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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Group III (claims 810) in the reply filed on 08/11/2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that searching and examination of the entire application could be made without serious burden as the claimed inventions are sufficiently related since a thorough search for the subject matter of any one group of claims or inventions would encompass a search for the subject matter of the remaining claims and species. This is not found persuasive because as explained in the previously filed Office Action, that each Group would require different search areas and different considerations. Therefore, as stated rejoining the groups and examining all filed claims would definitely burden the examination process and would require much more time.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 8-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Wang Shoudong (CN-217 994 950) with a priority No. CN-2021 109 78331.
Regarding claim 8: Wang discloses a bottom folding-sealing process for folding and sealing a bottom of the folded packaging container structure according to claim 1, comprising:
Step 1, simultaneously or successively sealing both side sealing parts: respectively heating, bonding and sealing a first side sealing part and a second side sealing part, see for example (Figs. 1, 3, and 5; via the shown sealed side seals);
Step 3, folding a bottom sealing side: folding the bottom part along crease lines by using a mold or manual to connect a bottom sealing part; wherein, a joint surface of the bottom sealing part is perpendicular to a joint surface of the first side sealing part (Figs. 4-5; via the shown crease lines of the bottom portion of the blank in Fig. 4, being folded as shown by Fig. 5); and
Step 4, sealing the bottom sealing side: heating, bonding and sealing the bottom sealing part (Fig. 5; shows the bonded/sealed bottom portion of the container).
Regarding claim 9: wherein,
in Step 1, when sealing the first side sealing part, a first direction re-changing side sealing part II of the folded part A and a first direction re-changing side sealing part II of the folded part B are bonded together to form a first connection part with the first side sealing part, see for example (Figs. 4-6; via the shown rechanging of the side sealing direction of part A);
when sealing the second side sealing part, a second direction re-changing side sealing part II of the folded part A and a second direction re-changing side sealing part II of the folded part B are bonded together to form a second connection part with the second side sealing part, see for example (Figs. 4-6; via the shown rechanging of the side sealing direction of part A);
Step 2: folding the side sealing parts: when folding the side sealing part, by using a mode or manual, folding the first side sealing part towards an outer side of the second side surface, and folding the second side sealing part towards the outer side of the second side surface; wherein a folding direction of the first side sealing part is the same as or opposite to a folding direction of the second side sealing part, see for example (Figs. 4-6; via the shown side folding direction);
before or after Step 1, the bottom folding-sealing process further comprises: folding the first side surface and the second side surface; when folding the first side surface and the second side surface, connecting one side of a first side surface part with one side of a front surface through a crease line WC such that the first side surface part is located at the first side surface after being folded; and connecting one side of a second side surface part with a second side of the front surface through a crease line YD such that the second side surface part is located at the second side surface after being folded, see for example (Figs. 4-6; via the shown fold lines and crease lines of the bottom surface portions);
Step 5: folding the bottom sealing side sideways: folding the bottom sealing part sideways by using the mold or manual; after Step 5, the bottom folding-sealing process further comprises: folding a first upper folded ear and a second top folded ear by using a mold or manual to be contacted with the bottom sealing part; bonding a bottom folded ear; respectively bonding the first upper folded ear and the second top folded ear to the bottom sealing part by using a welding machine, a bonding machine or a hot air blower, see for example (Figs. 4-6; via the shown folding of bottom sealing side portions);
after Step 2, the bottom folding-sealing process further comprises: a side bonding; the side bonding comprises: by using a mode, bonding the first side sealing part and the outer side of the second side surface together, and bonding the second side sealing part and the outer side of the second side surface together; wherein a bonding direction of the first side sealing part and the outer side of the first side surface is the same as or opposite to a bonding direction of the second side sealing part and the outer side of the second side surface (via the shown bonds of the bottom folds along with the side folds);
after Step 2, the bottom folding-sealing process further comprises: performing a filling from a bottom opening to be sealed of the folded packaging body by using a filling machine (inherently a filling step is taken place into the container); and
after Step 2 or Step 1, and before Step 3, the bottom folding-sealing process further comprises: folding a bottom folded ear A and a bottom folded ear B for a preforming of the bottom part, so that the crease lines of the bottom part generate a crease memory (Figs. 4-5; via the shown bottom folded ears A & B of the bottom portion).
Regarding claim 10: wherein, in Step 3, folding the bottom sealing side comprises:
folding a first direction changing side sealing part I, a first bottom surface, a first folded surface of bottom folded ear, a second folded surface of bottom folded ear, a second bottom surface and a second direction changing side sealing part I along crease lines AB, BC, CG, DG, DE and EF respectively, see for example (Figs. 4-5; via the shown bottom sealing of folded ears);
folding the first direction re-changing side sealing part II, a first bottom sealing part II, a first bottom sealing part I, a second bottom sealing part I, a second bottom sealing part II and the second direction re-changing side sealing part II along crease lines GH, HI, IG, GK, KL and LM respectively, so that the first bottom sealing part II is contacted with the second bottom sealing part II, and the first bottom sealing part I is contacted with the second bottom sealing part I, see for example (Figs. 4-5; via the shown re-changing side sealing parts and bottom sealing parts);
when the first direction re-changing side sealing part II and the second direction re-changing side sealing part II are folded towards same direction, jointing a formed concavity A and a formed concavity B at both sides with each other; when the first direction re-changing side sealing part II and the second direction re-changing side sealing part II are folded towards opposite directions, jointing a protrusion formed by folding the first direction re-changing side sealing part II with the formed concavity B formed by folding the second direction re-changing side sealing part II, and jointing a protrusion formed by folding the second direction re-changing side sealing part II with the formed concavity A formed by folding the first direction re-changing side sealing part II, see for example (Figs. 4-5; via the shown joined portions of the A & B at both sides of each other’s);
and after Step 5, the bottom folding-sealing process further comprises: folding the bottom folded ear A along a crease line CD (via folding bottom portions along different crease lines shown by Fig. 4).
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) 8-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang Shoudong (CN-217 994 950) with a priority No. CN-2021 109 78331.
Regarding claims 8-10: the claims are disclosed as set forth above by Wang. Wang though may not be very clear regarding the claimed order of the steps of folding and/or sealing. However, Wang discloses the claimed sections and portions of the blank-container.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of applicant’s claimed invention, to have modified Wang’s method by different processing order and/or performing the folds and bonding of the side and/or bottom portions in different sequences, in order to come up with faster and/or easier forming process as it has been held that rearranging parts-steps of an invention involves only routine skill in the art.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SAMEH TAWFIK whose telephone number is (571)272-4470. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri. 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM.
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/SAMEH TAWFIK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3731
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