DETAILED ACTION
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(s) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Foreign Patent no. CN203618436U.
Foreign’436 discloses the claimed invention including a housing 3 that defines a grip portion (see Fig. 3) and a battery receptacle (see Fig. 3); a head unit 2 including a rotatable trimmer head and a motor (inherently disclosed) configured to rotate the trimmer head; a shaft assembly 1 extending along an axis between the handle unit and the head unit to couple the handle unit to the head unit; a handle 4 coupled to the shaft assembly between the handle unit and the head unit; and a counterweight 7 disposed within the housing between the grip portion and the battery receptacle (see Fig. 3); wherein the counterweight comprises a cylindrically shaped body (see Fig. 5B-C). Foreign’436 doesn’t show the axis intersects the counterweight. However, Foreign’436 teaches another embodiment in Fig. 8 where the counterweight 7 intersects with axis of the cutting blades assembly. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the device of Foreign’436 by providing the axis of the shaft intersects the counterweight for the purpose of improving the balance, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Foreign Patent no. CN203618436U in view of Sheeks et al. (2019/0044110 A1).
Foreign’436 discloses the invention substantially as claimed except for an electric motor including a rotor assembly, a stator assembly surrounding the rotor assembly, and a circuit board assembly coupled to an axial end of the stator assembly. However, Sheeks et al. teaches the use of above limitations for the purpose of increasing the deliverable power of the battery power source. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the device of Foreign’436 by providing the above limitations as taught by Sheeks et al. in order to obtain a device that increases the deliverable power of the battery power source.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 5-7 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OMAR FLORES SANCHEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-4507. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Thursday8:00-4:00 pm.
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/OMAR FLORES SANCHEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3724
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