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 Objections
Claims 1 and 9 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1, line 6, “outer peripheral surfaces” should read - - an outer peripheral surface - -.
Claim 1, lines 6 – 7, “inner peripheral surfaces” should read - - an inner peripheral surface - -.
Claim 1, line 9, “the outer peripheral surfaces” should read - - the outer peripheral surface - -.
Claim 1, line 10, “the inner peripheral surfaces” should read - - the inner peripheral surface - -.
Claim 1, line 12, “of axial end parts” should read - - of the axial end parts - -.
Claim 1, line 13, “an outer peripheral surface” should read - - the outer peripheral surface - -.
Claim 1, lines 13 – 14, “an inner peripheral surface” should read - - the inner peripheral surfaced - -.
Claim 9, lines 4 – 5, “outer peripheral surfaces” should read - - an outer peripheral surface - -.
Claim 9, line 5, “inner peripheral surfaces” should read - - an inner peripheral surface - -.
Claim 9, line 8, “the outer peripheral surfaces” should read - - the outer peripheral surface - -.
Claim 9, line 9, “the inner peripheral surfaces” should read - - the inner peripheral surface - -.
Claim 9, line 11, “of axial end parts” should read - - of the axial end parts - -.
Claim 9, line 12, “an outer peripheral surface” should read - - the outer peripheral surface - -.
Claim 9, lines 12 – 13, “an inner peripheral surface” should read - - the inner peripheral surfaced - -.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 – 3, 6, 8, 9 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zubler USP 2424530 in view of Yamamoto et al. USPGPUB 20170307007.
Claim 1, Zubler discloses a thrust bearing comprising: a first bearing washer (inner ball race A)(col. 2, l. 12) including a raceway groove; a second bearing washer (outer ball race B)(col. 2, line 12) including a raceway groove; a rolling element (ball bearings 24)(col. 2, ll. 12 – 13) disposed between the raceway groove of the first bearing washer and the raceway groove of the second bearing washer; and a holding member (annulus 26)(col. 2, ll. 17 – 18) disposed covering an outer peripheral surface or an inner peripheral surface of the first bearing washer and the second bearing washer and holding the first bearing washer and the second bearing washer in an axial direction (col. 2, ll. 16 – 22: “[t]he outer, rotatable ball race B is secured to the inner ball race by means of an annulus 26 which extends through the bore formed in the center of the ball races, and the opposite ends of which are rolled to form flanges 27 and 28 engaging the beveled adjacent edges of the ball races”), the holding member including a cylindrical part (26a)(see annotated Fig. 3) facing the outer peripheral surfaces or the inner peripheral surfaces of the first bearing washer and the second bearing washer and a bent part bent (flange 27 or flange 28) over an entire circumference with respect to the cylindrical part at at least one of the axial end parts of the cylindrical part, and a chamfered part (A1 or B1)being formed at a corner part of an outer peripheral surface or an inner peripheral surface of at least one of the first bearing washer or the second bearing washer, the chamfered part and the bent part of the holding member facing each other.
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Zubler does not expressly disclose a circumferential groove formed at a boundary part between the bent part and the cylindrical part over an entire circumference of an inner peripheral surface or an outer peripheral surface.
Yamamoto teaches that it was known to use a circumferential groove (annular groove 79)(Fig. 8 – 12)([0063], l. 2) formed at a boundary part between the bent part and the cylindrical part over an entire circumference of an inner peripheral surface or an outer peripheral surface ([0064], ll. 1 – 9: “[s]ubsequently, an area of the cage material 56 which is located radially outside the pockets 73 is bent inward in the radial direction along the groove 79 to form a radially outer area bent portion (radially outer area bending step) (step S7). In this step, since the radially outer area of the cage material 56 is bent along the groove 79, the bending position can be easily controlled, whereby positional accuracy can be improved and the radially outer area of the cage material 56 can be easily bent inward in the radial direction”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the holding member of the thrust bearing device of Zubler with a circumferential groove formed at a boundary part between the bent part and the cylindrical part over an entire circumference of an inner peripheral surface or an outer peripheral surface, since such a modification would have been suitable for facilitating bending and controlling the bending position of the bent part, as taught and suggested by Yamamoto.
Claim 2, the modification of Yamamoto discloses a depth of the circumferential groove being equal to or less than half of a thickness of the cylindrical part of the holding member.
Claim 3, the modification of Yamamoto discloses the depth of the circumferential groove being equal to or less than one-third of the thickness of the cylindrical part of the holding member.
Claim 6, the modification of Yamamoto discloses the circumferential groove having a substantially V-shaped cross section ([0063], ll. 13 – 14: “[t]he shape of the groove 79 is not particularly limited. The groove 79 may have a pointed bottom or may have a curved bottom”).
Claim 8, the modification of Yamamoto discloses the circumferential groove having a substantially U-shaped cross section ([0063], ll. 13 – 14).
Claim 9, Zubler discloses a method for manufacturing a thrust bearing including a first bearing washer (inner ball race A)(col. 2, l. 12) including a raceway groove; a second bearing washer (outer ball race B)(col. 2, line 12) including a raceway groove; a rolling element (ball bearings 24)(col. 2, ll. 12 – 13) disposed between the raceway groove of the first bearing washer and the raceway groove of the second bearing washer; and a holding member (annulus 26)(col. 2, ll. 17 – 18) disposed covering an outer peripheral surface or an inner peripheral surface of the first bearing washer and the second bearing washer and holding the first bearing washer and the second bearing washer in an axial direction (col. 2, ll. 16 – 22: “[t]he outer, rotatable ball race B is secured to the inner ball race by means of an annulus 26 which extends through the bore formed in the center of the ball races, and the opposite ends of which are rolled to form flanges 27 and 28 engaging the beveled adjacent edges of the ball races”), the holding member including a cylindrical part (26a)(see annotated Fig. 3) facing the outer peripheral surfaces or the inner peripheral surfaces of the first bearing washer and the second bearing washer and a bent part bent (flange 27 or flange 28) over an entire circumference with respect to the cylindrical part at at least one of the axial end parts of the cylindrical part, and a chamfered part (A1 or B1) being formed at a corner part of an outer peripheral surface or an inner peripheral surface of at least one of the first bearing washer or the second bearing washer, the chamfered part and the bent part of the holding member facing each other, the method comprising: forming the cylindrical part and the bent part into a cylindrical shape having a uniform cross section.
Zubler does not expressly disclose forming a circumferential groove over an entire circumference of an inner peripheral surface or an outer peripheral surface at a terminal part of the cylindrical part; and bending the cylindrical part at the circumferential groove to form the bent part by crimping.
Yamamoto teaches that it was known to form a circumferential groove (annular groove 79)(Fig. 8 – 12)([0063], l. 2) over an entire circumference of an inner peripheral surface or an outer peripheral surface at a terminal part of the cylindrical part; and bending the cylindrical part at the circumferential groove to form the bent part by crimping ([0064], ll. 1 – 9: “[s]ubsequently, an area of the cage material 56 which is located radially outside the pockets 73 is bent inward in the radial direction along the groove 79 to form a radially outer area bent portion (radially outer area bending step) (step S7). In this step, since the radially outer area of the cage material 56 is bent along the groove 79, the bending position can be easily controlled, whereby positional accuracy can be improved and the radially outer area of the cage material 56 can be easily bent inward in the radial direction”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the method of Zubler with the step of forming a circumferential groove over an entire circumference of an inner peripheral surface or an outer peripheral surface at a terminal part of the cylindrical part; and bending the cylindrical part at the circumferential groove to form the bent part by crimping, since such a modification would have been suitable for facilitating bending and controlling the bending position of the bent part, as taught and suggested by Yamamoto.
Claim 12, the modification of Yamamoto discloses an inner side surface of the circumferential groove at one side in the axial direction and an inner side surface at the other side in the axial direction being separated from each other such that the circumferential groove after crimping has a substantially V-shaped cross section ([0063], ll. 13 – 14).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 7, 10, 11, 13 and 14 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.
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHILLIP A JOHNSON whose telephone number is (571)270-5216. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am - 5pm.
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/PHILLIP A JOHNSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3617
