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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, Claims 1-4 and 6, in the reply filed on 06/04/2026 is acknowledged. Claim 5 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed 07/03/2025 fails to comply with 37 CFR 1.98(a)(2), which requires a legible copy of each cited foreign patent document; each non-patent literature publication or that portion which caused it to be listed; and all other information or that portion which caused it to be listed. It has been placed in the application file, but the information referred to therein has not been considered. Specifically, no copy of the Extended European Search Report dated June 16, 2025, which is listed on the IDS as a Non-Patent Literature document, has been provided.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 2 and 6 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.
Regarding Claim 2, the scope of the limitation “wherein the recess is formed while the end of the base material is flattened” is unclear. Is this meant to recite an active step of flattening the end of the base material which occurs simultaneously with the recess forming step, or is the end of the base material being flattened merely a condition which must be met when the recess is formed? Based on the disclosure of the application, for examination purposes the former interpretation will be used.
Claim 6 is rejected by virtue of its dependence upon Claim 2.
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.
Claims 1-4 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Koyama et al., hereinafter Koyama (JP H07-237428, provided by Applicant). For text citations, refer to the machine translation provided as Non-Patent Literature.
Regarding Claim 1, Koyama discloses (Figures 1-3 and 7-9) a method of manufacturing a stabilizer (stabilizer 10) having a through hole (mounting hole 17) at each of both ends by performing forging processing on a base material (steel pipe 40), the method comprising: forming a recess (recess 16) at a through hole formation position corresponding to the through hole of the stabilizer at an end (end portion 41) of the base material (forging step S4; [0023] lns 2-5); and forming a through hole (mounting hole 17) by performing perforation at the through hole formation position including the recess (drilling and deburring process S5; [0024] lns 1-2).
Regarding Claim 2, Koyama discloses (Figures 3 and 7-8) the recess (recess 16) is formed while the end (end portion 41) of the base material (steep pipe 40) is flattened (forging step S4; [0023] lns 2-5: the end portion 41 is flattened in the same step which produces the recess 16).
Regarding Claim 3, Koyama discloses (Figures 3 and 7-8) heating the end (end portion 41) of the base material (steel pipe 40, reheating step S3), wherein the recess (recess 16) is formed in the heated end of the base material ([0023] lns 1-5).
Regarding Claim 4, Koyama discloses (Figures 3 and 8) removing a burr in a region including the formed through hole (mounting hole 17, drilling and deburring process S5; [0024] lns 2-3).
Regarding Claim 6, Koyama discloses (Figures 3 and 7-8) heating the end (end portion 41) of the base material (steel pipe 40; reheating step S3), wherein the recess (recess 16) is formed in the heated end of the base material ([0023] lns 1-5).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TERESA A GUTHRIE whose telephone number is (571)270-5042. The examiner can normally be reached M/Tu/Th, 10-6 ET.
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/TERESA A GUTHRIE/Examiner, Art Unit 3725
/BOBBY YEONJIN KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3725
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