) teaches a grinding machine comprising a larger-sized workpiece (item 16; fig. 1), a grindstone tool (item 14; fig. 1), and a coolant discharge member (item 20; fig. 1) including a tip (item 26; fig. 1) and discharge port (opening in which coolant 22 exits through in tip 26; fig. 1), wherein the discharge port is shaped along a rotation trajectory of an addendum circle (defined as outermost circle of workpiece 16, corresponding to an outermost circle of a gear workpiece in CH’436, i.e. circle defined around the outermost surface of the gear teeth; designated in annotated fig. 1 below, discharge port extends within boundary of rotation trajectory, similar to applicant’s disclosure, fig. 10 and pp. [0036] in instant disclosure).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the discharge port and workpiece, as disclosed in CH’436, to be shaped along a rotation trajectory of a greater-sized workpiece, as taught in Bricker, in order for the coolant discharge member to function as intended when the gear workpiece is of greater size and therefore, direct coolant directly to the area of grinding contact (Bricker; col. 1, ll. 20-24).
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Annotated Fig. 1.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 12 have been considered but are moot because they are addressing newly amended claim limitations, as compared to the rejection of record. Upon further consideration and as necessitated by the amendments, a new grounds of rejection is made in view of the same primary reference from Non-Final Rejection filed on 03/12/2026, CH714436 (CH’436), and further in view of a new teaching reference, Pigott (US Patent No. 2,818,696). Lastly, the same teaching reference from previous Office action, Bricker (US Patent No. 4,314,425), is utilized in the above rejection for claim 14 rejection.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
JP 3797651, as provided by the Examiner, discloses a grinding machine comprising a grindstone tool, a workpiece, and a coolant nozzle, wherein the coolant is supplied in a portion between the grindstone tool and the workpiece, and wherein the coolant flow rate is obtained in advance based on various conditions such as rotation direction and rotation speed of the workpiece.
Dremel (US 2011/0081844) discloses a grinding machine comprising a grinding tool, a workpiece, and a cooling lubricant supply means having a tip that directly supplies coolant to a portion between the tool and the workpiece.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SIDNEY D FULL whose telephone number is (571)272-6996. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 7:00a.m.-2:30p.m..
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/SIDNEY D FULL/Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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