DETAILED ACTION
The claims 1-9 are pending and presented for the examination.
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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 02/27/2024 and 12/05/2025 are being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: on page 5 under the “Detailed Description” heading, the Specification recites a range for the circularity of more than 0% and 2.5% or more. It is likely that this range should be more than 0% and 2.5% or less.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-9 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. Claim 1 recites a range for the circularity of more than 0% and 2.5% or more. This range is open-ended and has two values (0% and 2.5%) that the circularity must be greater than. It is likely that this range should read more than 0% and 2.5% or less, and has been treated as such for purposes of examination on merits. Because of the ambiguity resultant from this claim language, the metes and bounds of claim 1 and dependent claims 2-9 are unclear and the claims are indefinite under USC 112.
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.
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tsurumaru (JP 2000337386 A).
Regarding claim 1, Tsurumaru teaches a ceramic bearing comprising a band-like section on the section of the spherical bearing that extends around a circumference thereof. Tsurumaru teaches that the band-like section has a width represented by h, measured transversely to the radial direction, and that the band-like section has a height, j, that is the extent to which the band-like section extends past the surface of the spherical bearing. The circularity of the Tsurumaru band-like section can be calculated from these dimensions, and said dimensions are disclosed for exemplary embodiments in Tsurumaru Table at paragraph 0039. The nominal diameter of the ceramic spherical bearings is 10 mm. The band-like section of the bearing is formed in the molding process and effectively displaces the points on the sphere where it connects therewith in an outward direction (per Fig. 1). As such, the radius of the sphere is measured from the center to the surface at all points up to the edge of the band-like section, and the value is d/2 = 5 mm. Where the band-like section is present, the radius is measured from the center to the edge of the band-like section. This value is calculated by adding the height, j, to the distance from the center of the sphere to the bottom of the band-like section. This latter value is determined using the width, h, value and the d/2 radius value, forming a triangle with said d/2 value and h/2 (as the band is centered on the sphere and the radius would thus extend to the middle of the band), and determining the adjacent value of said triangle.
The radius value d/2 and the radius value of height j added to said effective radius can be used to determine a delta for the radius values of each exemplary embodiment bearing of Tsurumaru. This would represent a maximum difference in radius, and thus this value can be divided by the average radius in order to determine circularity as defined in the instant Specification.
Using the values in the Table of Tsurumaru, it is found that the prior art teaches bearings having circularities of 2.0%, 0.87%, and 1.50% (see examples 1-5). These values are within the range of the instant claim. As such, each limitation of claim 1 is met by the Tsurumaru teachings, and the claim is anticipated by the prior art of record.
Regarding claim 2, the circularity, C’, of the spherical portions of the Tsurumaru bearings is determined using the radius values discussed above as measured to the bottom of the band-like section, and the radius d/2 measured to the sphere surface on portions not under the band-like section. For embodiments having a very small width, h, these radii are effectively the same, and the circularity calculated from these values are thus less than 1.5%.
Regarding claim 3, as discussed above, Tsurumaru teaches embodiments with band widths of 0.05 and 0.09 mm, and the resultant C’ circularities of the spherical bearing portions are thus less than 1.3%.
Regarding claim 4, as shown above, Tsurumaru teaches a ceramic bearing having a band-like section around the spherical section, and having dimensions such that the circularities C and C’ are equivalent to those of the instant claims. Tsurumaru teaches no variation in the band radius, width, or height, and as such the circularity C’’ of this section is inherently taken to be 0%.
Regarding claims 5-6, Tsurumaru teaches a silicon nitride bearing.
Regarding claim 7, Tsurumaru teaches a method of forming a rolling element by polishing and removing the band-like portion of the inventive bearing, which as shown above, is equivalent to that of instant claim 1 (see claim 4).
Regarding claims 8-9, the aforementioned method taught by Tsurumaru produces a ceramic ball bearing.
Conclusion
10. No claim is allowed.
11. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
12. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NOAH S WIESE whose telephone number is (571)270-3596. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:30pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amber Orlando can be reached on 571-270-3149. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NOAH S WIESE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1731
NSW4 June 2026
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