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 .
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because it includes language (i.e., “The present invention provides a tandem ball bearing”) which can be implied. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Claim Objections
Claims 6, 7 and 8 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 6, lines 1 – 6, “an outer ring; an inner ring; a plurality of outer balls disposed between the outer ring and the inner ring to form an outer ball row; and a plurality of inner balls disposed between the outer ring and the inner ring to form an inner ball row therewith at positions” is redundant with respect to claim 1 and should be deleted. Further, claim 6 is a duplicate of claim 3 and has not been further treated on the merits.
Claim 7, line 2, “67” should be deleted.
Claim 8, lines 3 and 4, “sectional” should read - - section - -.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 – 8 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.
Claim 1, the limitations “an inner ball row” and “an outer ball row” are indefinite, as it is unclear what structural or spatial reference is used to define, for instance, “outer.” In relation to the tandem-ball bearing, “outer” could be reasonably interpreted as radially outer relative to the bearing axis, or axially outer relative to a bearing end face. For the purpose of examination, “inner” and “outer” will be understood as the radial position of the balls with respect to the bearing axis.
Claim 7, the limitation “more pitch diameter value compared to other ball row in a pair of ball rows in a tandem bearing” is vague and lacks clear antecedent basis, as the limitation does not clearly identify the comparator. As a result it is unclear whether the comparison is intended between to be between the outer ball row and the inner ball row of the same tandem ball bearing, or the outer ball row and a ball row of another tandem ball bearing. Thus the scope of the comparison is ambiguous.
Further, the phrase “more pitch diameter value” is a relative term that lacks clear boundaries because the claim does not clearly identify the reference ball row for comparison.
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, 2, 4, 5 and 7, as best understood, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Ishikawa JP 2009036348 (incl. machine translation).
Claim 1, Ishikawa discloses a tandem ball bearing (tandem double-row angular contact ball bearing 1)(Fig. 1)([0020], l. 1) comprising: an outer ring 2 ([0020], l. 2); an inner ring 3 ([0020], l. 3); a plurality of outer balls 5 ([0021], l. 1) disposed between the outer ring and the inner ring to form an outer ball row; a plurality of inner balls 6 ([0021], ll. 2 – 3) disposed between the outer ring and the inner ring to form an inner ball row ; wherein the plurality of outer balls and the plurality of inner balls are configured such that a plurality of external tangent apex (LE and LI) associated with the plurality of outer balls and the plurality inner balls meet at a common point (P) on a bearing central axis (LC)([0024]: “[t]he large diameter balls 5 and the small diameter balls 6 are formed so that, in a cross section passing through the axis L of the tandem double-row angular contact ball bearing, a line LE connecting the points where each ball 5, 6 touches the large diameter outer ring raceway surface 2a and the small diameter outer ring raceway surface 2b, and a line LI connecting the points where each ball 5, 6 touches the large diameter inner ring raceway surface 3a and the small diameter inner ring raceway surface 3b, intersect at a point P on the axis LC on the front side of the inner ring.”)
Claim 2, Ishikawa discloses the diameter of outer balls 5 is greater than the diameter of inner balls 6 ([0021], ll. 1 – 3: “[t]he diameter DL of the balls 5 constituting the large-diameter side ball group is formed larger than the diameter DS of the balls 6 constituting the small-diameter side ball group”).
Claim 4, Ishikawa discloses a contact angle α1 of the outer ball row being equal to a contact angle α2 of the inner ball row ([0016], ll. 8 – 11: “[t]he tandem type double-row angular contact ball bearing comprises double-row ball groups interposed between the outer and inner rings, with the contact angles of the balls contacting the raceway surfaces of each row facing in the same direction”).
Claim 5, Ishikawa discloses a difference between a contact angle α1 of the outer ball row and a contact angle α2 of the inner ball row is in a range between zero to five degrees (Ishikawa discloses a difference of zero degrees, since the contact angles are described in [0016], ll. 8 – 11 of Ishikawa as “facing the same direction” or parallel as seen Fig. 1).
Claim 7, Ishikawa discloses the outer ball row having an outer pitch diameter and the inner ball row has an inner pitch diameter, wherein the outer pitch diameter is more than the inner pitch diameter ([034], ll. 1 – 3: “as a tandem type double-row angular contact ball bearing 1, the pitch circle diameter of the large diameter ball group on the pinion gear side is made larger than the pitch circle diameter of the small diameter ball group”), the outer ball row is a ball row having more pitch diameter value compared to other ball row (construed as the inner ball row) in a pair of ball rows in a tandem ball bearing 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 8 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.
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Conclusion
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/PHILLIP A JOHNSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3617