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 .
Drawings
Figures 12-15 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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 and 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Doyer (US 20100046875 A1) in view of Tanaka (JP 2007327514 A).
Regarding claim 1, Doyer discloses (n figs. 1-4) a crown cage (4) for a ball bearing (fig. 1) comprising:
an annular main portion (7);
a plurality of pillar portions (8) protruding in an axial direction at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction from the main portion (7);
and a pocket (9) formed between the adjacent pillar portions (8) and having a spherical concave surface having a spherical shape capable of holding a ball (3),
wherein the pillar portion (8) includes a pair of claw portions (11) having tip end portions (tips of 11) arranged at intervals therebetween and a connection portion (12) connecting the pair of claw portions (11),
and a distance from an outer circumferential surface of the pocket (9) to a center of the crown cage (4) for a ball bearing (fig. 1) is larger than a distance from an outer circumferential surface of the pillar portion (8) to the center (in fig. 3, it can be seen that the base part 7 of pocket 9 has a larger distance than the pillar 8).
Doyer does not disclose an inlet portion having a width shorter than a diameter of the ball and for inserting the ball is provided between the tip end portions of the two adjacent claw portions constituting the pocket.
Tanaka teaches (in fig. 4) an inlet portion (space between 16a and 16b) having a width (W) shorter than a diameter (Da) of the ball (14) and for inserting the ball (14) is provided between the tip end portions (ends of 16a and 16b) of the two adjacent claw portions (para. [0030]) constituting the pocket for the purpose of keeping the balls (14) in the pocket (12, para. [0031]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the inlet portion, as taught by Tanaka, in the crown cage of Doyer for the purpose of keeping the balls in the pocket (para. [0031]).
Regarding claim 3, Doyer in view of Tanaka teaches (in Doyer fig. 1) a ball bearing (fig. 1) comprising: an outer ring (1); an inner ring (2); a plurality of the balls (3) arranged between the outer ring (1) and the inner ring (2); and the crown cage (4) for a ball bearing (fig. 1) according to claim 1.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Doyer (US 20100046875 A1) in view of Tanaka (JP 2007327514 A) and in further view of Kikuchi (JP 2004084770 A).
Regarding claim 2, Doyer in view of Tanaka teaches (in fig. 3) the crown cage for a ball bearing according to claim 1, a convex portion (13) is provided on a bottom surface of the main portion (7), and at least a portion of the convex portion (13) overlaps the pocket (10) in the circumferential direction and a radial direction.
Doyer in view of Tanaka does not teach the convex portion protruding in the axial direction.
Kikuchi teaches (in figs. 1 and 2) a convex portion (16) protruding in the axial direction is provided on a bottom surface of the main portion (14) for the purpose of ensuring the strength of the pocket when it is subjected to load (para. [0021]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the convex portion protrude in the axial direction, as taught by Kikuchi, in the crown cage of Doyer in view of Tanaka for the purpose of ensuring the strength of the pocket when it is subjected to load (para. [0021]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Achinami (JP 2003269465 A) discloses a cage for a ball bearing.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AIMEE T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-5250. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10-7 EST.
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/AIMEE TRAN NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3617
/JOHN OLSZEWSKI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3617
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