DETAILED ACTION
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, 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 11-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DE’817 (DE 102021106817 cited by applicant) in view of CN’933 (CN 107708933).
With respect to claim 11, DE’817 discloses a method for manufacturing a marked threaded fastener 1, comprising the steps of: a providing step in which a threaded fastener having a marking surface 8 is provided; and a marking step in which a marking 6 is applied to the marking surface. See Figs. 1-5 and pars. [0003-0005], [0018], [0023-0031].
However, DE’817 fails to explicitly teach a roughening step in which the marking surface is roughened as particularly claimed.
CN’933 teaches a frictional coefficient increasing processing device comprises a roughened structure, polygonal surface, splines, knurling, spines, grooves, slots, projecting points, scoring or other such protrusion. Other options include pressing protrusions, concentric or spiral ring, radial direction (riff) or teeth, the lattice pattern. The facing outer surface area and the flange surface has any interaction of more aggressive operation (selectivity such as knurling, polishing, sand blasting, milling, machining, forging, casting, forming, shaping, crude, stamping, engraving, punching, bending or even only removing the inner area) is enough. The friction coefficient increasing processing device performs any one of the following: may not be needed, can be placed at any position around the gasket bottom surface, or can be placed to surround the gasket bottom surface significantly exceeds the effective friction radius of the nut or bolt head. In addition, Examples of surface friction enhancing features comprises a pattern, paint, treatment, coating, plating layer, roughness, and the like. Creatively, even before the nut and/or the bolt head seating and coaxial reaction surface is feasible (see translated description). Further, with respect to the threaded fasteners, the frictional coefficient increasing processing structure is formed by any one of the following way: knurling, polishing, sand blasting (see claim 5).
Therefore, it would be considered obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application to provide for a roughened surface in order improve frictional properties of the nut/bolt desired before coating or enhanced surface features.
With respect to claim 12, DE’817 in view of CN’933 teaches or makes obvious wherein the marking surface is a spanner flat (DE’817, Fig. 1).
With respect to claim 13, DE’817 in view of CN’933 teaches or makes obvious wherein the threaded fastener is a nut having a threaded bore therein (DE’817, Fig. 1).
With respect to claim 14, DE’817 in view of CN’933 teaches or makes obvious wherein the roughening step is a sandblasting step in which the marking surface is roughened by sandblasting (CN’933, see translated description above).
With respect to claim 15, DE’817 in view of CN’933 teaches or makes obvious wherein the threaded fastener 1 is a stainless-steel fastener. Such material is standard in the art of threaded fasteners.
With respect to claim 16, although silent as to wherein in the roughening step, the marking surface is roughened to have a gloss ranging from 5 gloss units to 50 gloss units, inclusive as claimed, it would be considered obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide for such gloss in a range as claimed insofar as because it has been held "[W]here the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." In re Aller, 220 F. 2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955).
With respect to claim 17, DE’817 in view of CN’933 teaches or makes obvious further comprising the step of, following the roughening step, a coating step in which the roughened marking surface is coated with a coating layer or an overcoat layer, wherein the marking step follows the coating step (see CN’933, translated description above).
With respect to claim 18, DE’817 in view of CN’933 teaches or makes obvious wherein the marking step is a printing step in which the marking 6 is printed on the marking surface 8 (see DE’817, translated description).
With respect to claim 19, DE’817 in view of CN’933 teaches or makes obvious wherein the marking 6 is a barcode (see DE’817 Figs. 1-5).
With respect to claim 20, DE’817 discloses a threaded fastener 1, comprising: a marking surface 8; and a marking 6 disposed on top of the marking surface.
However, DE’817 fails to explicitly teach a coating layer or overcoat layer disposed on top of the marking surface; and wherein the marking surface has a gloss ranging from 5 gloss units to 50 gloss units, inclusive as claimed.
CN’933 teaches roughening and coating the roughened surface (see translated description above). It would be considered obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide for such gloss in a range as claimed insofar as it has been held "[W]here the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." In re Aller, 220 F. 2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
DE 20021850 teaches a tool for screwing in and unscrewing flangeless and polygonless threaded plugs provided with a central threaded bore into and out of pipes and pipe sockets provided with an internal thread.
US 11821597 teaches a fluid fitting includes a nut, a sleeve, and a union. The union and the nut may include corresponding stops and corresponding markings. Corresponding stops and corresponding marking may engage with each other when the nut is sufficiently connected with the union.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZAKIYA W BATES whose telephone number is (571)272-7039. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30am - 5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Doug Hutton can be reached at 5712724137. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/ZAKIYA W BATES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3674 9/4/2026
Prosecution Insights