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 . 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 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.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 02/21/2024 has been considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Group I, Claims 1-12 in the reply filed on 04/09/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that there is no search burden. This is not found persuasive because as previously noted in the requirement for restriction, the different groupings are provided for within different search areas, requiring multiple and different search strategies. Claims 13-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected Group II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the movable mechanism of claims 1 and 11 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: movable mechanism in claims 1 and 11, and guide mechanism of claim 2.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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 11 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.
Regarding claim 11, the phrase “a screw for losing and tightening the table” is unclear. It is unclear as to the purpose of the screw. As currently claimed, there appears to be a single screw for loosing and tightening the entirety of the table, which does not appear to be supported. What portion of the table does the screw interact with to allow for a connection to be made to the table? For the purposes of examination, the screw will be treated as loosing and tightening the connection of the link support.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-10 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Holmes (US 8,250,957).
Regarding claim 1, Holmes teaches a table saw (100) comprising:
a table (104) for placing a workpiece;
a main body (102) disposed below the table having a motor (116)(Figure 1; Col. 5, Lines 5-25);
a cutting blade (108) connected to the motor (Col. 7, Lines 8-14), the cutting blade penetrating the table in an up-down direction (Figures 1 and 7; Col. 8, Lines 60-63); and a movable mechanism (120) for the cutting blade to be movable along with the main body with respect to the table, wherein the movable mechanism is configured to adjust a height of the main body with respect to the table, and an angle of the main body with respect to the table (Figures 1-2; Col. 5, Lines 5-25).
Regarding claim 2, Holmes teaches the table saw according to claim 1, wherein the movable mechanism has a guide mechanism (120,112, 142,500) configured to tilt the cutting blade along with the main body with respect to the table, and to move a center of the cutting blade downward and away from the table when an upper end of the cutting blade is movably closer to the table so that the upper end of the cutting blade moves to a first side and the center of the cutting blade moves to a second side opposite to the first side (Figure 1; Col. 5, Lines 5-63).
Regarding claim 3, Holmes teaches the table saw according to claim 2, wherein the guide mechanism (120,143) further includes a first link (506) configured to connect the table to the main body, and a second link (504) disposed on the first side with respect to the first link, and wherein the second link is configured to connect the table and the main body (Figures 3B and 3C; Col. 5, Lines 40-63).
Regarding claim 4, Holmes teaches the table saw according to claim 3 further comprising: a first body-side shaft (516) configured to rotatably connect the first link to the main body, a first table-side shaft (518) configured to rotatably connect the first link to the table, a second body-side shaft (514) configured to rotatably connect the second link to the main body, and a second table-side shaft (510) configured to connect the second link to the table, wherein the first body-side shaft is located farther away from an intersection area of the cutting blade and the table than the first table-side shaft, and wherein the second body-side shaft is located farther away from the intersection area than the second table-side shaft (Figure 3B).
Regarding claim 5, Holmes teaches the table saw according to claim 3 further comprising: a first body-side shaft (152) configured to rotatably connect the first link to the main body, a first table-side shaft (516) configured to rotatably connect the first link to the table, a second body-side shaft (510) configured to rotatably connect the second link to the main body, and a second table-side shaft (514) configured to connect the second link to the table, wherein a distance between the first body-side shaft and the second body-side shaft is greater than a distance between the first table-side shaft and the second table-side shaft (Figure 3B).
Regarding claim 6, Holmes teaches the table saw according to claim 3, wherein the second link is configured to be longer than the first link for decreasing a length of blade protrusion when a tilt angle of the cutting blade increases (Figures 3B and 3D).
Regarding claim 7, Holmes teaches the table saw according to claim 3, wherein at least a part of the first link or the second link is disposed between the cutting blade and the motor for enhancing a stability of the main body (Figure 3B).
Regarding claim 8, Holmes teaches the table saw according to claim 3 further comprising a lifting shaft (126,128) supported by the table for guiding the main body in a direction parallel to the cutting blade, wherein at least a part of the first link or the second link is disposed between the cutting blade and the lifting shaft for maintaining a rigidity of the main body when an external force applies on the cutting blade (Figure 2 and 3B).
Regarding claim 9, Holmes teaches the table saw according to claim 3, wherein: the guide mechanism further includes a guide member (170) supported by the table for guiding the main body in a direction that is movable by the first link and the second link, and the motor is disposed between the first link and the guide member in the front-back direction along which the cutting blade is extendable (Figures 6-7; Col. 6, Lines 31-42; Noting the latch hold to guide the blade below the table once the link members are moved and rotated).
Regarding claim 10, Holmes teaches the table saw according to claim 3 further comprising a lifting shaft (126,128) supported by the table for guiding the main body in a direction parallel to the cutting blade (Figures 2 and 3B), wherein the guide mechanism further includes a guide member (170) supported by the table for guiding the main body in a direction that is movable by the first link and the second link (Figures 6-7; Col. 6, Lines 31-42; Noting the latch hold to guide the blade below the table once the link members are moved and rotated), and wherein the lifting shaft is disposed between the first link and the guide member in a front-rear direction along which the cutting blade is extendable (Figures 2, 3B and 3D).
Regarding claim 12, Holmes teaches the table saw according to claim 2, wherein a length of protrusion of the cutting blade in a direction parallel to the cutting blade decreases when a tilt angle of the cutting blade with respect to a plane perpendicular to the table increases, wherein the length of protrusion decreases more when the tilt angle decreases, and wherein the length of decrease reduces less when the tilt angle increases (Figures 1, 3B and 3D;Col. 7, Lines 1-7).
Regarding claim 11, Holmes teaches the table saw (100)(Figure 1) comprising:
a table (104) for placing a workpiece (Figure 1);
a main body (102) disposed below the table having a motor (116)( (Figure 1; Col. 5, Lines 5-25);
a cutting blade (108) connected to the motor, the cutting blade penetrating the table in an up-down direction (Figures 1 and 7; Col. 8, Lines 60-63);
a movable mechanism (120) for the cutting blade to be movable along with the main body with respect to the table, wherein the movable mechanism is configured to adjust a height of the main body with respect to the table, and an angle of the main body with respect to the table (Figures 1-2; Col. 5, Lines 5-25);
a link (504) configured to connect the table to the main body; a screw for loosing and tightening the table (Figure 3A); and a link support (142) releasably fixed to the table and connected to the link, wherein the link support is formed with an elongated hole penetrating in the up-down direction for the screw to be fitted in (Figures 1, 3A and 4).
Related Prior Art
Below is an analysis of the relevance of references cited but not used
- "892 cited references A-M on page 1 and A-I on Page 2 establish the state of the art with a variety of saws and adjustment mechanisms.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RICHARD D CROSBY JR whose telephone number is (571)272-8034. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00-4:00.
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/RICHARD D CROSBY JR/ 06/24/2026Examiner, Art Unit 3724
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