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.
Claims 16 and 30-31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by Phillips, US 5,376,141. Figure 10, for example, illustrates a support structure 100 in the form of a shell-shaped body, 3D structure, and free-form surface, the support structure 100 comprising four moldings 112, 114, 132, 146 (some reference characters appearing in Figure 7) formed from superimposed layers of carbon or glass fiber reinforced polymer material (paragraph bridging columns 1 and 2; column 3, lines 7-21 and 30-39; column 4, lines 2-5; column 5, lines 17-31; column 7, lines 30-41; column 8, lines 20-31; column 9, lines 1-5 and 41-50) and connected to each other at regions 116, 122 to form an integral support structure (column 3, lines 22-29; column 5, lines 32-57; column 7, lines 42-48).
The term “integral” (claim 16, line 6) was held not to be limited to a fabrication of the parts from a single piece of metal but was inclusive of other means of maintaining the parts fixed together as a single unit (In re Larson et al., 144 U.S.P.Q. 347); “integral” is sufficiently broad to embrace constructions united by such means as fastening and welding (In re Hotte, 177 U.S.P.Q. 326). Moreover, lesser favored embodiments involve “permanent attachment” (Phillips: column 5, lines 51-57; column 6, lines 17-26).
Regarding claim 31, “ceramic” encompasses “glass products of all types” (among other materials), according to Hawley’s Condensed Chemical Dictionary, 12th ed. (1993); attention is directed to column 9, lines 3-5, of Phillips.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s remarks have been considered but are deemed moot in view of the new grounds of rejection, necessitated by the language added at the last two lines of amended claim 16.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to David H. Willse, whose telephone number is 571-272-4762. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Thursday. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor Melanie Tyson can be reached at telephone number 571-272-9062. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DAVID H WILLSE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3774
