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) 1, 3, 4, and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent No. 3,869,530 to Williams (“Williams”).
Regarding claim 1, Williams discloses a bonded concrete segment capable of being used as a walkway, comprising: a walkway body 20 formed of a concrete material (col 2, ln 14-17); a duct 63 extending through the walkway body from a first end of the walkway body to an opposite second end of the walkway body; a tendon including a strand 40 extending through the duct; and a tendon grout (depicted as dots in Fig 5, not labeled) filled within the duct 63 around the strand (col 2, ln 34-41), the tendon grout is cured to fix the strand in the duct (col 5, ln 35-36).
Regarding claim 3, Williams discloses that wherein the strand is in a tensioned state with the tendon grout cured (col 5, ln 31-36).
Regarding claim 4, Williams in Fig. 5 discloses that the tendon 40 includes an anchor 50 and 64, disposed within the walkway body and attached to the strand 40, the anchor 50, 64 holds the strand 40 in the tensioned state.
Regarding claim 7, Williams discloses a bonded concrete assembly capable of use as a walkway, comprising: a plurality of bonded concrete walkway segments 20, 21 each having a walkway body formed of a concrete material (col 2, ln 14-17), a duct 63 extending through the walkway body from a first end of the walkway body to an opposite second end of the walkway body, a tendon including a strand 40 extending through the duct, and a tendon grout (depicted as dots in Fig 5, not labeled) filled within the duct 63 around the strand, the tendon grout is cured to fix the strand in the duct (col 5, ln 35-36).
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, 3, 4, 7-10, 12-15, 19, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent No. 6,668,412 to Tadros et al. (“Tadros”) in view of Williams. All reference numerals and line numbers are made with respect to Tadros unless otherwise noted.
Regarding claim 1, Tadros discloses a bonded concrete walkway segment 22 (Fig. 7), comprising: a walkway body 36 formed of a concrete material (col 5, ln 12-13); a tendon including a strand 42 (Fig. 10).
Tadros does not disclose a duct extending through the walkway body from a first end of the walkway body to an opposite second end of the walkway body; the tendon extending through the duct; and a tendon grout filled within the duct around the strand, the tendon grout is cured to fix the strand in the duct.
Williams discloses a bonded concrete segment capable of being used as a walkway, comprising: a walkway body (Williams 20) formed of a concrete material (Williams; col 2, ln 14-17); a duct (Williams 63) extending through the walkway body from a first end of the walkway body to an opposite second end of the walkway body; a tendon including a strand (Williams 40) extending through the duct; and a tendon grout (depicted as dots in Fig 5 of Williams, not labeled) filled within the duct (Williams 63) around the strand (Williams; col 2, ln 34-41), the tendon grout is cured to fix the strand in the duct (Williams; col 5, ln 35-36).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the concrete segment of Tadros to have a duct extending through the walkway body from a first end of the walkway body to an opposite second end of the walkway body; the tendon extending through the duct; and a tendon grout filled within the duct around the strand, the tendon grout is cured to fix the strand in the duct as taught in Williams with a reasonable expectation of success because it would predictably improve transfer of forces and facilitate connections.
Regarding claim 3, Tadros modified by Williams discloses that wherein the strand is in a tensioned state with the tendon grout cured (Williams col 5, ln 31-36).
Regarding claim 4, Tadros modified by Williams does not disclose that the tendon includes an anchor, disposed within the walkway body and attached to the strand, the anchor holds the strand in the tensioned state.
Williams in Fig. 5 discloses that the tendon 40 includes an anchor 50 and 64, disposed within the walkway body and attached to the strand 40, the anchor 50, 64 holds the strand 40 in the tensioned state.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the concrete segment of Tadros to have the tendon include an anchor, disposed within the walkway body and attached to the strand, the anchor holds the strand in the tensioned state as taught in Williams with a reasonable expectation of success because it would predictably facilitate tensioning of the strands.
Regarding claim 7, Tadros discloses a bonded concrete walkway assembly (Fig. 7), comprising: a plurality of bonded concrete walkway segments 22 (Fig. 7 shows at least 6 segments 22) each having a walkway body formed of a concrete material (col 2, ln 14-17), a tendon including a strand 42 (Fig. 10).
Tadros does not disclose a duct extending through the walkway body from a first end of the walkway body to an opposite second end of the walkway body; the tendon extending through the duct; and a tendon grout filled within the duct around the strand, the tendon grout is cured to fix the strand in the duct.
Williams discloses a bonded concrete segment capable of being used as a walkway, comprising: a body (Williams 20) formed of a concrete material (Williams; col 2, ln 14-17); a duct (Williams 63) extending through the walkway body from a first end of the walkway body to an opposite second end of the walkway body; a tendon including a strand (Williams 40) extending through the duct; and a tendon grout (depicted as dots in Fig 5 of Williams, not labeled) filled within the duct (Williams 63) around the strand (Williams; col 2, ln 34-41), the tendon grout is cured to fix the strand in the duct (Williams; col 5, ln 35-36).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the concrete segment of Tadros to have a duct extending through the walkway body from a first end of the walkway body to an opposite second end of the walkway body; the tendon extending through the duct; and a tendon grout filled within the duct around the strand, the tendon grout is cured to fix the strand in the duct as taught in Williams with a reasonable expectation of success because it would predictably improve transfer of forces and facilitate connections.
Regarding claim 8, Tadros modified by Williams discloses that one of the bonded concrete walkway segments 22 is connected to another of the bonded concrete walkway segments at a joint (Fig. 2, 10), the joint includes an intermediate concrete 24 filled and cured between the walkway bodies of the bonded concrete walkway segments.
Regarding claim 9, Tadros modified by Williams discloses that the duct (Williams 63) of the one of the bonded concrete walkway segments is connected to the duct (Williams 63) of the another of the concrete walkway segments by a duct connection (Williams 64).
Regarding claim 10, Tadros modified by Williams discloses that the joint includes a reinforcement assembly 68 disposed between the walkway bodies, the duct connection and the reinforcement assembly are disposed within the intermediate concrete.
Regarding claim 12, Tadros modified by Williams discloses that the second end or a side of each of the walkway bodies faces the joint, the walkway body of at least one of the bonded concrete walkway segments has a protrusion (at portion 48, see Fig. 10) extending from a portion of the second end.
Regarding claim 13, Tadros modified by Williams discloses that the joint has a first gap (upper, wider gap; see Fig. 10) between the second ends or sides of the walkway bodies and a second gap (lower, narrower gap; see Fig. 10) at the protrusion of the at least one bonded concrete walkway segment, the second gap is less than half a width of the first gap, the intermediate concrete is filled in the first gap and the second gap.
Regarding claim 14, Tadros modified by Williams discloses that the joint has an elastomeric sealant 70 disposed in the second gap.
Regarding claim 15, Tadros discloses a method of assembling a concrete walkway 22, comprising: casting a walkway body 36 formed of a concrete material (col 5, ln 12-13) around a tendon including a strand 42 (Fig. 10) and tensioning the strand to a tensioned state (col 3, ln 44-52).
Tadros does not disclose casting the concrete material around a duct extending through the walkway body from a first end of the walkway body to an opposite second end of the walkway body; the tendon extending through the duct; filling the duct with a tendon grout while the strand is in the tensioned state; and curing the tendon grout with the strand in the tensioned state to fix the strand in the duct, forming a bonded concrete walkway segment.
Williams discloses a bonded concrete segment capable of being used as a walkway, comprising: a body (Williams 20) formed of a concrete material (Williams; col 2, ln 14-17); a duct (Williams 63) cast within and extending through the walkway body from a first end of the walkway body to an opposite second end of the walkway body; a tendon including a strand (Williams 40) extending through the duct; filling the duct with a tendon grout (depicted as dots in Fig 5 of Williams, not labeled) while the strand is in the tensioned state (Williams; col 4, ln 56); and curing the tendon grout with the strand in the tensioned state to fix the strand in the duct, forming a bonded concrete walkway segment (Williams; col 4,ln 53-56; col 5, ln 35-36).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the concrete segment of Tadros to cast the concrete material around a duct extending through the walkway body from a first end of the walkway body to an opposite second end of the walkway body; the tendon extending through the duct; filling the duct with a tendon grout while the strand is in the tensioned state; and curing the tendon grout with the strand in the tensioned state to fix the strand in the duct, forming a bonded concrete walkway segment as taught in Williams with a reasonable expectation of success because it would predictably improve transfer of forces and facilitate connections.
Regarding claim 19, Tadros modified by Williams discloses that the bonded concrete walkway segment 22 is one of a plurality of bonded concrete walkway segments, and further comprising connecting the bonded concrete walkway segments at a joint that includes an intermediate concrete 24 filled and cured between the walkway bodies of the bonded concrete walkway segments.
Regarding claim 20, Tadros modified by Williams discloses before the intermediate concrete is filled and cured in the joint, the ducts of the bonded concrete walkway segments are connected in the joint by a duct connection 66.
Claim(s) 2 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tadros in view of Williams as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of U.S. Patent No. 5,149,385 to Kurauchi et al. (“Kurauchi”).
Regarding claim 2, Tadros modified by Williams does not disclose that the duct has a corrugated shape.
Kurauchi discloses a prestressed concrete structure comprising a duct (Kurauchi 4) that has a corrugated shape.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the concrete segment of Tadros to have a corrugated shape as taught in Kurauchi with a reasonable expectation of success because it would predictably improve the bond of the duct to the concrete.
Regarding claim 5, Tadros modified by Williams does not disclose that the strand is one of a plurality of strands of the tendon that extend through the duct.
Kurauchi discloses a prestressed concrete structure comprising a strand (Karauchi 200), wherein the strand is one of a plurality of strands (Karauchi 1) of the tendon that extend through a duct (Karauchi 4).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the concrete segment of Tadros to have the strand be one of a plurality of strands of the tendon that extend through the duct as taught in Kurauchi with a reasonable expectation of success because it would predictably provide reinforcement with enhanced strength and flexibility.
Claim(s) 6 and 16-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tadros in view of Williams as applied to claims 1 and 15 above, and further in view of U.S. Publication No. 2016/0340902 to Reigstad (“Reigstad”).
Regarding claims 6 and 16, Tadros modified by Williams does not disclose a grout valve assembly extending through an outer surface of the walkway body and communicating with the duct, the tendon grout is fed into the duct through the grout valve assembly.
Reigstad in Fig. 13 discloses a concrete segment comprising a grout valve assembly (Reigstad 516, 518) extending through an outer surface of the walkway body and communicating with a duct (Reigstad 502), a tendon grout (Reigstad, par 0075) is fed into the duct through the grout valve assembly.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the concrete segment of Tadros to have a grout valve assembly extending through an outer surface of the walkway body and communicating with the duct, the tendon grout is fed into the duct through the grout valve assembly as taught in Reigstad with a reasonable expectation of success because it would predictably facilitate introduction of grout into the sleeve.
Regarding claim 17, Tadros modified by Williams and Reigstad discloses that the tendon grout is filled in the duct through the grout valve assembly.
Regarding claim 18, Tadros modified by Williams and Reigstad discloses after the tendon grout is cured, cutting the grout valve assembly (see Reigstad Figs 17 and 18 showing before and after valve assembly is cut) at the outer surface of the walkway body and filling a recess of the outer surface with a body grout (filled via cap 1006).
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tadros in view of Williams as applied to claim 7 above, and further in view of EP 1,394,339 to Ellebracht (“Ellebracht”). All reference numerals and line numbers are made with respect to Tadros unless otherwise noted.
Regarding claim 11, Tadros modified by Williams does not disclose that the intermediate concrete has a coating on an outer surface.
Ellebracht discloses a concrete structure wherein a joint between two concrete segments has an intermediate concrete has a coating (plastic coated grout 18 and joint tape 20; see Fig. 5) on an outer surface.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the concrete segment of Tadros to have the intermediate concrete have a coating on an outer surface as taught in Ellebracht with a reasonable expectation of success because it would predictably provide a seal to protect the joint.
Conclusion
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/CHRISTINE T CAJILIG/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3633