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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on April 28, 2026 was filed after the mailing date of the Notice of Allowance on April 08, 2026. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
The prosecution of the application is reopened in view of the newly cited reference Kobayashi (JP 2012-126931).
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.
Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzuki et al. (US 2021/0154615 A1) in view of Kobayashi (JP 2012-126931).
Suzuki et al. disclose a dust solidification apparatus, comprising:
a storage tank 3 for storing dust;
a forming member 5 that is disposed at a lower portion of the storage tank, the forming member being provided with a forming hole 4 to allow the dust in the storage tank to flow in; and
a first pressurizing rod 6 and a second closing rod 7 opposed to each other, wherein the first rod and the second rod are driven to reciprocate by advancing into and withdrawing from the forming hole 4 to solidify the dust D in the forming hole 4 obtaining a solidified substance K,
wherein each of the first pressurizing rod 6 and the second closing rod 7 comprises a rod tip and a rod base, and an axially vertical cross-section of the rod tip of the first rod is larger than an axially vertical cross-section of the rod base of the first rod and is smaller than an axially vertical cross-section of the forming hole 4, in order for the rods 6, 7 to slide into the forming hole 4, K – as copied below for comparation:
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Larger rod tip)]
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Smaller rod base)]
PNG
media_image1.png
373
673
media_image1.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image2.png
410
798
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Suzuki et al. Current application
However, Suzuki et al. fails to disclose an outer perimeter of the rod tip includes grooves that are oblique to the longitudinal direction of the rod.
Kobayashi discloses a powder pressing apparatus, comprising a die 1 connect to a through hole 2 that a first and second punches 11a-b are sliding through, wherein the punches 11a-b include a plurality of grooves 25, 30, and 40 on the entire outer periphery of the punches 11a-b/12a, wherein the grooves 25, 30, and 40 have different sizes, shapes and are located at different positions along the insertion portion 12a of the punch (Fig. 1-6) for collecting power adhering to the inner periphery of the through hole 2 to reduce friction between the outer periphery of the insertion portion 12a and the inner surface of the through hole 2 (pg 3). As seen in Figure 4 this includes grooves with an inclined or oblique surface relative to the longitudinal direction of the punch.
PNG
media_image3.png
516
400
media_image3.png
Greyscale
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide Suzuki’s punch with a plurality of grooves on the outer surface as taught by Kobayashi in order to collect the powder material sticking on the inner surface of the through hole so that the friction between the outer periphery of the punch and the through hole can be reduced, and both relate to opposing punches for compacting granular material presenting a reasonable expectation of success.
Claims 3-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzuki et al. (US 2021/0154615 A1) in view of Kobayashi (JP 2012-126931) as applied to claims 1-2 above, and further in view of Thielges et al. (10,265,756).
Regarding claims 3-4, Suzuki et al. fails to disclose that the rod tip is detachable from the rod base.
Thielges et al. discloses a punch assembly with a punch assembly 10 having a removable head portion 148 connected with a shank 128 via a head 146.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide Suzuki et al. with detachable rod tip as taught by Thielges et al. so that the tip of the rod can be replaced upon wear and tear without the whole rod or that the tip of the rod can be exchange for tips of different size/shape depending on the desired forming product.
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.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Galen Hauth can be reached at 571-270-5516. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Thu Khanh T. Nguyen/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1743
Prosecution Insights