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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 11/10/2025, with respect to the 35 USC § 10 and 103 rejections have been fully considered and are persuasive in view of the amendments to the claims. Therefore, the rejections have been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of an alternately disclosed manufacture of Campbell (US4228826A) in view of Taguchi (WO2017195606A1); Hata (JP2014005173A) in view of the alternately disclosed manufacture of Campbell; and Taguchi (WO2017195606A1) in view of the alternately disclosed manufacture of Campbell.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 19 depends from cancelled claim 2 and therefore the scope of claim 19 is unclear, i.e. claim 2 lacks any limitations.
See MPEP 608.01(n)V, which states “If the base claim has been canceled, a claim which is directly or indirectly dependent thereon should be rejected as incomplete…”
For the purpose of examination, claim 19 will be examined as if depending from claim 1.
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(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Campbell (US4228826A) in view of Taguchi (WO2017195606A1), referring to the English translation dated 03/20/2024.
Regarding claim 1, Campbell teaches
a heat insulating protective member (fig. 2) having a hollow cylindrical shape (as shown on fig. 2, comprising cylindrical passageway 23) formed by molding a composition comprising fiber (“Such a construction can be obtained by rotating a cylindrical mold at high speeds so that the more dense, thermally resistant fiber materials migrate toward the outer portions of the refractory shape while the lighter, less thermally conductive fibers remain at the inner portions of the shape” [col. 4 line 59 to col. 5 line 2]), wherein the hollow cylindrical shape comprises an outer peripheral surface (outside surface of main segment 13) and an inner peripheral surface (inside surface of main segment 13), and a bulk density of the inorganic fiber increases from the inner peripheral surface toward the outer peripheral surface (“The manufacture of the laminated refractory shape utilizes a perforated mold whose perforations are in communication with a vacuum source... The inner layer slurry includes a mixture of conventional basic fiber bulk material, a binder including a colloidal silica or colloidal alumina, a starch and a quantity of water… When the desired thickness of the inner layer is achieved, the perforated mold is removed from the slurry, the wire mesh reinforcement is superimposed around the inner layer shape and the combination is then inserted into a second slurry for the formation of the outer ceramic fiber layer. The outer ceramic fiber slurry mixture may consist of the same or similar thermal resistant ceramic fibers but in a ratio which utilizes a greater amount of higher temperature, slag, and furnace gas resistant fibers than the slurry used in the manufacture of the inner layer“ [col. 4 lines 9-32]; “Another form of manufacture of the present invention replaces the laminated structure with a continuous spectrum of vacuum-formed, ceramic fiber material having varying characteristics of thermal conductivity which produce a substantially similar ceramic fiber refractory as the laminated construction. Such a construction can be obtained by rotating a cylindrical mold at high speeds so that the more dense, thermally resistant fiber materials migrate toward the outer portions of the refractory shape while the lighter, less thermally conductive fibers remain at the inner portions of the shape” [col. 4 line 59 to col. 5 line 2]; thus, the rotated mold comprises more dense, thermally resistant fiber materials toward the outer portions of the refractory shape and lighter, less thermally conductive fibers at the inner portions of the shape), and
wherein: when an intermediate portion is defined as an intermediate point between the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface, a bulk density (Da) on the outer peripheral surface, a bulk density (Db) on the intermediate portion, and a bulk density (Dc) on the inner peripheral surface satisfy the following formula: Da>Db > Dc (since more dense, thermally resistant fiber materials are located toward the outer portions of the refractory shape and lighter, less thermally conductive fibers at the inner portions of the shape, an intermediate portion would comprise a bulk density between the outer surface and inner surface, thus teaching the claimed formula), and the inner peripheral surface includes the fiber (Campbell teaches lighter, less thermally conductive fibers remain at the inner portions of the shape; thus, the inner peripheral surface still includes the fiber)
Campbell does not teach
a composition comprising fiber including alumina and silica
Taguchi teaches
a composition comprising fiber including alumina and silica (“The inorganic fiber constituting the needle blanket is not particularly limited, and single or composite fibers such as silica, alumina / silica, zirconia including these, spinel, titania, calcia and the like can be mentioned, but it is particularly preferable Is alumina / silica type fiber, particularly polycrystalline alumina / silica type fiber in view of heat resistance, fiber strength (toughness) and safety”) [0074]
Campbell teaches “a binder including a colloidal silica or colloidal alumina” [col; 4 lines 14-15], however does not teach a binder including both alumina and silica. Taguchi teaches a needle blanket comprising fibers including alumina and silica. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the silica and alumina fiber combination taught in Taguchi to Campbell, since this combination provides a mixture of benefits, including “in view of heat resistance, fiber strength (toughness) and safety” [0074 of Taguchi].
Claim(s) 1 and 3-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hata (JP2014005173A), referring to the English translation dated 03/20/2024, in view of Campbell (US4228826A).
Regarding claim 1, Hata teaches
a heat insulating protective member (inorganic fiber molded body 10) having a hollow cylindrical shape (fig. 3-4) formed by molding a composition comprising fiber (“The present invention relates to an inorganic fiber molded body and a heat insulating member made of the inorganic fiber molded body, and is particularly suitable for use as incidental equipment and members in high temperature devices such as burners and blast furnaces and heat insulated members such as high temperature piping”) [0001] including alumina and silica (“The inorganic fiber is preferably a polycrystalline alumina / silica fiber comprising 65 to 98% by mass of alumina and 2 to 35% by mass of silica”) [0023], wherein
the hollow cylindrical shape comprises an outer peripheral surface (outer surface of inorganic fiber molded body 10) and an inner peripheral surface (inner surface of inorganic fiber molded body 10)
Hata does not explicitly teach
a bulk density of the inorganic fiber increases from the inner peripheral surface toward the outer peripheral surface and,
wherein: when an intermediate portion is defined as an intermediate point between the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface, a bulk density (Da) on the outer peripheral surface, a bulk density (Db) on the intermediate portion, and a bulk density (Dc) on the inner peripheral surface satisfy the following formula: Da>Db > Dc, and the inner peripheral surface includes the fiber
Campbell teaches
a bulk density of the inorganic fiber increases from the inner peripheral surface toward the outer peripheral surface (“The manufacture of the laminated refractory shape utilizes a perforated mold whose perforations are in communication with a vacuum source... The inner layer slurry includes a mixture of conventional basic fiber bulk material, a binder including a colloidal silica or colloidal alumina, a starch and a quantity of water… When the desired thickness of the inner layer is achieved, the perforated mold is removed from the slurry, the wire mesh reinforcement is superimposed around the inner layer shape and the combination is then inserted into a second slurry for the formation of the outer ceramic fiber layer. The outer ceramic fiber slurry mixture may consist of the same or similar thermal resistant ceramic fibers but in a ratio which utilizes a greater amount of higher temperature, slag, and furnace gas resistant fibers than the slurry used in the manufacture of the inner layer“ [col. 4 lines 9-32]; “Another form of manufacture of the present invention replaces the laminated structure with a continuous spectrum of vacuum-formed, ceramic fiber material having varying characteristics of thermal conductivity which produce a substantially similar ceramic fiber refractory as the laminated construction. Such a construction can be obtained by rotating a cylindrical mold at high speeds so that the more dense, thermally resistant fiber materials migrate toward the outer portions of the refractory shape while the lighter, less thermally conductive fibers remain at the inner portions of the shape” [col. 4 line 59 to col. 5 line 2]; thus, the rotated mold comprises more dense, thermally resistant fiber materials toward the outer portions of the refractory shape and lighter, less thermally conductive fibers at the inner portions of the shape)
wherein: when an intermediate portion is defined as an intermediate point between the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface, a bulk density (Da) on the outer peripheral surface, a bulk density (Db) on the intermediate portion, and a bulk density (Dc) on the inner peripheral surface satisfy the following formula: Da>Db > Dc (since more dense, thermally resistant fiber materials are located toward the outer portions of the refractory shape and lighter, less thermally conductive fibers at the inner portions of the shape, an intermediate portion would comprise a bulk density between the outer surface and inner surface, thus teaching the claimed formula), and the inner peripheral surface includes the fiber (Campbell teaches lighter, less thermally conductive fibers remain at the inner portions of the shape; thus, the inner peripheral surface still includes the fiber)
Hata teaches an inorganic fiber molded body 10 to cover a pipe, however does not explicitly teach a bulk density of the inorganic fiber of inorganic fiber molded body 10 increasing from the inner peripheral surface toward the outer peripheral surface. Campbell teaches this structure through a rotated mold comprises more dense, thermally resistant fiber materials toward the outer portions of the refractory shape and lighter, less thermally conductive fibers at the inner portions of the shape. The inorganic fiber molded body 10 of Hata can therefore be modified to comprise this continuous spectrum structure of Campbell. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make this modification since “For reasons of economy, the inner ceramic fiber layer is less resistant to attack by furnace gases and corrosive slags and is less expensive to manufacture than the outer ceramic fiber layer which must withstand significantly higher temperatures and exposure to corrosive furnace slags and furnace gases” [col. 3 lines 42-47].
Regarding claim 3, Hata, as modified, teaches the heat insulating protective member according to claim 1, wherein:
the composition further comprises an inorganic binder (“The inorganic fiber molded body of the present invention is an inorganic fiber molded body obtained by impregnating an inorganic sol into a needle blanket of inorganic fiber”) [0018]; and a weight ratio of the inorganic binder in the heat insulating protective member at the outer peripheral surface is higher than the inner peripheral surface (“the outer peripheral side, which is the exposed side, is resistant to scale by making the impregnated sol distribution in the inorganic fiber molded body inclined and increasing the sol impregnation amount toward the outside or impregnating the inorganic sol only in the vicinity of the surface. As a result, it is possible to secure a large amount of voids which are heat insulation layers in the interior, which can be expected to improve the heat insulation effect”) [0053]
Regarding claim 4, Hata, as modified, teaches the heat insulating protective member according to claim 1, wherein:
the heat insulating protective member is a fired article produced by firing after a molding process (“The method for producing the inorganic fiber molded body of the present invention is not particularly limited. 1 to 4 and 7 to 10, a needle blanket is used as an inorganic fiber aggregate for a substantially cylindrical member to be protected (a pipe or the like) so that the desired thickness can be obtained. After sol-impregnation in a layer or a laminate of a plurality of laminated layers, it can be formed into a cylindrical shape, heated and dried, and then cut into the obtained cylindrical molded body for manufacturing. The formed body may be fired”) [0049],
the composition further comprises inorganic binder particles which bind the inorganic fibers (“The inorganic fiber molded body of the present invention is an inorganic fiber molded body obtained by impregnating an inorganic sol into a needle blanket of inorganic fiber”) [0018], and
a weight ratio of the inorganic binder particles in the heat insulating protective member at the outer peripheral surface is higher than that of the inner peripheral surface (“the outer peripheral side, which is the exposed side, is resistant to scale by making the impregnated sol distribution in the inorganic fiber molded body inclined and increasing the sol impregnation amount toward the outside or impregnating the inorganic sol only in the vicinity of the surface. As a result, it is possible to secure a large amount of voids which are heat insulation layers in the interior, which can be expected to improve the heat insulation effect”) [0053]
Claim(s) 1 and 5-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taguchi (WO2017195606A1), referring to the English translation dated 03/20/2024, in view of Campbell (US4228826A).
Regarding claim 1, Taguchi teaches
a heat insulating protective member (ring-shaped needle blanket 10) having a hollow cylindrical shape (fig. 2) formed by molding a composition comprising fiber including alumina and silica (made of a needle blanket of inorganic fibers) [0026]; The inorganic fiber constituting the needle blanket is not particularly limited, and single or composite fibers such as silica, alumina / silica, zirconia including these, spinel, titania, calcia and the like can be mentioned, but it is particularly preferable Is alumina / silica type fiber, particularly polycrystalline alumina / silica type fiber in view of heat resistance, fiber strength (toughness) and safety) [0074], wherein
the hollow cylindrical shape comprises an outer peripheral surface (opposite skid pipe 1) and an inner peripheral surface (side proximate skid pipe 1), and
Taguchi does not explicitly teach
a bulk density of the inorganic fiber increases from the inner peripheral surface toward the outer peripheral surface and,
wherein: when an intermediate portion is defined as an intermediate point between the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface, a bulk density (Da) on the outer peripheral surface, a bulk density (Db) on the intermediate portion, and a bulk density (Dc) on the inner peripheral surface satisfy the following formula: Da>Db > Dc, and the inner peripheral surface includes the fiber
Campbell teaches
a bulk density of the inorganic fiber increases from the inner peripheral surface toward the outer peripheral surface (“The manufacture of the laminated refractory shape utilizes a perforated mold whose perforations are in communication with a vacuum source... The inner layer slurry includes a mixture of conventional basic fiber bulk material, a binder including a colloidal silica or colloidal alumina, a starch and a quantity of water… When the desired thickness of the inner layer is achieved, the perforated mold is removed from the slurry, the wire mesh reinforcement is superimposed around the inner layer shape and the combination is then inserted into a second slurry for the formation of the outer ceramic fiber layer. The outer ceramic fiber slurry mixture may consist of the same or similar thermal resistant ceramic fibers but in a ratio which utilizes a greater amount of higher temperature, slag, and furnace gas resistant fibers than the slurry used in the manufacture of the inner layer“ [col. 4 lines 9-32]; “Another form of manufacture of the present invention replaces the laminated structure with a continuous spectrum of vacuum-formed, ceramic fiber material having varying characteristics of thermal conductivity which produce a substantially similar ceramic fiber refractory as the laminated construction. Such a construction can be obtained by rotating a cylindrical mold at high speeds so that the more dense, thermally resistant fiber materials migrate toward the outer portions of the refractory shape while the lighter, less thermally conductive fibers remain at the inner portions of the shape” [col. 4 line 59 to col. 5 line 2]; thus, the rotated mold comprises more dense, thermally resistant fiber materials toward the outer portions of the refractory shape and lighter, less thermally conductive fibers at the inner portions of the shape)
wherein: when an intermediate portion is defined as an intermediate point between the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface, a bulk density (Da) on the outer peripheral surface, a bulk density (Db) on the intermediate portion, and a bulk density (Dc) on the inner peripheral surface satisfy the following formula: Da>Db > Dc (since more dense, thermally resistant fiber materials are located toward the outer portions of the refractory shape and lighter, less thermally conductive fibers at the inner portions of the shape, an intermediate portion would comprise a bulk density between the outer surface and inner surface, thus teaching the claimed formula), and the inner peripheral surface includes the fiber (Campbell teaches lighter, less thermally conductive fibers remain at the inner portions of the shape; thus, the inner peripheral surface still includes the fiber)
Taguchi teaches ring-shaped needle blanket 10 to cover a skid pipe 1, however does not explicitly teach a bulk density of the inorganic fiber of ring-shaped needle blanket 10 increasing from the inner peripheral surface toward the outer peripheral surface. Campbell teaches this structure through a rotated mold comprises more dense, thermally resistant fiber materials toward the outer portions of the refractory shape and lighter, less thermally conductive fibers at the inner portions of the shape. The ring-shaped needle blanket 10 of Taguchi can therefore be modified to comprise this continuous spectrum structure of Campbell. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make this modification since “For reasons of economy, the inner ceramic fiber layer is less resistant to attack by furnace gases and corrosive slags and is less expensive to manufacture than the outer ceramic fiber layer which must withstand significantly higher temperatures and exposure to corrosive furnace slags and furnace gases” [col. 3 lines 42-47].
Regarding claim 5, Taguchi, as modified, does not teach the heat insulating protective member according to claim 1, wherein:
the hollow cylindrical shape is a half-split hollow cylindrical shape split in a parallel direction of a cylinder axis, and a split surface is not perpendicular to a diameter of the cylinder such that the split surface is not on a plane that includes the cylinder axis
Campbell teaches
the hollow cylindrical shape is a half-split hollow cylindrical shape split in a parallel direction of a cylinder axis, and a split surface is not perpendicular to a diameter of the cylinder such that the split surface is not on a plane that includes the cylinder axis (interlocking main segment structure as shown on figs. 1-3)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the slit 11 of Taguchi as an interlocking shape of Campbell, since it “allows each pair of interlocking main segments to be longer longitudinally and to have a greater interlock surface area than previous interlocking cylindrical shapes made of preburned ceramic tiles. Hence, a more intimate fit is obtained which reduces the deleterious effects of high temperature convection and slag migration through the seams of the refractory which quickly destroy the effectiveness of a ceramic blanket” [col. 3 lines 24-31 of Campbell].
Regarding claim 6, Taguchi, as modified, teaches the heat insulating protective member according to claim 1,
further comprising one or more holes in an end surface of the heat insulating protective member (holes accommodating pins 33 as shown on fig. 4b)
Regarding claim 7, Taguchi, as modified, teaches
an internal furnace member (skid pipe 1) comprising one or more of the heat insulating protective member according to claim 1, wherein the one or more of the heat insulating protective members are placed on an outer surface of the internal furnace member (as shown on fig. 2)
Regarding claim 8, Taguchi, as modified, teaches the internal furnace member according to claim 7, wherein:
the internal furnace member comprises two or more of the heat insulating protective member which are connected to each other, each of the heat insulating protective member comprises one or more holes in an end surface of the heat insulating protective member, and pins (pins 33) are inserted into the holes to connect the two adjacent heat insulating protective member (figs. 3-5)
Regarding claim 9, Taguchi, as modified, teaches the internal furnace member according to claim 7,
further comprising a sheet (blanket 40 as shown on fig. 8b) comprising another inorganic fiber that covers the heat insulating protective member (blanket 40 and the laminate 10 of the ring-shaped needle blanket are made of the same material) [0049]
Regarding claim 10, Taguchi, as modified, teaches a method of using the heat insulating protective member of claim 1, comprising:
mounting the heat insulating protective member on an outer surface of an internal furnace member (mounting on skid pipe 1 as shown on fig. 2)
Regarding claim 11, Taguchi, as modified, teaches the method according to claim 10, wherein:
the internal furnace member comprises two or more of the heat insulating protective member, and the method further comprises inserting pins (pins 33) into holes in an end surface of the heat insulating protective member to connect the two adjacent heat insulating protective member (figs. 3-5)
Regarding claim 12, Taguchi, as modified, teaches the method according to claim 10, further comprising:
after the mounting the heat insulating protective member, filing a gap between an end surface of the heat insulating protective member and an inner member of the internal furnace member with another inorganic fiber (foundation layer 5 is composed of inorganic fibers, castable refractories and the like; as shown on fig. 8b) [0025]
Regarding claim 13, Taguchi, as modified, teaches the method according to claim 10, further comprising:
after the mounting the heat insulating protective member, covering the heat insulating protective member with a sheet comprising another inorganic fibers (blanket 40 and the laminate 10 of the ring-shaped needle blanket are made of the same material) [0049]
Regarding claim 14, Taguchi, as modified, teaches
a heating furnace comprising the internal furnace member of claim 7 (a skid pipe in a heating furnace) [001]
Regarding claim 15, Taguchi, as modified, teaches the heating furnace according to claim 14,
wherein the internal furnace member is a skid post (skid pipe 1)
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Campbell (US4228826A) in view of Taguchi (WO2017195606A1), referring to the English translation dated 03/20/2024, in further view of Kikuchi (JPS5443361A), referring to the English translation dated 07/03/2025, and Kissell (US20040079431A1).
Regarding claim 19, Campbell, as modified, does not teach the heat insulating protective member according to claim 1,
wherein the bulk density Db is 75% by mass to 99% by mass of the bulk density Da
Kikuchi teaches
wherein the bulk density Db is 75% by mass to 99% by mass of the bulk density Da
Campbell, as modified, teaches wherein the intermediate bulk density Db is less than that of the outside bulk density Da (regarding claim 1), but does not explicitly teach the bulk density Db as 75% by mass to 99% by mass of the bulk density Da. [0106] of Kissell discloses “Rather than creating a more conformable inner portion of the insulation mat by forming partial pleats 282 in insulation mat 12, the conformable portion 282 of the insulation mat 12 may also be formed by using finer or smaller diameter insulation fibers or may be formed by curing the inner portion with a lower weight and/or lesser amount of binder. Smaller and/or finer fibers are more easily bent and wrapped about a pipe to conform to the pipe than larger diameter fibers which may have increased stiffness to resist such wrapping. Therefore, forming a more conformable inner portion of the insulation mat may be accomplished by changing the fiber orientation of the inner portion, such as by pleating, for example, by using smaller/finer fibers for the inner portion, and by providing a graduated density of the insulation mat where the inner portion has a lower density than the outer portion or region. Such a graduated density optionally may be provided by performing a rotary fiber glass process with multiple sources of glass fibers of different size. The graduated density may also be achieved by applying differing amounts of binder as the glass mat is being made. The higher density area or outer portion may also be formed by using heavier or larger fibers having a greater fiber diameter and a higher weight and/or greater amount of binder“. Therefore, it is disclosed to be a result effective variable in that reducing the density of fiber closer to the pipe allows for the blanket to more easily conform to the shape of the pipe. Kikuchi teaches a similar refractory insulation (figs. 4-6) to the refractory 2 of Campbell, wherein “bulk density of the inorganic lightweight fire-resistant layer is 0.2 to 0.697 am3” [page 5 line 15 of Kikuchi] and the bulk density of the bonding layer is 0.15 g/cm3 on Table 2 translated below (Thus, if bulk density of the inorganic lightweight fire-resistant layer is 0.2 and bulk density of the bonding layer is 0.15, the bulk density of the bonding layer is 75% of the bulk density of the inorganic lightweight fire-resistant layer). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the refractory 2 of Campbell in view of Kissell and Kikuchi by making the bulk density Db is 75% by mass to 99% by mas of the bulk density Da as a matter of routine optimization since it has been held that “where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955).
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Table 2 of Kikuchi, machine translated
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hata (JP2014005173A), referring to the English translation dated 03/20/2024, in view of Campbell (US4228826A), in further view of Kissell (US20040079431A1).
Regarding claim 20, Hata, as modified, discloses the invention essentially as claimed as discussed above and further discloses wherein an amount of the inorganic binder particles Ba attached to an intermediate portion is less than an amount of a binder Ba attached to the outer peripheral surface.
However, Hata, as modified, does not teach the heat insulating protective member according to claim 3,
wherein an amount of the inorganic binder particles Ba attached to an intermediate portion is 10% by mass to 95% by mass an amount of a binder Ba attached to the outer peripheral surface
[0106] of Kissell discloses “Rather than creating a more conformable inner portion of the insulation mat by forming partial pleats 282 in insulation mat 12, the conformable portion 282 of the insulation mat 12 may also be formed by using finer or smaller diameter insulation fibers or may be formed by curing the inner portion with a lower weight and/or lesser amount of binder. Smaller and/or finer fibers are more easily bent and wrapped about a pipe to conform to the pipe than larger diameter fibers which may have increased stiffness to resist such wrapping. Therefore, forming a more conformable inner portion of the insulation mat may be accomplished by changing the fiber orientation of the inner portion, such as by pleating, for example, by using smaller/finer fibers for the inner portion, and by providing a graduated density of the insulation mat where the inner portion has a lower density than the outer portion or region. Such a graduated density optionally may be provided by performing a rotary fiber glass process with multiple sources of glass fibers of different size. The graduated density may also be achieved by applying differing amounts of binder as the glass mat is being made. The higher density area or outer portion may also be formed by using heavier or larger fibers having a greater fiber diameter and a higher weight and/or greater amount of binder“. Therefore, it is disclosed to be a result effective variable in that reducing the density of binder closer to the pipe allows for the blanket to more easily conform to the shape of the pipe. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the member of Hata by making an amount of the inorganic binder particles Ba attached to an intermediate portion is 10% by mass to 95% by mass an amount of a binder Ba attached to the outer peripheral surface as a matter of routine optimization since it has been held that “where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955).
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claim 16, the subject matter not found includes “inserting laminated fiber blankets comprising alumina and silica into space between an inner mold and an outer mold to form a hollow cylindrical molded body, immersing the hollow cylindrical molded body with the inner mold and the outer mold in a liquid comprising an inorganic binder, taking the hollow cylindrical molded body out of the liquid, placing the hollow cylindrical molded body in a vacuum chamber, withdrawing air inside the vacuum chamber to become negative pressure in the vacuum chamber such that the liquid is sucked in a direction from an inner peripheral surface to an outer peripheral surface of the hollow cylindrical molded body, and drying the hollow cylindrical molded body to form the heat insulating protective member”, in combination with the elements of claim 1 from which claim 16 depends. The closest art of record is Campbell in view of Taguchi, as taught in the office action, however, the alternately disclosed manufacture of Campbell relied upon in this action teaches “rotating a cylindrical mold at high speeds so that the more dense, thermally resistant fiber materials migrate toward the outer portions of the refractory shape while the lighter, less thermally conductive fibers remain at the inner portions of the shape” [col. 4 line 59 to col. 5 line 2], and thus it would have been non-obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to instead perform the manufacturing steps as claimed. No other prior art was found to teach the claim in its entirety.
Claims 17 and 18 are indicated as allowable subject matter based on their dependence to claim 16.
Conclusion
The prior art of record not relied upon includes Paroc (DE202014008447U1), referring to the English translation dated 03/20/2024, Fukui (US20140186599A1), and Ullman (US3642034A), which teach each elements of the method of preparing the heat insulating protective member described in claim 16.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/BRETT P. MALLON/Examiner, Art Unit 3762 /MICHAEL G HOANG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3762