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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “thrust reliefs” of claim 3 together with the constant wall thickness of claim 1, the “oil groove” of claims 4 and 5 together with the constant wall thickness of claim 1, and the “inclined portions” of claim 5 together with the constant wall thickness of claim 1 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1: line 1 recite “semi-annularly shape”. This should be --semi-annular shape--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
Claims 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 3 recites “two thrust reliefs formed in the slide surface”. Claim 1 previously recited “a bearing wall thickness between the slide surface and the back surface being constant”. It is unclear how the slide surface can have a thrust relief and still have a constant wall thickness. Neither the specification nor the drawings as originally filed disclose how both limitations can mutually exist.
Claim 4 recites “at least one oil groove formed in the slide surface”. ” Claim 1 previously recited “a bearing wall thickness between the slide surface and the back surface being constant”. It is unclear how the slide surface can have an oil groove and still have a constant wall thickness. Neither the specification nor the drawings as originally filed disclose how both limitations can mutually exist.
Claim 5 recites “a groove portion”, “one or two inclined portions” and “a wall thickness of the half thrust bearing decreases”. Claim 1 previously recited “a bearing wall thickness between the slide surface and the back surface being constant”. It is unclear how the slide surface can have the features of claim 5 and still have a constant wall thickness. Neither the specification nor the drawings as originally filed disclose how both limitations can mutually exist.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1: line 2 (Applicant’s numbering) and line 7 recite “approximately”. The term “approximately” is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “approximately” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. It is unclear how close to the shape (semi-annular or flat) the element must be to be considered “approximately” that shape. One of ordinary skill in the art would not know which shapes meet the claim limitation and which shapes do not.
Claim 5 recites “when viewed in a section in which the half thrust bearing is cut in the circumferential direction”. It is unclear if the cut is a cross-sectional view or if the cut is a feature/limitation of the thrust bearing.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-2 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The closes prior art reference is Sakurai U.S. 2018/0355907. Although Sakurai discloses some of the features of the claim, Sakurai does not disclose a constant wall thickness. None of the references disclose both a constant wall thickness and an axial distance which continuously increases.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALAN B WAITS whose telephone number is (571)270-3664. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday from 6-4 EST.
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/ALAN B WAITS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3617