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 .
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 5-6 and 11-12 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 5, the phrase “a second angle” render the claim indefinite because claim 5 never recited “a first angle”; so, it is unclear why having “a second angle” without “a first angle”.
Claim 6 is rejected because it depends from claim 5.
Regarding claim 11, the phrase “a second angle” render the claim indefinite because claim 5 never recited “a first angle”; so, it is unclear why having “a second angle” without “a first angle”.
Claim 12 is rejected because it depends from claim 11.
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.
Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Sato (WO2020161998A1 attached NPL, English Machine translation).
Regarding claim 1, Sato discloses a coiling machine (fig.1: (100); paragraphs 0001 and 0014-0024) comprising:
a feed unit (fig.1: (11) and (12)) configured to feed a wire in a feed direction;
a helix formation unit (fig.1: (14) and (15)) configured to bend the wire fed by the feed unit in a perpendicular direction orthogonal to the feed direction in series, thereby forming a coil spring extending into a helical shape toward a formation direction orthogonal to the feed direction and the perpendicular direction (fig.5);
a laser heater (fig.1: (20)) configured to heat a portion of the wire by emitting laser light to the wire which is bent by the helix formation unit; and
a cutting unit (fig.1: (30)) configured to cut a site of the wire heated by the laser light, wherein
when, relative to an irradiation area irradiated with the laser light in the wire, the formation direction is defined as 0°, and an opposite side of the feed direction is defined as 90°, and an opposite side of the formation direction is defined as 180°, and the feed direction is defined as 270°, an irradiation direction of the laser light by the laser heater forms a first angle which is greater than or equal to 0° and less than or equal to 270° with the formation direction (fig.15 and paragraphs 0073-0077: D1 in the same direction D2, the angle between D1 and D2 is 00 ).
Regarding claim 7, Sato discloses a coil spring manufacturing method (fig.1: (100); paragraphs 0001 and 0014-0024) comprising:
feeding (fig.1: (11) and (12)) a wire in a feed direction;
bending (fig.1: (14) and (15)) the fed wire in a perpendicular direction orthogonal to the feed direction in series, thereby forming a coil spring extending into a helical shape toward a formation direction orthogonal to the feed direction and the perpendicular direction (fig.5);
heating a portion of the wire by emitting laser light (fig.1: (20)) to the bent wire; and cutting (fig.1: (30)) a site of the wire heated by the laser light, wherein
when, relative to an irradiation area irradiated with the laser light in the wire, the formation direction is defined as 0°, and an opposite side of the feed direction is defined as 90°, and an opposite side of the formation direction is defined as 180°, and the feed direction is defined as 270°, an irradiation direction of the laser light forms a first angle which is greater than or equal to 0° and less than or equal to 270° with the formation direction (fig.15 and paragraphs 0073-0077: D1 in the same direction D2, the angle between D1 and D2 is 00 ).
Regarding claims 2 and 8, Sato discloses wherein the first angle is greater than or equal to 0° and less than or equal to 180° (fig.15 and paragraphs 0073-0076: D1 in the same direction D2, the angle between D1 and D2 is 00 ).
Regarding claims 3 and 9, Sato discloses wherein the first angle is greater than or equal to 0° and less than or equal to 80°(fig.15 and paragraphs 0073-0077: D1 in the same direction D2, the angle between D1 and D2 is 00 ).
Regarding claims 4 and 10, Sato discloses wherein when, relative to the irradiation area, the perpendicular direction is defined as 0°, and the formation direction is defined as 90°, the irradiation direction forms a second angle which is greater than or equal to 5° and less than or equal to 80° with the perpendicular direction (fig.16 and paragraph 0077: D1 in the same direction D2, the angle between D1 and D2 is 400).
Regarding claim 5, Sato discloses a coiling machine (fig.1: (100); paragraphs 0001 and 0014-0024) comprising:
a feed unit (fig.1: (11) and (12)) configured to feed a wire in a feed direction;
a helix formation unit (fig.1: (14) and (15)) configured to bend the wire fed by the feed unit in a perpendicular direction orthogonal to the feed direction in series, thereby forming a coil spring extending into a helical shape toward a formation direction orthogonal to the feed direction and the perpendicular direction (fig.5);
a laser heater (fig.1: (20)) configured to heat a portion of the wire by emitting laser light to the wire which is bent by the helix formation unit; and
a cutting unit (fig.1: (30)) configured to cut a site of the wire heated by the laser light, wherein
when, relative to an irradiation area irradiated with the laser light in the wire, the perpendicular direction is defined as 0°, and the formation direction is defined as 90°, an irradiation direction of the laser light by the laser heater forms a second angle which is greater than or equal to 5° and less than or equal to 80° with the perpendicular direction (fig.16 and paragraphs 0073-0077: D1 in the same direction D2, the angle between D1 and D2 is 400).
Regarding claim 11, Sato discloses a coil spring manufacturing method (fig.1: (100); paragraphs 0001 and 0014-0024) comprising:
feeding (fig.1: (11) and (12)) a wire in a feed direction;
bending (fig.1: (14) and (15)) the fed wire in a perpendicular direction orthogonal to the feed direction in series, thereby forming a coil spring extending into a helical shape toward a formation direction orthogonal to the feed direction and the perpendicular direction (fig.5);
heating a portion of the wire by emitting laser light (fig.1: (20)) to the bent wire; and cutting (fig.1: (30)) a site of the wire heated by the laser light, wherein
when, relative to an irradiation area irradiated with the laser light in the wire, the perpendicular direction is defined as 0°, and the formation direction is defined as 90°, an irradiation direction of the laser light forms a second angle which is greater than or equal to 5° and less than or equal to 80° with the perpendicular direction (fig.16 and paragraphs 0073-0077: D1 in the same direction D2, the angle between D1 and D2 is 400).
Regarding claims 6 and 12, Sato discloses wherein the second angle is greater than or equal to 5° and less than or equal to 45° (fig.16 and paragraphs 0073-0077: D1 in the same direction D2, the angle between D1 and D2 is 400).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMED S ALAWADI whose telephone number is (571)272-2224. The examiner can normally be reached 08:00 am- 05:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, CHRISTOPHER TEMPLETON can be reached at (571)270-1477. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MOHAMMED S. ALAWADI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3725
