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/§ 103
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.
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.
Claims 1-7, 11-15, and 17-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Fairy (2008/0152751) in view of Jessen et al. (2019/0077054).
Regarding claims 1, 12-14, Fairy discloses a molding system having: a main body 102, 104, 110 having one side forming a mold cavity 140; and a gate 138 having a first end with an opening arranged for being connected to a sprue or a runner channel or manifold 112 arranged in the injection molding tool 104, 110, and a second end forming a most constricted gate opening into the mold cavity 140, wherein the main body forms at least the second end of the gate 138.
However, Fairy fails to disclose that the mold main body made of a plastic material and filler material.
Jessen et al. disclose a system for manufacturing an injection mold, wherein the building material comprises one or more of one or more silicone or other rubbers or rubber-like materials, and/or one or more thermoplastic elastomers, and/or one or more thermosetting compounds, and/or one or more polyacetal binders, and/or one or more organic binders, and/or one or more filler materials such as ceramic powder or particles, metallic powder or particles, glass powder or particles, glass beads, or glass fibers, carbon black or carbon powder or particles, nanotubes, and/or re-used or re-cycled plastic and/or resin powder – see claim 41 – in order to provide dimensional stability under elevated temperatures and highest possible wear resistance, [0235].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide Fairy with a mold made of plastic material and a ceramic/metal filler as taught by Jessen et al. in order to provide dimensional stability under elevated temperatures and highest possible wear resistance.
Regarding claim 2, wherein Fairy further discloses that the main body 110 forms the complete gate 138.
Regarding claims 3-8, and 12-14, Fairy further discloses that the gate 138 has a first funnel shaped section arranged upstream from the most constricted gate opening 138, and a second funnel shaped section 229 arranged between the most constricted gate opening 138 and the first funnel shaped section, and a third section forming the most constricted gate opening into the mold cavity, the third section being either cylinder shaped or funnel shaped, and an angle between two opposite sides of the second funnel shaped section is larger than an angle between two corresponding sides of the third funnel shaped section as shown below:
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (First funnel shaped section)]
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Second funnel shaped section)][AltContent: textbox (Third funnel shaped section)][AltContent: textbox (Constricted gate opening 138)]
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Regarding the angle between the opposite sides of the funnel shape sections, the specific frustum shape, the actual size and shape of the melt channels, the sprues, the mold plates, the piping and/or the kinds of manifolds, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to select appropriate size and/or shape or the design the slope of the funnel sections as a matter of design choice, depending on the material being used, the injection conditions so that the material can flow easily to the gate under controlled environment [0013], [0018].
Regarding claims 11-22, Fairy further discloses a pin gate 126 extending between a gate inlet and a gate opening within the nozzle 116, the pin gate forming a tapered, cylindrical channel 256 through a body of the mold 104, 110 and abruptly transitioning to a smooth funnel of multiple sections 124, 250, 258, 260 corresponding with a plural truncated sections of the mold 112, 114, , the gate opening positioned at an end of the funnel 229, the pin gate 126 configured to receive molding material from a runner channel of the injection molding tool at the gate inlet and dispense the molding material at the gate opening 138; and a mold cavity 140 in fluid connection with the gate opening of the pin gate and configured to receive the molding material therefrom, wherein the position of the sleeve 124, the nozzle tip 206 are controlled to distribute molding material such that the flow, velocity and/or pressure of the molding material are balanced [0024].
Claims 8, 16 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fairy Fairy (2008/0152751) in view of Jessen et al. (2019/0077054) as applied to claims 1-7, 11-15, and 17-21 above, and further in view of Okano et al. (5,589,202).
Regarding claims 8, 16 and 22, Fairy discloses that the mold material is not central to the invention [0011], while Okano et al. discloses that the mold can be made of ceramics, plastics or any of the material which withstands the molding pressure – col. 12, lines 8-10. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Fairy by providing a mold made of ceramics or plastic material as taught by Okano et al. because these material have proven to be proper material for making a mold that can withstand the pressure of the molding process.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks pages 7-14, filed July 14, 2025, with respect to the rejections of claims 1-8, and 11-22 under Fairy (2008/0152751) and further in view of Okano et al. (5,589,202) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, new grounds of rejection are made in view of Fairy and Jessen and further in view of Okano et al. as described above.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Thu-Khanh T. Nguyen whose telephone number is (571)272-1136. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30-4:30.
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/Thu Khanh T. Nguyen/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1743