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 .
Foreign Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on June 27, 2025, March 18, 2026 and May 27, 2026 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements have been considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings were received on May 29, 2025. These drawings are objected to as follows:
(I) Figure 1 (see paragraphs [0028, 0040] of Applicants specification, wherein Fig. 1 is described as a "conventional tape storage apparatus") should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
(II) The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference character "1000" has been used to designate both the flowchart 1000 (see Fig. 10 and paragraph [0068] of Applicant's specification) as well as the computing system 1000 of Fig. 8 (see Fig. 8 and paragraph [0063] of Applicant's specification).
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
(i) With regard to page 12 (line 10 of paragraph [0049]), the term "first actuating mechanism 130" should be changed to the term --first actuating mechanism 140-- since designator 130 has been used in the specification and drawings to refer to the "magnetic head component 130."
Appropriate correction is required.
The specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Species I (Fig. 3) and Sub-species A (Fig. 6) in the reply filed on May 21, 2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the structural distinction between the species/sub-species are "implementation-level variations of the same core invention." The Applicant further alleges that "[t]hese distinctions do not give rise to a separate field of search requiring materially different search strategies." See page 1 of the Response filed on May 21, 2026.
This is not found persuasive because the Examiner maintains, at the very least, the Species groupings, as set in the Restriction requirement mailed on April 20, 2026, require a different field of search (e.g., searching different classes/subclasses or electronic resources, or employing different search strategies or search queries). For example, the search strategy for each of the independent and distinct species would entail a search strategy focusing in on distinct and independent structure of each of the species, relative to the other species of the mutually exclusive and a priori patentably distinct features of the tape storage apparatus including searches encompassing a motor for moving a magnetic head component along a first direction, perpendicular to a second direction in which first/second reels are opposed to each other (according to one embodiment); or a tape storage apparatus having a magnetic head array disposed along a first direction, perpendicular to a second direction in which first/second reels are opposed to each other (according to another embodiment); and/or subspecies including a second motor for causing a magnetic head to traverse a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions, along a tape width to access multiple tape regions; or another a priori patentably distinct subspecies in which a plurality of magnetic head subarrays are provided in a third direction, perpendicular to the first and second directions (evidenced by the Applicant's detailed description articulated within the disclosure), to access magnetic tapes. In addition, these species are not obvious variants of each other based on the current record.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claims 4, 9, 16, and 18 ae currently withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species (or sub-species), there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on May 21, 2026.
Examiner Comments
The Examiner has cited particular columns and line numbers, paragraphs, or figures in the reference(s) as applied to the claims for the convenience of the Applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the Applicant, in preparing responses, to fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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, 11-15, 19, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Biskeborn et al. (US 2021/0125637 A1).
As per claim 1, and analogously, as per claim 20, Biskeborn et al. (US 2021/0125637 A1) discloses a tape storage apparatus comprising: a plurality of tape assemblies (e.g. see the eight tape spool pairs (1004) in Fig. 11) arranged in a first direction (e.g. left-to-right in Fig. 11), wherein each tape assembly of the plurality of tape assemblies (1004) comprises: a first reel (e.g. 120, corresponding to one of the spools of the pair of spools of one tape assembly 1004); a second reel (e.g. 121, corresponding to another opposed one of the spools of the pair of spools of one tape assembly 1004), wherein the first reel and the second reel are opposite to each other in a second direction (e.g. top-to-bottom direction, which is orthogonal to said first direction), and wherein the second direction intersects the first direction (Fig 11); and a tape (e.g., 122, 1007) rolled between the first reel and the second reel (Fig. 11); a driving component (e.g., motors (1015) - see, inter alia, paragraphs [0110, 0111]) coupled to the plurality of tape assemblies and configured to drive the tape to roll; and a magnetic head component (e.g. 1008 - paragraph [0102]) configured to perform reading and writing on the tape.
As per claim 2, further comprising an actuating component (e.g., 1010) coupled to the magnetic head component (1008) and configured to move the magnetic head component (1008) back and forth in the first direction across the plurality of tape assemblies - see, inter alia, paragraph [0102].
As per claim 3, wherein the actuating component (1010) comprises: a guide structure; and a motor configured to drive the magnetic head component (1008) to move along the guide structure. See paragraphs [0102, 0125-0127, 0132, 0143].
As per claim 11, wherein the magnetic head component (1008) is arranged opposite to the tape in the second direction. That is, the magnetic head component (as see in Fig. 11), is located in the middle of the tape assemblies, and is opposed to each of the pair of reels of each tape assembly (1004), and thus is considered to be "arranged opposite to the tape (mounted on each spool) in the second (top-to-bottom) direction.
As per claim 12, wherein the driving component (e.g., motors (1015) - see, inter alia, paragraphs [0110, 0111]) comprises one or more motors and is configured to uniformly or independently drive the tape - see, inter alia, paragraphs [0110, 0111])
As per claim 13, wherein the tape storage apparatus integrates the tape (1007) and a magnetic head (1008) - see Fig. 11.
Moreover, method claims 14, 15, and 19 are met by the structure set forth, supra, in carrying out the steps provided therein.
Citation of Prior or Relevant Art on enclosed PTO-892
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The cited art made of record (see the enclosed PTO-892), not applied to the rejection of the claims, supra, each disclose aspects of the claimed invention, including wherein magnetic tape assemblies are provided for reducing tape access time - see attached PTO-892.
The best prior art has been applied to the claimed invention (see the rejection of the claims on the applied prior art, supra). However, if Applicant chooses to amend the claims in a manner to obviate the applied prior art, as noted in the rejection, supra, the Applicant is advised to not only carefully review the applied prior art for all it teaches and/or suggests, but also the cited prior art of record in order to obviate any potential rejections based on potential amendment(s); by doing so, compact prosecution on the merits can be enhanced.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-10 and 17 (including currently withdrawn claim 9, which would be rejoined) are tentatively objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but, pending an updated search, amendments or arguments presented by the Applicant and considered by the Examiner in reply to this office communication, would be favorably considered 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 William J Klimowicz whose telephone number is (571)272-7577. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday, 8:00AM-6PM, ET.
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, Steven Lim can be reached at (571)270-1210. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WILLIAM J KLIMOWICZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2688
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