DETAILED ACTION
This non-final rejection is responsive to the remarks filed 29 June 2026. Claims 1-10 are pending. Claim 1 is an independent claim. A new non-final rejection is asserted.
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 .
Response to Remarks
Applicant’s prior art arguments have been fully considered but they are partially persuasive.
Applicant argues (pgs. 2-3) that Tokuma does not teach limit the degrees of translation only in a direction X. Examiner agrees.
Applicant further argues (pgs. 3-4) that Geissler does not provide this additional functionality since Geissler’s tool carrier has translational freedom in the same direction as the workpiece axis, not the too carrier’s unit’s translational directions (X and Y) being perpendicular to the part carrier unit’s translational direction (Z).
However, the current claims merely specify a part carrier which has one degree of rotational freedom and one degree of translational freedom in the Z direction and a tool carrier which has one degree of translational freedom in X and one translational/rotation in Y. Geissler explicitly teaches a tool carrier that with translational directions in X and Y and part carrier in Z. Accordingly, further specificity is needed to overcome the current rejection.
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 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Geissler (US 2003/0177623 A1) hereinafter known as Geissler in view of Huang (US 2025/0353124 A1) hereinafter known as Huang.
Regarding independent claim 1, Geissler teaches:
A numerically controlled machine tool (10) for machining ... parts from a blank (100) in the form of a bar or strip, comprising a frame (12), a part carrier unit (11) intended to hold the part (100) in position and a tool carrier unit (13) intended to carry a cutting tool (130), wherein: (Geissler: ¶[0012]; Geissler teaches a milling machines for machining rod-shaped materials. Fig. 1 and ¶[0023]-¶[0025] teach a milling machine with a base (a frame), clamping device 21 (part carrier unit), a headstock 9 (tool carrier).)
- the part carrier unit (11) is kinematically connected to the frame (12) so as to have, with respect to the frame (12), one degree of rotational freedom and one degree of translational freedom in a direction Z, in a reference frame XYZ, and (Geissler: ¶[0026]; Geissler teaches the clamping device 21 has a built-in rotary drive which provides the rotation of workpiece holder 22. Fig. 1 and ¶[0025] teach vertical guide rails to move the console 18 in a vertical direction (Z).)
- the tool carrier unit (13) is kinematically connected to the frame (12) so as to have, with respect to the frame (12), only one degree of translational freedom in a direction X, and one degree of rotational and translational freedom in a direction Y. (Geissler: ¶[0023]; Geissler teaches spindle head 10, which is attached to headstock 9, moving in a Y coordinate axis (direction Y). ¶[0024] teaches spindle head 10 being able to pivot in a Y coordinate axis (one degree of rotational freedom in a direction Y. Geissler also teaches X translation using the rails 4 and 5.)
Huang further teaches machining small parts. (Huang: ¶[0005])
Huang in the same field of endeavor as the present invention, as the references are directed to machining tools. It would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to a person of ordinary skill in the art, to combine a machining tool for machining a workpiece as taught in Geissler with further machining small parts as taught in Huang. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the teachings of Geissler to include teachings of Huang, because the combination would allow processing small parts, such as watches, as suggested by Huang: ¶[0003].
Regarding claim 2, Geissler in view of Huang teaches the machine tool (1) according to claim 1.
Geissler further teaches:
wherein the part carrier unit (11) includes a part carrier carriage (110) connected to the frame (12) by means of at least one slide (120), said part carrier carriage (110) including a part carrier module (112) adapted to be controlled to be in a clamping state wherein it holds the part (100) in position, or to be in a release state wherein it allows the part (100) to be moved. (Geissler: ¶[0025]-¶[0026]; Geissler teaches the clamping device 21 and vertical guide rails to move the console 18 in a vertical direction (Z). The clamping device fixes the rod-shaped workpiece.)
Regarding claim 3, Geissler in view of Huang teaches the machine tool (1) according to claim 2.
Geissler further teaches:
wherein the part carrier carriage (110) has a through opening extending in the direction Z and opening at one of its ends at the part carrier module (112), said opening being intended to receive the part (100) in order to supply a machining zone of the machine tool (10). (Geissler: Fig. 1 and ¶ [0025]-¶[0026]; Geissler teaches the clamping device 21 has an outer end 23 and a cavity into which the rod-shaped workpiece is inserted.)
Regarding claim 4, Geissler in view of Huang teaches the machine tool (1) according to claim 1.
Geissler further teaches:
... a second carriage (133) connected to the first carriage (131) and including a tool carrier (135) that can move in rotation and in translation in the direction Y. (Geissler: ¶[0023]; Geissler teaches spindle head 10, which is attached to headstock 9, moving in a Y coordinate axis (direction Y). ¶[0024] teaches spindle head 10 being able to pivot in a Y coordinate axis (one degree of rotational freedom in a direction Y).
Geissler does not explicitly teach but Tokuma teaches:
wherein the tool carrier unit (13) includes a first carriage (131) connected to the frame (12) by means of at least one slide (120) extending in the direction X, and ... (Tokuma: Fig. 1 and ¶[0070]-¶[0071]; Tokuma teaches a first tool rest 20 which supports tool spindle 21. ¶[0081] further teaches the foregoing being attached to guide rails which allow the saddle 17 to move in a vertical X-axis direction (direction X).)
Regarding claim 5, Geissler in view of Huang teaches the machine tool (1) according to claim 4.
Geissler further teaches:
wherein the second carriage (133) is mounted on at least one slide (120) fixed to the first carriage (131) and extending in the direction Y. (Geissler: ¶[0023]; Geissler teaches spindle head 10, which is attached to headstock 9, moving in a Y coordinate axis (direction Y). ¶[0024] teaches spindle head 10 being able to pivot in a Y coordinate axis (one degree of rotational freedom in a direction Y).
Claims 6 and 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Geissler in view of Huang in view of Tokuma (US 2005/0022351 A1) hereinafter known as Tokuma.
Regarding claim 6, Geissler in view of Huang teaches the machine tool (1) according to claim 1.
Geissler in view of Huang does not explicitly teach but Tokuma teaches:
further comprising an additional unit (14) kinematically connected to the frame (12) so as to have only one degree of rotational freedom and one degree of translational freedom in the direction Z, the additional unit (14) being arranged so that the cutting tool (130) is interposed between the part carrier unit (11) and said additional unit (14), and including an additional carriage (140) arranged opposite the part carrier unit (11) and receiving a part counter-carrier module (141) intended to immobilise or release a part (100) or receiving a secondary tool carrier intended to carry a cutting tool (130). (Tokuma: Fig. 1 and ¶[0062]-¶[0065]; Tokuma teaches chuck 26 which holds a workpiece. It is positioned on headstock 25, which is able to move in the Z direction.)
Geissler and Tokuma are in the same field of endeavor as the present invention, as the references are directed to machining tools. It would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to a person of ordinary skill in the art, to combine a machining tool which has a frame, part carrier unit, and a headstock and which allows the spindle head to move and rotate in a Y axis as taught in Geissler with further a part holding the workpiece moveable in the Z direction as taught in Tokuma. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the teachings of Geissler to include teachings of Tokuma, because the combination would allow holding the workpiece, as suggested by Tokuma: ¶[0062]-¶[0065].
Regarding claim 8, Geissler in view of Huang teaches the machine tool (1) according to claim 6.
Tokuma further teaches:
wherein the part carrier unit (11) includes a part carrier carriage (110) connected to the frame (12) by means of at least one slide (120), said part carrier carriage (110) including a part carrier module (112) adapted to be controlled to be in a clamping state wherein it holds the part (100) in position, or to be in a release state wherein it allows the part (100) to be moved, and wherein the additional carriage (140) is mounted on at least one slide (120) fixed to the frame (12), the slides (120) to which the part carrier carriage (110) and the additional carriage (140) are connected being formed by the same slides. (Tokuma: Fig. 1 and ¶[0088]-¶[0094]; Tokuma teaches fourth guide rails, which allow saddle 28 and headstock 25 to move.)
Regarding claim 9, Geissler in view of Huang in view of Tokuma teaches the machine tool (1) according to claim 6.
Tokuma further teaches:
wherein the part carrier unit (11) includes a part carrier carriage (110) connected to the frame (12) by means of at least one slide (120), said part carrier carriage (110) including a part carrier module (112) adapted to be controlled to be in a clamping state wherein it holds the part (100) in position, or to be in a release state wherein it allows the part (100) to be moved, and wherein both the part carrier module (112) and the part counter-carrier module (141) can include a positioning device, intended to guide the part (100) when it is moved, or to hold the part (100) in position. (Tokuma: Fig. 1 and ¶[0064]-¶[0065]; Tokuma teaches chucks 12 and 26, which hold the workpiece.)
Regarding claim 10, Geissler in view of Huang in view of Tokuma teaches the machine tool (1) according to claim 6.
Geissler further teaches:
further comprising a second tool carrier unit similar to the tool carrier unit (13), arranged symmetrically to the latter with respect to a plane of symmetry YZ, so that said tool carrier units are respectively on either side of the part carrier unit (11) and the additional unit (14). (Geissler: Fig. 1 and ¶[0075]; Geissler teaches a second tool rest 30.)
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Geissler in view of Huang in view of Tokuma in view of Saeufferer (US 2020/0001417 A1) hereinafter known as Saeufferer.
Regarding claim 7, Geissler in view of Huang in view of Tokuma teaches the machine tool (1) according to claim 6.
Saeufferer further teaches:
wherein the additional carriage (140) has a through opening (142) extending in the direction Z and opening at one of its ends at the part counter-carrier module (141), the through opening (142) being intended to receive the part (100) in order to extract it from a machining zone of the machine tool (10). (Saeufferer: Fig. 1 and ¶[0075]; Tokuma teaches an opening to transport a finished workpiece.)
Saeufferer is in the same field of endeavor as the present invention, since it is directed to machining tools. It would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to a person of ordinary skill in the art, to combine a machining tool which has a frame, part carrier unit and additional unit to clamp the workpiece as taught in Geissler with further the workpiece to be transported out as taught in Saeufferer. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the teachings of Geissler and Tokuma to include teachings of Saeufferer, because the combination would allow transporting out a finished workpiece, as suggested by Saeufferer: ¶[0075].
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEX OLSHANNIKOV whose telephone number is (571)270-0667. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-6.
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/ALEKSEY OLSHANNIKOV/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2118
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