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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “an inner circumferential surface of the pocket includes: a pair of connection surfaces positioned on both sides of the inner circumferential surface in the circumferential direction and connected to an inner circumferential surface of the pillar portion; and a convex surface connecting inner side end portions of the pair of connection surfaces in the circumferential direction to each other” of claim 1 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). 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 § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 1 recites “an inner circumferential surface of the pocket includes: a pair of connection surfaces positioned on both sides of the inner circumferential surface in the circumferential direction and connected to an inner circumferential surface of the pillar portion; and a convex surface connecting inner side end portions of the pair of connection surfaces in the circumferential direction to each other”. Neither the specification nor the drawings disclose the pocket having a pair of connection surfaces positioned on both sides of the inner circumferential surface in the circumferential direction and connected to an inner circumferential surface of the pillar portion. Rather, the drawings and specification disclose the inner circumferential surface of the main body at the pocket including the structural elements.
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 and 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tazumi JP 2002-242936.
Re clm 1, Tazumi discloses a crown cage (Fig. 1) for a ball bearing ([0014]) comprising: an annular main portion (annular portion formed by 1, Fig. 1; 1 excluding 4s, Fig. 3); a plurality of pillar portions (3a and 3b between pockets 2) protruding in an axial direction at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction from the main portion; and a pocket (2) formed between the adjacent pillar portions and having a spherical concave surface having a spherical shape (shown by Fig. 1-3) capable of holding a ball, wherein: the pillar portion includes a pair of claw portions (3a and 3b) having tip end portions arranged at intervals therebetween and a connection portion (portion of 1 between 3a and 3b) connecting the pair of claw portions; an inlet (circumferential gap between 3a and 3b spanning pocket 2) 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 configuring the pocket (‘snap fit’; [0004] and [0016]); an inner circumferential surface of the pocket includes: a pair of connection surfaces (shown in annotated Fig. 1) positioned on both sides of the inner circumferential surface in the circumferential direction and connected to an inner circumferential surface of the pillar portion (pillar surface, annotated Fig. 1); and a convex surface (at 4) connecting inner side end portions of the pair of connection surfaces in the circumferential direction to each other; and a distance from the convex surface of the pocket to a center of the crown cage for a ball bearing is smaller than a radius of an inner circumferential surface of the pillar portion (due to radially inward protrusion 4).
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Re clm 5, Tazumi further discloses the inner circumferential surface of the pocket is a cylindrical surface (bottom 4, Fig. 2; forms a cylindrical surface) protruding to a radially inner side from the inner circumferential surface of the pillar portion.
Re clm 6, Tazumi further discloses a ball bearing ([0014], Fig. 4) comprising: an outer ring (42); an inner ring (41); a plurality of balls (44) arranged between the outer ring and the inner ring; and the crown cage (Fig. 1-3) for a ball bearing according to claim 1.
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.
Claims 1 and 3-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cisco U.S. 2016/0160921 in view of Tazumi JP 2002-242936.
Re clm 1, Cisco discloses a crown cage (Fig. 2-3) for a ball bearing (Fig. 1) comprising: an annular main portion (20); a plurality of pillar portions (31) protruding in an axial direction at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction from the main portion; and a pocket (40) formed between the adjacent pillar portions and having a spherical concave surface having a spherical shape (shown by Fig. 2-5) capable of holding a ball, wherein: the pillar portion includes a pair of claw portions (33s) having tip end portions arranged at intervals therebetween and a connection portion (for example, 34) connecting the pair of claw portions; an inlet (circumferential gap between claws 33 spanning pocket 40) 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 configuring the pocket.
Cisco does not disclose an inner circumferential surface of the pocket includes: a pair of connection surfaces positioned on both sides of the inner circumferential surface in the circumferential direction and connected to an inner circumferential surface of the pillar portion; and a convex surface connecting inner side end portions of the pair of connection surfaces in the circumferential direction to each other; and a distance from the convex surface of the pocket to a center of the crown cage for a ball bearing is smaller than a radius of an inner circumferential surface of the pillar portion.
Tazumi teaches a crown cage comprising an inner circumferential surface of the pocket includes: a pair of connection surfaces (shown in annotated Fig. 1) positioned on both sides of the inner circumferential surface in the circumferential direction and connected to an inner circumferential surface of the pillar portion (pillar surface, annotated Fig. 1); and a convex surface (at 4) connecting inner side end portions of the pair of connection surfaces in the circumferential direction to each other; and a distance from the convex surface of the pocket to a center of the crown cage for a ball bearing is smaller than a radius of an inner circumferential surface of the pillar portion (due to radially inward protrusion 4) for the purpose of suppressing the occurrence of cracks formed in the pockets during operation ([0010]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Cisco and provide an inner circumferential surface of the pocket includes: a pair of connection surfaces positioned on both sides of the inner circumferential surface in the circumferential direction and connected to an inner circumferential surface of the pillar portion; and a convex surface connecting inner side end portions of the pair of connection surfaces in the circumferential direction to each other; and a distance from an inner circumferential surface of the pocket to a center of the crown cage for a ball bearing is smaller than a radius of an inner circumferential surface of the pillar portion for the purpose of suppressing the occurrence of cracks formed in the pockets during operation.
Re clm 3, Cisco further discloses the claw portion protrudes in the axial direction from a radially inner side portion of an upper surface of the main portion (as shown by Fig. 2-5); and the upper surface of the main portion is exposed to a radially outer side of the pillar portion (as shown in Fig. 4-5).
Re clm 4, Cisco further discloses an opening portion (36, Fig. 5) opened in the axial direction is provided between the adjacent pockets in the main portion.
Re clm 5, the improvement of Tazumi further discloses the inner circumferential surface of the pocket is a cylindrical surface (bottom 4, Fig. 2; forms a cylindrical surface) protruding to a radially inner side from the inner circumferential surface of the pillar portion.
Re clm 6, Cisco further discloses a ball bearing (Fig. 1) comprising: an outer ring (3); an inner ring (2); a plurality of balls (4) arranged between the outer ring and the inner ring; and the crown cage (10) for a ball bearing according to claim 1.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cisco U.S. 2016/0160921 in view of Tazumi JP 2002-242936 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of An KR 102045291.
Cisco in view of Tazumi discloses all the claimed subject matter as described above.
Re clm 2, Cisco further discloses a surface (back side shown in Fig. 3) of the main portion on an axial side opposite to a side from which the pillar portions protrude (shown by Fig. 2 and 3).
Cisco does not disclose a convex portion protruding in the axial direction is provided on a surface of the main portion on an axial side opposite to a side from which the pillar portions protrude; and at least a portion of the convex portion overlaps the pocket in the circumferential direction and a radial direction.
An teaches a similar crown cage comprising a convex portion (111, Fig. 4) protruding in the axial direction is provided on a surface of the main portion on an axial side opposite to a side from which the pillar portions protrude; and at least a portion of the convex portion overlaps the pocket in the circumferential direction and a radial direction for the purpose of providing improved deformation resistance so that the ball is stably supported ([0020] and [0046]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Cisco and provide a convex portion protruding in the axial direction is provided on a surface of the main portion on an axial side opposite to a side from which the pillar portions protrude; and at least a portion of the convex portion overlaps the pocket in the circumferential direction and a radial direction for the purpose of providing improved deformation resistance so that the ball is stably supported. Although the increased thickness due to element 4 of Tazumi provides a similar benefit, providing thickness in different directions improves deformation resistance in different directions as well.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cisco U.S. 2016/0160921 in view of Tazumi JP 2002-242936 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of An KR 102045291.
Cisco in view of Tazumi discloses all the claimed subject matter as described above.
Re clm 2, Cisco does not disclose a convex portion protruding in the axial direction is provided on a bottom surface of the main portion; and at least a portion of the convex portion overlaps the pocket in the circumferential direction and a radial direction.
An teaches a similar crown cage comprising a convex portion (111, Fig. 4) protruding in the axial direction is provided on a bottom surface (axial facing surface) of the main portion; and at least a portion of the convex portion overlaps the pocket in the circumferential direction and a radial direction for the purpose of providing improved deformation resistance so that the ball is stably supported ([0020] and [0046]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Cisco and provide a convex portion protruding in the axial direction is provided on a bottom surface of the main portion; and at least a portion of the convex portion overlaps the pocket in the circumferential direction and a radial direction for the purpose of providing improved deformation resistance so that the ball is stably supported. Although the increased thickness due to element 4 of Tazumi provides a similar benefit, providing thickness in different directions improves deformation resistance in different directions as well.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 15 April 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that portion 4 of Tazumi extends beyond the inner peripheral surface of the pocket 2. Portion 4 of Tazumi is a part of the inner peripheral surface of pocket 2 and thus cannot extend beyond itself. Thus, Applicant’s amendment has not overcome the prior art of record.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALAN B WAITS whose telephone number is (571)270-3664. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday from 6-4 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, John R Olszewski can be reached at 571-272-2706. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ALAN B WAITS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3617
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