DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Claims 3 and 4 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 7/2/2026.
Applicant's election with traverse of Species I (figures 1 and 2) in the reply filed on 7/2/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the species do not recite mutually exclusive characteristics and that there is not a serious search burden. This is not found persuasive because the species of figures 1 and 2 comprises only a cylindrical eaves portion, the species of figure 3 comprises only an annular flange, and figure 4 comprises both a cylindrical eaves and annular flange. There is a search burden because of the different fields of search and search terms required for each species.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: “ating means” is believed to be in error for --isolating means--; “the rotary shaft” is believed to be in error for --the hollow rotary shaft--; “the outer periphery” is believed to be in error for --an outer periphery--; “the rotary atomizing head” is believed to be in error for --the cup-shaped rotary atomizing head--; “the shaping air ring” is believed to be in error for --the cylindrical shaping air ring--; . Appropriate correction is required.
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 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nakazono 5,941,457.
In regards to Independent Claim 1, Nakazono teaches a rotary atomizing head type coating machine (figure 3) configured with an air motor powered by compressed air (air turbine 2), comprising: a hollow rotary shaft (2a) that is rotatably supported in a state of extending in a front-rear direction along an axis of the air motor (as shown in figure 3), the hollow rotary shaft having a front unit protruding from the air motor (front of 2a protruding from 2 in figure 3); a feed tube (2b) extending through the rotary shaft to the front unit of the rotary shaft (2b extends through the length of 2a in figure 3); a cup-shaped rotary atomizing head (3) attached to the front unit of the rotary shaft (3 coupled to 2a in figure 3) and discharging the paint supplied from the feed tube from discharge edge at a front end of the rotary atomizing head (Col. 2, ll. 38-43); a cylindrical shaping air ring (4) provided on the outer periphery of the rotary atomizing head (4 surrounds 3 in figure 3); and a shaping air jetting unit provided in front of the shaping air ring and blowing shaping air toward the paint discharged from the discharge edge of the rotary atomizing head (nozzle 4a in figure 3), wherein said shaping air ring is provided with an isolating means for isolating said shaping air jetting unit from air flowing around said shaping air ring (cylindrical eaves on downstream end of 4a surrounding outer side and radially inner side of 4a in figure 3 below).
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Figure 3 of Nakazono
Regarding Dependent Claim 2, Nakazono teaches the isolating means is a cylindrical eaves portion provided in front of the shaping air ring so as to surround the shaping air jetting unit and extending forward beyond an open end of the shaping air jetting unit (cylindrical eaves downstream and surrounding jetting unit 4a in figure 3 above).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN M SUTHERLAND whose telephone number is (571)270-1902. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5.
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/STEVEN M SUTHERLAND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752
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