DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 16-17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 31, 32, and 33 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being disclosed by Lin (2012/0160072).
Lin discloses the invention including:
Claim 16; first and second stops 60 spaced apart from each other to form a spacer area (see Fig. 3) for the passage of a saw blade 20 between the first and second stops; wherein the first stop includes a first stop piece including a first mount 612 and a first exchangeable stop piece 63a exchangeably attached to the first mount, the first exchangeable stop piece projecting at least partially beyond the first stop piece into the spacer area (see Fig. 3).
Claim 17; the second stop includes a second stop piece including a second mount 614 and a second exchangeable stop piece 63b exchangeably attached to the second mount; wherein both the first and second exchangeable stop pieces project into the spacer area facing each other and a sawing gap for the passage of the saw blade is formed between longitudinal ends of the exchangeable stop pieces (see Fig. 3).
Claim 19; the first stop piece has a front-end workpiece contact surface and the first exchangeable stop piece has a front-end contact surface aligned with the front-end workpiece contact surface (see Fig. 3 and 10).
Claim 20; wherein: the first stop piece is connected to the first exchangeable stop piece by a centering connection 612 including a centering lug 616 on one of the first stop piece or the first exchangeable stop piece.
Claim 22; the first exchangeable stop piece includes at least one fastening mount (inherently disclosed see para. 0031); and the first stop piece includes a fastening lug 616 inserted into the fastening mount.
Claim 23; the first stop piece includes a support surface; and the first exchangeable stop piece includes a support section seated on the support surface (see Fig. 4-5).
Claim 24; a base body 63a including a front contact surface (see Fig. 3) configured to contact a workpiece to be machined, the base body including a holding section 616 including one or more fastening mounts (inherently disclosed see para. 0031) and a seating surface 616 offset with respect to the contact surface.
Claim 31; the base body includes an end section (see Fig. 5) projecting oppositely from the holding section, the end section including a body edge (see Fig. the end edge of each 63a-b) forming a longitudinal end of the exchangeable stop piece to form a boundary of a spacer area for the passage of a saw blade of the miter saw.
Claim 32; the base body 63b includes a second holding section projecting oppositely from the first mentioned holding section, the second holding section including a further one or more fastening mounts (inherently disclosed see para. 0031).
Claim 33; a base part (see Fig. 2) including a support and a rotary unit, the rotary unit forming a workpiece support surface and having an axis of rotation oriented perpendicular to the workpiece support surface; a swivel arm swivel (see Fig. 2) connected to the support such that the swivel arm can be swiveled about a swivel axis oriented perpendicular to the axis of rotation; a saw head 20 carried by the swivel arm and configured to receive a saw blade on a saw blade holder defining a saw blade plane (see Fig. 10), the saw head being coupled to the swivel arm about a miter axis of a miter 20 bearing such that the saw head can swivel about the miter axis; wherein a saw slot 52 is formed in the workpiece support surface of the rotary unit along the saw blade plane to receive the saw blade at least partially during a separating cut; and a workpiece stop arrangement 60 including an exchangeable stop piece, the exchangeable stop piece 63a-b including a base body (see Fig. 5) including a front contact surface (see Fig. 3) configured to contact a workpiece to be cut by the saw blade, the base body (see Fig. 5) including a holding section 616 including one or more fastening mounts (inherently disclosed see para. 0031) and a seating surface 616 offset with respect to the front contact surface.
Claim(s) 16-19, and 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being disclosed by Stumpf et al. (6,425,309).
Stumpf et al. discloses the invention including:
Claim 16; first and second stops 32, 34 spaced apart from each other to form a spacer area (see Fig. 5) for the passage of a saw blade 16 between the first and second stops; wherein the first stop includes a first stop piece including a first mount 80 and a first exchangeable stop piece 60 exchangeably attached to the first mount, the first exchangeable stop piece projecting at least partially beyond the first stop piece into the spacer area (see Fig. 5).
Claim 17; the second stop includes a second stop piece including a second mount 34 and a second exchangeable stop piece 60 exchangeably attached to the second mount; wherein both the first and second exchangeable stop pieces project into the spacer area facing each other and a sawing gap for the passage of the saw blade is formed between longitudinal ends of the exchangeable stop pieces (see Fig. 5).
Claim 18; the second stop includes a second stop piece 34 including a second mount 80; wherein the first exchangeable stop piece bridges the spacer area (see Fig. 9) and is capable of exchangeably connected to both the first and second stop pieces.
Claim 19; the first stop piece has a front-end workpiece contact surface and the first exchangeable stop piece has a front-end contact surface aligned with the front-end workpiece contact surface (see Fig. 9).
Claim 23; the first stop piece includes a support surface; and the first exchangeable stop piece includes a support section seated on the support surface (see Fig. 5).
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) 21 and 27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin (2012/0160072).
Lin discloses the invention substantially as claimed except for two centering connections spaced apart from each other. 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 Lin by providing above limitations for the purpose of increasing stability of the connection between two parts, since it has been held that mere duplication of essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 25-26, 28, 29, 30, 34, and 35 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
