DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Claims 3, 8, and 10 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 01/27/26. Claim 11 is withdrawn from further consideration as being drawn to a nonelected species VI.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-2, 4-7, 9, and 12 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.
The term “such a manner” in claims 1, 2, and 5, is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “such a manner” 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.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 4, 5-7, and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being disclosed by Foreign Patent no. (JP 2013-188455).
Foreign Patent no. (JP 2013-188455) discloses the invention including:
Claim 1; a plurality of blade blocks held by the main body in such a manner that the plurality of the blade blocks are disposed side by side in a first direction, wherein the plurality of the blade blocks comprise: a first blade block 86 floatably held by the main body; and a second blade block 16 held by the main body in such a manner that the second blade block floats in a direction intersecting a float direction of the first blade block (see Fig. 1 and 8).
Claim 4; an imaginary plane including a top part of the second blade block is substantially orthogonal to a float direction of the second blade block (see Fig. 8).
Claims 5 and 7; wherein the plurality of the blade blocks are held by the main body in such a manner that the second blade block 16 is positioned on an outermost side in the first direction (see Fig. 8).
Claim 6; wherein the second blade block disposed on the outermost side in the first direction is a slit blade block having a substantially flat top surface.
Claim 12; an electric razor (see Fig. 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 and 9-10 would be allowable if rewritten 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 and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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/OMAR FLORES SANCHEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3724