DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-5 of U.S. Application No. 18713861 filed on 05/28/2024 are presented for examination.
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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 05/28/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“the first fitting hole and the second fitting hole is formed to have a length in the guide direction larger than a diameter of the first pin and a diameter of the second pin” should read “a first fitting hole and the second fitting hole is formed to have a length in the guide direction larger than a diameter of a first pin and a diameter of a second pin.”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Taniyama Yasushi (JP 2000-312463; Hereinafter, “Yasushi”).
Regarding claim 1: Yasushi discloses a module system (rail modules Ma, Mb of the linear motor M) comprising:
a first module (Ma) in which a first guide (8a) device is incorporated and a second module (Mb) in which a second guide device (8b) is incorporated,
the first module and the second module being positioned along a guide direction (annotated fig. 8 below), the module system further comprising:
a first positioning portion (bolt 23 or pins 24) configured to position the first module (Ma) and the second module (Mb) in such a manner that a gap (e1, and/or e2) between an end portion of the first guide device (8a) on a second module side and an end portion of the second guide device (8b) on a first module side is a predetermined distance (e1 or e2; fig. 6-8); and
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a second positioning portion (surfaces 16a, and 16b) configured to position the first module (Ma) and the second module (Mb) in such a manner that a shift (σ) between an axial direction (annotated fig. 8 above) of the first guide (8a) device and an axial direction of the second guide (8b) device in a direction orthogonal to the guide direction in a plan view is equal to or less than a predetermined amount of shift (σ).
Regarding claim 3/1: Yasushi discloses the limitations of claim 1 and further discloses that at least one of the first fitting hole and the second fitting hole (22a, 22b) is formed to have a length in the guide direction (i.e. hole diameter) larger than a diameter of the first pin (pin 24 or bolt 23) and a diameter of the second pin (23; otherwise, the bolt/pin 23 or 24 will not in the holes 22a, 22b).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2,4-5 are 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.
Regarding claim 2, the limitations in claim 2, “…the first positioning portion comprises: a first pin provided on the first module and protruding in the direction orthogonal to the guide direction in a plan view; a second pin provided on the second module and protruding in the direction orthogonal to the guide direction in a plan view; and a first connecting member having a first fitting hole and a second fitting hole arranged in the guide direction, the first connecting member being fixed to the first module and the second module in a state where the first pin is fitted into the first fitting hole and the second pin is fitted into the second fitting hole” in the combination as claimed are neither anticipated nor obvious over the prior arts in record. Claims 4-5 are also objected-to for their dependency on claim 2.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AHMED ELNAKIB whose telephone number is (571)270-0638. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00AM-4:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tulsidas Patel can be reached at 571-272-2098. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AHMED ELNAKIB/Primary Examiner,
Art Unit 2834