`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMIVHSSIONER FOR PATENTS
`PO. Box 1450
`Alexandria1 Virginia 22313-1450
`www.uspto.gov
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`
`
`
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`13/813,199
`
`01/30/2013
`
`Taichi Kadono
`
`MAT—10583US
`
`4618
`
`RATNERPRESTIA
`PO. BOX 980
`VALLEY FORGE, PA 19482-0980
`
`ZOLLINGER, NATHAN c
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`ART UNIT
`
`3746
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`PAPER NUIVIBER
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`03/26/2015
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`ELECTRONIC
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`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
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`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
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`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above—indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e—mail address(es):
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`ptocorrespondence @ratnerprestia.c0m
`
`PTOL—90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`
`
`Applicant(s)
`Application No.
` 13/813,199 KADONO ET AL.
`
`
`AIA (First Inventor to File)
`Art Unit
`Examiner
`Office Action Summary
`
`
`NATHAN ZOLLINGER [SENS 3746
`-- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLY IS SET TO EXPIRE g MONTHS FROM THE MAILING DATE OF
`THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR1. 136( a).
`after SIX () MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, even if timely filed, may reduce any
`earned patent term adjustment. See 37 CFR 1 .704(b).
`
`In no event, however, may a reply be timely filed
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`Status
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`1)IZI Responsive to communication(s) filed on 1/22/2015.
`El A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2b)|:l This action is non-final.
`2a)|Z| This action is FINAL.
`3)I:I An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
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`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
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`4)|:| Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
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`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quay/e, 1935 CD. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`Disposition of Claims*
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`5)IZI Claim(s) 1 and2is/are pending in the application.
`5a) Of the above claim(s)
`is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`is/are allowed.
`6)I:I Claim(s)
`7)|Z| CIaim(s)_1and2is/are rejected.
`8)|:| Claim(s)_ is/are objected to.
`
`
`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement.
`9)I:I Claim((s)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
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`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`hit
`I/AWIAI‘LUSDIO. ov/ atentS/init events/
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`
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`iindex.‘s or send an inquiry to PPI-iieedback{®usgtc.00v.
`
`Application Papers
`
`10)I:l The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)I:l The drawing(s) filed on
`is/are: a)I:I accepted or b)I:I objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
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`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
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`12)I:| Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
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`a)I:l All
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`b)|:l Some” c)I:l None of the:
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`1.I:I Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.|:l Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.|:| Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
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`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`** See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
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`Attachment(s)
`
`
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`3) D Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`1) E Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date.
`.
`.
`4) I:I Other'
`2) E InformatIon DIsclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date 20150119.
`US. Patent and Trademark Office
`PTOL—326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20150317
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`

`

`Application/Control Number: 13/813,199
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`Page 2
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`Art Unit: 3746
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`Detailed Action
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`Response to Amendment
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`The amendment filed on January 22, 2014 has been entered. Claim 1 has been
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`amended; all previous objections have been withdrawn.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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`The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis
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`for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
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`(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described
`as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to
`be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been
`obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which
`said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the
`invention was made.
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`Claim 1
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`is rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over
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`Sumino (JP2010163989A) in view of Nakamura (JP2009250114A).
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`Claim 1: Sumino discloses a blower comprising a motor (6); a fan (7) driven by
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`the motor; a casing (Fig. 1, note casing components around fan) that covers a
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`circumference of the fan; a control circuit that drives and controls the motor; a cylindrical
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`roll pin (Fig. 3, 15) mounted on a shaft (8) of the motor at a right angle to an axis line of
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`the shaft (Fig. 3); and a boss portion (16) inserted onto the shaft, wherein an end face
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`(19b) of the boss portion at one side inserted onto the shaft is provided with a groove
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`(17) having an opening and a bottom part (examiner notes the opening for the groove
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`for the roll pin and the bottom portion of 17 on which the pin rests) engaged with the roll
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 13/813,199
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`Page 3
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`Art Unit: 3746
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`pin, side walls (note side walls starting at the bottom of 17 and extending out along 19b)
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`of the groove are slanted (Examiner notes that from the very bottom of the groove 17
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`the walls are slanted as they form into the longitudinal direction of the shaft as apparent
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`in Figure 3 and continue to slant outwards along 19b) to widen from the bottom part to
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`the opening, the side walls have straight side portions (note portions of the wall between
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`19b and 19a; see Figure below) formed to confront each other to a longitudinal direction
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`of the shaft and extending toward the opening from a start point corresponding to a
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`central axis of the roll pin (Examiner notes that a point can be chosen from the straight
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`side portions which bound roll pin 15 and coincide with its central axis from Figure 4).
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 13/813,199
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`Page 4
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`Art Unit: 3746
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`While appearing somewhat parallel to one another along a longitudinal direction
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`and appearing to share a distance between themselves equal to a diameter of the roll
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`pin, the disclosure in Sumino is not completely explicit in this regard. However, it has
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`been well established in the prior art to accommodate a roll pin in a groove that has
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`straight side wall portions parallel to one another and which also share a separation
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`distance that matches the diameter of the roll pin. Nakamura teaches using such an
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`arrangement (see Figure below as it relates to its roll pin 106).
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`.
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`11:38
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`fit‘ag m1 strata
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`It would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person
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`having ordinary skill in the art to employ a parallel side wall portions distanced to match
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`the roll pin diameter as taught by Nakamura into the apparatus of Sumino in order to
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`reduce vibrations between the roll pin and walls as the fitting between the pin and walls
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`will be minimized.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 13/813,199
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`Page 5
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`Art Unit: 3746
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`Claim 2 is are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable
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`over in view of Sumino (JP2010163989A) in view of Nakamura (JP2009250114A) and
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`in further view of Sumino (JP2008240605A)
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`Claim 2: Sumino and Nakamura teach the limitations of claim 1, discussed
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`previously. Sumino further discloses a holding unit (top region of Fig. 4) to hold the
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`shaft and that the shaft has a concave slot (Fig. 4, note slot below tip end of shaft)
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`engaged with the holding unit.
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`Sumino ‘989 does not disclose a curved surface of the shaft having a chamfered
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`C-shaped surface. However, Nakamura teaches a shaft having chamfered C-shaped
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`surface (see Figure below).
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`It would have been obvious at the time the invention was
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`made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to employ a C-surface as taught by
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`Nakamura into the apparatus of Sumino ‘989 in order to make insertion of the shaft into
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`its securing position easier, as the smoother, C-shaped profile will snap into a securing
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`ring more easily as a sharper profile.
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`{1' surface
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`Sumino ‘989, as modified by Nakamura, will possess a C-shaped profile that can
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`possess a variable dimension in the longitudinal direction. Examiner can further choose
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 13/813,199
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`Page 6
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`Art Unit: 3746
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`a dimension of the C-shaped surface in a longitudinal direction of the shaft that is equal
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`to a length of the straight portion as Examiner is free to choose a portion of the walls to
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`match a portion of the C-shaped surface (as shown by the Figure below) since no
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`limitations in the claims prohibit such choosing.
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`§§
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`Nakamura does not disclose a pair of integrated holding units that hold the shaft
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`and one pair of integrated pressing units that are pressed to move the holding units.
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`However, Sumino ‘605 teaches a blower apparatus connection in which a pair of
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`integrated holding units (108) that hold the shaft and one pair of integrated pressing
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`units (109) that are pressed to move the holding units are utilized (Fig. 4).
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`It would have
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`been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the
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`art to employ a holding unit as taught by Sumino ‘605 into the apparatus of Sumino ‘989
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 13/813,199
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`Page 7
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`Art Unit: 3746
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`in order to more firmly keep the shaft installed and operating without wobbling,
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`improving the performance of the blower.
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`Response to Arguments
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`Applicant’s arguments have been considered but are moot because the
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`arguments do not apply to any of the references being used in the current rejection.
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`Conclusion
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`THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time
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`policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
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`A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE
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`MONTHS from the mailing date of this action.
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`In the event a first reply is filed within
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`TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not
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`mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the
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`shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any
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`extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of
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`the advisory action.
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`In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later
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`than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to NATHAN ZOLLINGER whose telephone number is
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`(571 )270-781 5. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Thursday, 9 am. -
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`4 pm. MST.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 13/813,199
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`Page 8
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`Art Unit: 3746
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, Devon Kramer can be reached on 571 -272—71 18. The fax phone number
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`for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the
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`Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for
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`published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR.
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`Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only.
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`For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should
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`you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic
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`Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a
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`USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information
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`system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272—1000.
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`/NATHAN ZOLLINGER/
`
`Examiner, Art Unit 3746
`
`/DEVON KRAMER/
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`Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3746
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`