Prior art — US Patent 8870630

Prior Art Analysis for U.S. Patent No. 8,870,630

Based on a thorough review of the prosecution history and the face of U.S. Patent No. 8,870,630, the following prior art references were cited by the patent examiner. An analysis of each reference and its potential relevance to the patent's independent claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102 (novelty) is provided below.

Cited U.S. Patent Documents

1. US Patent No. 1,487,090 A

Title: Scouring Device
Publication Date: March 18, 1924
Filing Date: June 14, 1923
Description: This patent discloses a scouring device made of interwoven metallic strands or ribbons. The key feature is a handle attached to a head, where the head is comprised of a bundle of metallic fabric or mesh designed for cleaning pots and pans.
Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference could be argued to anticipate the core concepts of claims 20 and 21, which describe an apparatus with a "wire cloth" made of "woven" wire ropes. The '090 patent's interwoven metallic strands form a type of wire cloth. The primary distinction would depend on the specific construction of the "wire ropes" as defined in the '630 patent (a strand made of multiple wires). If the '090 patent's strands are considered single wires, it may not fully anticipate. It also does not appear to disclose a "back pressure means" as required by claim 21.

2. US Patent No. 1,518,855 A

Title: Scraper
Publication Date: December 9, 1924
Filing Date: March 21, 1924
Description: This patent describes a scraper tool with a handle and a head. The head features a coiled wire spring-like structure intended for cleaning surfaces. The coils are designed to scrape and remove material.
Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference is highly relevant to claims 27, 32, 36, and 37. It clearly discloses a scraper with a handle and a head that uses a "coiled spring" for cleaning.
- Claim 27: This claim is likely anticipated, as the '855 patent shows a handle, a scraper head, and a coiled spring for abrading. The broad definition of "wire rope" in the '630 patent could be interpreted to cover the coiled wire in this reference.
- Claim 32: As this reference discloses a coiled spring, it anticipates that element of the claim. However, it does not appear to disclose a separate "bristle" made of wire rope, making a direct anticipation unlikely.
- Claim 36 & 37: Anticipation would depend on the specific physical characteristics of the coiled spring in the '855 patent, such as the number of wires per strand and its spring constant, which are not detailed in the text.

3. US Patent No. 2,525,123 A

Title: Combination Grill Scraper and Brush
Publication Date: October 10, 1950
Filing Date: August 9, 1948
Description: This invention is a combination tool for cleaning barbecue grills. It features a rigid scraping blade at the front and a wire bristle brush mounted behind the blade.
Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference is relevant to the combination aspect of the '630 patent but may not anticipate the specific features of the abrading elements.
- Claim 31: This patent discloses a brush with bristles, but it does not specify that the bristles are constructed from "wire rope" as defined in the '630 patent (strands of multiple wires). It describes conventional wire bristles.
- Claim 32: While it teaches the combination of a scraper and a brush, it does not disclose the brush bristle or a coiled spring being made of "wire rope."

4. US Patent No. 2,642,607 A

Title: Scraper for Barbecue Grills
Publication Date: June 23, 1953
Filing Date: February 24, 1951
Description: This patent describes a grill scraper with a head that has a series of notched or toothed scraping edges designed to clean the individual bars of a grill. The head is attached to a handle.
Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference relates to the overall function of the '630 patent's scraper assembly but does not appear to disclose the key inventive concepts. It teaches a rigid scraper, not one using flexible, conforming elements like coiled springs, wire rope bristles, or chainmail with a backing. Therefore, it is unlikely to anticipate any of the independent claims.

5. US Patent No. 5,142,732 A

Title: Grill Brush
Publication Date: September 1, 1992
Filing Date: February 4, 1991
Description: This patent discloses a grill brush featuring a brush head with bristles made from coiled wires. The coils are designed to provide a spring-like action and multiple scraping edges to more effectively clean grill grates.
Potential Anticipation of Claims: This is a strong prior art reference against the coiled spring claims.
- Claim 27: This reference appears to directly anticipate the concept of a scraper with a handle and a head that uses a coiled spring for abrading a surface.
- Claim 32: As with the '855 patent, it discloses the coiled spring element but not necessarily a separate "bristle" made of wire rope.
- Claim 37: The '732 patent describes a "spring-like" action which implies a certain range of spring constant, potentially overlapping with the range claimed in claim 37 (15 N/m to 90 N/m). A detailed analysis of the physical properties of the '732 device would be needed to confirm anticipation.

6. US Patent No. 5,457,839 A

Title: Scrubber with Scouring Pad of Interlinked Coiled Strands
Publication Date: October 17, 1995
Filing Date: May 19, 1994
Description: This patent describes a scouring pad made of interlinked coiled metal strands, similar in appearance to chainmail. The pad is designed to be abrasive yet flexible.
Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference is highly relevant to the chainmail-based claims.
- Claim 1 & 12: The '839 patent discloses a "chainmail" type of abrader. However, it does not explicitly teach the use of a separate "elastic member" or "back pressure means" positioned behind the chainmail to make it conform to a surface. The pad itself is described as flexible, but the specific combination with a backing element as claimed in the '630 patent appears to be absent.

7. US Patent No. 6,367,112 B1

Title: Scouring Implement
Publication Date: April 9, 2002
Filing Date: November 6, 2000
Description: This patent discloses a scouring implement comprising a handle and a head with a scrubbing pad. The pad is made from a coiled wire mesh or a similar abrasive material.
Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference is similar to the '855 and '732 patents. It teaches a scraper with a coiled wire cleaning element.
- Claim 27: This patent appears to disclose the elements of claim 27. The term "wire rope" is the key distinguishing feature, and whether the "coiled wire" of the '112 patent meets that definition would be a matter of claim construction.
- Claims 36 & 37: Similar to the '855 and '732 patents, anticipation of these more specific claims would depend on the detailed construction and physical properties of the coiled wire described in the '112 patent.

8. US Patent No. D424,792 S

Title: Barbecue Grill Scraper
Publication Date: May 9, 2000
Filing Date: April 20, 1999
Description: This is a design patent, protecting the ornamental design of a barbecue grill scraper. The design features a handle and a head with what appear to be multiple coiled spring-like cleaning elements.
Potential Anticipation of Claims: As a design patent, it protects the appearance, not the utility. However, the drawings clearly show an apparatus with a handle and a head comprising coiled springs. This could be used to argue that the combination of these elements was known. It is relevant to Claim 27 and Claim 32, as it visually depicts a scraper with coiled springs. The construction of these coils (i.e., whether they are "wire rope") is not detailed, which would be the central point of any § 102 analysis.