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 .
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
The previously set forth 112, 2nd paragraph rejection has been withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claim(s) 1-4, 7-10, and 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
KR 20170042437 (hereinafter KR ‘437) in view of Brown et al. (US 10814582). KR ‘437 discloses a strength-reinforced hybrid insulation material, and more particularly, to a heat-resistant hybrid insulation material that improves heat insulation, incombustibility, and sound absorption to be used as a material for various apparatuses, buildings, ducts, sound absorption and sound insulating materials. Referring to FIG. 1, the illustrated strength-enhancing hybrid insulation 10 includes a polymer foam layer 11, a strength-enhancing layer 12 of flexural strength reinforcement, and a barrier layer 13. The polymer foam layer can be a polyisocyanurate foam. The strength reinforcing material can be a metal net of a stainless-steel material. An adhesive layer is used to bond the layer to the metal plate. The adhesives can be high-temperature melting adhesives (0030).
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KR ‘437 disclose the claimed invention except for the newly added limitations of “wherein the adhesive is configured to activate as a result of a heating the metal wire to a temperature equal to or greater than the activation temperature of the adhesive, which is adapted to adhere the base material with a membrane.”
Brown et al. (US 10814582) disclose decorative and structural panels, and, more specifically, to a flexible veneer panel with a metal mesh layer (col 1, ln 6-8). The panel may comprise a wood veneer, a metal mesh, a backing layer, and a thermoset adhesive bonding the veneer to the metal mesh and the backing layer (col 1, ln 25-28). In various embodiments, and in response to the increased temperature and pressure, adhesive material 104 may penetrate (in the y-direction) into fibers of the wood used for face veneer 102 as well as into metal mesh 106. Metal mesh 106 and face veneer 102 may press together and contact one another or have a thin layer of adhesive remaining between one another. Similarly, in response to the increased temperature and pressure, adhesive material 108 may penetrate into the material (e.g., wood) used for backing layer 110 as well as into metal mesh 106. Metal mesh 106 and backing layer 110 may press together and contact one another or have a thin layer of adhesive remaining between one another. Adhesive material 104 and adhesive material 108 may then thermoset and initiate cross-linking bonds. Adhesive material that has invaded into face veneer 102, metal mesh 106, and backing layer 110 may provide a strong adhesion and resist delamination (col 4, ln 41-57). It would have been obvious to having ordinary skill in the art to have used Brown’s disclosure of increasing temperature to melt the adhesive in the insulation material of KR ‘437 motivated by the desire to have an insulation that has strong adhesion and increased resistance to delamination.
Claims 1-5 and 7-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ciuperca (US 2014/0272302) in view of Brown et al. (US 10814582). Ciuperca discloses an architectural decorative surface finish on a substrate, especially an insulating foam panel (0002). Ciuperca further discloses that the exterior finish system incorporates recycled or repurposed materials (0004). The substrate 10 can be any desired size, shape or thickness, but preferably is in the shape of a rectangular panel. The substrate 10 can be concrete, gypsum board, cement board, concrete block, wood, plywood, but is preferably made from closed cell polymeric foam, such as polyisocyanurate and polyurethane (0015). The foam substrate 10 optionally has a layer of reinforcing material 12 on one primary surface 14 thereof. Optionally, the other primary surface 16 of the foam substrate 10 is preferably attached to a secondary substrate 18 such as any sheathing material including but not limited to, plywood, gypsum board, cement board and the like. The foam substrate 10 can be attached to the primary substrate 14 by any means know in the art (0017), such as adhesives (0017). The layer of reinforcing material can be made of meshes made from metal (0018). The layer of reinforcing material 12 can be adhered to the first primary surface 14 of the foam substrate 10 by a conventional adhesive that is compatible with the material from which the foam substrate is made (0019).
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Ciuperca et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the newly added limitations of “wherein the adhesive is configured to activate as a result of a heating the metal wire to a temperature equal to or greater than the activation temperature of the adhesive, which is adapted to adhere the base material with a membrane.”
Brown et al. disclose decorative and structural panels, and, more specifically, to a flexible veneer panel with a metal mesh layer (col 1, ln 6-8). The panel may comprise a wood veneer, a metal mesh, a backing layer, and a thermoset adhesive bonding the veneer to the metal mesh and the backing layer (col 1, ln 25-28). In various embodiments, and in response to the increased temperature and pressure, adhesive material 104 may penetrate (in the y-direction) into fibers of the wood used for face veneer 102 as well as into metal mesh 106. Metal mesh 106 and face veneer 102 may press together and contact one another or have a thin layer of adhesive remaining between one another. Similarly, in response to the increased temperature and pressure, adhesive material 108 may penetrate into the material (e.g., wood) used for backing layer 110 as well as into metal mesh 106. Metal mesh 106 and backing layer 110 may press together and contact one another or have a thin layer of adhesive remaining between one another. Adhesive material 104 and adhesive material 108 may then thermoset and initiate cross-linking bonds. Adhesive material that has invaded into face veneer 102, metal mesh 106, and backing layer 110 may provide a strong adhesion and resist delamination (col 4, ln 41-57). It would have been obvious to having ordinary skill in the art to have used Brown’s disclosure of increasing temperature to melt the adhesive in the insulating panel of Ciuperca in the motivated by the desire to have a panel that has strong adhesion and increased resistance to delamination.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ciuperca (US 2014/0272302) and Brown et al. (US 10814582) and further in view of Propst (US 2014/0150362). The combination of Ciuperca and Brown et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the teaching that the coverboard comprises recycled material.
Propst (US 2014/0150362) discloses a building panel, specifically roof panels, that is used to form a structure. The use of environmentally friendly, insulating, lightweight block materials for use as the walls, roofs, floors and other structures in buildings is increasing in popularity. The blocks of material are being used to replace concrete blocks and insulated wood and stucco walls. These blocks are structural elements which provide insulation properties and a shaped mass which defines the shape of the structure to be built. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam blocks are a popular material, but other materials such as straw, plastic, and recycled elements are also being used to create these insulating structural blocks. These new building materials use less wood, decrease construction waste, often use recycled materials, and create a building which is more energy efficient than standard wood frame and plaster construction buildings (0079). Core 158 can be formed of any material or materials that provide the necessary building-shaped elements and that accepts coating 160 to create building panel 112 according to the invention. Core 158 can be formed of wood, metal, recycled materials, straw, concrete blocks, plastic, or any other material or combination of materials (0086). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to have used Propst’s teaching of a recycled material in the core substrate of Ciuperca motivated by the desire to create an insulating foam panel that has decreased construction waste and more energy efficient.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 ULA CORINNA RUDDOCK whose telephone number is (571)272-1481. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8-4:30 PM.
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/ULA C RUDDOCK/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1729
/ULA C RUDDOCK/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1729