Detailed Action
The communications received 07/22/2025 have been filed and considered by the Examiner. Claims 1-18 are pending.
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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-13 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Claims 1 requires that in addition to the limitations pertaining to guiding a web in a paper machine that the pre-tensioning be performed in a manner that is transverse to the machine direction/ that there be an apparatus segment capable of providing this pre-tensioning and subsequent tension release to an elastic belt in the context of a paper machine. One of ordinary skill in the art would not seek to allow the tension applied to the transverse direction to be released during the process in order to prevent aberrations during papermaking. Although the prior art taught a pre-tensioning that was along the machine direction. While the prior art does teach the importance of controlling tension along all directions of the paper web, the solution of applying a transverse pre-tensioning to an elastic belt to further control the tensioning is not taught and one of ordinary skill in the art would not have found it obvious to have applied such a pre-tensioning. Therefore claim 1 and its dependents are allowed.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The amendments supplied 07/22/2025 have overcome the rejections under 35 USC § 112.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 14-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Koivukunnas et al (US 5,483,873) hereinafter KOI.
As for claim 14, KOI teaches a machine for producing a web of fibrous material, the machine comprising:
a heated cylinder [Fig. 3 #21; col. 5 l. 43-col. 6 l. 57], which is smooth, impermeable to steam, and rotating (as it is a band that is silent to any perforations) [col. 5 l. 43-col. 6 l. 57], the web being able to be elongated in a transverse direction;
a polymer belt (as a polymer band), which is impermeable to steam and is circulating (it is understood that the steam is preferred to be maintained in the nip and to not escape into the environment along with the band not being disclosed as being permeable/punctured) [col. 1 l. 45-55], over the heated cylinder [Fig. 3 #21] over a specified or specifiable angle of wrap (contact angle) [col. 6 l. 3-17], the web being between the polymer belt and a cylinder surface of the heated cylinder [Fig. 3 W];
pressing the web against the heated cylinder by the polymer belt [Fig. 3 W];
the polymer belt is pre-tensionable - which is at least one of variably adjustable and controllable - in the transverse direction before being brought into contact with the web [col. 6 l. 3-17] (the Examiner notes that the manner of operating the device does not distinguish the claimed subject matter from the prior art MPEP 2114); and
the pre-tension of the polymer belt is relievable (by passing the web between the nip of the belt and the cylinder as the tension is a pressure application to the web, therefore once the pressure is released after passing through the nip which is the pressure application to the web so too is the tension) [col. 6 l. 3-17] again after formation of a steam cushion (via the application of steam) [Fig. 3 #24] between the web and the heated cylinder, such that the web is shrunk (moulded by pressing via the nip, understood to mean that the some parts of the web are shrunk/diminished in thickness) [col. 1 l. 35-55] with the polymer belt in the transverse direction in a sliding manner over the steam cushion on the heated cylinder [col. 6 l. 3-39]. KOI teaches that the belt can be resilient which is elastic [claims 10 and 12].
KOI additionally teaches that the web is above the heated cylinder [Fig. 3 W is above the bottom surface of the heated cylinder #21].
Although KOI may not necessarily teach that the pre-tensioning is transverse, the Examiner understands that as currently claimed, the belt and web are both taught as being capable of being transversely tensioned which by the nature of being an elastic belt and a paper web is met.
As for claim 15, KOI teaches claim 14 and further comprising a press roll which is configured for being a variably adjustable tension roll [Fig. 3 #26], wherein the heated cylinder and the press roll - which is arranged inside a loop of the elastic belt - form a press nip [Fig. 3 #21-22], wherein the machine is configured such that the steam cushion between the web and the heated cylinder is generated in the press nip [Fig. 3 #24] which is provided in an initial area of a zone of the heated cylinder around which the web and the elastic belt - viewed in a direction of web travel - are looped [Fig. 3 #24].
As for claim 16, KOI teaches claim 14 and that the machine is configured such that at least the web together with the elastic belt, which is pretensioned, is guided - in order to form the steam cushion between the web and the heated cylinder - over the heated cylinder along a conditioning or warm-up zone of the heated cylinder with the elastic belt maintained in a pretensioned condition [Fig. 3 W passes into #21-22 with the steam provided by #24; col. 6 l. 17-37].
As for claim 17, KOI teaches claim 14 and it is understood that the belt is placed symmetrically along the roll (as it is silent to otherwise and one of ordinary skill in the art would default to the even placement of the belt over the rollers) that the belt can be fibre reinforced [col. 6 l. 40-50]. The direction of the fibre reinforcement is a matter of selection which direction to reinforce and as the tension is applied along the transverse direction, the fibre reinforcement would similarly be improved if reinforced along the transverse direction. It is understood that the belt would have correspondingly adapted elasticity moduli as a matter of serving as a belt which fibre reinforcements.
As for claim 18, KOI teaches claim 14, wherein at least:
a dry content of the web fed to the heated cylinder is in a range of approximately 50% to approximately 65% as this a material or article worked upon which does not further limit apparatus claims [see MPEP 2115].
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 07/22/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that the belt of KOI is not explicitly impermeable to steam and therefore does not meet the limitation.
Respectfully the Examiner disagrees. KOI teaches a belt which is disclosed as elastic (resilient) [claims 10 and 12] and is silent to perforations. One of ordinary skill in the art expects a belt to lacking perforations unless otherwise disclosed, and additionally, as the material is elastic and that the steam is preferred to be maintained in the nip and to not escape into the environment [col. 1 l. 45-55] that the belt would be impermeable to steam.
Applicant argues that the machine of KOI does not teach the transverse pre-tensioning.
The Examiner respectfully does not view this as an issue as the claim language merely requires that the features are tensionable in the transverse direction (which an elastic belt would be) and as currently claimed would also fall into a manner of operating the device which would not differentiate the claim from the prior art. The Examiner recommends incorporating features of the device which create the tensioning along the transverse axis in order to achieve the distinguishing features of claim 1.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Elisa Vera whose telephone number is (571)270-7414. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8 - 4:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abbas Rashid can be reached at 571-270-7457. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/E.V./Examiner, Art Unit 1748
/Abbas Rashid/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1748