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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in Application No. 18652837, filed on 5/02/2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 5/02/2024 was filed after the filing date of the application on 5/02/2024. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement has been considered by the examiner.
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 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Murakami (US 20180304482 A1) in view of Liang US 20120251229 A1) and Watanabe (US 5678312).
Regarding claim 1, Murakami teaches a vibratory linear actuator comprising: a movable element (520) configured to reciprocate in a first direction (x-direction, see Figure 7); 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 (250), the stator element comprises:
a stator body (240), and
a fastening portion (bottom of 240) provided to the stator body and configured to be fastened to a fastening portion counterpart (slot in 250) provided to the component (See Figure 7), and
the fastening portion comprises:
a pair of legs (bottom legs of 240) 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 (see Figure 7), and
a pair of protrusions provided to the pair of legs (protruding prongs), respectively, and protruding outwards in a direction in which the legs opposite each other (see Figure 7), 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 (see Figure 7).
Murakami fails to teach 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 Murakami 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 Murakami 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 (z-direction in Figure 7 of Murakami).
Regarding claim 3, modified Murakami further teaches the direction in which the legs face each other is the first direction (as modified, see Figure 7 of Murakami).
Regarding claim 4, modified Murakami further teaches the stator body is an electromagnet unit (240 of Murakami), and the fastening portion is at a position offset from a main magnetic path of a magnetic flux (220) formed when the electromagnet unit is driven (as modified, see Figure 7 of Murakami).
Regarding claim 5, modified Murakami further teaches the electromagnet unit comprises a core (240), and the fastening portion and the core are integrally molded (as modified, see Figure 7 of Murakami).
Regarding claim 6, modified Murakami further teaches a cutter comprising: the vibratory linear actuator according to Claim 1; a housing (2) inside of which is provided with the fastening portion counterpart (see Figure 7 of Murakami); a movable blade (32) that is connected to the vibratory linear actuator; and a fixed blade (31) with which the movable blade comes into sliding contact (see Figure 1 of Murakami).
Regarding claim 7, modified Murakami further teaches a fastening structure (250) for fastening a vibratory linear actuator (220, 240, 400, 101 and 102) to a fastening portion counterpart provided to a component (see Figure 7), the vibratory linear actuator comprising: a movable element (520) configured to reciprocate in a first direction (x-direction); and
a stator element (220 and 240) configured to drive the movable element to reciprocate in the first direction,
wherein the stator element comprises:
a stator body (240), and
a fastening portion provided to the stator body (bottom of 240) and configured to be fastened to the fastening portion counterpart (slot in 250),
the fastening portion comprises:
a pair of legs (bottom legs of 240) 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 (see Figure 7), and
a pair of protrusions provided to the pair of legs (protruding prongs), respectively, and protruding outwards in a direction in which the legs opposite each other (see Figure 7), 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 (see Figure 7),
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 (see Figure 7).
Murakami fails to teach 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 Murakami 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).
Conclusion
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 12/18/2025