DETAILED ACTION
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.
Claim 3 is 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.
Claim 3 recites the limitation "the first ridge portions" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 1, lines 6 and 7 set forth “one first ridge portion”
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.
Claim(s) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over by Hanafusa et al. (8,037,734) in view of Von Till et al. (2,243,138). Hanafusa discloses a method and apparatus for forming a thread (203a,203b,203c; Fig. 21) on a pipe end (202) of a pipe (201; Fig. 13) which is constructed to convey fluid. Hanafusa discloses that a first roller (212) with a first circumferential surface is located on an outer circumferential surface side of the pipe (201) and a second roller (211) with a second circumferential surface is located on an inner circumferential surface side of the pipe (201; Fig. 13). The first roller (212) and the second roller (211) are rotated on parallel rotating shafts (Fig. 12) to roll form the pipe. The first roller (212) and the second roller (211) have a spiral threadform (221; col. 18, lines 30-35) constructed on the first and second circumferential surfaces and as illustrated in Fig. 14, one first spiral ridge (221A) is a ridge consisting of less than one turn to function as a starter thread (col. 19, lines 37-43). Hanafusa discloses that the second circumferential surface of the second roller (211) includes a plurality of ridge portions (221A,221B,221C; Figs. 14 and 15) including a ridge (221B) portion that is spirally provided (col. 19, lines 23-25). Regarding claim 3, Hanafusa discloses a plurality of first ridge portions (221A,221B,221C). Hanafusa does not explicitly recite that a total length of the first spiral ridge is less than one turn.
Von Till teaches (Fig. 10) that a first forming roller (30) has a spiral ridge (2) for forming a thread wherein a total length of the spiral ridge extends slightly more than one-half a circumference of the outer roller (page 4, col. 2, lines 40-43). It would have been obvious to the skilled artisan prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to configure the starting or ending turn of the spiral ridge of Hanafusa to only be structured around a circumference of the first roller less than a full thread turn as taught by Von Till so that the outer roller has a smooth portion that will not interfere with the completed partial thread turn as the rollers separate from each other after thread forming.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 4-15-2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues that it is not possible to tell whether the partial thread turns of the starting and ending threads are less than one turn around a circumference of the first roller (response, 4-15-2026; page 2, paragraph 3) and Von Till has been used to respond to Applicant’s amendment that a total length of the first ridge portion in a circumferential direction on the first roller circumference is less than one turn.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Hopkins (2,632,345) teaches a plurality of separate threads (40,44; Figs. 3 and 4) which extend less than a full turn around a circumference of rollers (28,30).
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.
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Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EDWARD THOMAS TOLAN whose telephone number is (571)272-4525. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-5.
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/EDWARD T TOLAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3725
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