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 pr----ovisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 4-17 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected link device, stretching machine, or stretching machine used to stretch a film, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on February 2, 2026.
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) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nobuyuki (JP S45-6785).
Regarding claim 1, Nobuyuki discloses a link mechanism (link device 3) constituting a link device used in a stretching machine configured to stretch a film, the link mechanism (link device 3) comprising: a pair of rail holders (link shafts 23, 23’, roller 34, thrust bearing 35, Fig. 5); a base member (outer link plate 22, Figs. 3-5) bridging the pair of rail holders (Figs. 3-5); a link plate (inner link plates 25, 26, Figs. 3-4) having one end rotatably coupled to one of the pair of rail holders and the other end rotatably coupled to another link mechanism (Figs. 3-4); and a clip (grippers 2, 2’) provided at one end of the base member and configured to grip the film (p. 1, Fig. 5), wherein each of the rail holders includes: a guide roller having openings on both end sides in an axial direction and moving while rotating (roller 34, Figs. 3-5); a first hollow shaft having openings on both end sides in a direction along the axial direction (link shafts, 23, 23’, ,Figs. 3, 5) one side being fixed to the rail holder and the other side being inserted into the guide roller (Fig. 5); a bearing interposed between the guide roller and the first shaft and configured to rotatably support the guide roller (thrust bearing 35, Fig. 5); and a second shaft having a shaft portion inserted into the first shaft and a support portion supporting the bearing (thrust bearing 35, Fig. 5).
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Annotated Fig. 5
Regarding claim 2, Nobuyuki discloses wherein the bearing includes an inner ring (A, Annotated Fig. 5), an outer ring (B, Annotated Fig. 5), and a rolling element disposed between the inner ring and the outer ring (C, Annotated Fig. 5), and wherein the support portion of the second shaft supports the inner ring (D, Annotated Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 3, Nobuyuki discloses wherein an upper portion of the shaft portion of the second shaft protrudes from an upper portion of the first shaft and is fixed to the first shaft by a retaining member (support shaft of thrust bearing 35 protrudes from and is fixed to link shaft 23’, Fig. 5).
Conclusion
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/NICHOLAS J CHIDIAC/ Examiner, Art Unit 1744
/XIAO S ZHAO/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1744