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.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Specification
The abstract is objected to for referring to purported merits of the invention in the final sentence of the abstract at lines 15-16. See MPEP 608.01(b). 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 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 4,398,625 (Beccaris).
Regarding claim 1, Beccaris discloses a damper device (see Figures 1-3 and annotated Figure 1 below), comprising:
a flange plate (15) including a first lateral surface, a second lateral surface, and an opening, the first lateral surface facing a first side of the flange plate in an axial direction, the second lateral surface facing a second side of the flange plate in the axial direction, the opening provided in a middle of the flange plate (see Figure 3 and annotated Figure 1 below);
a hub (10) configured to be unitarily rotated with the flange plate, the hub including a body and an annularly expanded portion, the body extending in the axial direction, the annularly expanded portion extending on an outer peripheral surface of the body in a circumferential direction, the annularly expanded portion press-fitted to the opening of the flange plate (see Figure 3 and annotated Figure 1 below);
a first plate (17) spaced apart from the flange plate at an interval, the first plate disposed on the first side of the flange plate in the axial direction (see Figure 3 and annotated Figure 1 below);
an elastic member (24, 24B, 24C) elastically coupling the flange plate and the first plate (see Figures 1-3, and column 4, lines 37-45); and
an intermediate member (50) disposed between the flange plate and the first plate in the axial direction (see Figure 3 and column 6, lines 25-36),
wherein the annularly expanded portion includes a third lateral surface facing the first side in the axial direction (see Figure 3 and annotated Figure 1 below),
the third lateral surface is located on the first side of the first lateral surface of the flange plate in the axial direction (see Figure 3 and annotated Figure 1 below),
the intermediate member includes a first inner wall surface and a second inner wall surface, the first inner wall surface being opposed to the first lateral surface at an interval, the second inner wall surface opposed to an outer peripheral surface of the annularly expanded portion at an interval (see Figure 3 and annotated Figure 1 below), and
the first inner wall surface, the second inner wall surface, the first lateral surface, and the outer peripheral surface of the annularly expanded portion define a containing space having an annular shape (see Figure 3 and annotated Figure 1 below).
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Figure 1. Annotated Figure 3 of Beccaris
Regarding claim 2, Beccaris discloses the third lateral surface is disposed away from the first inner wall surface at an interval in the axial direction (see Figure 3 and annotated Figure 1 above).
Regarding claim 3, Beccaris discloses the annularly expanded portion includes swarf to be contained in the containing space (see Figure 3 and annotated Figure 1 above).
Conclusion
The prior art set forth in the attached Notice of References Cited (PTO-892) made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure in the field of damper devices.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Josh Skroupa whose telephone number is (571)270-3220. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amber Anderson can be reached on (571)270-5281. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Josh Skroupa/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3678
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