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.
Claim(s)16-19, 22, 29-30, 33 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2016/0108915 to Deguchi et al. (Degunchi).
In Reference to Claim 16 and 27
Degunchi discloses:
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A scroll vacuum pump, comprising:
a pump system that comprises a stationary spiral 10 component and a movable spiral component 11 cooperating with said stationary spiral component in a pump-active manner;
a drive shaft 8 that rotates about an axis of rotation during operation and that has an eccentric section for driving the movable spiral component; and
an electric drive motor 3 for the drive shaft, wherein the movable spiral component comprises a spiral arrangement, which has spiral walls spiral grooves bounded by said spiral walls and a spiral base 11a the base of said spiral grooves, and a support for the spiral arrangement, said support cooperating with the eccentric section of the drive shaft, wherein the stationary spiral component comprises a spiral arrangement, which has spiral walls and a spiral base, and a support for the spiral arrangement, see Fig.2A and 2B, and wherein at least one spiral wall has a reduced thickness at a free end section 113, said reduced thickness being smaller than the thickness of a section of the spiral wall that is arranged upstream of the free end section and that merges into the free end section, see Fig.7 the reduced section see paragraph [0052].
In Reference to Claim 17 and 28
Degunchi discloses:
wherein the reduced thickness of the free end section over the entire wall height is smaller than the thickness of the section arranged upstream, see fig.7.
In Reference to Claim 18 and 29
Degunchi discloses:
wherein the reduced thickness of the free end section is constant over the entire wall height, or wherein the reduced thickness of the free end section decreases continuously from the spiral base up to a tip of the spiral wall 111, see Fig.7
In Reference to Claim 19 and 30
Degunchi discloses:
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wherein the free end section has a respective recess R relative to the section arranged upstream both at a radial inner side and at a radial outer side of said free end section, or wherein the free end section has a recess relative R to the section arranged upstream only at the radial inner side of the free end section.
In Reference to Claim 22 and 27
Degunchi discloses:
wherein the movable spiral component and the stationary spiral component are each made of aluminum or of a material containing aluminum, see paragraph [0034].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 20, 21, 23, 24, 31, 34, 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 primarily because the prior art of record cannot anticipate Applicant’s claimed invention by a single reference nor render Applicant’s claimed invention obvious by the combination of more than one reference.
Claims 25-26 are allowed primarily because the prior art of record cannot anticipate Applicant’s claimed invention by a single reference nor render Applicant’s claimed invention obvious by the combination of more than one reference.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Furthermore, the prior art of record does not teach “the spiral wall has been produced by a chip-forming machining via a machine tool that has a rotating tool that is pressed during the machining against a radial inner side or against a radial outer side of the spiral wall to be produced.” as within the context of the claimed invention as disclosed and within the context of the other limitations present in claim 20, 25 and 31;
The prior art of record does not teach “wherein the reduced thickness of the end section is between 85% and 98% of the thickness of the section arranged upstream, or wherein the reduced thickness of the end section is 1/10 mm to 3/10 mm less than the thickness of the section arranged upstream.” as within the context of the claimed invention as disclosed and within the context of the other limitations present in claim 23 and 34; and
The prior art of record does not teach “wherein a length of the end section measured in a direction of extent of the spiral wall is in a range from 3 mm to 10 mm.” as within the context of the claimed invention as disclosed and within the context of the other limitations present in claim 24 and 35.
Therefore, the prior art of record cannot anticipate Applicant’s claimed invention by a single reference nor render Applicant’s claimed invention obvious by the combination of more than one reference.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHONY AYALA DELGADO whose telephone number is (571)270-3452. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mark III Laurenzi can be reached on (571) 270-7878. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANTHONY AYALA DELGADO/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746
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