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 . 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 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.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 10/03/2024 and 03/05/2025 have been considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II, claims 1-13 and 17 in the reply filed on 04/30/2026 is acknowledged. Claims 14-16 and 18-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group I, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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 plurality of different cutter plates of claim 10 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 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 2 and 7 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
-Claim 2 recites the limitation "the knives or blades" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
-Regarding claim 7, the phrase “to mount a respective secondary or blade” is unclear. The phrase appears to be similar to previous claims, and contains a typographical error, and will be treated as “to mount a respective secondary knife or blade”.
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 1-13 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Peters (US 6,810,781) in view of Sobel (US 4,590,834).
Regarding claim 1 Peters teaches a digital flatbed cutter (Figure 1) comprising:
a flatbed (12) on which a printed workpiece can be positioned (Figure 1);
a head unit (26) that is movable laterally along an x-axis direction and along a perpendicular y-axis direction in a parallel plane above the flatbed;
a primary cutter head mounted to the head unit and including a primary cutter assembly (100) with a primary knife or blade (112) for cutting the workpiece, the primary cutter assembly being movable along a z-axis direction that is normal to the plane and perpendicular to the x- and y-axes (Figures 1-2; 10 Col. 3, Lines 3-27;
and wherein the angle of the cutter axis relative to the y-axis is adjustable (Figures 8-12).
Peters does not provide at least one secondary knife or blade movable in tandem with the primary knife or blade for cutting the workpiece in parallel with the primary knife or blade; wherein the primary knife or blade and the at least one secondary knife or blade are aligned and spaced apart along a cutter axis.
Sobel teaches it is known in the art of cutting to provide a head unit (10,12) mounted to a rail for movement (15) including a first removable cutting head (54) having a first blade (58) and a second blade (56)(Figures 8 and 12); a second removable cutting head (28) including a third blade (48)(Figures, 2, 12; Col. 4, Lines 50-64 and Col. 5, Lines 12-27).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have modified the device of Peters to incorporate the teachings of Sobel to provide the head unit with removable first and second cutting heads utilizing various blades. In doing so, it allows for multiple cuts to be made simultaneously as desired.
Thus, Peters in view of Sobel provides at least one secondary knife or blade movable in tandem with the primary knife or blade for cutting the workpiece in parallel with the primary knife or blade (Peters Figures 1-2 and Sobel Figure 12); wherein the primary knife or blade and the at least one secondary knife or blade are aligned and spaced apart along a cutter axis (Sobel Figure 12).
Regarding claim 2, the modified device of Peters provides the digital flatbed cutter of claim 1, and wherein the knives or blades are substantially evenly spaced apart along the cutter axis (Peters Figure 2 and Sobel Figure 12).
Regarding claim 3, the modified device of Peters provides the digital flatbed cutter of claim 1, further comprising a cutter plate (28) mounted to the primary cutter assembly, the cutter plate comprising the at least one secondary knife or blade (28)(Peters Figure 12 noting the plate 30 with pivot pin 34 allowing for the head to be fixed via screws 42 to the main head unit 12,24) .
Regarding claim 4, the modified device of Peters provides the digital flatbed cutter of claim 3, wherein the cutter plate extends substantially along the y-axis direction (Peters Figure 2 and Sobel Figures 2 and 12).
Regarding claim 5, the modified device of Peters provides the digital flatbed cutter of claim 3, wherein the cutter plate is pivotally mounted to the primary cutter assembly (Sobel Figure 2 and Col. 4, Lines 54-57 noting the pivot pin).
Regarding claim 6, the modified device of Peters provides the digital flatbed cutter of claim 3, wherein the cutter plate is removably mounted to the primary cutter assembly Peters Figure 10 and Sobel Figures 2, 12 Col. 4, Lines 50-64).
Regarding claim 7, the modified device of Peters provides the digital flatbed cutter of claim 3, wherein the cutter plate includes at least one mounting means, each mounting means being configured to mount a respective secondary or blade (Peters Figures 2 and 8; Sobel Figures 2 and 12 Col. 5, Lines 2-7 noting the blades may be removed and replaced as needed).
Regarding claim 8, the modified device of Peters provides the digital flatbed cutter of claim 3, wherein each secondary knife or blade is removably mounted to the cutter plate (Peters Figures 2 and 8; Sobel Figures 2 and 12).
Regarding claim 9, the modified device of Peters provides the digital flatbed cutter of claim 3, wherein the at least one secondary knife or blade is integrally formed with the cutter plate (Figures 2 and 8; Sobel Figures 2 and 12 Col. 5, Lines 2-7 noting the blades may be removed and replaced as needed).
Regarding claim 10, the modified device of Peters provides the digital flatbed cutter of claim 3, and the primary cutter assembly comprising a mount plate (Peters 68 Figure 8 and Sobel Figure 2) but does not provide further comprising a plurality of different cutter plates, and wherein the primary cutter assembly further comprises a plate mount configured for removably mounting a selected one of the plurality of cutter plates (Noting Sobel provides for two different mounting plates (28 and 54, but does not provide a plurality of different cutter plates).
In light of Peters and Sobel, modifying Peters with any reasonable number of mounting plates with blades, would be a mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8. Examiner notes that Sobel provides multiple plates and multiple blades, and allows for additional blades to be added.
As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have modified the device of Peters to provide a plurality of different cutting plates capable of being mounted to the primary cutter. In doing so, it allows for the blades to be added and removed as desired to allow for multiple different simultaneous cuts.
Regarding claim 11, the modified device of Peters provides the digital flatbed cutter of claim 3, wherein a first end of the cutter plate is removably mounted to the primary cutter assembly (Sobel Figure 2; Col. 4, Lines 50-64), wherein the digital flatbed cutter further comprises a secondary cutter head including a secondary cutter assembly (28) being movable in tandem with the primary cutter assembly, and wherein a second end of the cutter plate is removably mounted to the secondary cutter assembly (Peters Figures 1-2 and 8; Sobel Figures 2, 8 and 12 Col. 4, Lines 50-64).
Regarding claim 12, the modified device of Peters provides the digital flatbed cutter of claim 11, further comprising a support rail (14,16,22) that extends over the flatbed, wherein the head unit is configured to be movable along the support rail in the y-axis direction (Peters Figure 2).
Regarding claim 13, the modified device of Peters provides the digital flatbed cutter of claim 12, wherein the secondary cutter head is configured to be movable along the support rail in the y-axis direction in tandem with the head unit and the primary cutter head (Peters Figure 2).
Regarding claim 17 Peters teaches a digital flatbed cutter comprising:
a flatbed (12) on which a printed workpiece can be positioned (Figure 1);
a head unit (26) that is movable laterally along an x-axis direction and along a perpendicular y-axis direction in a parallel plane above the flatbed (Figures 1-2; Col. 3, Lines 3-27);
a primary cutter head (100) mounted to the head unit and including a primary cutter assembly with a primary knife or blade (112) for cutting the workpiece, the primary cutter assembly being movable along a z-axis direction that is normal to the plane and perpendicular to the x- and y-axes (Figures 1-2 and 10; Col. 3, Lines 3-27).
Peters does not provide a cutter plate removably mounted to the primary cutter assembly, the cutter plate comprising at least one secondary knife or blade for cutting the workpiece in parallel with the primary knife or blade.
Sobel teaches it is known in the art of cutting to provide a head unit (10,12) mounted to a rail for movement (15) including a first removable cutting head (54) having a first blade (58) and a second blade (56)(Figures 8 and 12); a second removable cutting head (28) including a third blade (48)(Figures, 2, 12; Col. 4, Lines 50-64 and Col. 5, Lines 12-27).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have modified the device of Peters to incorporate the teachings of Sobel to provide the head unit with removable cutter plate utilizing various blades. In doing so, it allows for multiple cuts to be made simultaneously as desired.
Related Prior Art
Below is an analysis of the relevance of references cited but not used
- "892 cited references A-M on page 1 and A on Page 2 establish the state of the art with a variety of table cutting devices, multiple cutting head devices, and control systems for table top type cutting units.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RICHARD D CROSBY JR whose telephone number is (571)272-8034. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00-4:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Boyer Ashley can be reached at (571) 272-4502. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RICHARD D CROSBY JR/ 06/26/2026Examiner, Art Unit 3724
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