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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-5 in the reply filed on 2 October 2026 is acknowledged. Claims 6-13 are withdrawn from consideration.
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, 3, and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kojima (JP 2017-025705-A, English translation attached).
Regarding claim 1: Kojima discloses a method for producing a hydroelectric power generator (abstract), comprising:
modeling a part having a shape corresponding to a shape of an electric generator using a 3D printer (page 5, third full paragraph of English translation); and
assembling a hydroelectric power generator with the part having the shape corresponding to the shape of the electric generator (Fig. 1 and Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 3: Kojima discloses wherein the part having the shape corresponding to the shape of the electric generator is a coupling member (72) configured to couple a rotating assembly (74, 76) to the electric generator, where the rotating assembly is rotatably coupled to a rotatable shaft (80, Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 5: Kojima discloses the electric generator is a hub dynamo (Fig. 1).
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 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kojima, in view of Jassal et al. (“Jassal”; US 2021/0320572).
Regarding claim 2: Kojima discloses the electric generator but does not explicitly disclose acquiring information of the shape of the electric generator and generating model data.
However, Jassal discloses acquiring information (paragraph 0029, from the scanner) of the shape of the electric generator and generating model data (paragraph 0029, the component is manufactured).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the electrical generator of Kojima to have the model data of Jassal in order to have greater control over the manufacturing process.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kojima, in view of Von Bargen (US 2022/0010763).
Regarding claim 4: Kojima discloses the part of the rotating assembly is made by 3D printing, but does not explicitly disclose at least part of the rotating assembly includes a recycled plastic material, or a bioplastic material, or both.
However Von Bargen discloses a 3D printed item is made of recycled plastic (paragraph 0140).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the rotating assembly of Kojima to include a recycled plastic material as disclosed by Von Bargen, in order to be environmentally friendly.
Conclusion
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/SEAN GUGGER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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