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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention I, Species A, claims 1-4 and 6-7 in the reply filed on 20 July 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 5 and 8-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention/species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 20 July 2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 of this title, 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 1-4 and 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ebert et al. (WO 2018/149647 A1) in view of Meyer (US 3,771,895).
Regarding claim 1, Ebert et al. discloses a hole saw (see figures), comprising: a central axis A; a body 2 centered on the central axis, the body comprising a plurality of pairs of wings 14/19 positioned radially around the central axis and extending away from the central axis, each pair of wings comprising: a first wing 14 (the walls of slots 14 and 19 are being treated as meeting the limitation “wing”, as the term wing is not further defined by the claim) comprising a slot 14 extending radially away from the central axis; and a second wing 19 positioned below the first wing in a direction along the central axis (as the direction “below” is not further defined by the claim, the second wing can be seen to be below the first wing when the tool is used on a surface above the hole saw); an arbor 24 centered on the central axis and coupled to the body, the arbor comprising: a shaft 1 configured to engage a driving tool; and a drill bit 25 coupled to the arbor opposite the shaft along the central axis and configured to engage a workpiece; and a plurality of blade assemblies 10 configured to cut a workpiece, each blade assembly slidably mounted on one of the plurality of pairs of wings and at least a portion 13 of each blade assembly positioned within a respective slot 14 of a respective first wing.
Ebert et al. does not disclose that the slot in the first wing is an arcuate slot, or wherein when a first blade assembly of the plurality of blade assemblies is moved along its respective pair of wings, each first wing in the plurality of pairs of wings rotates with respect to the central axis, and the other of the plurality of blade assemblies in the plurality of blade assemblies are moved along their respective pairs of wings. Meyer teaches the use of a hole saw 10 that comprises a plurality of arcuate slots 35 on an adjustment disk 32 and a plurality of radial slots 21 on a support disk 18, wherein a plurality of blade assemblies 25 are received within the arcuate slots such that when a first blade assembly of the plurality of blade assemblies is moved along its arcuate slot and radial slot due to rotation of the support disk, the other of the plurality of blade assemblies are automatically moved along their arcuate and radial slots. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the slots in the plurality of first wings of Ebert et al. with the arcuate slots of Meyer in order to be able to reposition all of the blade assemblies automatically and simultaneously.
Regarding claim 2, the modified invention of Ebert et al. discloses wherein the body comprises three pairs of wings 14/19 (two sets of three pairs).
Regarding claim 3, the modified invention of Ebert et al. discloses wherein each second wing 19 in the plurality of pairs of wings 14/19 extends in a direction orthogonal to the central axis A.
Regarding claim 4, the modified invention of Ebert et al. discloses wherein each blade assembly 9 further comprises a bearing 13 (slide block 13 may be considered to be a bearing as it slides along slot 14) positioned between the respective first wing 14 and a respective second wing 19, the bearing configured to assist the blade assembly in traveling along its respective pair of wings.
Regarding claim 6, the modified invention of Ebert et al. discloses wherein each second wing 19 in the plurality of pairs of wings further comprises a linear slot 19, wherein each linear slot overlaps with at least a portion of the arcuate slot 14 of the respective first wing 14 (as modified by Meyer).
Regarding claim 7, the modified invention of Ebert et al. discloses wherein each linear slot 19 extends in a direction orthogonal to the central axis A.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
DE 10 2015 119 431 A1 to Ebert et al. discloses a hole saw with radial and arcuate slots.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERIC ANDREW GATES whose telephone number is (571)272-5498. The examiner can normally be reached on M-Th 9-6, Alt Fr 9-5.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sunil Singh, can be reached on 571-272-3460. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ERIC A. GATES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3722 30 July 2026
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