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
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, 4-5, 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fraese et al. (US 20210101214, hereinafter ‘Fraese’).
Regarding claim 1, Fraese discloses a cutting tool rotatable about an axis 13 comprising a body 10 including a front end surface, a rear end surface and an outermost circumferential surface that is contiguous to each of the front and rear end surfaces and has a pocket (see e.g. Fig. 1). A cutting insert 16 is disposed in the pocket. The body also includes a first member that surrounds the axis and has a first outer circumferential surface (see annotated Fig. 4 below, the first member broadly considered to be the internal portion of the tool between the coolant space 24 and the axis of the tool 13, the outer circumferential surface being the surface of coolant space 24 closest to the axis of the tool) a second member that has an inner circumferential surface surrounding the first outer circumferential surface and forms each of the front, rear and outermost circumferential surfaces (see annotated Fig. 4 below, the second member broadly considered to be the outer portion of the tool 12 between the coolant space 24 and the outer circumferential surface, the inner circumferential surface being the surface of coolant space 24 farthest from the axis of the tool), a support member that interconnects the first outer circumferential surface and the inner circumferential surface and is spaced from the front and rear end surfaces and a fixing member that closes a gap between the first outer circumferential surface and the inner circumferential surface (see annotated Fig. 4 below). The first member has a through hole that extends along the axis (see Fig. 4), a space 24 is formed between the first member and the second member, the space surrounding the through hole. The second member has a channel 26 formed therethrough, that is contiguous to the space and opens at the outermost circumferential surface 32.
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Regarding claim 4, Fraese discloses the channel 26 having a cross sectional shape in which a cross section perpendicular to the direction the channel extends defines a first width of the channel in a first direction from the front end surface toward the rear end surface and a second width of the channel in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and the first width is larger than the second width (see Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 5, Fraese discloses the cutting insert including a bottom surface in contact with the outermost circumferential surface and a rake face being opposite to the bottom surface. The outermost circumferential surface has a seat surface in contact with the bottom surface and a first surface located forward of the seat surface in a direction of rotation. The seat and first surface form the pocket. The channel has a first channel portion 32 that opens at the first surface and the first channel surface opens toward the rake face (see Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 9, Fraese discloses the first member including a first inner circumferential surface that forms the through hole, the first inner circumferential surface having a first inner circumferential surface that extends along the axis (visible in Fig. 4) and a second inner circumferential surface portion that is located between the first inner circumferential surface portion and the front end surface and is inclined with respect to the first inner circumferential surface portion (see Fig. 4, the tapered end of the through hole where it meets the front face clearly being illustrated). The second inner circumferential surface portion has a diameter decreasing as the second inner circumferential surface portion is farther away from the end surface.
Regarding claim 10, Fraese discloses the tool inherently interacting with a holder that supplies the space with a cutting fluid via an inherent outlet. The first member, second member and the support member form at least one inlet 22 contiguous to the space. As observed along the axis, the at least one outlet overlaps the at least one inlet (due to walls of the tool 12 extending rearward, defining the inlet) and the at least one outlet is equal in number to the at least one inlet.
Claims 1-2, 5 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhang et al. (CN 110587003, hereinafter ‘Zhang’).
Regarding claim 1, Zhang discloses a cutting tool rotatable about an axis comprising a body including a front end surface, a rear end surface and an outermost circumferential surface that is contiguous to each of the front and rear end surfaces and has a pocket 8 (see e.g. Fig. 1). A cutting insert is disposed in the pocket. The body also includes a first member 1 that surrounds the axis and has a first outer circumferential surface, a second member 14 that has an inner circumferential surface surrounding the first outer circumferential surface and forms each of the front, rear and outermost circumferential surfaces, a support member 9 that interconnects the first outer circumferential surface and the inner circumferential surface and is spaced from the front and rear end surfaces and a fixing member 11 that closes a gap between the first outer circumferential surface and the inner circumferential surface (see Fig. 2). The first member has a through hole 15 that extends along the axis, a space 10 is formed between the first member and the second member, the space surrounding the through hole. The second member has a channel 7 formed therethrough, that is contiguous to the space (see Fig. 1) and opens at the outermost circumferential surface.
Regarding claim 2, Zhang discloses the channel having a channel portion that is curved as observed along the axis (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 5, Zhang discloses the cutting insert including a bottom surface in contact with the outermost circumferential surface and a rake face being opposite to the bottom surface. The outermost circumferential surface has a seat surface in contact with the bottom surface and a first surface located forward of the seat surface in a direction of rotation. The seat and first surface form the pocket. The channel has a first channel portion 7 that opens at the first surface and the first channel surface opens toward the rake face (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 10, discloses the tool inherently interacting with a holder that supplies the space with a cutting fluid via an inherent outlet. The first member, second member and the support member form at least one inlet contiguous to the space. As observed along the axis, the at least one outlet overlaps the at least one inlet and the at least one outlet is equal in number to the at least one inlet.
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.
Claims 2-3 and 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fraese et al. (US 20210101214) in view of Fang et al. (US 20210220956, hereinafter ‘Fang’).
Regarding claim 2, Fraese does not explicitly disclose the channel curving, although one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing may expect the channel to curve as the lands 18 of the tool are curved/extend helically.
Fang discloses a similar tool, wherein the channels 68 of the tool are curved as observed along the axis (see Fig. 10).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to curve at least a portion of the channel of Fraese as taught by Fang in order to enable the channel to get from the space to the outer circumferential surface while the lands of the tool curve.
Regarding claim 3, Fraese discloses the channel as being contemplated with a rounded shape (Paragraph [0044]) but does not explicitly disclose an elliptical cross sectional shape.
Fang discloses a coolant channel with an elliptical cross section (Paragraph [0057]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to provide the channel of Fraese with an elliptical cross sectional shape, as taught by Fang, in order to achieve the desired coolant flow/pressure/direction.
Regarding claims 6 and 7, Fraese does not disclose the claimed second channel portion.
Fang discloses a similar tool, wherein the channel expands and provides a second channel portion (e.g. 72b) that opens at the first surface of the tool and is spaced from the first channel portion (e.g. 72a) (see Fig. 8). The second channel portion opens toward the rake face, the first surface has a first opening contiguous to the first channel portion and a second opening contiguous to the second channel portion, the first channel portion having a first cross sectional area and the second channel portion having a second cross sectional area. The first and second openings as well as the first and second areas are different from each other (Paragraph [0061).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to provide the tool of Fraese with a second channel portion/opening as taught by Fang and to have different areas between said first and second channel portions/openings to provide the desired coolant flow to each portion of the rake face.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fraese et al. (US 20210101214) in view of Arumugam et al. (US 20230226626, hereinafter ‘Arumugam’).
Regarding claim 8, Fraese discloses the cutting insert including a flank face contiguous to the rake face and the outermost circumferential surface having a second surface located rearward of the seat surface in the direction of rotation and located in a direction from the axis toward the outermost circumferential surface with respect to the seat surface (see Fig. 6). Fraese does not disclose the claimed third channel.
Arumugam discloses a similar tool, wherein the tool is provided with a third channel portion 32 that branches from the channel that opens at the second surface and opens toward the flank face of the insert (see Fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of fling to provide the channel of Fraese with a third channel portion that opens at the second surface toward the flank face of the insert as taught by Arumugam in order to more thoroughly cool the tool while machining.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Haimer (US 20160107284) discloses a similar cutting tool with first 5 and second 2 members, with a similar space and channel 12 taught.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Alan Snyder whose telephone number is (571)272-4603. The examiner can normally be reached M-R 7:00a - 5:00p.
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/Alan Snyder/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3722
