DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendments
The amendment filed on 8/19/2025 has been entered.
Claims 1-19 remain pending in the application.
Claims Priority
Claims 1-19 have a priority date of 4/26/2024 (the filing date of the instant application) for the following reasons:
Claim 1 recites “the cutting assembly having a thermally heated blade”. This limitation is disclosed for the first time in the instant application.
Claim 11 recites “the cutting assembly further having a plurality of electrical receptors position along the blade”. This limitation is disclosed for the first time in the instant application.
Any remaining claims depend on one of the above claims and therefore will also have the same priority date.
Claim Objections
Claim 19 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 19, “the collar corresponds the circular cut surface” should recite “the collar corresponds to the circular cut surface”.
Appropriate correction(s) is/are required. No new matter should be added.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-19 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over USPGP# 20220204198 of Brizek et al. (herein Brizek) in view of USP# 3,526,750 of Siegel (herein Siegel).
Regarding claim 1, Brizek teaches
An orbital wrapping apparatus (10) for wrapping a cargo (C) in a stretch film (25), comprising:
a base frame (11);
a circular ring assembly (15) mounted on the base frame and rotatable with respect to the base frame to form an axis of rotation (para 0058, 0060);
a stretch film dispenser (20) mounted on the circular ring assembly and rotatable with the circular ring assembly about the axis of rotation (para 0059);
a cutting assembly (100) mounted to the base frame and extending through an opening defined by the circular ring assembly (fig. 22); the cutting assembly having a blade (129) and
the blade is positioned beyond a circular cut surface (125, para 0080, figs. 24 and figs. 30-31).
Brizek does not teach the cutting assembly having a thermally heated blade and the cutting assembly further includes a plurality of electrical receptors, and the plurality of electrical receptors are used to raise the thermally heated blade beyond the circular cut surface
Siegel teaches
A cutting assembly (10); wherein the cutting assembly has a thermally heated blade (24, c. 2, l. 25-35); the cutting assembly further includes a plurality of electrical receptors (22), and the plurality of electrical receptors are used to raise the thermally heated blade beyond the base surface (the top surface of 18).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time the invention was made, to modify Brizek, such that the blade is heated using a plurality of electrical receptors that are used to raise the blade beyond a base surface, as taught by Siegel in order to facilitate cutting of the film by reducing cutting force (due to heating) while also being reliable in operation. Additionally, adding electrical receptors makes it easy to maintain the cutting edges by making them readily replaceable (Siegel: c. 2, l. 41-46).
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Regarding claim 2, as shown in claim 1, the combination of Brizek and Siegel teaches
wherein a first end (Brizek: bottom end of 122 in fig. 24) of a cutter housing (Brizek: 122, 130) is attached to a cutting motor (Brizek: 110) and an opposite second end (Brizek: top end of 122 in fig. 24) of the cutter housing is a cut surface (Brizek: 129a).
Regarding claim 3, as shown in claim 2, the combination of Brizek and Siegel teaches
wherein the cutter housing includes a shaft (Brizek: 130).
Regarding claim 4, as shown in claim 3, the combination of Brizek and Siegel teaches
wherein the cutting motor holds the shaft (Brizek: para 0081, see fig. 24).
Regarding claim 5, as shown in claim 4, the combination of Brizek and Siegel teaches
wherein the shaft extends and retracts from the cutting motor (Brizek: para 0081).
Regarding claim 6, as shown in claim 5, the combination of Brizek and Siegel teaches
wherein the cutting assembly further includes a collar (Siegel: see annotated figs. 1 and 2).
Regarding claim 7, as shown in claim 6, the combination of Brizek and Siegel teaches
wherein the collar is positioned on an outer surface of the cutting housing (the combination of Brizek and Siegel: as shown in annotated fig. 1 and 2 of Siegel, the collar is on the outside of the housing 12. Additionally, Brizek teaches the cutting blade is on the outside of the cutter housing. Therefore, in the modification of Brizek and Siegel, the collar (which holds the blade) will also be on the outside of the housing.).
Regarding claim 8, as shown in claim 7, the combination of Brizek and Siegel teaches
wherein the collar further includes a pair of ground wire passageways (Siegel: see annotated figs. 1 and 2).
Regarding claim 9, as shown in claim 8, the combination of Brizek and Siegel teaches
wherein the collar further includes a plurality of pin receptacles (Siegel: receptacles for 22, see annotated figs. 1 and 2).
Regarding claim 10, as shown in claim 1, the combination of Brizek and Siegel teaches
wherein the blade further includes the plurality of electrical receptors on an outer surface and an inner surface of the blade (Sigel: see annotated fig. 5).
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Regarding claim 11, Brizek teaches
An orbital wrapping apparatus (10) for wrapping a cargo (C) in a stretch film (25), comprising:
a base frame (11) with a rotatable circular ring assembly (15) that is rotatable with respect to the base frame to form an axis of rotation (para 0058, 0060);
a cutting assembly (100) mounted to the base frame and extending through an opening defined by the circular ring assembly (fig. 22); the cutting assembly having a semi-circular blade (129) with a sharp edge (129a) disposed along one side.
Brizek does not teach
the cutting assembly further having a plurality of electrical receptors positioned along the blade (which are used to heat the blade) and the plurality of electrical receptors raises the blade beyond a cut surface of the cutting assembly.
Siegel teaches
A cutting assembly (10); wherein the cutting assembly has a thermally heated blade (24, c. 2, l. 25-35); the cutting assembly further includes a plurality of electrical receptors (22), and the plurality of electrical receptors are used to raise the thermally heated blade beyond the base surface (the top surface of 18).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time the invention was made, to modify Brizek, such that the blade is heated using a plurality of electrical receptors that are used to raise the blade beyond a base surface, as taught by Siegel in order to facilitate cutting of the film by reducing cutting force (due to heating) while also being reliable in operation. Additionally, adding electrical receptors makes it easy to maintain the cutting edges by making them readily replaceable (Siegel: c. 2, l. 41-46).
Regarding claim 12, as shown in claim 11, the combination of Brizek and Siegel teaches
wherein the plurality of electrical receptors are positioned along both an outer surface and an inner surface of the blade (Siegel: see annotated fig. 5).
Regarding claim 13, as shown in claim 12, the combination of Brizek and Siegel teaches
wherein each electrical receptors includes a gap (Siegel: see annotated fig. 5, the gap for holding the blade 24).
Regarding claim 14, as shown in claim 13, the combination of Brizek and Siegel teaches
wherein the cutting assembly further incudes a cutter housing (Brizek: 122).
Regarding claim 15, as shown in claim 14, the combination of Brizek and Siegel teaches
wherein the cutting assembly further includes a collar (Siegel: see annotated figs. 1 and 2).
Regarding claim 16, as shown in claim 15, the combination of Brizek and Siegel teaches
wherein the collar is positioned on an outer surface of the cutter housing (Siegel: see annotated figs. 1 and 2).
Regarding claim 17, as shown in claim 16, the combination of Brizek and Siegel teaches
wherein the plurality of electrical receptors extend within the collar (Siegel: see annotated figs. 1 and 2).
Regarding claim 18, as shown in claim 1, the combination of Brizek and Siegel teaches
wherein the electrical receptors absorb and transfer thermal energy to the blade (Siegel: c. 2, l. 21-24).
Regarding claim 19, as shown in claim 1, the combination of Brizek and Siegel teaches
wherein the plurality of electrical receptors extend from a collar (Siegel: see annotated figs. 1 and 2), the collar corresponds to the circular cut surface (the combination of Brizek and Siegel: in Siegel, the collar holds the blade 24 and in Brizek the blade 129 corresponds to the circular cut surface 125. Therefore, in the combination of Brizek and Siegel, the modified collar will also correspond to the circular cut surface), the collar receives a plurality of wires (Siegel: 14) extending within the collar and coupling to the plurality of electrical receptors (Siegel: see annotated figs. 1 and 2).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed on 8/19/2025 have been fully considered:
Amended claims have overcome all previous claim objections.
Amended claims have overcome all 112 (b) or second paragraph rejections.
Applicant's arguments with respect to claims 1 and 11 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the new reference of Siegel being used in the current rejection.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. For example:
USPGP 20200039669 teaches a heated cutting assembly 640, see para 0069, fig. 5b
USPGP 20180229867 can also be used as the primary reference, see fig. 22
USPGP 20070068632 teaches heated assembly with various claimed features, see fig. 28.
USP 6,932,134 teaches a heated cutting assembly 106 with electrical receptors 102 as claimed, see fig. 6.
USP 5,277,745 teaches a collar 20 for a heated knife assembly 22.
USP 4,549,388 teaches heated cutting assembly (fig. 12) as claimed.
US 4798934 teaches heated cutting assembly 12 with electrical receptors 18 and collar 22 as claimed.
US 1834555 teaches heated cutting assembly 11 with electrical receptors 13 on both sides of the blade (see fig. 3).
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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOBEEN AHMED whose telephone number is (571) 272-0356. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F (8:30 am to 5 pm).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anna Kinsaul can be reached on 571-270-1926. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/M.A/Examiner, Art Unit 3731
/ANNA K KINSAUL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3731