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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (Claims 1-10) in the reply filed on 1-23-2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 11-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 1-23-2026.
Claims 1-10 are pending and examined in this action.
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 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2018/0021867 to Naoi in view of GB 191125517 DA and US 2008/0189961 to Oberheim.
In re Claim 1, Naoi teaches a reciprocating saw comprising:
a housing (see Fig. 1, “Q”);
a motor (see Fig. 1, #32) and a drive mechanism operably coupled to the motor (see assembly between motor #32 and blade clamp #80), the motor and the drive mechanism positioned within the housing (see Fig. 1 the structure that surrounds the motor and drive mechanism is considered a “housing”), the drive mechanism including a driven gear (see Fig. 6, gear #60), a connecting rod (see Fig. 5-6, #67), and a spindle (see Figs. 5-6, #81), a first end of the connecting rod being movably coupled to the spindle by a roller pin (see Figs. 5-6, #75), the spindle defining a longitudinal axis, and rotary motion of the motor is translated into linear reciprocating motion of the spindle by the driven gear and the connecting rod (see Para. 0060);
a support assembly configured to rotationally support the roller pin within the housing (see Fig. 10, #70/69; see also Para. 0053), the support assembly including
a housing defining a slot extending along a longitudinal axis that is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the spindle (see slot created by #70/69 in Figs. 6 and 10),
a roller positioned within the slot and at a first end of the roller pin (see Fig. 6 and 9-10, roller #77; see also Para. 0058), and
a second roller positioned within the slot and at a second, opposite end of the roller pin (see Fig. 6, and 9-10, roller #76; see also Para. 0058);
wherein the roller pin extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the slot (see Figs. 9-10, the position of #75 extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the slot created by #69/70 in view of Fig. 6), and wherein at least one of the first end and the second end of the roller pin extends through the first bearing and the second bearing, respectively (see Figs. 9-10, showing #75 extending through to the outer edges of #77/76).
Naoi taches rollers and not bearings. Additionally, Naoi does not teach the roller pin extends completely through the bearings.
GB 191125517 DA teaches that ball bearings are equivalent to rollers (see GB 191125517 DA, abstract). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the earliest effective filing date, to replace the rollers of Naoi with ball bearings, as doing so is the substation of an equivalent structure (see MPEP 2143, I, B). Ball bearings provide less friction than rollers and thereby the operation is smoother and the life of the assembly is longer.
Additionally, Oberheim teaches that it is known in the pivoting joint art to provide a pin that extends through bearings #94 (see Fig. 8, #94), as well proving “snap rings” #90 on the end of the pin. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the earlies effective filing date, to extend the pin through the bearings in order to provide a snap ring on each end. Doing so is one assembly method to ensure that the assembly stays together during operation. The snap rings locate the pin in the proper location and ensure that the pin does not move in a lateral direction.
In re Claim 2, modified Naoi, in re Claim 1, teaches wherein the roller pin defines a connection between the connecting rod and the spindle (see Naoi, Fig. 5, showing #75 connecting #67 and #81), and wherein the housing of the support assembly is positioned to surround the connection between the connecting rod and the spindle (see Naoi, Fig. 6-10).
In re Claim 3, modified Naoi, in re Claim 1, teaches wherein the connecting rod extends between the first end and an opposite, second end coupled to the driven gear by a crank pin (see Naoi, Figs. 4-5, #65).
In re Claim 4, modified Naoi, in re Claim 1, teaches wherein the roller pin, the first bearing, and the second bearing are configured to move axially in a reciprocating motion along the slot (see Naoi, Figs. 6, and 9-10, the pin and bearings move axially in the slot).
In re Claim 5, modified Naoi, in re Claim 1, teaches wherein each of the first bearing and the second bearing has a thickness (see Naoi, Figs. 6-10, #76/77 have thicknesses), and wherein the at least one of the first end and the second end of the roller pin extends completely through the thickness of the one of the first bearing and the second bearing, respectively (see Naoi, Figs. 6-10, #76/77, #75/77/76 in view of Oberheim, Fig. 8, #90/94, etc.).
In re Claim 6, modified Naoi, in re Claim 1, teaches wherein the first end and the second end of the roller pin extend completely through the thickness of the first bearing and the second bearing, respectively (see Naoi, Figs. 6-10, #75/77/76 in view of Oberheim, Fig. 8, #90/94, etc.).
In re Claim 7, Naoi teaches a reciprocating saw comprising:
a housing (see Fig. 1, “Q”);
a motor (see Fig. 1, #32) and a drive mechanism operably coupled to the motor (see assembly between motor #32 and blade clamp #80), the motor and the drive mechanism positioned within the housing (see Fig. 1 the structure that surrounds the motor and drive mechanism is considered a “housing”), the drive mechanism including a driven gear (see Fig. 6, gear #60), a connecting rod (see Fig. 5-6, #67), and a spindle (see Figs. 5-6, #81), a first end of the connecting rod being movably coupled to the spindle by a roller pin (see Figs. 5-6, #75), the spindle defining a longitudinal axis, and rotary motion of the motor is translated into linear reciprocating motion of the spindle by the driven gear and the connecting rod (see Para. 0060.);
a support assembly configured to rotationally support the roller pin within the housing (see Fig. 10, #70/69; see also Para. 0058), the support assembly including a housing defining a slot extending along a longitudinal axis that is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the spindle (see slot created by #70/69 in Figs. 6 and 10),
a first roller positioned within the slot and at a first end of the roller pin (see Fig. 6 and 9-10, roller #77; see also Para. 0053), and
a second roller positioned within the slot and at a second, opposite end of the roller pin (see Fig. 6, and 9-10, roller #76; see also Para. 0053);
wherein the roller pin extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the slot (see Figs. 9-10, the position of #75 extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the slot created by #69/70 in view of Fig. 6), and wherein the first end and the second end of the roller pin extend through the first bearing and the second bearing, respectively (see Figs. 9-10, showing #75 extending through to the outer edges of #77/76).
Naoi taches rollers and not bearings. Additionally, Naoi does not teach the roller pins extends completely through the bearings.
GB 191125517 DA teaches that ball bearings are equivalent to rollers (see GB 191125517 DA, abstract). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the earliest effective filing date, to replace the rollers of Naoi with ball bearings, as doing so is the substation of an equivalent structure (see MPEP 2143, I, B). Ball bearings provide less friction than rollers and thereby the operation is smoother and the life of the assembly is longer.
Additionally, Oberheim teaches that it is known in the pivoting joint art to provide a pin that extends through bearings #94 (see Fig. 8, #94), as well proving “snap rings” #90 on the end of the pin. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the earlies effective filing date, to extend the pin through the bearings in order to provide a snap ring on each end. Doing so is one assembly method to ensure that the assembly stays together during operation. The snap rings locate the pin in the proper location and ensure that the pin does not move in a lateral direction.
In re Claim 8, modified Naoi, in re Claim 1, teaches wherein each of the first bearing and the second bearing has a thickness (see Figs. 6-10, 76/77), and wherein the first end and the second end of the roller pin extend completely through the thickness of the first bearing and the second bearing, respectively (see Naoi, Figs. 6-10, #76/77, #75/77/76 in view of Oberheim, Fig. 8, #90/94, etc.).
In re Claim 9, modified Naoi, in re Claim 1 wherein the roller pin defines a connection between the connecting rod and the spindle (see Fig. 5, showing #75 connecting #67 and #81), and wherein the housing of the support assembly is positioned to surround the connection between the connecting rod and the spindle (see Naoi, Figs. 9-10).
In re Claim 10, modified Naoi, in re Claim 7, teaches wherein the connecting rod extends between the first end and an opposite, second end coupled to the driven gear by a crank pin (see Naoi, Figs. 4-5, #65).
Conclusion
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/JONATHAN G RILEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3724