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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 11/05/2025 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Applicant amendment filed 11/05/2025 has been entered and is currently under consideration. Claims 1-18 remain pending in the application.
Claim Objections
Claim 16 objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 16, ln 10, “machines, a normal control” should read –machines, and a normal control--.
Appropriate correction is required.
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) 1-2, 11, 13-14, and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takamatsu (JP2018008397 of record with reference made to examiner provided machine translation) in view of Betsche et al. (US2010/0065979 of record) hereinafter Betsche and Wurst et al. (DE102007052233 with reference made to examiner provided machine translation) hereinafter Wurst.
Regarding claim 1, Takamatsu teaches:
An injection molding system ([0020]) comprising:
a battery ([0009]);
an injection molding machines that executes an injection molding process using first electric power from a first electric power source, or using second electric power from the battery ([0016-0017, 0020]);
a switching circuit configured to control a power supplied to the injection molding machine from the first electric power source and the battery (Fig 1-2; [0016-0017, 0020]):
a control device that executes an electric power control to control an amount of electric power supplied to the plurality of injection molding machine from the first electric power source and the battery, based on the switching circuit ([0016-0017, 0020]), wherein
the control device is configured to adjust electricity demand ([0016-0017, 0020]), and
wherein when acquiring a demand response request for adjusting the use electric power amount, the control device executes the electric power control depending on the demand response request (Fig 3c; [0020, 0024]).
Takamatsu does not teach the control device is configured to communicate, through a network, with a server that adjusts electricity demand and the demand response request is acquired from the server.
Takamatsu does not teach the control device is configured to communicate, through a network, with a server that adjusts electricity demand and the demand response request is acquired from the server.
In the same field of endeavor regarding injection molding, Betsche teaches a control device configured to communicate, through a network, with a server that adjusts electricity demand and the demand response request is acquired from the server for the motivation of providing real time process control ([0049-0050]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the control device as taught by Takamatsu with server communication as taught by Betsche in order to provide real time process control.
Takamatsu in view of Betsche does not teach a plurality of injection molding machines;
a switching circuit configured to control a power supplied to each of the plurality of injection molding machines:
a control device that executes an electric power control to control an amount of electric power supplied to each of the plurality of injection molding machines.
In the same field of endeavor regarding injection molding, Wurst teaches a plurality of injection molding machines (Fig 1: drives 7; [0006]), a switching circuit configured to control a power supplied to each of the plurality of injection molding machines (Fig 1; [0021]), and a control device that executes an electric power control to control an amount of electric power supplied to each of the plurality of injection molding machines (Fig 1; [0021]) for the motivation of controlling the power of multiple machines while saving energy, cost, and space ([0012-0014]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the switching circuit and controller as taught by Takamatsu in view of Betsche with power management as taught by Wurst in order to control power to multiple machines saving energy, cost, and space.
Regarding claim 2, Takamatsu in view of Betsche and Wurst teaches the apparatus of claim 1.
Wurst teaches power control of the plurality of injection molding machines.
Takamatsu further teaches wherein when the demand response request is a request for decreasing the use electric power amount, the control device executes a first electric power control to reduce the use electric power amount of the injection molding machine, as the electric power control (Fig 3c: C2; [0020, 0024]).
Regarding claim 11, Takamatsu in view of Betsche and Wurst teaches the apparatus of claim 1.
Takamatsu further teaches wherein when the demand response request is a request for increasing the use electric power amount, the control device executes a second electric power control to increase the use electric power amount of the injection molding system, as the electric power control (Fig 3c: C3; [0020, 0024]).
Regarding claim 13, Takamatsu in view of Betsche and Wurst teaches the apparatus of claim 11.
Takamatsu further teaches wherein the second electric power control includes charging of the battery (Fig 3c: C3; [0020, 0024]).
Regarding claim 14, Takamatsu in view of Betsche and Wurst teaches the apparatus of claim 1.
Takamatsu further teaches wherein when acquiring disaster information about disaster, the control device executes a control depending on the disaster information, without executing the electric power control ([0005-0006]).
Regarding claim 17, Takamatsu in view of Betsche and Wurst teaches the apparatus of claim 13.
Wurst teaches power control of the plurality of injection molding machines.
Takamatsu further teaches wherein the second electric power control further includes controlling the switching circuit to supply, from the first electric power source, the first electric power to the injection molding machine (Fig 3c: C3; [0020, 0024]).
Claim(s) 3-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takamatsu in view of Betsche and Wurst as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Schiffers et al. (DE102012104493 of record with reference made to examiner provided machine translation) hereinafter Schiffers.
Regarding claim 3, Takamatsu in view of Betsche and Wurst teaches the apparatus of claim 2.
Wurst further teaches the plurality of injection molding machines includes a first injection molding machine and a second injection molding machine (Fig 1; drives 4; [0006, 0021]).
Takamatsu in view of Betsche and Wurst does not teach a priority about the injection molding process for the second injection molding machine being higher than for the first injection molding machine; and the first electric power control includes a control depending on the priority.
In the same field of endeavor regarding injection molding, Schiffers teaches a master control system for managing the production of multiple injection molding machines and giving priority to the injection molding machines that have been in queue for a long time for the motivation of allowing production from multiple machines regardless of power consumption ([0022, 0048]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system as taught by Takamatsu in view of Betsche in view of Wurst to include multiple molding machines and a master control system to manage them as taught by Schiffers in order to allow production from multiple machines regardless of power consumption.
Regarding claim 4, Takamatsu in view of Betsche, Wurst, and Schiffers teaches the apparatus of claim 3.
Schiffers further teaches wherein the first electric power control includes a restriction control to restrict the injection molding process performed by the first injection molding machine ([0018]).
Regarding claim 5, Takamatsu in view of Betsche, Wurst, and Schiffers teaches the apparatus of claim 4.
Schiffers further teaches wherein the restriction control includes a control to lengthen a period from end of the injection molding process for one cycle to start of the injection molding process for a next cycle, compared to when the restriction control is not being executed ([0018]).
Regarding claim 6, Takamatsu in view of Betsche, Wurst, and Schiffers teaches the apparatus of claim 4.
Takamatsu further teaches the use electric power amount of the first injection molding machine is decreased during the injection molding process for the one cycle is decreased at the end/start of a cycle (Fig 3c; [0024]).
Schiffers further teaches the restriction control includes a control to prohibit execution of the injection molding process after an end of the injection molding process for one cycle ([0018]).
Regarding claim 7, Takamatsu in view of Betsche, Wurst, and Schiffers teaches the apparatus of claim 3.
Takamatsu further teaches a battery and using electric power of the battery ([0020]).
Schiffers further teaches wherein the first electric power control includes a control to drive at least one of the first injection molding machine and the second injection molding machine ([0014, 0048]).
Regarding claim 8, Takamatsu in view of Betsche, Wurst, and Schiffers teaches the apparatus of claim 7.
Takamatsu further teaches using the electric power of the battery ([0020]).
Schiffers further teaches wherein the first electric power control includes a control to drive the second injection molding machine ([0014, 0048]).
Regarding claim 9, Takamatsu in view of Betsche, Wurst, and Schiffers teaches the apparatus of claim 3.
Takamatsu further teaches a battery, wherein the control device executes a control to drive at least one of the first injection molding machine and the second injection molding machine using electric power of the battery, as the first electric power control, when an SOC (State Of Charge) of the battery is more than a first predetermined value, and drives the at least one injection molding machine without using the electric power of the battery, when the SOC of the battery is the first predetermined value or less (Fig 3c; [0020, 0024]).
Regarding claim 10, Takamatsu in view of Betsche, Wurst, and Schiffers teaches the apparatus of claim 3.
Schiffers further teaches wherein the priority is prescribed by at least one of a unit price of a molded article of each of the at least one injection molding machine, a price of a mold included in each of the at least one injection molding machine, and a use electric power amount of each of the at least one injection molding machine ([0021]).
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takamatsu in view of Betsche and Wurst as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Kudert et al. (US 5523045 of record) hereinafter Kudert.
Regarding claim 12, Takamatsu in view of Betsche and Wurst teaches the apparatus of claim 11.
Takamatsu in view of Betsche and Wurst does not teach wherein the second electric power control includes a control to shorten a period from end of the injection molding process for one cycle to start of the injection molding process for a next cycle, compared to when the second electric power control is not being executed.
In the same field of endeavor regarding injection molding, Kudert teaches valve means that when operated, reduce the time delay between cycles for the motivation of rapid replenishment of material into the passageways and rapid initiation of repressurization of the system to ready it for the next cycle.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have operated the second electric power control as taught by Takamatsu in view of Betsche and Wurst using the valve means as taught by Kudert in order to allow rapid replenishment of material into the passageways and rapid initiation of repressurization of the system to ready it for the next cycle.
Claim(s) 16 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takamatsu in view of Betsche and Wurst as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Takehara et al. (JP2009148009 with reference made to examiner provided machine translation) hereinafter Takehara.
Regarding claim 16, Takamatsu in view of Betsche and Wurst teaches the apparatus of claim 2.
Takamatsu in view of Betsche and Wurst does not teach wherein, when the demand response request is the request for decreasing the use electric power amount, the control device identifies, among the plurality of injection molding machines, one or more first injection molding machines having a low priority and one or more second injection molding machines having a high priority, and the first electric power control includes: controlling the switching circuit to supply, from the battery, the second electric power to the second injection molding machines, and executing a restriction control to restrict an injection molding process performed by the first injection molding machines, and a normal control to drive an injection molding process performed by the second injection molding machines.
In the same field of endeavor regarding power supply systems, Takehara teaches a control device identifies, among a plurality of devices, one or more first devices having a low priority and one or more second devices having a high priority, and an electric power control includes: controlling a switching circuit to supply, from the battery, a second electric power to the second devices, and executing a restriction control to restrict the first devices, and a normal control to drive the second devices for the motivation of sequentially taking devices offline as the battery power drains (power control unit 12, device selection unit 14, DC devices 102; ln 391-398, 418-441).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the control device as taught by Takamatsu in view of Betsche and Wurst with the power supply management as taught by Takehara in order to sequentially take devices offline as the battery power drains.
Regarding claim 18, Takamatsu in view of Betsche, Wurst, and Takehara teaches the apparatus of claim 16.
Wurst teaches power control of the plurality of injection molding machines.
Takamatsu further teaches wherein when the demand response request is a request for increasing the use electric power amount, the control device executes a second electric power control to increase the use electric power amount of the injection molding system, as the electric power control, and the second electric power control includes: charging of the battery using the first electric power from the first electric power source, and controlling the switching circuit to supply, from the first electric power source, the first electric power to the injection molding machine (Fig 3c: C3; [0020, 0024]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed 11/05/2025 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
For at least the above reasons, the application is not in condition for allowance.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER A WANG whose telephone number is (571)272-5361. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 8 am-4 pm EST.
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/ALEXANDER A WANG/ Examiner, Art Unit 1741
/ALISON L HINDENLANG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1741