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 . 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 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.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 08/01/2024 and 01/06/2026 have been considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 21-27 and 38 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Groups I-II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 04/03/2026.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 20, 28-37 and 39 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chiang (US Patent Pub. No. 2011/0259165) as evidenced by Weston *US 2011/0154968).
Regarding claim 20, Chiang teaches a riving knife assembly for use with a saw device with a saw blade (Paragraph 0003; Weston Also provides evidence it is known to use a riving knife assembly with a saw machine (Abstract and Figure 1 of Weston), wherein a riving knife receiver (30,60) and a riving knife (40) which can be inserted into the riving knife receiver, in order to assume a working position behind the saw blade, wherein the saw device comprises a locking mechanism which by way of an insertion movement of the riving knife into the riving knife receiver, said insertion movement directed in an insertion direction, can be brought into a locking state, in which the riving knife by way of the locking mechanism is locked in the riving knife receiver with respect to a removal direction which is opposite to the insertion direction (Figures 1-2; Paragraphs 0016-0022).
Regarding claim 28, Chiang teaches the saw device according to claim 20, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a locking element (61) which by way of an unlocking movement can be brought into an unlocking position, in order to bring the locking mechanism into an unlocking state, and wherein the riving knife in the unlocking state is not locked with respect to the removal direction and herewith after the unlocking movement of the locking element can be removed out of the riving knife receiver by way of a removal movement which is directed in the removal direction (Figures 1-4; Paragraphs 0021-0027).
Regarding claim 29, Chiang teaches the saw device according to claim 28, wherein the locking element is part of the riving knife receiver (Figures 1-3).
Regarding claim 30, Chiang teaches the saw device according to claim 28, wherein the unlocking movement is a rotary movement (Paragraphs 0023-0024).
Regarding claim 31, Chiang teaches the saw device according to claim 28, wherein the locking element can be brought into the unlocking movement selectively by way of a first actuation which is directed in a first actuation direction or a second actuation which is directed in a second actuation direction, wherein the first actuation direction differs from the second actuation direction (Figures 1-4; Paragraphs 0025-0027).
Regarding claim 32, Chiang teaches the saw device according to claim 28, wherein the saw device comprises a first locking element access (42,44), via which the locking element can be actuated, in order to bring it into the unlocking movement (Figure 2; Paragraphs 0019-0021 and 0025-0026).
Regarding claim 33, Chiang teaches the saw device according to claim 32, wherein the first locking element access is arranged on a peripheral side of the saw device (Figure 2; Paragraphs 0019-0021 and 0025-0026).
Regarding claim 34, Chiang teaches the saw device according to claim 32, further comprising an adjustment section which comprises the saw blade and the riving knife receiver and can be adjusted in its position, in order to set a position of the saw blade, wherein the adjustment section can be brought into an access position, in which the locking element can be actuated via the first locking element access (Figures 2-4; Paragraph 0025).
Regarding claim 35, Chiang teaches the saw device according to claim 34, wherein the adjustment section can be brought into a non-access position, in which the locking element cannot be actuated via the first locking element access (paragraphs 0024-0027).
Regarding claim 36, Chiang teaches the saw device according to claim 32, wherein the saw device comprises a second locking element access (44) which is distanced to the first locking element access and via which the locking element can be actuated in order to bring it into the unlocking movement (Figures 1-2; Paragraphs 0019 and 0025-0026.
Regarding claim 37, Chiang teaches the saw device according to claim 36, wherein the adjustment section can be brought into a non-access position, in which the locking element cannot be actuated via the first locking element access, wherein the locking element in the non-access position can be actuated via the second locking element access (Figures 3-4; Paragraphs 0023-0025).
Regarding claim 39, Chiang teaches the saw device according to claim 20, wherein the saw device is a bench saw (Abstract, Paragraph 0003 as evidenced by Watson Abstract).
Related Prior Art
Below is an analysis of the relevance of references cited but not used
- "892 cited references A-L on page 1 establish the state of the art with a variety of safety devices for saws.
Conclusion
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/RICHARD D CROSBY JR/ 06/11/2026Examiner, Art Unit 3724
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