DETAILED ACTION
The communication dated 5/20/2026 has been entered and fully considered. Claims 1 and 6 are amended. Claims 1-6 are pending.
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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant argues that amendments of claims 1 and 6 overcome prior 112 rejections.
Applicant’s arguments, see REMARKS, filed 5/20/2026, with respect to claims 1 and 6 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 112 rejections of 1/30/2026 has been withdrawn.
Applicant argues the prior art, ZHENG, does not teach a vertically moving supporting arm system, the sleeved component of the lower block, and guide rails that allow the block to rise and fall simultaneously along the guide rails to maintain balanced vertical movement of the hot pressing lower mold limitations of the instant claim.
ZHENG teaches the use of a spring and jacket (elements 11C and 11D) that extend from the lower portion of the lower mold [Fig 5]. The spring and jacket system would compress when contacting the lower block during compression. This teaches a “sliding blocks mounted on such supporting arms”. ZHENG further teaches the entire block is on a lower mold drive mechanism (rail) that moves the lower mold horizontally, which aid in the horizontal positioning accuracy of the lower hot-pressing die [0027]. This teaches the limitation of “the inner surface of the supporting plate body is fixed with a guide rail, the sliding block on the supporting arm can be sleeved on the guide rail, when the hot pressing lower mold rises or falls, the sliding block can rise or fall simultaneously along the guide rail, maintaining balanced rise and fall of the hot pressing lower mold”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by ZHENG (CN108166333A Espacenet machine translation).
For claim 1, ZHENG teaches a fully automatic plant fiber molded product. ZHENG teaches the forming machine has a suction filter forming device to make a blank from the slurry [0014]. ZHENG teaches the slurry is stored in and suctioned from a tank (box) [0054]. ZHENG also teaches a hot press die section [0014]. This teaches the limitation of “An automatic forming machine for pulp molding product comprises a pulp sucking and forming zone and a hot forming zone, wherein, the pulp sucking and forming zone is configured with a pulp box and a pulp sucking and forming mold inside a working space, the pulp box is filled with pulp”. ZHENG teaches the forming mold enters the slurry in the suction forming slurry tank [0065]. This teaches the limitation of “the pulp sucking and forming mold can rise or fall inside the working space, and can suck pulp from the pulp box to form a primary blank”.
ZHENG teaches the hot mold has an upper and lower section [0064 and 0066]. This teaches the limitation of “the hot forming zone is configured with a hot pressing upper mold and a hot pressing lower mold inside a working space, the hot pressing upper mold is configured at an upper position inside the working space, the hot pressing lower mold is configured inside the working space and is located below the hot pressing upper mold”. ZHENG teaches the lower hot die has a lower die that is moved vertically down by a load bearing component (element 10) in the form of a bar on four sides [0068]. The load bearing component is connected to a mounting (base) plate [0068 and Fig 3]. Each load bearing component has four sides [Fig 3]. This teaches the limitation of “the bottom of the hot pressing lower mold is pushed by a power cylinder body to move up and down, characteristically: a supporting arm is extended from the bottom of the hot pressing lower mold in each of the four directions the upright surface on the outside of the supporting arm is fixed with a sliding block, a base plate is provided at a lower position inside the working space, a penetrating hole slot is configured on the base plate at each of the positions corresponding to the supporting arms, the adjacent outer sides of the base plate corresponding to the supporting arms on the two sides are respectively fixed with a supporting frame the column surfaces of the supporting frame on the front and rear side are respectively connected with a supporting plate body”. ZHENG teaches the use of a spring and jacket (elements 11C and 11D) that extend from the lower portion of the lower mold [Fig 5]. The spring and jacket system would compress when contacting the lower block during compression. This teaches a “sliding blocks mounted on such supporting arms”. ZHENG further teaches the entire block is on a lower mold drive mechanism (rail) that moves the lower mold horizontally, which aid in the horizontal positioning accuracy of the lower hot-pressing die [0027]. This teaches the limitation of “the inner surface of the supporting plate body is fixed with a guide rail, the sliding block on the supporting arm can be sleeved on the guide rail, when the hot pressing lower mold rises or falls, the sliding block can rise or fall simultaneously along the guide rail, maintaining balanced rise and fall of the hot pressing lower mold”.
For claim 2, ZHENG teaches the automatic forming machine for pulp molding product of claim 1, as above. ZHENG teaches an upper and lower spring pressure block [0021]. This teaches the limitation of “wherein the sliding block is divided into an upper sliding block and a lower sliding block”.
For claim 3, ZHENG teaches the automatic forming machine for pulp molding product of claim 1, as above. ZHENG teaches the sliding block is a nut and pin solution [0025]. The examiner understands the nut has a hole and pin fills the hole. This teaches the limitation of “wherein the front surface of the sliding block is in the form of an upright open slot, after extending inward, the two sides are expanded to form an upright sliding clamp slot”.
ZHENG teaches the former has two horizontal rails for each hot-pressing station (supporting arms) [0057]. This teaches the limitation of “the guide rail has an outward protruding rail strip on each of the two sides each supporting arm is corresponding to a guide rail, the open slot of the sliding block on the supporting arm clamps the corresponding guide rail”. ZHENG teaches the pins of the guide (rail) are sleeved [0077]. This teaches the limitation of “the sliding clamp slot is sequentially sleeved on the rail strip on each of the two sides of the guide rail”.
For claim 4, ZHENG teaches the automatic forming machine for pulp molding product of claim 1, as above. ZHENG teaches the bottom of the supporting bar (element 8) is connected to a plate at a fixed position (element 1a) [Fig 12]. This teaches the limitation of “wherein the supporting arm is fixed with a pushing plate at a position with some distance to the sliding block, the top of the supporting plate body is fixed with a connecting plate”. ZHENG teaches the use of an elastic component between the hot-pressing lower mold mounting plate and the slider disposed between the upper spring pressure block and the lower spring pressure block [0021]. This teaches the limitation of “the bottom of the connecting plate is fixed with a stretchable protection cover that can extend or shrink in the vertical direction, the lower end of the protection cover is formed as a free end”.
For claim 5, ZHENG teaches the automatic forming machine for pulp molding product of claim 4, as above. ZHENG teaches the elastic component is compressed and when the mounting plate fully contacts the load bearing component making the device enter a closed state [0079]. The examiner notes when the elastic is compressed only when the device is in the closed state meaning the elastic is uncompressed when the device is not closed. This teaches the limitation of “wherein, after the sliding block on the supporting arm clamps the corresponding guide rail, the pushing plate is pressed upon the free end on the lower side of the protection cover, the protection cover is in an extended state”.
For claim 6, ZHENG teaches the automatic forming machine for pulp molding product of claim 4, as above. ZHENG teaches the elastic component is compressed and when the mounting plate fully contacts the load bearing component making the device enter a closed state [0079]. The examiner notes that when the device enters a closed state the mounting plate is supported only by the load-bearing member, meaning the maximum range of motion for the plate and other moving components (elastic component) is reached when making full contact with the load bearing member. This teaches the limitation of “wherein, when the sliding block is pushed by the rising hot pressing lower mold to rise simultaneously along the rail, the pushing plate will push the protection cover to shrink upward, and till the hot pressing lower mold and the hot pressing upper mold clamp, the protection cover is in the maximal shrunk state”.
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 STEPHEN M RUSSELL whose telephone number is (571)272-6907. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri: 7:30 to 4:30 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abbas Rashid can be reached at (571) 270-7457. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/S.M.R./Examiner, Art Unit 1748
/Abbas Rashid/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1748
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