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 because reference character 436 is shown in Figures 12 and 15, but does not appear to correspond to the claimed feature of a pin (Claim 8, line 3).
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.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: [Para 0057] discloses “the air deflector 6” and the “air guiding cover 6.” The term “air deflector” is only mentioned in [Para 0057] and appears to refer to the “air guiding cover.” It is suggested Applicant amend the specification to disclose which structure the air guiding opening 63 is disposed. If the air guiding opening is opened on the air deflector, a different reference character should be assigned to the air deflector and the drawings should reflect the corresponding reference character.
Regarding [Para 0057] states “An air guiding opening 60 is opened on the air deflector 6, and the air guiding opening 63 is formed by splicing the first cover 61 and the second cover 62. It should be noted that a side wall of the air guiding opening 63 is attached to an inner wall of the first casing 15 located at the air outlet 152, thereby forming an air passage communicated with the outside.” Per Merriam Webster Dictionary, an opening is defined as “something that is open: such as an open width.” Per the plain and ordinary meaning of the term open, the air guiding is merely a space” and would not attach to an inner wall of the first casing. Based on Figure 6, it appears the second cover, which the opening is formed between is attached to the first casing. It is suggested Applicant amend the specification to more appropriately reflect which structure of the air guiding cover is attached to the first casing.
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, 14, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over CN213471505 to Yamaoka et al. in view of US Patent Application Publication No. 20230113799 to Miyaki.
In re claim 1, Yamaoka teaches a chainsaw (Fig. 1), comprising:
a housing (11), provided with at least one air inlet (117) and one air outlet (116);
a cutter (12,13), mounted on the housing and comprising a saw chain (12) and a guiding bar (13) configured to support the saw chain;
a motor (181), arranged in the housing and configured to drive the cutter to work;
a tensioning assembly (14), mounted on the housing, connected with the guiding bar and configured to adjust a tightness of the saw chain; and
an air guiding cover (181), arranged in the housing, and the motor being arranged in the air guiding cover (as shown in at least Figure 5),
wherein, the housing is (capable of being) provided with a mounting groove configured to mount the tensioning assembly, heat dissipation passages are arranged between the air inlet, the air guiding cover and the air outlet to dissipate hot airflow generated by the motor to an outside (Pg. 6, lines 11-21).
Regarding claim 1, Yamaoka teaches a housing capable of being provided with a mounting groove; however, in the event one may argue, Miyaki teaches a chainsaw having a housing (10) with a mounting groove (as shown in at least Figure 3, the groove receives the components of the tensioning mechanism 50, Paras 0026,0027) to mount the tensioning assembly.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide the housing of Yamaoka with a mounting groove to mount the tensioning assembly as taught by Miyaki to maintain improved safety of the device, peak performance, and longer component life.
In re claim 14, wherein, the housing comprises a first casing (118), a second casing (119) and an upper cover (battery pack, as shown in at least Figures 1-4), the second casing is connected with the first casing and forms an empty cavity (111,115) with the first casing, the motor (181) is arranged in the empty cavity, and the upper cover (battery pack) is fixed on tops of the first casing and the second casing.
In re claim 15, wherein, a plurality of the air outlets (116) is arranged at a bottom of the first casing and arranged linearly (as shown in at least Figure 2).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1, 2, and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN213471505 to Yamaoka et al. in view of US Patent No. 7,155,832 to Warfel et al.
In re claim 1, Yamaoka teaches a chainsaw (Fig. 1), comprising:
a housing (11), provided with at least one air inlet (117) and one air outlet (116);
a cutter (12,13), mounted on the housing and comprising a saw chain (12) and a guiding bar (13) configured to support the saw chain;
a motor (181), arranged in the housing and configured to drive the cutter to work;
a tensioning assembly (14), mounted on the housing, connected with the guiding bar and configured to adjust a tightness of the saw chain; and
an air guiding cover (181), arranged in the housing, and the motor being arranged in the air guiding cover (as shown in at least Figure 5),
wherein, the housing is (capable of being) provided with a mounting groove configured to mount the tensioning assembly, heat dissipation passages are arranged between the air inlet, the air guiding cover and the air outlet to dissipate hot airflow generated by the motor to an outside (Pg. 6, lines 11-21).
Regarding claim 1, Yamaoka teaches a housing capable of being provided with a mounting groove; however, in the event one may argue, Warfel teaches a chainsaw having a housing (22) with a mounting groove (as shown in at least Figure 5, the groove receives the components of the tensioning mechanism 50) to mount components of the tensioning assembly.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide the housing of Yamaoka with a mounting groove to mount the tensioning assembly as taught by Warfel to maintain improved safety of the device, peak performance, and longer component life.
In re claim 2, modified Yamaoka teaches, wherein, an embedded hole (see Annotated Figure 1, below) is arranged in a side wall of the mounting groove, a first end of the tensioning assembly (50) is fixedly connected with a bottom wall (see Annotated Figure 1, below) of the mounting groove, and a second end of the tensioning assembly (50) stretches into the embedded hole and is rotatable in the embedded hole.
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In claim 8, modified Yamaoka teaches wherein, the tensioning assembly (50, Warfel) comprises a fixing part (58, 66, Warfel), an adjusting part (62, Warfel) and a transmitting component (68, Warfel), the fixing part is fixedly connected with the bottom wall of the mounting groove through a pin (56, Warfel), a plurality of grooves and a plurality of through holes matched with the transmitting component are opened on the fixing part (as shown in at least Figures 6 and 7, Warfel), the adjusting part (62, Warfel) is slidably connected with the fixing part through the transmitting component, the transmitting component (68, Warfel) is in a transmission connection with the adjusting part, and one end of the transmitting component (68, Warfel) extends into the embedded hole.
Claims 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamaoka et al. in view of Warfel et al., as applied to the above claims, and in further view of US Patent No. 5,168,837 to Scholz.
In re claim 3, modified Yamaoka teaches wherein, an air inlet, but does not teach a protective part is arranged at a bottom of the air inlet, and the protective part is provided with a strip-shaped protruding rib located at an edge of the heat dissipation passage, wherein, the protective part comprises a protective plate and a connecting plate, and the protective plate and the connecting plate are arranged at an angle, wherein, the connecting plate is arranged opposite to the heat dissipation passage, one end of the connecting plate away from the protective plate is fixedly connected with a top of the housing, an edge of the protective plate away from the connecting plate is provided with the protruding rib, and the protruding rib is arranged along an edge of the protective plate and is higher than the protective plate.
Scholz teaches a protective part (see Annotated Figure 2, below) is arranged at a bottom of the air inlet (4), and the protective part is provided with a strip-shaped protruding rib (12, extend in and out of the paper) located at an edge of the heat dissipation passage, wherein, the protective part comprises a protective plate (see Annotated Figure 2, below) and a connecting plate (7), and the protective plate (9) and the connecting plate are arranged at an angle (as shown in at least figure 5), wherein, the connecting plate (7) is arranged opposite to the heat dissipation passage (4), one end of the connecting plate away from the protective plate is fixedly connected with a top of the housing (as shown in at least Figure 1), an edge of the protective plate (9) away from the connecting plate is provided with the protruding rib, and the protruding rib is arranged along an edge of the protective plate (9) and is higher than the protective plate (as shown in at least Figure 9, there are a plurality of protective plates arranged “higher” in a vertical direction than the protruding ribs, 12).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide modified Yamaoka with a protective plate as taught by Scholz to provide a stable connection between the structure of the fan cover and the air conducting wall in the flow direction. The protective plate further aids to stabilize the fan cover against shock, vibrations, and other loads (Col. 3, lines 19-40).
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Claim 6, 7, 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamaoka et al. in view of Warfel et al., as applied to the above claims, and in further view of WO 2021254174 to Arnell et al.
In re claim 6, modified Yamaoka teaches wherein, an air guiding opening (Pg. 6, lines 11-21, Yamaoka) is arranged, and the air guiding opening is arranged corresponding to a position and a size of the air outlet (116, Yamaoka).
In re claim 7, wherein, an area of the air guiding opening is equal to an area of the air outlet (116, Pg. 6, lines 11-21, Yamaoka).
Regarding claim 6, modified Yamaoka teaches an air guiding opening to guide the air through the chainsaw, but does not teach an air guiding opening is arranged on the air guiding cover.
Arnell teaches in the art of saws an air guiding cover (116,117,146) having an air guiding opening (147) arranged to corresponding to a position and a size of the air outlet (1121).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide modified Yamaoka with an air guiding cover having an opening as taught by Arnell to maintain proper cooling of the internal components to prevent overheating.
In re claim 11, modified Yamaoka teaches wherein, the air guiding cover (116,117,146) Arnell) comprises a first cover (116,146, Arnell) and a second cover (117, Arnell), the second cover is connected with the first cover, a cavity (113, Arnell) is arranged between the first cover and the second cover, an air guiding tube (see Annotated Figure 3, below) is further connected with one side of the first cover away from the second cover (117, Arnell), the air guiding tube is connected with the motor (21, Arnell), a bottom of the second cover is provided with the air guiding opening (147, Arnell, the air guiding opening is provided on the second cover since it is connected to the first cover), and the air guiding opening is communicated with the cavity (113, Arnell).
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In re claim 12, modified Yamaoka teaches, wherein, the air guiding opening (147, Arnell) is (capable of being) arranged opposite to the air outlet (1121, Arnell), and the heat dissipation passages are formed between the air inlet, the cavity, the air guiding opening and the air outlet (Pg. 8, lines 6- 24, Arnell).
In re claim 13, modified Yamaoka teaches, wherein, a blower chamber (143, Arnell) is further (capable of being) formed between the first cover and the second cover, and a blower (813, Arnell) is arranged in the blower chamber (143, Arnell).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamaoka et al. in view of Warfel et al., and in further view of Miyaki
In re claim 9, modified Yamaoka teaches wherein, the fixing part comprises a first fixing part and a second fixing part that is vertically fixedly connected with the first fixing part (as shown in at least Figure 7, at least part 66 has a first and second fixing part), the transmitting component comprises a driving gear (74, Warfel) rotatably connected with the first fixing part (66, Warfel), a driven gear (68, Warfel) rotatably connected with the second fixing part, located below the driving gear, and meshed with the driving gear, and a transmission rod (60), a first end of the transmission rod is coaxially fixed with the driven gear (68, Warfel), and is in a transmission connection with the adjusting part, and a second end of the transmission rod extends into the embedded hole (as shown in at least Figure 5).
In re claim 10, modified Yamaoka teaches wherein, the mounting groove (as shown in at least Figure 5) comprises a first mounting groove and a second mounting groove, the first fixing part and the driving gear (74) are arranged in the first mounting groove (as shown in at least Figure 5), the second fixing part, the adjusting part (60), the driven gear (68) and the transmission rod (60) are arranged in the second mounting groove, the second fixing part (bottom of 66) is fixedly connected with a bottom wall of the second mounting groove through a pin (56), and the embedded hole is (capable of being) opened in a side wall of the second mounting groove close to the saw chain.
Regarding claims 9 and 10, modified Yamaoka teaches a driving gear and a driven gear, but does not teach the gears are helical.
Miyaki teaches a transmitting component having a driving gear (68) and a driven gear (71) which may be helical gears (Para 0045).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to replace the gears of the transmitting components of modified Yamaoka with helical gears as taught by Miyaki which are advantageous for high load capacity, being smooth, and quiet.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. CN207521809 teaches a chainsaw with a plurality of air inlets. US Patent Nos. 9132568 and 3866320 teach a chainsaw tensioning assembly having a gearing structure. US Patent No. 20100218385 teaches a chainsaw having a plurality of inlet and outlets.
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/JENNIFER S MATTHEWS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3724