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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election Applicant’s election without traverse of Species I (Figs.
1-6) in the reply filed on 05/27/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 5-12, 15, 16, and 20 are withdrawn from further consideration
pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Groups and Species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 05/27/2026.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 12-13 are objected to because of the following informalities: in
claim 1, “received longitudinally extending linear slot” should be --received in the longitudinally extending linear slot--. In claim 12, “of the of the male ferrule” should be --of the male ferrule--. In claim 13, “the distal end female ferrule” should be –the distal end of the female ferrule--. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
4. 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.
5. Claims 13-14 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.
Regarding claim 13, the phrase “the at least one opening portion comprises a plurality of opening portions” is internally inconsistent. The antecedent basis “at least one opening portion” encompasses a single opening portion, whereas the claim subsequently requires a plurality of opening portions. It is unclear whether the claim is directed to a single opening portion or multiple opening portions, and therefore the scope of the claim cannot be determined with reasonable certainty.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
6. 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.
7. Claims 1 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Tseng et al. (6,298,558 B1), hereinafter Tseng, provided with the IDS submitted on 04/24/2025. Regarding claim 1, Tseng discloses a skin contact member (64/42) for use in a razor cartridge comprising at least one blade (20, 24, 60, 62) received in a longitudinal direction, the skin contact member comprising: a head portion (74; Fig. 5) extending in the longitudinal direction to form a skin-contacting upper surface; a body portion (76; Fig. 5) extending downward from the head portion in a height direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the body portion (76) configured to be inserted into a receiving space (66) provided in the razor cartridge; and at least one opening portion (78; Fig. 4) formed in the head portion (74).
Regarding claim 17, Tseng teaches everything noted above including that
the skin contact member (64/42) comprises a rigid material (thermoplastic resin forming sheath (72) and insert member (76), including high-impact polystyrene). See col. 2, lines 41-55 and col. 6, lines 29-50 in Tseng.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
8. 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.64
9. Claims 2-4 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tseng in view of Glider (2002/0000040 A1). Regarding claim 2, Tseng teaches a skin contact member (64/42) having a head portion (74) with openings (78), a body portion (76) configured to be received in a cartridge opening (66), and multiple discrete openings arranged along the skin engaging surface.
Tseng does not explicitly teach a single opening portion comprising a first opening, a second opening, and recess located between the first and second openings, where the recess is associated with and overlaps a body portion within a composite opening structure. Tseng instead discloses discrete openings (78) such as holes or slots in the skin engaging surface (74), without a composite multi-feature opening architecture. However, Gilder teaches a backstop (23) having a skin-contacting edge interrupted by a plurality of channels (30), channels (30) separated by lands (31), the channels (30) and lands (31) forming alternating recessed and non-recessed surface regions, the channels (30) facilitating passage of lubricant across the skin-contacting surface, and a repeated structural pattern along the length of a razor guard element. It should be noted that Gilder teaches modifying a skin-contacting edge with alternating recessed and raised regions (channels (30) and lands (31)) to control fluid flow and improve lubrication distribution. See Figs. 1-4 in Glider. Applying such a configuration to Tseng’s openings would predictably improve lubricant transport and shaving comfort. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the openings (78) of Tseng in view of the structural teaching of Gilder, in order to improve lubricant transport and shaving comfort.
Regarding claim 3, Tseng, as modified by the Glider teaches everything noted above including that the channels (30) having defined widths relative to lands (31), establishing proportional relationships between adjacent structural features for controlled fluid flow. See Figs. 1-3 in Glider.
Regarding claim 4, Tseng, as modified by the Glider teaches everything noted above including that the channels (30) are open to and communicate with adjacent regions along the skin-contacting edge, enabling fluid passage across the structure. See Figs. 1-3 in Glider.
Regarding claim 13, as best understood, Tseng, as modified by the Glider teaches everything noted above including repeated channels (30) arranged along the backstop in a longitudinal direction.
Regarding claim 14,Tseng, as modified by the Glider teaches everything noted above including uniform spacing of channels (30) separated by lands (31). It should be noted that Glider teaches regular intervals between repeated surface interruptions when combined with Tseng’s openings (78).
10. Claims 1-4 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gul et al. (KR 20140120071 A1), hereinafter Gul, in view of Tseng. Regarding claim 1, Gul teaches a skin contact member 130 for use in a razor cartridge 110 comprising at least one blade 120 received in a longitudinal direction, the skin contact member 130 comprising: a head portion (defined by the top portion which includes protrusions 136; Fig. 4) extending in the longitudinal direction to form a skin-contacting upper surface; a body portion (defined by the section extending from the top portion) extending downward from the head portion in a height direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction; and at least one opening portion (132a, as shown in annotated Fig. 4 below, defined by a column of holes formed by the protrusions 136 and extending from one side of the skin contact member 130 to the other side of the skin contact member 130 along the width direction of the skin contact member; Fig. 4).
Gul does not explicitly teach that the body portion is configured to be inserted into a receiving space provided in the razor cartridge. However, Tseng teaches a skin engaging member 64 comprising: a head portion (74; Fig. 5) extending in the longitudinal direction to form a skin-contacting upper surface; and a body portion (76; Fig. 5) extending downward from the head portion in a height direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the body portion 76 being configured to be inserted into a receiving space 66 provided in a razor cartridge 50. See Figs. 1-10 of Tseng. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide Gul’s skin contact member with a body portion configured to be inserted into a receiving space in the cartridge, as taught by Tseng, in order to permit replacement of the skin contact member as desired.
Regarding claim 2, Gul teaches everything noted above, including that, as viewed in a direction parallel to the height direction from the head portion toward the body portion, the at least one opening portion comprises: a first opening (132b, as shown in annotated Fig. 4 below, defined by the opening adjacent one side of the skin contact member along the width direction thereof) formed at one side of the head portion in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the height direction; a second opening (132c, as shown in annotated Fig. 4 below, defined by another opening adjacent the opposite side of the skin contact member) formed at the other side of the head portion in the width direction; and a recess (132d, as shown in annotated Fig. 4 below), defined by the larger opening positioned between the first opening 132b and the second opening 132c, the first opening, second opening, and recess being aligned along the same column, wherein the recess overlaps the body portion between the first opening and the second opening.
Regarding claim 3, Gul teaches everything noted above, including that, in the width direction, a sum of a length of the first opening and a length of the second opening is equal to or less than a length of the recess. The larger opening defining the recess (132d) has a width that is at least equal to the combined widths of the first opening 132b and the second opening 132c.
Regarding claim 4, Gul teaches everything noted above, including that the first opening, the second opening, and the recess are in fluid communication with one another, as they are interconnected along the same column.
Regarding claim 13, as best understood, Gul teaches everything noted above, including that the at least one opening portion comprises a plurality of opening portions spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction.
Regarding claim 14, Gul teaches everything noted above, including that the plurality of opening portions are spaced apart from each other at substantially equal intervals. See Fig. 4 of Gul.
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Conclusion
11. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to
applicant’s disclosure.
Peterson et al. (2021/0016458 A1), Takeshita (2006/0288595 A1), Griffin et al. (2015/0090085 A1), Fathallah et al. (8,661,689 B2), Fathallah et al. (2014/0109409 A1), Bruno (8,726,518 B2), and Lettenberger (2021/0362362 A1) teaches a skin contact member for a razor cartridge.
12. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GHASSEM ALIE whose telephone number is (571) 272-4501. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:30 am-5:00 pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Boyer Ashley can be reached on (571) . The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GHASSEM ALIE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3724
June 16, 2026
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