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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 7-12 and 18-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. After further consideration claims 16 and 17 have been rejoined. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on July 30, 2026.
Claim Objections
Claim 16 is objected to because of the following informalities: Regarding claim 16, (lines 5-6), the term should recite “the forward upper edge,” to maintain language consistency. 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.
Claims 1-6 and 13-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Patent No. 20190143427 to Stasiewicz et al.
In re claim 1, Stasiewicz teaches a table saw dust deflection system comprising:
a table saw (10) having a worksurface (14) and a saw blade (16) extending partially through the worksurface, the saw blade including an axis; and
a saw dust chute (24) comprising:
a main receptacle (58) shaped to receive a portion of the saw blade (as shown in at least Figure 2), the main receptacle having a forward upper edge (64); and
a dust exhaust channel (as shown in at least Figure 5) having an exhaust channel opening (60) with a forward exhaust channel edge (see Annotated Figure 1) (capable of being) positioned less than 90 degrees from a forwardmost cutting point of the saw blade relative to the axis of the saw blade, the forwardmost cutting point defined at a forward intersection point between the saw blade and the worksurface.
Note, the preamble is directed to a dust deflection system, not table saw (or the combination of the dust deflection system and the table saw); therefore, the table saw and the components of the table saw have not (yet) been positively recited. The forward exhaust channel edge merely has to be capable of being positioned less than 90 degrees from the forwardmost cutting point of the saw blade, in which it is.
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In re claim 2, wherein the forward upper edge (64) of the main receptacle is (capable of being) positioned adjacent to a lower surface of the worksurface.
In re claim 3, wherein the dust exhaust channel further includes a primary upper channel (see Annotated Figure 2, below) and a secondary lower channel (see Annotated Figure 2, below), and the exhaust channel opening further includes a primary upper channel opening (see Annotated Figure 2, below) open to the primary upper channel and a secondary lower channel opening (see Annotated Figure 2, below) open to the secondary lower channel, the primary upper channel opening positioned between the secondary lower channel opening and the forward upper edge (64 and shown in at least Figures 2, 4, 5, 7, and 17), the secondary lower channel opening positioned below the primary upper channel opening, each of the primary upper channel opening and the secondary lower channel opening oriented to feed dust into the dust exhaust channel during operation of the table saw.
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In re claim 4, wherein a tangent of the saw blade defined at the forwardmost cutting point intersects the primary upper channel opening (as shown in at least Figure 2).
Note, the preamble is directed to a dust deflection system, so a tangent of the saw blade merely has to be capable of intersecting the primary upper channel opening.
In re claim 5, wherein a tangent of the saw blade defined at the forwardmost cutting point intersects the exhaust channel opening (as shown in at least Figure 2).
Note, the preamble is directed to a dust deflection system, so a tangent of the saw blade merely has to be capable of intersecting the exhaust channel opening.
In re claim 6, wherein the exhaust channel opening (60) is positioned directly below the forwardmost cutting point in a direction perpendicular to the worksurface.
Note, the preamble is directed to a dust deflection system, so the exhaust channel opening merely has to be capable of being positioned directly below the forwardmost cutting point, in which it is.
In re claim 13, wherein: the exhaust channel opening (60) of the dust exhaust channel is positioned further below the worksurface than a lowest point of the saw blade (as shown in at least Fig. 2).
In re claim 14, wherein: a rearward exhaust channel edge (see Annotated Figure 3, below) of the exhaust channel opening (60) is (capable of being) positioned less than 120 degrees from the forwardmost cutting point of the saw blade relative to the axis of the saw blade.
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In re claim 15, Stasiewicz teaches a table saw dust deflection system comprising:
a table saw (10) having a worksurface (14) and a saw blade (16) extending partially through the worksurface, the saw blade including an axis; and
a saw dust chute (24) comprising:
a main receptacle (58) shaped to receive a portion of the saw blade (as shown in at least Figure 2), the main receptacle having a forward upper edge (64); and
a dust exhaust channel (as shown in at least Figure 5) having an exhaust channel opening (60) with a forward exhaust channel edge (see Annotated Figure 1) (capable of being) positioned less than 120 degrees from a forwardmost cutting point of the saw blade relative to the axis of the saw blade, the forwardmost cutting point defined at a forward intersection point between the saw blade and the worksurface.
Note, the preamble is directed to a dust deflection system, not table saw (or the combination of the dust deflection system and the table saw); therefore, the table saw and the components of the table saw have not (yet) been positively recited. The forward exhaust channel edge merely has to be capable of being positioned less than 90 degrees from the forwardmost cutting point of the saw blade, in which it is.
In re claim 16, wherein the dust exhaust channel further includes a primary upper channel (see Annotated Figure 2, below) and a secondary lower channel (see Annotated Figure 2, below), and the exhaust channel opening further includes a primary upper channel opening (see Annotated Figure 2, below) open to the primary upper channel and a secondary lower channel opening (see Annotated Figure 2, below) open to the secondary lower channel, the primary upper channel opening positioned between the secondary lower channel opening and the forward upper edge (64 and shown in at least Figures 2, 4, 5, 7, and 17), the secondary lower channel opening positioned below the primary upper channel opening, each of the primary upper channel opening and the secondary lower channel opening oriented to feed dust into the dust exhaust channel during operation of the table saw.
In re claim 17, wherein a tangent of the saw blade defined at the forwardmost cutting point intersects the primary upper channel opening (as shown in at least Figure 2).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US PGPBUS 20220388082, 20120036972 US Patent Nos. 8869665, 8752462, 10022811, 12275074, teach a table saw having a dust deflection system.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JENNIFER S MATTHEWS whose telephone number is (571)270-5843. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 8am-4pm.
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/JENNIFER S MATTHEWS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3724