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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liao (US 2009/0291786) in view of Schwitzki (USPN 2828965).
Regarding claim 1, Liao discloses a dart having a tip 10, barrel 20, and shaft 41. The shaft has a diameter that gradually decreases from a distal side toward a proximal side of the shaft. Flights 42 are attached and fixed to the proximal side of the shaft at equiangular positions around the center axis of the shaft. The flights are shown to be connected to one another when protruded from the proximal side. Liao notes that the flights can have any shape or patterns (See Paragraph 0024). One having ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to have any number of flights so long as it assists in the flight of the dart. Liao does not discloses having grooves within the shaft. Schwitzki discloses a dart having grooves 5 along the shaft along the circumferential direction of the shaft. The grooves increase from a proximal side toward the axial direction center part of the shaft and gradually decreases from the axial direction center part toward a side of the barrel (See Figure 1). Schwitzki discloses the grooves in the shaft advantages for directional guidance and serve the same purpose as the flights. Schwitzki notes that the grooves must be symmetrically arranged and positioned in the rearward part 4 of the dart (See Column 2, lines 5 through 22). One having ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to have grooves along the rearward portion of the shaft, as taught by Schwitzki, in order to improve the directional guidance of the dart. With respect to the grooves being located between the flights, the grooves serve the same purpose as the flights which is to in the directionality of the dart. Adding the grooves is merely the same as having more flights attached to the dart. Considering the grooves and the flights perform the same, one having ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to combine grooves and flights at the rear of the dart in order to improve the directionality of the dart (See In re Kerkhoven, 205 USPQ 1069, 1072 CCPA 1980).
Regarding claim 2, Schwitzki discloses the depth of the grooves gradually becoming deeper from the side of the flights toward the axial direction center part of the shaft and gradually becoming shallower from the axial direction center part of the shaft toward the side of the barrel (See Figures 1 and 2).
Regarding claim 3, Schwitzki discloses the grooves including three grooves having the same shape and formed equiangular positions around the center axis of the shaft.
Regarding claim 4, Liao discloses the shaft being attachable and detachable to the barrel (See Figure 1, 3, 5, 6, and 8).
Regarding claim 5, see the above regarding claim 3.
Regarding claim 6, see the above regarding claim 4.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALVIN A HUNTER whose telephone number is (571)272-4411. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday from 7:30AM to 4:00PM Eastern Time.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eugene Kim, can be reached at telephone number 571-272-4463. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ALVIN A HUNTER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3711
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