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.
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 1, 2 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goto (U.S. Patent No. 2011/0089228) in view of Baumuller (U.S. Patent No. 2012/0111163).
Regarding claim 1, Goto teaches a cutting device (3) configured to be disposed on a transportation path (P) along which a web (F) including at least accumulated fibers is transported and configured to cut the web (Figure 1), the cutting device comprising:
a cutter (32,33) configured to cut the web (Figure 1; Paragraph 0049 noting element 33 to include a blade to the workpiece); and
a movable frame (2, 20,21,22, 25,26,27) supporting the cutter (Figure 1; Paragraphs0043, 0045-0047;
a mechanism (5,51,52,53) coupled to the movable frame and configured to move the cutter and the movable frame in a transportation direction of the web (Figure 1 and Paragraphs 0055-0056), wherein
when the web is being transported, the mechanism moves the cutter and the movable frame in the transportation direction of the web, and while the cutter and the movable frame are being moved, the cutter cuts the web in a direction intersecting the transportation direction (Figures 4A-5B noting the movement of the movable frame, with the cutting unit and the return of the movable frame and cutting unit once cutting is completed; Paragraph 0060-00664).
Goto does not provide the mechanism as a ball screw mechanism.
Baumuller teaches it is known in the art of linear drives for printing machines to provide a drive element as a servo linear drive, roller bearing, ball screw mechanisms, threaded spindles, spindle drives, rack pinion drives, toothed pulley drives, or even pneumatic or hydraulic drives (Paragraph 0032).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have modified the device of Goto to incorporate the teachings of Baumuller to provide the mechanism as a variety of drive elements, including a ball screw mechanism. In doing so, it allows for the cutter and frame to be appropriately driven by a variety of mechanisms as desired by the user.
Regarding claim 2, the modified device of Goto teaches the cutting device according to claim 1, further comprising a transportation roller (12) configured to transport the web (Goto Figure 1; Paragraph 0041).
Regarding claim 7, Goto teaches cutting method using a cutting device (3) disposed on a transportation path (P) along which a web (F) including at least accumulated fibers is transported and including a cutter (32,33)(Figure 1) configured to cut the web (Figure 1; Paragraph 0049 noting element 33 to include a blade); and
a movable frame (2, 20,21,22, 25,26,27) supporting the cutter (Figures 4A-5B; Paragraphs 0043, 0045-0047); and
a mechanism (5,51,52,53) coupled to the movable frame and configured to move the cutter and the movable frame in a transportation direction of the web (Figure 1 and Paragraphs 0055-0056), the cutting method comprising cutting the web with the cutter, when the web is being transported, in a direction intersecting the transportation direction while the mechanism is moving the cutter and the movable frame in the transportation direction of the web (Figures 4A-5B; Paragraph 0060-00664).
Goto does not provide the mechanism as a ball screw mechanism.
Baumuller teaches it is known in the art of linear drives for printing machines to provide a drive element as a servo linear drive, roller bearing, ball screw mechanisms, threaded spindles, spindle drives, rack pinion drives, toothed pulley drives, or even pneumatic or hydraulic drives (Paragraph 0032).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have modified the device of Goto to incorporate the teachings of Baumuller to provide the mechanism as a variety of drive elements, including a ball screw mechanism. In doing so, it allows for the cutter and frame to be appropriately driven by a variety of mechanisms as desired by the user.
Claims 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Goto (U.S. Patent No. 2011/0089228) in view of Baumuller (U.S. Patent No. 2012/0111163) as applied to claims 1 and 2 above, and further in view of Nakano (U.S. Patent NO. 2018/0162674).
Regarding claim 3, the modified device of Goto teaches all of the elements according to claim 2, but does not provide, wherein the transportation roller includes a movable roller configured to move away from the web, and while the cutter is moving upstream in the transportation direction of the web, the movable roller is away from the web.
Nakano teaches it is known in the art of sheet processing to incorporate a transportation roller set such that the transportation roller includes a movable roller configured to move away from the web (Paragraph 0131 and Figure 4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have further modified the device of Goto to incorporate the teachings of Nakano to provide the transportation roller as movable relative to the workpiece. In doing so, it allows for the transportation rollers to contact the web sheet as desired during use for appropriate tensioning of the workpiece.
Thus, the modified device of Goto teaches wherein the transportation roller includes a movable roller (12)( Goto Figure 1) configured to move away from the web, and while the cutter is moving upstream in the transportation direction of the web, the movable roller is away from the web (Nakano Paragraph 0131 and Figure 4).
Regarding claim 4, the modified device of Goto teaches the cutting device according to claim 2, wherein the transportation roller is located downstream of the cutter and configured to transport the web after the web is cut by rotating for a specified period (Goto Figure 1; Paragraph 0041).
Regarding claim 5, the modified device of Goto teaches the cutting device according to claim 4, wherein the specified period is set to a period until a downstream section on a receiving side holds a cut piece of the web (Goto Figures 4A-5B; Paragraphs 0060-0062).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Goto (U.S. Patent No. 2011/0089228) in view of Baumuller (U.S. Patent No. 2012/0111163) as applied to claims 1 and 2 above, and further in view of Stellmann (U.S. Patent No. 0,436,810).
Regarding claim 6, the modified device of Goto teaches the cutting device according to claim 1, wherein the cutter is movable and configured to move in a direction intersecting the transportation direction of the web to cut the web (Goto Figure 1 and Paragraphs 0049, 0062-0063), but does not provide the web is cut across an entire width of the web.
Stellmann teaches it is known in the art of cutting devices to provide a cutting device to cut across an entire width of a workpiece (Figure 7; Page 3, Lines 1-17).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have further modified the device of Goto to incorporate the teachings of Stellmann to provide the cutter to cut across the entire width of the workpiece. In doing so, it allows for the workpiece to be appropriately cut as desired.
Related Prior Art
Below is an analysis of the relevance of references cited but not used
- "892 cited references A-F on page 1 establish the state of the art with a variety of sheet processing devices and with different cutting elements/blades using a variety of driving mechanisms for the cutting elements.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1 and 7 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
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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/RICHARD D CROSBY JR/ 03/09/2026Examiner, Art Unit 3724
/BOYER D ASHLEY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3724