DETAILED ACTION
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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fenerty et al. (US 3926443).
Regarding claim 1, Fenerty et al. discloses a mechanical seal Fig. 1 which is disposed between a housing 4 and a rotating shaft 2 that rotates relative to the housing, comprising: a stationary sliding ring 10 fixed to a housing side; and a rotating sliding ring 8 fixed to a rotating shaft side slide, wherein the stationary sliding ring and the rotating sliding ring are configured to slide each other through a relative rotation and partition a sealed fluid space and a leakage space off from each other, a seal surface 40 of at least one of the stationary sliding ring and the rotating sliding ring is comprised of a base material 8 having an annular shape and attached to a member on the housing side or a member on the rotating shaft side, and a resin material 24 attached to the base material, and the resin material is configured in an annular shape.
Regarding claim 2, Fenerty et al. discloses wherein at least a portion of a sliding surface 40 of remaining one of the stationary sliding ring 10 and the rotating sliding ring 8 slides against the resin material 24 and is comprised of a material (amorphous carbon graphite) having a higher hardness than the resin material.
Regarding claim 3, Fenerty et al. discloses wherein the one of the stationary sliding ring 10 and the rotating sliding ring 8 is a stationary seal ring, and the remaining one of the stationary sliding ring and the rotating sliding ring is a rotating seal ring.
Regarding claim 4-6, Fenerty et al. discloses wherein at least a part of a seal surface 40 of the base material 8 is formed to be closer to a leakage space side than the resin material Fig. 1.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EUGENE G BYRD whose telephone number is (571)270-1824. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5:30pm.
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/EUGENE G BYRD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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