DETAILED ACTION
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 07/16/2026 has been entered.
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 1 has been amended.
Claim 3 has been canceled.
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 § 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 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Stanger [US Pat # 3,710,640] in view of Sugiyama [US Pub # 2019/0186596].
Regarding claim 1: Stanger shows a worm with which a gear is meshed, the worm comprising:
a main body part (1); a first tapered part (T1, see markup fig 2 below) connected to one axial side of the main body part and having a tapered shape that tapers off from the main body part;
a second tapered part (T2, see markup fig below) connected to another axial side of the main body part (1) and having a tapered shape that tapers off from the main body part (1);
a spiral tooth (2) provided in a spiral shape on outer circumferential parts of the first tapered part (T1), the main body part (46), and the second tapered part (T2), and comprising a tooth tip part (see fig 4) and a tooth bottom part (B, see fig 2);
a first tooth bottom end part (EB1) provided at the first tapered part and forming one end part of the tooth bottom part (B); and
a second tooth bottom end part (EB2, see markup fig 2 below) provided at the second tapered part and forming another end part of the tooth bottom part (B), wherein
the tooth bottom part (B) extends to advance in a spiral shape from the first tooth bottom end part (EB1) toward one circumferential side of the worm, and a position of the second tooth bottom end part (EB2) is configured within an angle range of less than 90 degrees on another circumferential side of the worm with respect to a position of the first tooth bottom end part (EB1), centered on a rotation center of the worm (see fig 2).
The main body part has a constant outer diameter (Dm), wherein a first small-diameter part (D1) having a diameter smaller than the constant diameter (Dm) of main body part (1) is provided on a side of the first tapered part opposite to the main body part (1) side in an axial direction of the worm, and a second small-diameter part (D2) having a diameter smaller than the constant outer diameter of the main body part is provided on a side of the second tapered part opposite to the main body part side in the axial direction of the worm.
The diameter of the first small-diameter part (D1) is larger than the diameter of the second small-diameter part (D2).
Stanger does not explicitly show the first tapered part having tapered shape gradually becomes smaller in diameter as the first tapered part extends away from the main body part, and the second tapered part having tapered shape gradually becomes smaller in diameter as the second tapered part extends away from the main body part. However Sugiyama the first tapered part (T1, see markup figure 16) having tapered shape gradually becomes smaller in diameter as the first tapered part extends away from the main body part, and the second tapered part (T2) having tapered shape gradually becomes smaller in diameter as the second tapered part extends away from the main body part (B)
Regarding claim 2: Stanger does not explicitly show that wherein the angle range is a range of 37 degrees to 40 degrees. However, having a specific angle range between the first bottom end and the second bottom end is matter of design choice and design preference.
as there is no established criticality of the angle range, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that angle range between the first bottom end and the second bottom end may be determined through the design process and routine methods of experimentation to achieve the desired results. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filling date to modify Stanger to include an angle range between 37 and 40, as the angle range may be selected from any known practical range to achieve the desired characteristics best suited to the intended use. In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Stanger [US Pat # 3,710,640] in view of Sugiyama [US Pub # 2019/0186596] in further view of Tanaka [US 2014/0331802].
Regarding claim 4: Stanger does not explicitly disclose that wherein the worm is a machined product. However, Tanaka teaches that wherein the worm is a machined product (see [0104]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filling date to have manufacturing the worm by machining process which to improve production efficiency, creating precise parts and reduce cost.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-2 and 4 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
[AltContent: textbox (Main body diameter Dm)][AltContent: textbox (D2)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (D1)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (T1)][AltContent: textbox (EB1)][AltContent: textbox (B)][AltContent: textbox (EB2)][AltContent: textbox (T2)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]
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Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. For example [ US Pub # 2009/0000120] shows worm gear with worm shaft (200, see fig 4) with spiral teeth and tapered portions having first bottom end and second bottom end.
[US Pat # 5,913,937] also shows worm gear with worm shaft (23, see fig 3) with spiral teeth and tapered portions having first bottom end and second bottom end.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZAKARIA ELAHMADI whose telephone number is (571)270-5324. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 10-6 EST.
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/ZAKARIA ELAHMADI/
Examiner, Art Unit 3618
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