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 Amendment
Amendment to claims of 06/23/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim objections in the Office action of 03/26/2026 are withdrawn.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 06/23/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Prior art discloses the amended claims as shown below. Applicant's argument is not persuasive.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by D1 (Katori et al., US Pub. App. 2017-0234431). For simplicity
For Claim 1, D1 discloses, in Figures 1-7, a sliding component comprising a first sliding ring (5) and a second sliding ring (3) that have sliding surfaces rotating relative to each other and that partition a sealed fluid side space and a leakage side space off from each other (Sealed fluid side to the right and leakage side to the left of the seal assembly, Figures 1, 5, and as shown below.),
wherein the sliding surface of the first sliding ring is provided with a groove opening (as shown below) to at least one of the sealed fluid side space and the leakage side space, and
at least one of the first sliding ring and the second sliding ling is provided with an inclined surface (as shown below) that is formed at an edge portion thereof on a side of the groove (Figures 1, 5, and as shown below), that faces a fluid space formed between the groove of the first sliding ring (5) and the second sliding ring (3), and that is expanded toward one of the sealed fluid side space and the leakage side space which is on the side of the groove (Figures 1, 3, 5, and as shown below),
the inclined surface is provided on the first sliding ring (as shown below),
the first sliding ring is provided with an inclined groove defined by the inclined surface and side surfaces extending from both circumferential end edges of the inclined surface toward the sliding surface of the second sliding ring (Figures 3-4, and as shown below),
the first sliding ring is provided with an expansion surface that is formed at an edge portion thereof on a side of the groove, that is expanded toward one of the sealed fluid side space and the leakage side space which is on the side of the groove (as shown below),
a communication space partitioned off by the expansion surface and formed to extend in a circumferential direction communicates with the inclined groove (as shown below),
the inclined groove communicates with the groove (as shown below),
the inclined groove has an open end which is opened at a peripheral surface of the first sliding ring on the groove side (Figures 3-4, and as shown below),
the expansion surface is inclined to become deeper gradually from a flat surface forming the sliding surface toward the groove side (Sliding surface has a flat surface, as shown below), and
the inclined groove is provided in the expansion surface which is formed in an annular shape (Figures 3-4, and as shown below.)
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For Claim 2, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 1, wherein the groove (10, 12, 26 and as shown above) includes a fluid inlet and outlet groove (26) opening to the sealed fluid side space or the leakage side space on the side of the groove, and a dynamic pressure generation groove (15) communicating with the fluid inlet and outlet groove (26) and extending in a circumferential direction (Figure 4), and the fluid inlet and outlet groove (26) is deeper than the dynamic pressure generation groove (15, Figure 7.)
For Claim 3, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 1, wherein the groove includes a fluid inlet and outlet groove (26) opening to the sealed fluid side space or the leakage side space on the side of the groove (Figures 4, 6), and a dynamic pressure generation groove (15, 25) communicating with the fluid inlet and outlet groove and extending in a circumferential direction (Figures 4, 6), and the fluid inlet and outlet groove and the dynamic pressure generation groove are equal to each other in depth (Figure 5.)
For Claim 5, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 2, wherein a bottom surface of the fluid inlet and outlet groove and the inclined surface form an obtuse angle (20a makes an obtuse angle with the circumferential surface, Figure 6.)
For Claim 7, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 2, wherein the fluid inlet and outlet groove communicates with one of the sealed fluid side space and the leakage side space on a radially inner side, and a radially outermost position of the dynamic pressure generation groove (15, 25) is located radially outside a radially outermost position of the fluid inlet and outlet groove (Figures 4, 6.)
For Claim 8, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 2, wherein the fluid inlet and outlet groove (10, 12, 26) communicates with one of the sealed fluid side space and the leakage side space on a radially outer side (Figure 1-4), and a radially innermost position of the dynamic pressure generation groove (15, 25) is located radially inside a radially innermost position of the fluid inlet and outlet groove (Figures 4, 6.)
For Claim 9, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 7, wherein the dynamic pressure generation grooves (15, 25) are provided on both circumferential sides of the fluid inlet and outlet groove, and the dynamic pressure generation grooves communicate with each other (Figures 4, 6.)
For Claim 10, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 2, wherein the fluid inlet and outlet groove (10, 12, 26) communicates with the sealed fluid side space (Figures 1-4), the sliding surface of the first sliding ring or the second sliding ring is provided with a spiral groove (20, 20a) communicating with the leakage side space and not communicating with the sealed fluid side space (Figures 4, 6.)
For Claim 11, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 10, wherein the first sliding ring (5) is provided with another inclined surface (Ring 5 has an inclined surface, 10 has two inclined surfaces, Figure 1) that is formed an edge portion thereof on the leakage side space and that faces another fluid space (the space between the outer inclined surface of 10 and 3 defines the another fluid space. Figure 5.) formed between the spiral groove (20, 20a) and the second sliding ring (3) and that is expanded toward the leakage side space (Figures 1, 3-5.)
For Claim 12, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 1, wherein a sealed fluid existing in the sealed fluid side space is a liquid, and a fluid existing in the leakage side space is a gas (Para. [0035].)
For Claim 13, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 1, wherein the groove is an open groove having a belt shape in which a circumferential length is longer than a radial length (Figures 3-4), and the open groove has at least an opening portion that opens to one of the sealed fluid side space and the leakage side space on the side of the groove along a circumferential direction (Figures 3-4.)
For Claim 14, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 13, wherein the open groove (10, 12, 26) includes a first groove portion (10) in which the opening portion is formed and which extends in the circumferential direction (Figures 3-4), and a second groove portion (12, 26) which extends with a radial component from a downstream end portion of the first groove portion in a relative rotation direction, and of which an end portion is closed (Figures 3-4.)
For Claim 15, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 14, wherein the second groove portion (26) includes an inclined portion extending with a radial component (Figure 5), and an extension portion extending from the inclined portion in the circumferential direction (Figure 4).
For Claim 16, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 13, wherein the open groove (10, 12, 26) is line-symmetrically formed with respect to a line extending in a radial direction (Figures 3-4.)
For Claim 17, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 3, wherein a bottom surface of the fluid inlet and outlet groove and the inclined surface form an obtuse angle (20a makes an obtuse angle with the circumferential surface, Figure 6.)
For Claim18, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 3, wherein the fluid inlet and outlet groove communicates with one of the sealed fluid side space and the leakage side space on a radially inner side, and a radially outermost position of the dynamic pressure generation groove (15, 25) is located radially outside a radially outermost position of the fluid inlet and outlet groove (Figures 3-4.)
For Claim 19, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 3, wherein the fluid inlet and outlet groove (10, 12, 26) communicates with one of the sealed fluid side space and the leakage side space on a radially outer side, and a radially innermost position of the dynamic pressure generation groove (15, 25) is located radially inside a radially innermost position of the fluid inlet and outlet groove (Figures 1-4.)
For Claim 20, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 3, wherein the fluid inlet and outlet groove (10, 12, 26) communicates with the sealed fluid side space (Figure 1), and the sliding surface of the first sliding ring or the second sliding ring is provided with a spiral groove (20, 20a) communicating with the leakage side space and not communicating with the sealed fluid side space (Figures 1-5.)
For claim 21, D1 discloses, in Figures 1-7, a sliding component comprising a first sliding ring (5) and a second sliding ring (3) that have sliding surfaces rotating relative to each other and that partition a sealed fluid side space and a leakage side space off from each other (As shown above. The sliding surfaces of the first and second sliding rings define the sliding surfaces.),
wherein the sliding surface of the first sliding ring (5) is provided with a groove which has an open end opening to at least one of the sealed fluid side space and the leakage side space and a closed end on a side opposed to the open end (as shown above),
the first sliding ring (5) is provided with an expansion surface (as shown above) that is formed at an edge portion thereof on a groove side on which the groove is provided in a radial direction, that is expanded toward one of the sealed fluid side space and the leakage side space on the groove side (Figures 3-4, and as shown above),
the expansion surface is continuously connected to the sliding surface of the first sliding ring (Figures 3-4, as shown above), and
the groove has an opening which communicate with an end portion of the expansion surface (Figures 3-4, as shown above.)
For claim 22, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 21, wherein the groove includes a fluid inlet (12a) and outlet (12c) groove opening to the sealed fluid side space or the leakage side space on the side of the groove, and a dynamic pressure generation groove (15, Para. [0069-0071]) communicating with the fluid inlet and outlet groove and extending in a circumferential direction, and the fluid inlet and outlet groove is deeper than the dynamic pressure generation groove (Figures 3-4).
For claim 23, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 21, wherein a sealed fluid existing in the sealed fluid side space is a liquid, and a fluid existing in the leakage side space is a gas (Para. [0035].)
For claim 24, D1 discloses a sliding component comprising a first sliding ring (5) and a second sliding ring (3) that have sliding surfaces rotating relative to each other and that partition a sealed fluid side space and a leakage side space off from each other (As shown above. The sliding surfaces of the first and second sliding rings define the sliding surfaces.),
wherein the sliding surface of the first sliding ring (5) is provided with a groove which has an open end opening to at least one of the sealed fluid side space and the leakage side space and a closed end on a side opposed to the open end (as shown above),
the first sliding ring is provided with an expansion surface (as shown above) that is formed at an edge portion thereof on a groove side on which the groove is provided in a radial direction, that is expanded toward one of the sealed fluid side space and the leakage side space on the groove side (Figures 3-4, and as shown above),
the expansion surface is continuously connected to the sliding surface of the first sliding (Figures 3-4, and as shown above),
the groove has an opening which communicates with a space (as shown above) on the groove side on which the groove is provided in the radial direction or with expansion surface (Figures 3-4, and as shown above), and
the groove is deepest at a center portion thereof in the circumferential direction, and becomes shallower in a stepwise manner or in a gradual manner from the center portion toward a downstream side in a rotation direction and toward an upstream side in the rotation direction (as shown above.)
For claim 25, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 24, wherein the groove has an inclined surface that is formed at an edge portion thereof on the groove side on which the groove is provided in a radial direction and that is expanded toward the space on the groove side (Figures 3-4, and as shown above.)
For claim 26, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 24, wherein a sealed fluid existing in the sealed fluid side space is a liquid, and a fluid existing in the leakage side space is a gas (Para. [0035].)
For claim 27, D1 discloses a sliding component comprising a first sliding ring and a second sliding ring that have sliding surfaces rotating relative to each other and that partition a sealed fluid side space and a leakage side space off from each other (As shown below. The sliding surfaces of the first and second sliding rings define the sliding surfaces.),
wherein the sliding surface of the first sliding ring is provided with a groove which has an open end opening to at least one of the sealed fluid side space and the leakage side space and a closed end on a side opposed to the open end (Figures 3-4, and),
the second sliding ring is provided with an expansion surface that is formed at an edge portion thereof on a groove side on which the groove is provided in a radial direction, that is expanded toward one of the sealed fluid side space and the leakage side space on the groove side (as shown below), and
the expansion surface is provided on the groove side with respect to the closed end of the groove and has a tapered shape (expansion surface has a tapered shape) that is inclined from the sliding surface of the second sliding ring toward a periphery surface of the second sliding on the groove side in a direction away from the first sliding ring (as shown below.)
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For claim 28, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 27, wherein the groove includes a fluid inlet (12a) and outlet (12c) groove opening to the sealed fluid side space or the leakage side space on the side of the groove, and a dynamic pressure generation groove (15, para. [0069-0071]) communicating with the fluid inlet and outlet groove and extending in a circumferential direction, and the fluid inlet and outlet groove is deeper than the dynamic pressure generation groove (Figures 3-4.).
For claim 29, D1 discloses the sliding component according to claim 27, wherein a sealed fluid existing in the sealed fluid side space is a liquid, and a fluid existing in the leakage side space is a gas (Para. [0035].)
Conclusion
Prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and provides examples of similar inventions. There are no suggestions in the prior art of record for combining any of the references to arrive at as claimed. A few of the prior art cited but not applied includes Itadani (US Pub. 2016-0252182); kimura (US 5,224,714); and Tokunga (US Pub. 2018-0073394).
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 NATHAN CUMAR whose telephone number is (571)270-3112. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm EST.
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/NATHAN CUMAR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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