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 § 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, 3, 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Spies et al (US 6,217,135). Spies discloses:
With regard to claim 1 - A link 51 on which a rotating member 63 is mounted and which is used in a link device, comprising:
a hole portion 80 for earth removal formed by cutting out a side portion facing the rotating member 63 so as to divide an installation surface to the rotating member into a plurality of parts in a rotating direction of the rotating member.
With regard to claim 3 - A track comprising:
a link device in which a plurality of the links are endlessly coupled (see Fig. 8); and
a shoe 63, which is the rotating member mounted on the side portion of each link 51.
With regard to claim 4 - wherein the shoe 63 has a groove-shaped removal portion 81 on a surface facing the link 51, and the link and the shoe are mounted such that the hole portion 80 and the removal portion 81 communicate with each other (“The abutment 56 of the tubular body 51 is provided with a central recess 80 which corresponds to an oppositely disposed recess 81 in of the travelling pad 63.” – column 3, lines 41-43).
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) 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Spies in view of Meyer et al (US 9,481,411). Spies fails to explicitly disclose a bolt hole portion which is opened on each of the installation surfaces divided by the hole portion on the side portion facing the rotating member and into which a mounting bolt that mounts the rotating member is screwed. Meyer teaches a track comprising
a link device in which a plurality of the links 50 are endlessly coupled, a shoe 56, and a bolt hole portion 102 which is opened on installation surfaces of each link 50 divided a center portion on a side portion facing the shoe and into which a mounting bolt 150 that mounts the shoe 56 is screwed. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the track of Spies with the teaching of Meyer so as to include bolt holes in the links for securing the shoe to the link to ensure the shoes are strongly secured to the links.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Korhonen et al (WO 2019/162558) discloses a link 11 on which a rotating member 3 is mounted and which is used in a link device, comprising a hole portion 9 for earth removal formed by cutting out a side portion facing the rotating member 3 so as to divide an installation surface to the rotating member into a plurality of parts in a rotating direction of the rotating member.
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/TIMOTHY WILHELM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3617 June 24, 2026
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