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 . 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 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.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
-Claim 1, Line 3 recites “the base end of the operating rod and should read a base end of the operating rod”.
-Claim 1, Line 5 recites “the head end of the operating rod” and should read “a head end of the operating rod”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ota (U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2017/0273239).
Regarding claim 1, Ota teaches an electric working machine (Figures 2A-2B) with an operating rod (2) comprising:
an electric motor (40) provided on the base end (3) of the operating rod (Figure 2A and Paragraph 0096); a working device (5) provided on the head end (4) of the operating rod (Figure 2A); and
a power transmission shaft (28) passing through the inside of the operating rod and configured to transmit power from the electric motor to the working device, wherein: a lead wire is laid in the operating rod along a longitudinal direction of the power transmission shaft (Paragraph 0113); the operating rod includes a wiring space around the power transmission shaft to lay the lead wire (Figures 2A, 2B and 3A-3C; Paragraphs 0113-0119); and the operating rod includes a plurality of pull-out holes to pull connecting terminals of the lead wire out from itself (Figure 2B noting the pull out holes provided on each of the first and second pipes 14,15 respectively).
Regarding claim 2, Ota teaches the electric working machine with an operating rod according to claim 1, wherein: the connecting terminal on one end of the lead wire is connected to a controller (60,67)(Paragraph 0191 noting motor controller 67 to be within the controller 80) provided on the base end of the operating rod (Paragraphs 0125-0132) and the connecting terminal on the other end of the lead wire is connected to a detection switch (36) attached to the head end of the operating rod to detect the posture of the working device (Paragraphs 0157-0162).
Regarding claim 3, Ota teaches the electric working machine with an operating rod according to claim 2, wherein: the detection switch detects the storage posture of the working device; and the controller includes a processor (Paragraph 0137) configured to prevent the electric motor from being driven when the detection switch detects the storage posture of the working device (Paragraph 0162).
Regarding claim 4, Ota teaches the electric working machine with an operating rod according to claim 1, wherein a connecting terminal of the lead wire is connected to a detection switch (70) provided on a front handle (7) attached at the intermediate position of the operating rod (Figures 2A and 7; Paragraphs 0092-0093).
Regarding claim 5, Ota teaches the electric working machine with an operating rod according to claim 1, wherein a connecting terminal of the connecting terminals of the lead wire are smaller than a pull-out hole of the pull-out holes so that the connecting terminal can go through the pull-out hole (Figure 2B noting the wiring hose to be smaller than the end of elements 14/16).
Regarding claim 6, Ota teaches the electric working machine with an operating rod according to claim 1, wherein the lead wire pulled out from the pull-out holes is covered with a cover member (16)(Figures 3A-3C; Examiner notes the wires to be covered via a cover (16) when the device is extended as shown in Figure 3C).
Regarding claim 7, Ota teaches the electric working machine according to claim 1, wherein the lead wire is pulled out from the pull-out holes and connected to a plurality of detection switches (Paragraph 0116 and 0175).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 04/14/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues the claimed “base end” and “head end” are noted but not persuasive. As currently claimed, there is no definition specifically preventing the current interpretation of the base end and the head end being on similar portions of the working device. The claims also do not require the base end and head end to be on different distal ends as argued as the claim merely provides “an electric motor provided on the base end of the operating rod; a working device provided on the head end of the operating rod” and the prior art of Ota provides such structure.
Applicant’s further arguments stating “there is no power transmission shaft passing through the inside of the operating, as recited in claim 1. Instead, the Official Action erroneously maps Ota's element 28 to the claimed "power transmission shaft." Element 28 of Ota is not a transmission shaft but rather a conduit housing a plurality of conductors, as explained in paragraph [0113] of Ota. It does not transmit power from the motor 40 to the working device 5, but rather is a "wiring hose" to connect the trigger at the base end with the motor at the head end” is also not persuasive. Examiner notes the power transmission shaft (28) of Ota to read upon the functional language of “power transmission” because the battery pack (21) provides electric power throughout the shaft, and to the motor (40) to allow for rotational driving of the cutting blade (5)(See Paragraph 0096 noting the battery providing power to the motor). As such, the battery provides power through the shaft, to the motor that then provides power to the cutting blade (5) and reads upon the current claim limitation of transmitting power from the motor to the working device. The prior art of Ota then further provides the specifics of the electrical configuration of the battery and how the positive and negative terminals are connected to a variety of electrical wiring components through the shaft (28) and connect to the motor to supply power, allowing the motor to provide power and rotational movement of the cutting blade (5) (See paragraphs 0122-0131).
Conclusion
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.
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/RICHARD D CROSBY JR/ 06/16/2026Examiner, Art Unit 3724
/BOYER D ASHLEY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3724
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