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, 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Stanger [US Pat # 3,710,640].
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).
Regarding claim 3: Stanger shows wherein a first small-diameter part (3) having a diameter smaller than the 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 (4) having a diameter smaller than 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.
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 Stanger [US Pat # 3,710,640].
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 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.
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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.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Minnah Seoh can be reached on 571-270-7778. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ZAKARIA ELAHMADI/
Examiner, Art Unit 3618