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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/25/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 2, 5 and 7 to 9 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding Claim 1:
The Claim reads:
1. A power tool facilitating replacement of an operating head, comprising
a housing and
a drive motor disposed in the housing,
But later the claim includes the limitation:
a control switch configured to control activation and deactivation of the drive motor is provided in the housing,
As written, it is unclear if the “control switch” is part of the power tool or not. The Examiner recommends either moving the limitation to after “a drive motor”, to make it read: -- a housing, a drive motor disposed in the housing, and a control switch configured to control activation and deactivation of the drive motor is provided in the housing--, or also changing to – the power tool facilitating replacement of an operating head also comprising a control switch configured to control activation and deactivation of the drive motor is provided in the housing--.
Regarding Claim 2:
The claim mentions a “context tooth” that the Examiner considers should be a –convex tooth--.
Regarding Claims 5, 7, 8 and 9:
The last limitation of each of the claims does not start with “and” so they read as some limitation could be missing from the claim.
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, 2 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Muller (US 4434586).
Regarding Claim 1:
Muller discloses a power tool facilitating replacement of an operating head, comprising a housing and a drive motor disposed in the housing (Figure 1, machine tool not numbered with housing 1 and drive motor 2),
the drive motor being in transmission connection with an output shaft configured to mount the operating head (Figures 2 and 5, tool spindle 5 will be considered the output shaft mounting cutting disk 17, that will be considered the operating head while gears 8 and 9 form the transmission),
the output shaft being mounted with a shaft-locking mechanism (not numbered), the shaft-locking mechanism comprising
a first clutch piece secured to the output shaft, a second clutch piece sleeved over the output shaft, and a control pusher moving along an axial direction of the output shaft, wherein the control pusher is in transmission connection with the second clutch piece to control the second clutch piece to move along the axial direction of the output shaft (Figure 5, clamping flange 45 will be considered the first clutch piece, arresting ring 46 the second clutch piece and end portion 52 the control pusher connected to groove 50 of arresting ring 46),
a control switch configured to control activation and deactivation of the drive motor is provided in the housing (Figure 1, Switch 4),
the control pusher has a power-on position where the control switch is triggered and the second clutch piece is separated from the first clutch piece, a power-off position where the control switch is released and the second clutch piece is separated from the first clutch piece, and a shaft-locking position where the control switch is released and the second clutch piece and the first clutch piece form a circumferential limit (Figure 5, in normal operation clamping flange 45 and the arresting ring 46 are coupled together with portion 52 in the position shown as solid in the figure), to release the clamping arrangement for the cutting disk 17 the motor needs to be stopped by releasing switch 4, the motor stopped and the two clutch pieces joined forming a circumferential limit of a contact surface at the edge of clamping flange 45 will be considered a shaft-locking position;
Once portion 52 of the slide 51 moves the arresting ring 46 away from clamping flange 45 into coupling position in which the teeth 47 on the arresting ring 46 engage with the teeth 48 on the bearing flange 49 (Figure 6, Column 5, lines 30 to 40) the motor is rotated counterclockwise to release clamping nut 16 by triggering switch 4, the position will be considered a power-on position,
A position in between the two positions mentioned above, with the arresting ring 46 away from clamping flange 45 but before attaching to the bearing flange 49, with the switch 4 released and the motor stopped will be considered a power-off position,
the power-on position, the power-off position, and the shaft-locking position being sequentially arranged along the axial direction of the output shaft, and
a locating mechanism configured to locate the control pusher is disposed between the control pusher and the housing (Figure 5, Column 4, lines 66, 67, slide 51 guided in the housing 1 for movement in longitudinal direction will be considered the locating mechanism).
Regarding Claim 2:
Muller discloses that a plurality of recesses are arranged at intervals on a surface of one of the first clutch piece and the second clutch piece, and a convex tooth is arranged on a surface of the other one of the first clutch piece and the second clutch piece (Figure 5, grooves 58 on the arresting ring 46 will be considered the plurality of recesses on a surface of the second clutch piece, while extending webs 57 will be considered a convex tooth);
when the control pusher is located at the shaft-locking position, the convex tooth is inserted into a corresponding recess so that the circumferential limit is formed between the first clutch piece and the second clutch piece (Figure 5, Column 5, lines 20 to 25, The connection between the clamping flange 45 and the arresting ring 46 is accomplished by a plurality of circumferentially displaced longitudinally extending webs 57 engaging in corresponding grooves 58 on the arresting ring 46).
Alternatively, the open spaces on the first clutch piece (flange 45) between consecutive extending webs 57 will be considered the plurality of recesses and the protrusions between consecutive grooves 58 on the second clutch piece (arresting ring 46) will be considered the convex tooth resulting in the same claimed circumferential limit is formed between the first clutch piece and the second clutch piece as mentioned on Claim 1.
Regarding Claim 10:
Muller discloses that an end portion of the output shaft is attached with a locking nut and a clamping core that is configured to mount the operating head (Figure 5, Clamping nut 16 and entrainment pin 20 will be considered a clamping core); an outer surface of the end portion of the output shaft being formed with a thread (Figure 5, threaded portion 15); the locking nut is in threaded connection with the output shaft;
a clamping force of the clamping core with respect to the operating head is adjusted via fitting between the locking nut and the output shaft (Figures 2 and 3, The clamping nut 16 is provided with a longitudinal groove 19 into which an entrainment pin 20 extends, which is press-fitted in a radial bore of the clamping flange 14, the tension of the threaded connection presses the pin 20 against the cutting disk 17).
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.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Muller (US 4434586).
Regarding Claim 7:
As discussed for Claim 2 above, Muller discloses the invention as claimed.
Muller does not disclose a tab being arranged at an outer peripheral side of the second clutch piece, and the control pusher is formed with a snap slot; but Muller discloses that the outer peripheral side of the second clutch piece comprises an annular groove 50, that can be considered a snap slot and the end of end portion 52, that is inserted on groove 50 can be considered a tab.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to rearrange the parts and have the snap slot in the control pusher and the tab in the outer peripheral side of the second clutch piece as an alternative way to obtain a snap fit, that is a very well-known way to join parts for ease of disassembly.
Claims 3, 4 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Muller (US 4434586) in view of Hu (CN 215470918).
Regarding Claims 3 and 4:
As discussed for Claim 2 above, Muller discloses the invention as claimed, including that a plurality of recesses are arranged at intervals on a surface of one of the first clutch piece and the second clutch piece, and a convex tooth is arranged on a surface of the other one of the first clutch piece and the second clutch piece, the convex tooth is inserted into a corresponding recess to couple the first clutch piece and the second clutch piece.
Muller does not disclose a plurality of protrusions are arranged at intervals on an outer peripheral side surface of the first clutch piece, a recess is formed between every neighboring two protrusions, and the convex tooth is arranged at a side of the second clutch piece proximal to the first clutch piece and extends towards the first clutch piece; a first guide surface is formed at an end portion of each of the protrusions proximal to the second clutch piece; and/or, a second guide surface is formed at an end portion of the convex tooth proximal to the first clutch piece. The protrusions and recesses of Muller are not on an outer perimetral side surface of the first clutch piece.
Hu teaches a similar power tool including a first clutch piece (Figures 5, 7, 8 and 10, first clutch 22) secured to the output shaft (output shaft 214), a second clutch piece (Figures 5, 7, 8 and 11, second clutch 23) sleeved over the output shaft, and a control pusher (Figures 8 and 9, push plate 24), moving along an axial direction of the output shaft to couple the two clutch pieces forming a circumferential limit as part of a similar lock shaft mechanism to facilitate replacement of the operating head by locking the shaft, the lock shaft mechanism comprises a plurality of protrusions arranged at intervals on an outer peripheral side surface of the first clutch piece, a recess is formed between every neighboring two protrusions (Figure 10, first clutch 22 include grooves 221 formed between not numbered protrusions), a convex tooth is arranged at a side of the second clutch piece proximal to the first clutch piece and extends towards the first clutch piece (Figure 11, second clutch 23 is provided with a bump 232, that can be considered the convex tooth, corresponding to the groove 221); a first guide surface is formed at an end portion of each of the protrusions proximal to the second clutch piece; and/or, a second guide surface is formed at an end portion of the convex tooth proximal to the first clutch piece (Figures 10 and 11 show surfaces in the protrusions and convex tooth that short of any additional limitation, can be considered first and second guide surfaces).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate to Muller the teachings of Hu and modify the first and second clutch pieces to include a plurality of protrusions arranged at intervals on an outer peripheral side surface of the first clutch piece, a recess formed between every neighboring two protrusions, and the convex tooth being arranged at a side of the second clutch piece proximal to the first clutch piece and extends towards the first clutch piece so a first guide surface is formed at an end portion of each of the protrusions proximal to the second clutch piece; and, a second guide surface is formed at an end portion of the convex tooth proximal to the first clutch piece as described by Hu as an alternative way to couple the clutch pieces.
Regarding Claim 9:
As discussed for Claim 1 above, Muller discloses the invention as claimed, including that the control pusher slides the second clutch along the output shaft.
Muller does not disclose that the housing is provided with a guide rail configured to guide the control pusher to slide; and that the control pusher comprises a push plate and a sliding groove.
Hu teaches a similar power tool including a first clutch piece (Figures 5, 7, 8 and 10, first clutch 22) secured to the output shaft (output shaft 214), a second clutch piece (Figures 5, 7, 8 and 11, second clutch 23) sleeved over the output shaft, and a control pusher (Figures 8 and 9, push plate 24), moving along an axial direction of the output shaft to couple the two clutch pieces forming a circumferential limit as part of a similar lock shaft mechanism to facilitate replacement of the operating head by locking the shaft, in particular, Hu teaches the control pusher to slide a second shaft along the output shaft, the housing comprising a guide rail configured to guide the control pusher to slide (Figure 8, Guide rail 2201), the control pusher comprises a push plate and a sliding groove the push plate being exposed out of an outer surface of the housing, the guide rail being in sliding connection with the sliding groove (Figures 8 and 9, sliding groove 241 matching Guide rail 2201 and switch push plate 243 will be considered the push plate exposed out of the housing).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate to Muller the teachings of Hu and replace the control pusher of Muller for the push plate of Hu, as an alternative way to slide the second clutch piece to attach to the first clutch piece.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 6 and 8 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.
Regarding Claim 5: The claim includes the limitation of three location slots corresponding to the power-on position, the power-off position, and the shaft-locking position, respectively. The Examiner could find a motivation to modify Muller and include two location slots, but not one for the power-off position as interpreted. Claim 6 is objected because of its dependency of Claim 5.
Regarding Claim 8: The claim includes the limitation “when the control pusher is located at the power-on position, the abutting surface abuts against a contact piece of the control switch to trigger the control switch”. No reference on the record teaches the control pusher or part of it abutting in any way with the control switch, much less trigger it, and there is no reasonable motivation to modify the references in such way.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. In particular Hu (CN 215470918) could have been used for a proper rejection of claim 1 using a similar interpretation as used for Muller. Gallagher (US 2003/0190877) and Dubnicka (US 2023/0302620) disclose relevant spindle locking mechanism.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EDUARDO R FERRERO whose telephone number is (571)272-9946. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-7:00.
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/EDUARDO R FERRERO/Examiner, Art Unit 3731
/SHELLEY M SELF/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3731