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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 09/25/2025 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Applicant filed a response; amended claim 1 and 4; and added new claim 10 on 09/25/2025.
Response to Arguments
Arguments are primarily drawn to amended claims. The revised rejection addresses the amended claims.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 3, 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yasuhiro (Machine Translation of JP4954726) in view of Yeh (PG-PUB 2021/0402661), Kunimatsu (Machine Translation of JP5172596) and Inaba (PG-US 5,249,947).
Regarding claim 1, Yasuhiro teaches a vertical injection molding machine comprising:
a mold clamping device configured to clamp a mold (Figure 4 and 5, item 4a, [0026], [0037]); and
an injection device configured to inject an injection material (Figures 3-5),
a plurality of types of lower molds (Figure 3 and 6 and [0030]-[0031]););and
a plurality of upper molds, including a molding target mold and a standby target
mold (Figure 3 and 6 and [0011]-[0014], [0030]-[0031]); and
wherein the mold clamping device comprises:
an upper movable plate that is disclosed above the conveyor and is driven up and down with respect to the fixed plate (Figure 4 and 5 and [0026]-[0028]);
wherein the injection device is provided above the upper movable plate (Figure 4 and 5 and [0026][0028]); and
wherein in the conveyor is configured to receive the plurality of molds (Figures 1-3 and [0021]-[0023]), when the conveyor is moved, one of the molds is switched to a molding target mold and another mold is switched to a standby target mold, and the molding target mold is clamped by driving the upper movable plate and is injected with the injection material (Figures 3-5 and [0024], [0034]).
Yasuhiro does not teach:
(1) a fixed plate and a turntable provided on the fixed plate so as to be rotatable with respect to the fixed plate, such that when the turntable is rotated, one type of the plurality of types of lower molds is switched to the target mold, the other type of the plurality of types of lower molds is switched to the standby target mold, the molding target mold is clamped by driving of the upper movable plate and is injected with the injection material, and the standby target mold is placed on the other type of the plurality of molds;
(2) a plurality of heat medium supply pipes, wherein each of the plurality of heat medium supply pipes are respectively connected to the one type and the other type of the plurality of types of lower molds and configured to selectively supply heat to each of the plurality of types of lower molds; and
(3) the plurality of heat medium supply pipes are further configured to supply heat to the other type of the plurality of types of lower molds while the injection material is injected into the molding target mold and the one type of the plurality of types of molds.
As to (1), Yeh teaches transporting several molding devices through an injection molding station using a turntable (Figures 9-10 and [0062]-[0065]) or conveyor (Figures 11-12 and [0067]-[0069]). Yeh teaches both conveyors function with the platform, chamber, and plunger below the conveyor as provided in the injection station (Figure 1 and [0018]).
Kunimatsu teaches a turntable comprising a plurality of molds [0024] and [0026], wherein each mold has a heater within the mold and each heater is energized by a connection cable (Figure 4, item 44 and [0023]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to modify the system of Yashuhiro with the turntable of Kunimatsu, a suitable mechanism for conveying a plurality of molds through an injection molding system as taught by Yeh.
As to (2), Inaba teaches a process of injection molding using a temperature controller for adjusting temperatures of a mold attached to a platens and cavity units in a mold stocker (Col 9, ln 30-67 and Figure 19). Inaba teaches the temperature controller is connected to temperature control pipes to circulate heating medium through the elements (Col 9, ln 54-65 and Figure 1 and 19). Inaba teaches mold cores in the storage are preheated to shorten the time required for starting of a molding cycle after the replacement of the cores (Col 5, ln 12-28). Inaba teaches mold temperature control using tubes through a stationary and movable mold (Col 16, ln 3-53 and Figure 21).
Kunimatsu teaches each of the plurality of molds comprises respective heater within the mold (Figure 4, item 44 and [0023]) and each heater is energized by a connection cable that runs through a shaft portion such as a tie bar to centralize the heating means and prevent entangling [0005]. Kunimatsu teaches the heaters are in constant connection with the heating means, the heater can be heated at a present timing to raise the temperature of the mold [0023].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to modify the apparatus of Yashuhiro in view of Yeh and Kunimatsu with a plurality of heat medium supply pipes of Inaba and the appropriate controller configurations for controlling said heating, for the benefit of supplying heat to each mold for preheating and shortening the molding cycle.
Yashuhiro and Inaba are silent to the configuration of the medium supply pipes to each mold on a turntable to allow for smooth operation of the turntable. Kunimatsu teaches a technique for supplying lines to each injection mold disposed on a turntable in order to heat each mold without entangling lines. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to modify the process of Yashuhiro in view of Yeh, Kunimatsu, and Inaba with the centralized configuration of the heat lines of Kunimatsu, a known suitable technique of supplying heating lines to each mold without tangling, for the benefit of providing smooth operation of the process of Yashuhiro in view of Yeh and Kunimatsu such that each mold can be heated as desired by Kunimatsu and the turntable can be rotated without entangling any lines as desired by Yashuhiro in view of Yeh.
As to (3), Yashuhiro in view of Yeh, Kunimatsu, and Inaba teaches all of the positively recited structure of the claimed apparatus. The manner of operating an apparatus does not differentiate an apparatus claim from the prior art, if the prior art apparatus teaches all of the structural limitations of the claim. Apparatus claims must be structurally distinguishable from the prior art in terms of structure, not function (see MPEP §§ 2114 and 2173.05(g)).
Given that the structure of the apparatus of Yashuhiro in view of Yeh, Kunimatsu, and Inaba are identical to the claimed apparatus, the apparatus of Yashuhiro in view of Yeh, Kunimatsu, and Inaba would be capable of supplying heat to the other type of the plurality of types of lower molds while the injection material is injected into the molding target mold and the one type of the plurality of types of molds.
Regarding claim 3, Yashuhiro in view of Yeh, Kunimatsu, and Inaba, hereinafter referred to as Modified Yashuhiro, teaches the apparatus as applied to claim 1, wherein the upper moveable plate comprises a clamper configured to clamp and unclamp an upper mold of the molding target mold (Yashuhiro, Figure 4 and 5 item 4a and [0035], [0038]).
Regarding claim 9, Modified Yashuhiro teaches the apparatus as applied to claim 1, wherein the mold clamping device further comprises a plurality of tie bars connecting the upper movable plate and the fixed plate (Yashuhiro, Figure 3, item 3), wherein the turntable is rotatable about one of the plurality of tie bars (Kunimatsu, Figure 2, item 13a-13c and [0014]).
Regarding claim 10, Modified Yashuhiro teaches the apparatus as applied to claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to control the mold clamping device and injection device (Yashuhiro, [0009], [0013], [0026]-[0029]).
Modified Yashuhiro does not teach the controller is configured to control the plurality of heat medium supply pipes to initiate pre-heating of the standby target mold at least two molding cycles before the turntable rotates to switch the standby target mold to the molding target mold.
Inaba teaches a plurality of mold cores in a storage are preheated to shorten the time required for starting of a molding cycle after the replacement of the cores (Col 14, ln 57- Col 15, ln 28). Inaba teaches a controller configured to operate the temperature control of the system, including sensors and heaters (Figure 1 and Col 21, ln 8-44)
Based on the teachings of Inaba, one of ordinary skill in the art would have understood preheating a plurality of molds prior to molding is a known technique in the field of injection molding for shortening a mold cycle. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to improve the system of Modified Yashuhiro with the controller configurations for pre-heating the plurality of molds prior to injection as taught by for the benefit of shortening a molding cycle, thereby increasing efficiency.
Given that all of the molds are preheated, the standby target mold would be heated at least two molding cycles before the turntable rotates to switch the standby target mold to the molding target mold.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yasuhiro (Machine Translation of JP4954726) in view of Yeh (PG-PUB 2021/0402661), Kunimatsu (Machine Translation of JP5172596) and Inaba (US 5,249,947), as applied to claim 1, in further view of Taruie (JP2019214135, machined translation relied upon for citation) and Gallato (WO2008/104878).
Regarding claim 4, Modified Yashuhiro teaches an injection molding system comprising the injection molding machine as applied to claim 1.
Modified Yashuhiro teaches the system is performed in an environment suitable for manufacturing. One of ordinary skill in the art would have understood that an environment suitable for manufacturing would be capable of storing a plurality of molds.
Modified Yashuhiro does not explicitly teach a mold conveying device configured to convey the plurality of types of lower molds,
wherein the plurality of types of lower molds are exchanged between the vertical
injection molding machine and the automatic mold warehouse by the mold conveying device.
Taruie teaches replacing injection molds disposed on a turntable with other molds using a mold exchange carriage or a robot (Figure 2 and [0033], [0044]-[0045]).
Gallato teaches a system for injection molding comprising an injection device, mold clamping device, and a mold conveying device (Figure 1, items 2 and 3 and Page 3, ln 17-35)). Gallato teaches the mold conveying device allows for an automatic and smooth exchange of molds into and out of the station (Page 1, Ln 8-20), which allows for easy maintenance/technical intervention, cleaning, and calibration without having to stop the working cycle, thereby saving resources (Page 4, ln 32-Page 5, ln 7 and Page 5, ln 29- Page 6, ln 25).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to improve the system Modified Yashuhiro with the mold exchange carriage or a robot of Taruie for the benefit of benefit of allowing for easy maintenance/technical intervention, cleaning, and calibration without having to stop the working cycle as taught Gallato.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized the molds prepared for exchange and the molds removed from rotation would have to be stored, thereby providing an automatic mold warehouse capable of storing the plurality of molds.
Conclusion
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HANA C. PAGE
Examiner
Art Unit 1745
/HANA C PAGE/Examiner, Art Unit 1745
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