DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed 4/10/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-13 remain pending in the application.
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 1-7 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.
Regarding claim 1, “a fastening portion provided to the stator body and configured to be”, “linear actuator is disposed” and “the fastening portion is directly connected” is indefinite. It is unclear if the component/housing is required by “a vibratory linear actuator” in the preamble or just “configured” to be related to the vibratory linear actuator.
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 1-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kobayashi (US 20050134123 A1) in view of Liang (US 20120251229 A1) and Watanabe (US 5678312).
Regarding claim 1, Kobayashi teaches a vibratory linear actuator comprising: a movable element (100) configured to reciprocate in a first direction (left and right direction, see Figure 3); and a stator element (assembly of 220, 230, 240 and 400) configured to drive the movable element to reciprocate in the first direction (see Figure 7), wherein the vibratory linear actuator is configured to be fastened to a component (12 and 11), the stator element comprises:
a stator body (40), and
a fastening portion (bottom of 40) provided to the stator body and configured to be fastened to a fastening portion counterpart (slot in 12) provided to the component (See Figure 1), and
the fastening portion comprises:
a pair of legs (bottom legs of 40) protruding outward from one surface of the stator body and facing each other, in a side view in a state where the stator element is disposed in such a way that the one surface of the stator body faces downwards (see Figure 1),
the component is a housing (12) in which the vibratory linear actuator is disposed or a circuit board, and the fastening portion is directly connected to the housing or the circuit board (see Figure 1).
Kobayashi fails to teach a pair of legs protruding downwards from one surface of the stator body and facing each other, in a side view in a state where the stator element is disposed in such a way that the one surface of the stator body faces downwards, and a pair of protrusions provided to the pair of legs, respectively, and protruding outwards in a direction in which the legs opposite each other, in the side view in the state where the stator element is disposed in the way that the one surface of the stator body faces downwards.
Liang teaches a fastening portion for a connection with a pair of protrusions (12) provided to the pair of legs (see Figure 1), respectively, and protruding inwards in a direction in which the legs face each other (see Figure 1), a fastening portion counterpart (21 on 2, see Figure 1).
Watanabe teaches a shaver with a fastening portion (22/23 with 27) that slide into other along the depth direction for connection (See Figure 11). Watanabe is used as an example of such slide connection are known to be use in the hair trimmer art.
As disclosed by Watanabe, a slide shape fastening system is used in the field of hair trimmer, while Liang teaches a slide shape fastening system with legs and protrusions. Therefore, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of Kobayashi to change the plug shape fastening system into the slide shape fastening system, as taught by Liang. Such modification will achieve the predictable result of providing securing the stator element, since both connection of Murakami and Liang are known for the same purpose in the art. See MPEP § 2143 I. (B).
Regarding claim 2, modified Kobayashi further teaches the fastening portion has an elongated shape in a direction intersecting with a direction in which the legs protrude and with a direction in which the protrusions protrude (see Figure 8 of Liang).
Regarding claim 3, modified Kobayashi further teaches the direction in which the legs face each other is the first direction (as modified, see Figure 8 of Liang).
Regarding claim 4, modified Kobayashi further teaches the stator body is an electromagnet unit (40 of Kobayashi), and the fastening portion is at a position offset from a main magnetic path of a magnetic flux (50) formed when the electromagnet unit is driven (as modified, see Figure 2 of Kobayashi).
Regarding claim 5, modified Kobayashi further teaches the electromagnet unit comprises a core (40), and the fastening portion and the core are integrally molded (as modified, see Figure 2 of Kobayashi).
Regarding claim 6, modified Kobayashi further teaches a cutter comprising: the vibratory linear actuator according to Claim 1; a housing (12 and 14) inside of which is provided with the fastening portion counterpart (see Figure 1 Kobayashi); a movable blade (21) that is connected to the vibratory linear actuator; and a fixed blade (22) with which the movable blade comes into sliding contact (see Figure 1 of Kobayashi), wherein the fastening portion of the vibratory linear actuator is directly connected to the housing (see Figure 1 of Kobayashi).
Regarding claim 7, Kobayashi teaches a fastening structure (ridge in 12) for directly fastening a vibratory linear actuator (30) to a fastening portion counterpart provided to circuit board or a housing in which the vibratory linear actuator is disposes (see Figure 1), the vibratory linear actuator comprising: a movable element (100) configured to reciprocate in a first direction (left and right direction in Figure 3); and
a stator element (40) configured to drive the movable element to reciprocate in the first direction,
wherein the stator element comprises:
a stator body (40), and
a fastening portion provided to the stator body (bottom of 40) and configured to be fastened to the fastening portion counterpart (ridge of 12),
the fastening portion comprises:
a pair of legs (bottom legs of 40) protruding outward from one surface of the stator body and facing each other, in a side view in a state where the stator element is disposed in such a way that the one surface of the stator body faces downwards (see Figure 1).
Kobayashi fails to teach a pair of legs protruding downwards from one surface of the stator body and facing each other, in a side view in a state where the stator element is disposed in such a way that the one surface of the stator body faces downwards, and a pair of protrusions provided to the pair of legs, respectively, and protruding outwards in a direction in which the legs opposite each other, in the side view in the state where the stator element is disposed in the way that the one surface of the stator body faces downwards, the fastening portion counterpart is held between the pair of legs in a state where the fastening portion counterpart is inhibited by the pair of protrusions from being loosened.
Liang teaches a fastening portion for a connection with a pair of protrusions (12) provided to the pair of legs (see Figure 1), respectively, and protruding inwards in a direction in which the legs face each other (see Figure 1), a fastening portion counterpart (21 on 2, see Figure 1).
Watanabe teaches a shaver with a fastening portion (22/23 with 27) that slide into other along the depth direction for connection (See Figure 11). Watanabe is used as an example of such slide connection are known to be use in the hair trimmer art.
As disclosed by Watanabe, a slide shape fastening system is used in the field of hair trimmer, while Liang teaches a slide shape fastening system with legs and protrusions. Therefore, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of Kobayashi to change the plug shape fastening system into the slide shape fastening system, as taught by Liang. Such modification will achieve the predictable result of providing securing the stator element, since both connection of Murakami and Liang are known for the same purpose in the art. See MPEP § 2143 I. (B).
Regarding claim 8, Kobayashi teaches a vibratory linear actuator comprising:
a movable element (100) configured to reciprocate in a first direction (left and right of Figure 3); and
a stator element (40) configured to drive the movable element to reciprocate in the first direction (see Figure 2), wherein:
the movable element is disposed at a first side of the stator element, the vibratory linear actuator is configured to be fastened to a component (see Figure 1), the stator element comprises a stator body (40) comprising an electromagnet unit including a core (50, see Figure 6), the core includes a fastening portion configured to be fastened to a fastening portion counterpart provided to the component,
the fastening portion is provided at a second side of the stator element opposite to the first side of the stator element in a second direction crossing the first direction (bottom of 30, see Figure 3),
the fastening portion comprises:
a pair of legs protruding outward from one surface of the stator body and facing each other, in a side view in a state where the stator element is disposed in such a way that the one surface of the stator body faces downwards (see Figure 2).
in the side view in the state where the stator element is disposed in the way that the one surface of the stator body faces downwards, the core comprises pillars including outer pillars, and each of the pair of legs is flush with an outer side surface of a corresponding one of the outer pillars of the core (see Figure 3), the outer side surface being parallel to a plane defined by the second direction and a third direction crossing the first direction and the second direction (1st is left and right, 2nd is in and out and 3rd is up and down, see Figure 3).
Kobayashi fails to teach a pair of legs protruding downwards from one surface of the stator body and facing each other, in a side view in a state where the stator element is disposed in such a way that the one surface of the stator body faces downwards, and a pair of protrusions provided to the pair of legs, respectively, and protruding inwards in a direction in which the legs face each other.
Liang teaches a fastening portion for a connection with a pair of protrusions (12) provided to the pair of legs (see Figure 1), respectively, and protruding inwards in a direction in which the legs face each other (see Figure 1), a fastening portion counterpart (21 on 2, see Figure 1).
Watanabe teaches a shaver with a fastening portion (22/23 with 27) that slide into other along the depth direction for connection (See Figure 11). Watanabe is used as an example of such slide connection are known to be use in the hair trimmer art.
As disclosed by Watanabe, a slide shape fastening system is used in the field of hair trimmer, while Liang teaches a slide shape fastening system with legs and protrusions. Therefore, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of Kobayashi to change the plug shape fastening system into the slide shape fastening system, as taught by Liang. Such modification will achieve the predictable result of providing securing the stator element, since both connection of Murakami and Liang are known for the same purpose in the art. See MPEP § 2143 I. (B).
Regarding claim 9, modified Kobayashi further teaches the fastening portion has an elongated shape in the third direction (see Figure 3 of Kobayashi).
Regarding claim 10, modified Kobayashi further teaches the direction in which the legs face each other is the first direction (as modified by Liang, see Figure 8 of Liang).
Regarding claim 11, modified Kobayashi further teaches the fastening portion is at a position offset from a main magnetic path of a magnetic flux formed when the electromagnet unit is driven (see Figure 3 of Kobayashi).
Regarding claim 12, modified Kobayashi further teaches the fastening portion and the core are integrally molded (see Figure 3 of Kobayashi).
Regarding claim 13, modified Kobayashi further teaches a cutter comprising: the vibratory linear actuator according to Claim 8; a housing (12 and 14) inside of which is provided with the fastening portion counterpart; a movable blade (21) that is connected to the vibratory linear actuator; and a fixed blade (22) with which the movable blade comes into sliding contact (see Figure 1 of Kobayashi).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 4/10/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-13 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LIANG DONG whose telephone number is (571)270-0479. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8 AM-6 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ashley Boyer can be reached at 571-272-4502. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LIANG DONG/Examiner, Art Unit 3724 6/13/2026
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