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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Status of the Claims
Claims 1-11, 13-15, 17-22 are pending in the current application.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-3, 9-10, 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saitou (US 20180048104).
As to claim 1, Saitou discloses a rotary cathode end block comprising:
An end case body (figure 3: end block 20, figure 4: opposing end block 10 with housing 11);
a drive shaft rotatably installed in the case body through a bearing (figure 3: driven shaft 22 from supporting block 20 with bearings 21);
one end of the drive shaft penetrates from the case body and is fixedly connected with a target installation flange (figure 3: cap body 35 [installation flange] between drive shaft 22 and target/backing structure 31/32);
a central support connected to the case body with a connection shaft coaxially passing through the drive shaft and the target installation flange (figure 3-4: inner tube [central support] 34 through end block 10 connected to end block 20 by cap body 35);
an electrical contact coaxially set on the connection shaft and central support connected with electrical contact, the contact in contact with the drive shaft and a contact surface between which is cone-shaped (figures 2 and 4, brush ‘BR’ surrounding inner support 34 to provide electrical contact through triangular/cone shaped pieces 6 to contact cylindrical body 1 connecting to support 34 and connected to support 2 connecting through structure to drive body 22 [figure 3-4]).
As to the drive shaft being conductive, Saitou discloses conductive connections between inner and outer support shafts, the brush and target structure (paragraph 2, 9, 19: inner and outer cylinders conductive; paragraph 33: conductive flange connection). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a conductive drive shaft to provide additional continued electrical connection as indicated by the other conductive connections of Saitou.
As to claim 2, Saitou discloses a conductive band between the inner support and electrical contact (figure 2: brush piece 5 [band] on inner support structure side of contact brush piece 6).
As to claim 3, Saitou discloses a spring between the electrical contact and central support to maintain contact between the contact and drive shaft (figure 2: springs 7 between brush [contact] parts 6; paragraph 23: springs to prevent deflections and maintain electrical contact).
As to claim 9, Saitou discloses a rotary dynamic seal between the drive shaft and end body (figure 4: oil seal 12b between end block 10 case 11 and inner shaft structure [an oil seal being defined as a rotary-radial seal type]).
As to claim 10 and 13, Saitou discloses a target installation flange on an end block head having a clamp (figure 4: outer portion [flange] of target backing 31 clamped by Cp through flange 14; paragraph 33).
As to claim 14, Saitou discloses a head structure with support end for mounting the target backing and being rotatable (figure 4: clamp Cp and flange 14 [head structure] mounted on rotating outer support).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4-8 and 11 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 15, 17-22 allowed.
The objected to and allowed claims contain structures, including water joints with respective gaps and communications channels, spacing structures within the connection shaft and contact, and conical interfaces between the drive shaft and electrical contact, not taught or suggested by the prior art.
Other Applicable Art
Although not cited in the rejections above, US 20160343550 (Siegert) discloses knowledge in the art of end block assemblies with rotation shafts and bearings containing cylindrical electrical contacts to the shaft structure (abstract; paragraph 24; figure 2b: contact 208).
Correspondence Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON BERMAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5265. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Thursday 8-4.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James Lin can be reached on (571) 272-8902. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JASON BERMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1794