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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 05/26/2026, 11/24/2025, 02/07/2025 are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 9 is objected to because of the following informalities: claim 9, the last paragraph the language “if” should be –of--. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
Claims 1-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen et al (US 7134937) hereinafter Chen
Regarding claim 1, Chen shows a food product slicer (Figure 1), comprising:
a base (12);
a knife (14) mounted for rotation about an axis relative to the base, the knife including a peripheral cutting edge (24);
a carriage assembly (18) mounted to the base for reciprocal movement back and forth past the peripheral cutting edge of the knife;
a knife sharpener (42) including a first sharpening component (168, Figures 6 and 10) movable between a first non- sharpening position spaced from the peripheral cutting edge and a first sharpening position engaged with the peripheral cutting edge (Col. 5, lines 40-55);
a knife guard (20, Figures 1 and 4) extending about portions of the peripheral cutting edge, the knife guard including a radially inner edge facing toward and running along the peripheral cutting edge (see the dash line 38, Figure 1), wherein the radially inner edge includes a radially outwardly extending channel along which the first sharpening component moves to reach the first sharpening position (see Figure 10, the stone 168 is at the first sharpening position).
Regarding claim 2, Chen shows that the knife guard includes a front face (see the outer surface of the cover plate 20) and a rear face (an opposite surface), wherein the front face faces a carriage assembly movement path (see Figure 1 while the carriage 18 is movement), wherein the channel includes an entry end toward the rear face and a closed end covered by the front face (see Figure 1, the cover 20 having an open for products to be sliced at a cutting region 15).
Regarding claim 3, Chen shows that the peripheral cutting edge (24, Figure 1) defines a cutting edge plane, wherein the front face defines a knife guard plane (see Figure 1), and the cutting edge plane is offset from the knife guard plane in a direction toward the rear face (see Figure 1 the cover 20 covers the cutting edge, therefore, the guard plane and the cutting edge plane are offset).
Regarding claim 4, Chen shows that the sharpener includes a second sharpening component (a truing stone 190, Figure 6) movable between a second non-sharpening position spaced from the peripheral cutting edge and a second sharpening position in which the second sharpening component is engaged with the peripheral cutting edge (Col. 5, lines 50-55 and Col. 6, lines 33-34 “to allow the truing stone to be brought into contact with the other side of the knife”), wherein the front face of the knife guard includes a slot recess into which at least part of the second sharpening component is located when the second sharpening component is in the second sharpening position (see Figure 1, there is an end recess of the guard 20 for the sharpening assembly 42).
Regarding claim 5, Chen shows that the slot recess includes a bottom wall (40, Figure 4) with a radially outer major portion having a first depth and lying in a slot plane, wherein the peripheral cutting edge plane is aligned with the slot plane or is offset from the slot plane in the direction toward the rear face (see Figure 4).
Regarding claim 6, Chen shows that the bottom wall includes a radially inner minor portion (where the reference “40” is in figure 9) that tapers away from the bottom wall and the knife guard plane and in a direction toward the radially inner edge of the knife guard.
Regarding claim 7, Chen shows that when moving from the non-sharpening position to the sharpening position, the first sharpening component moves along a through opening of the knife guard (see Figures 9-10, the stone 168 moves in and out contacting the cutting edge of the blade), wherein the channel is part of a boundary defining the through opening, and the boundary fully surrounds the through opening (see Figure 2, there are 2 ends of the flanges 38, 50 not connected).
Regarding claim 8, Chen shows that the channel is formed by a portion of a peripherally enclosed opening through a mount part that includes the knife guard (see Figure 1, the dash line 38 is formed by a portion of a peripherally enclosed opening through a mount part 38, 50, 40 that includes the knife guard).
Regarding claim 9, Chen shows a food product slicer (see the discussion in claim 1 above), comprising:
“a base;
a knife mounted for rotation about an axis relative to the base, the knife including a peripheral cutting edge, wherein the peripheral cutting edge defines a cutting edge plane;
a carriage assembly mounted to the base for reciprocal movement back and forth past the peripheral cutting edge of the knife;
a knife sharpener including a first sharpening component and a second sharpening component (see claims 1 and 4), the first sharpening component movable between a first non-sharpening position spaced from the peripheral cutting edge and a first sharpening position engaged with the peripheral cutting edge in a first region of a knife perimeter defined by the peripheral cutting edge, the second peripheral component movable between a second non-sharpening position spaced from the peripheral cutting edge (see the discussion of claims above for the stone wheel 168 moved in/out to contact the blade 14) and a second sharpening position engaged with the peripheral cutting edge in a second region of the knife perimeter (see the discussion above and “the truing stone to be brought into contact with the other side of the knife”);
a knife guard rail (20 and see the discussion in claim 1 above) extending about portions of the peripheral cutting edge, the knife guard rail including a radially inner edge facing toward and running along the peripheral cutting edge in both the first region and the second region, wherein, when the first sharpening component is in the first sharpening position and the second sharpening component is in the second sharpening position (see Figure 6, the wheel stone 168 and the truing stone 190 are located two different regions or positions), the peripheral cutting edge in both the first region of the knife perimeter and the second region of the knife perimeter is radially bounded, in the cutting edge plane, by the radially inner edge of the knife guard rail (see Figure 1).
Regarding claim 10, Chen shows that the knife guard rail is mounted in a fixed position and does not move when the first and second sharpening components move from the first and second non-sharpening positions into the first and second sharpening positions (see the cover 20 is stationary, Figure 1).
Regarding claim 11, Chen shows that the knife guard rail is part of a mount part that defines a peripherally enclosed opening through which the first sharpening component moves to reach the first sharpening position (see the discussion above for movement of the stone 168).
Regarding claim 12, Chen shows that the knife guard rail includes a front face and a rear face, wherein the front face faces a carriage assembly movement path, wherein the front face defines a knife guard plane, and the cutting edge plane is offset from the knife guard plane in a direction toward the rear face (see the discussion in the claims above).
Regarding claim 13, Chen shows a food product slicer (see claims 1 and 9 above), comprising:
“a base;
a knife mounted for rotation about an axis relative to the base, the knife including a peripheral cutting edge;
a knife sharpener including a sharpening stone movable between a non-sharpening position spaced from the peripheral cutting edge and a sharpening position engaged with the peripheral cutting edge;
a knife guard rail having a first end and a second end, and extending about a portion of the peripheral cutting edge, wherein the knife guard rail is configured with a face portion (see the cover 20, Figure 1 having a front surface parallel with the blade 14) that faces in a first direction parallel the axis of the knife (see Figure 1) and toward a carriage side of the knife, and an entirety of the portion of the peripheral cutting edge bounded by the knife guard rail between the first end and the second end of the guard rail is offset from the face portion in a second direction parallel to the axis (see the discussion above the cover covers the blade, both blade plane and the cover plane are offset) and toward a slice drop side of the knife (opposite side of the blade).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 6709319 shows two different stone wheels for sharpening a blade.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NHAT CHIEU Q DO whose telephone number is (571)270-1522. The examiner can normally be reached 8AM-5PM EST.
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/NHAT CHIEU Q DO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3724 8/26/2026
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