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
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 1-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JP2020-070366A cited by applicant. Regarding claims 1-3, JP2020-070366A discloses a high-frequency dielectric heating sheet (correspond to the “first portion formed from a first material”), which is provided with an adhesive part comprising a thermoplastic resin (corresponding to the “first thermoplastic resin”) and a dielectric filler at a volume content of 5-40 volume % that generates heat upon application of a high-frequency electric field, and a resin-containing pipe (“second portion formed from a second material”) (par. 0106-par. 0142). Regarding claim 4, JP2020-070366A discloses ion is in a range from 80 degrees C to 300 degrees C (par. 0072 of translation). Regarding claims 5 and 8-9, JP2020-070366A discloses a flow start temperature of the second portion is 100 degrees C or more or the second portion has no flow start temperature (par. 0074). Regarding claim 6, JP2020-070366A discloses a flow start temperature T1 (1500C or less) of the first portion and a flow start temperature T2 (2300C) of the second portion satisfy a relationship of a numerical formula T1<T2 (Numerical Formular 2). Regarding claim 7, JP2020-070366A discloses a medium density polyethylene with a softening point of 1110C was used for the thermoplastic resin in the high-frequency dielectric heating sheet to make the softening point of the sheet itself to be 1220C; and polyethylene was used for the thermoplastic resin in the resin-containing pipe (par. 0144, par. 0153). In the resin-containing pipe on which the high frequency dielectric heating sheet was would, the dielectric filler of the high frequency dielectric heating sheet function as a heat-generating source, and bonding is carried out by melting the thermoplastic resin component using generated heat thereof (par. 0045). Thus, it is understood that the dielectric characteristic of the sheet is greater than the resin-containing pipe, and the flow initiation temperature of the resin-containing pipe is higher than the sheet. Regarding claim 10, JP2020-070366A discloses a surface of the first portion is bonded to an adherend in use (par. 0067). Regarding claims 11-12, JP2020-070366A discloses a surface of a portion other than the first portion in the molded body is brought into contact with an electrode of a dielectric heating device in use (Figures 3-7).
Claim(s) 1-3 and 7-10 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JP2009-066924A cited by applicant. Regarding claims 1-3, JP2009-066924A discloses a composited material and it manufacturing method comprising a base material (2, corresponding to the “molding”), which is a compression molded material wherein a mixture of 5-60 wt. % of a microwave heat-generating material (3) such as ferrite, titanium oxide, or zinc oxide (par. 0024) and 40-95 wt. % of a thermoplastic resin raw material is provided on the front surface of the base material and a thermoplastic resin raw material is provided on the other surface (1); and indicates that a sheet-shaped body (corresponding to the adherend”) is abutted against the front surface of said base material, microwave are radiated to cause the microwave heat-generating material to generate heat and melt the thermoplastic resin, and the bas material and the sheet-shaped material are bonded (see claims, paragraph [0020]-[025], [0040]-[0051], [0060]-[0065], Figure 3). Regarding claims 7-10 and 13, Since, for the microwave heat-generating material such as ferrite, titanium oxide, or zinc oxide, the property of the substance itself is equivalent to “generating heat as result of applying a high frequency electric field,” the material can be said to correspond to the “dielectric filler”, “ and it is understood that the dielectric characteristic of the side that comprises a substance with such a property is greater than the side that does not comprise the same.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 14-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP2009-066924A cited by applicant. JP2009-066924A discloses substantially all features of the claimed invention except producing the molded body by an insert molding method using a first molded body formed from one of the first material and the second material and using the other of the first material and the second material. It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention was made to have a technique for uniting different portions of the base material as discloses by JP2009-066924A which employing well-known, commonly used insert molding, etc. instead of the technique of compression molding of the different parts together could easily have been conceived of by a person skilled in the art.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: JP 2003342478A discloses thermoplastic resin composition and molded article.
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/QUANG T VAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761 February 23, 2026