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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 02/06/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Claims 6-9 are withdrawn.
Claim 2 and 10-12 are cancelled.
In view of the amendment, filed on 02/06/2026, the following rejections are withdrawn from the previous office action, mailed on 11/19/2026.
Rejection of claims 1 and 3-5 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watada et al. (US 6,238,079) in view of KR (20150011770).
Rejection of claims 1 and 3-5 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watada et al. (US 6,238,079) in view of Hiragori (JP 2653524).
New Grounds of the Rejections
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 non-obviousness.
Claim(s) 1 and 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watada et al. (US 6,238,079) in view of Yasuaki (JP 10-109309).
Watada et al. (US ‘079) disclose a cylinder 2 is formed with an upper guide bore 10a and a lower guide bore 10b at a position corresponding to a gate part B. Gate rods 7 are rotatably inserted through the guide bores 10a, 10b, respectively. Each of the gate rods 7 is formed with opening degree changing recesses in a form of an opencut adjacent to each other in an axial direction in order to constitute opening degree variable channels S in combination with opening degree variable channel forming parts 14 of two screws 3. Each of the recesses 11 consists of a first semicircular face 12 and a second semicircular face 13 in such a shape that an upstream side end of the first semicircular face 12 is diagonally cut. By rotating the gate rods 7 in a positive direction and a reverse direction, the opening degree can be changed between a fully opened state wherein the first semicircular face 12 and the opening degree variable channel forming part 14 are in parallel and a fully closed position wherein the second semicircular face 13 is in abutment against the opening degree variable channel forming part 14. (see abstract)
As to claim 1, Watada et al. (US ‘079) disclose a granulator comprising: a flow path (a cylinder 2; col. 3, lines 1-7) through which molten resin is conveyed; a kneading section (kneading part A; col. 3, lines 1-15) provided on the flow path (a cylinder 2; col. 3, lines 1-7) and configured to convey the molten resin while kneading it; a kneading adjustment section (a gate part B; col. 3, lines 1-15) provided on a downstream side of the kneading section (A) on the flow path (2) and is configured to adjust a kneading degree of the molten resin and to knead the molten resin (col. 1, lines 51-55: a kneading degree adjusting device for a twin extruder in which the filling degree of the material can be stabilized); and a discharge section (a discharge port 9) provided on a downstream side of the kneading adjustment section (B) on the flow path (2) (col. 3, lines 4-7: a discharging part in order from a supply port 6 formed at one end of the cylinder 2 toward a discharge port 9 formed at the other end), wherein the kneading adjustment section (B) includes a kneading adjustment mechanism including: a pair of movable members (gate rods 7; col. 3, lines 20-30) each having a flow path forming surface (a first semicircular face 12 and a first semicircular face 13; col. 3, lines 35-40 and Fig. 2B) constituting a part of the flow path (2); and a screw (two screws 3; col. 2, lines 64-67) arranged between the flow path forming surfaces (12, 13) of the respective movable members (7), wherein at least one of the pair of movable members can operate such that a gap between the flow path forming surface (12, 13) and the screw (3) increases or decreases.
[AltContent: textbox (A kneading adjustment section (B))][AltContent: textbox (A kneading section (A))]
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (A screw (3))][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (A flow path (2))][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]
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[AltContent: textbox (A flow path forming surface (12 and 13))][AltContent: textbox (A pair of movable members (7))]
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However, Watada et al. (US ‘079) fail to disclose a plurality of protrusions is provided on an outer periphery of the screw in the kneading adjustment section, wherein each of the protrusions has a corner, and the protrusions and corresponding corners extend along a length of the screw, as claimed in claim 1
In the analogous art, Yasuaki (JP ‘309) discloses a kneading extruder main body 2 in which a chamber 1 is formed, and two rotors 3 which are rotatably inserted into the chamber 1 in parallel with each other (¶ [0012]), wherein the kneading extruder main body 2 is formed by connecting a plurality of barrels 4 each having a fixed length in the axial direction. A material supply port 5 is provided on the upper surface of the rearmost barrel 4, and the frontmost barrel 4 is provided. (¶ [0013]) moreover, each of the two rotors 3 has a rotor shaft 9 spline-fitted inside a cylindrical rotor body 8. (¶ [0013])
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Rotor segments (15A, 15B))][AltContent: textbox (A plurality of protrusions (16))][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]
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Further, Yasuaki (JP ‘309) teaches the rotor segments 15A and 15B are arranged at two positions in front and behind which are separated in the axial direction of the rotor 3. (¶ [0015])
Yasuaki (JP ‘309) discloses each rotor segment 15A, 15B has a substantially triangular cross section with each side bulging radially outward, and has three stirring edges 16 at each apex of the triangle. The stirring edge 16 is formed continuously along the axial direction of the rotor 3, that is, continuously so that the gap between the stirring edge 16 and the inner surface of the chamber 1 is constant in the axial direction of the rotor 3. (¶ [0016])
Moreover, Yasuaki (JP ‘309) teaches when the rotor segments 15A and 15B composed of the feed blade 13 and the return blade 14 rotate, the material to be kneaded is collected at the joint 17 of the two blades 13 and 14. (¶ [0017])
Therefore, as to claim 1, Yasuaki (JP ‘309) discloses a plurality of protrusions (stirring edges 16, ¶ [0016]) is provided on an outer periphery of the screw (the rotor segments 15A and 15B, ¶ [0015]) in the kneading adjustment section, wherein each of the protrusions (stirring edges 16, ¶ [0016]) has a corner, and the protrusions (stirring edges 16, ¶ [0016]) and corresponding corners extend along a length of the screw (the rotor segments 15A and 15B, ¶ [0015]).
As to claim 3, Yasuaki (JP ‘309) teaches the line segments connecting vertices of the respective protrusions (the rotor segments 15A and 15B, ¶ [0015]) in a cross section of the screw (the rotor segments 15A and 15B, ¶ [0015]) orthogonal to a central axis form a polygon. (see the annotated figures 2(a), 2(b))
As to claim 4, Yasuaki (JP ‘309) discloses the respective protrusions (stirring edges 16, ¶ [0016]) extend parallel to the central axis of the screw (the rotor segments 15A and 15B, ¶ [0015]). (see the annotated figures 2(a), 2(b))
As to claim 5, Yasuaki (JP ‘309) teaches the respective protrusions (stirring edges 16, ¶ [0016]) extend in directions intersecting the central axis of the screw (the rotor segments 15A and 15B, ¶ [0015]). (see the annotated figures 2(a), 2(b))
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the time of Applicant’s invention, to modify the kneading degree adjusting device for twin extruder, as suggested by Watada et al. (US ‘079), through a plurality of protrusions is provided on an outer periphery of the screw in the kneading adjustment section, wherein each of the protrusions has a corner, and the protrusions and corresponding corners extend along a length of the screw in order to provide a large shear force for the material to be kneaded, as suggested by Yasuaki (JP ‘309): see right above ¶ [0018].
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed on 02/06/2026, with respect to claim(s) 1 and 3-5 have been considered but are moot in view of the above new grounds of the application. Applicant’s arguments are mainly directed to the newly added limitations to claim 1 and that those limitation are not covered by previously cited references. However, in the above new grounds of the rejection, a new prior art of Yasuaki (JP ‘309) is introduced to fully address all the newly added claimed subject matter. Therefore, arguments are moot in view of the above new grounds of the rejections.
Relevant Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Shirato et al. (US 5,145,251) disclose a co-rotating twin-screw unidirectional-rotation type extruder including a barrel having a degree-of-kneading adjusting section and a kneading section disposed therein, said adjusting section being disposed downstream of said kneading section, said extruder having a pair of screws with flights respectively mounted in twin screw holes axially provided in said barrel, in which raw material to be extruded as a resin and fed via said twin screw hole in the barrel is heated and kneaded while being conveyed by the two screws, which are rotated in the same direction while being engaged with each other, so as to extrude said resin. (see col. 8, lines 13-25)
Takekuma (US 10,532,491) disclose a housing 10 has a feeding zone A, a wet zone B, a first thick-kneading zone C, a second thick-kneading zone D, a dilution zone E, and a discharge zone F from an upstream side toward a downstream side in the conveying direction. The first supply port 15 and the second supply port 16 are provided in the feeding zone A, the third supply port 17 is provided in the dilution zone E, and the discharge port 18 is provided in the discharge zone F. (see col. 4, lines 56-65)
Correspondence Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEYED MASOUD MALEKZADEH whose telephone number is (571)272-6215. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30AM-5:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, SUSAN D. LEONG can be reached at (571)270-1487. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SEYED MASOUD MALEKZADEH/Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1754 02/21/2026