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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Japan on 3/23/22. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the Japanese application as required by 37 CFR 1.55 and an attempt to retrieve the document failed on 10/24/24.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 13 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 13 is setting forth a “second” front end, rear end and cut-out, however the claim combination does not previously set forth a first of each element and thus it is unclear how many ends and cutouts are being positively recited. By using “second” is this requiring two to be present? Claim 13 currently depends from claim 11 which does not require any ends or cutouts, it is believed that claim 13 should depend from claim 10 as this is the claim that sets forth the first ends and cutout.
Similarly claim 19 call for a “third inner circumferential edge portion and a fourth inner circumferential edge portion” without previously setting forth a first and a second and thus it is unclear how many edges are required. In order to have a third and fourth there would have to be a first and a second, where are these located? Claim 19 should depend from claim 17.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-6, 14-16 and 21-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) or upon perfecting priority 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Iida, WO2022/065375.
Regarding claim 1, Iida discloses a thrust foil bearing comprising: a base plate (30) including an insertion hole (30a) through which a rotating shaft (1) is inserted and a support surface (30b); a plurality of top foil pieces (10/11); a stepped member (made of layers 60 and 50) that is placed on the support surface (30b), is formed as a separate body from the base plate, and includes a plurality of stepped support portions including a plurality of stepped surfaces (each layer is a stepped support portion, the surfaces contacting the bump forming the stepped surfaces just like in the instant application); and a plurality of bump foil pieces (20/21), wherein each bump foil piece of the plurality of bump foil pieces is disposed between each top foil piece of the plurality of top foil pieces respectively and the base plate (at end 21a), is disposed on each stepped support portion (each wave has a portion that contacts a corresponding stepped surface) of the plurality of stepped support portions, and includes a contact portion in contact with a stepped surface of the plurality of stepped surfaces (see figures 4 and 5).
Regarding claim 2, Iida discloses that the plurality of stepped support portions are provided so as to surround the insertion hole (the support portions are provided under each top foil, the top foils surround the insertion hole and thus the corresponding stepped portions do as well).
Regarding claim 3, Iida discloses that the plurality of stepped surfaces includes a first stepped surface and a second stepped surface (each layer defines a stepped surface, there are 5 layers and thus 5 stepped surfaces), and wherein a shape of the first stepped surface is different from a shape of the second stepped surface (stating that parts have a different shape does not limit the claim to any specific shapes, each layer is a plate that has a different radial extension in Iida and thus each layer has a different plate element shape).
Regarding claim 4, Iida discloses that the stepped member includes: a first plate member disposed between the support surface and the top foil piece; and a second plate member stacked on the first plate member (each layer in figures 4 and 5 is a plate).
Regarding claim 5, Iida discloses that the first plate member includes: a first sandwiched portion including an arc-shaped outer circumferential edge (the ends of each layer, best shown by 53 in figure 3 is an arch-shaped outer circumferential edge and each layer other than the top layer is sandwiched within the stack of layers and base plate); and a first support region provided between the first sandwiched portion and the insertion hole when viewed in a direction of an axis of the insertion hole (the portion between 53 and 1 that supports the bump foil), wherein the second plate member includes: a second sandwiched portion including an arc-shaped outer circumferential edge; and a second support region provided between the second sandwiched portion and the insertion hole when viewed in the direction of the axis of the insertion hole (the second plate has the same features just with a different smaller size/shape), and wherein the stepped support portion is formed by stacking the first support region and the second support region (see figures 4 and 5).
Regarding claim 6, Iida discloses that a shape of the second support region is different from a shape of the first support region when viewed in the direction of the axis of the insertion hole (again just stating a different shape does not limit the claim to any particular shape, each layer defines a different shape as explained in the rejection of claim 3 above, furthermore in figure 7 Iida discloses different lengths for the contact surfaces this ultimately defines a different shape, put another way all the layers could define a wedge or pie shape feature, however these would all be truncated at different points to form the different contact surfaces, each truncation defines a shape that is different than the adjacent layer(s)).
Regarding claim 14, Iida discloses that the first sandwiched portion and the second sandwiched portion include through holes (at 55) through which a fastener (41) fastening the stepped member to the base plate is inserted.
Regarding claim 15, Iida discloses that the first support region includes a first front end surface and a first rear end surface (ends that are spaced apart in the circumferential direction), wherein the second support region includes a second front end surface and a second rear end surface (ends that are spaced apart in the circumferential direction), wherein a length from the second front end surface to the second rear end surface along a direction surrounding the insertion hole is shorter than a length from the first front end surface to the first rear end surface along the direction surrounding the insertion hole (the first end is part of the bottom plate of the stack, this runs from where the bump foil is secured to the base, this has a larger distance then the next layer in the stack which is shorter in order to create the stepped surface that the first part of the bump foil contacts, the circumferential direction running left to right in figure 4, figure 3 character 21a is the lower most layer, each layer originates from the region at 52).
Regarding claim 16, Iida discloses that a thickness of the first plate member is different from a thickness of the second plate member (see figure 5, t1 vs t2).
Regarding claim 21, Iida discloses that the first plate member includes an inner circumferential region (region that forms the step which is inner relative to 53), wherein the inner circumferential region includes an inner circumferential surface overlapping region that overlaps with the second plate member (region covered by the plate on top of it) and an inner circumferential surface exposed region that does not overlap with the second plate member (portion that forms contact surface with the bump foil), and wherein the inner circumferential surface overlapping region and the inner circumferential surface exposed region are arranged in a direction surrounding the insertion hole (the regions are side by side in the circumferential direction).
Regarding claim 22, Iida discloses a thrust foil bearing comprising: a base plate (30) including a support surface (30b); a plurality of top foil pieces (12, see figure 3 showing 6 pieces); a stepped member (made of the separate plates 60 and 50) that is placed on the support surface, is formed as a separate body from the base plate, and includes a plurality of stepped support portions and a sandwiched portion (each layer is a stepped support portion, the surfaces contacting the bump forming the stepped surfaces just like in the instant application and the ends of each layer, best shown by 53 in figure 3 is an arch-shaped outer circumferential edge and each layer other than the top layer is sandwiched within the stack of layers and base plate), wherein each stepped support portion of the plurality of stepped support portions includes a plurality of stepped surfaces, and wherein the sandwiched portion is provided so as to surround the plurality of stepped support portions (each stack has a plurality of surfaces and the sandwiched parts are circumferentially outside the stepped parts and thus surround); and a plurality of bump foil pieces (20/21), wherein each bump foil piece of the plurality of bump foil pieces is disposed between each top foil piece of the plurality of top foil pieces respectively and the base plate, is disposed on each stepped support portion of the plurality of stepped support portions, and includes a contact portion in contact with a stepped surface of the plurality of stepped surfaces (see figures 4 and 5).
Regarding claim 23, Iida discloses that a shape of the sandwiched portion is annular (the outer circumferential part of each plate element forms an annular shape best indicated by 40 and/or 50 in figure 3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7, 10, 17 and 20, and those claims depending therefrom (pending any corrections for issues under 35 USC 112 noted above), are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 19 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 7, the prior art of record does not teach nor render obvious the claimed combination of claims 1, 4 and 5 with the circumferential edges and insertion hole arranged as defined by claim 7.
Regarding claim 10, the prior art of record does not teach nor render obvious the claimed combination of claims 1, 4 and 5 with the support region including the end surfaces and the cut-out as defined by claim 10.
Regarding claim 17, the prior art of record does not teach nor render obvious the claimed combination of claim 1 further comprising the stepped member being made of at least two stacked plates, with a first one of the plates including two inner circumferential edge portions with the first being further from an axis of the insertion hole than the second and the first one further having a stepped inner circumferential region and an overlapping region with the second plate as defined by claim 17.
Regarding claim 19, the prior art of record does not teach nor render obvious the claimed combination of claim 1 further comprising two stacked plates with the second plate having the features as set forth in the claim. These features are similar to those recited by claim 17, however upon addressing the issue under 35 USC 112, if amended to depend from claim 17, claim 19 would also be allowable for depending from a previously allowed claim.
Regarding claim 20, the prior art of record lacks any significant detail of the plates and thus does not disclose or render obvious the claimed combination of claims 1 and 4 further comprising the first plate having two support regions adjacent to each other in a direction surrounding the insertion hole (circumferential direction), a groove formed between the two support regions with the groove having an expansion portion wherein a width in the direction surrounding the insertion hole increases from an outer diameter side toward an inner diameter side.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES PILKINGTON whose telephone number is (571)272-5052. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday 7-3.
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/JAMES PILKINGTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3617