DETAILED ACTION
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.
Claim(s) 1-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D0 (English translation of CN 101117974).
With respect to claim 1, D0 discloses a metal nail sleeve for fixing a thermal insulation layer, the metal nail sleeve comprising a nail sleeve body 4 made of metal, a fixed disk 11 provided at one end of the nail sleeve body, wherein: the fixed disk has a central hole (Fig. 3), the nail sleeve body has an axial through hole (Figs. 1, 6) which is coaxial with the central hole, a guiding element (Fig. 1, insulating core 3) is provided within the axial through hole, the guiding element has an axial hole which is configured to allow a front end of a nail 5 to pass through and to accommodate a nail bar of the nail, the axial hole is coaxial with the axial through hole. See the Figures and translated Description.
However, D0 fails to explicitly teach the guiding element is made of materials with poor thermal conductivity as claimed. D0 does teach the guiding element 3 as thermal insulated, which is considered non-conductive. Therefore, it would be considered obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application to provide for a material described as poor thermal conductivity as the material taught by D0 provides the same function.
With respect to claim 2, D0 teaches, or otherwise makes obvious wherein the axial through hole is defined by a first cylindrical part, a conical part and a second cylindrical part three of which are interconnected with the central hole, wherein a diameter of the first cylindrical part is equal to a maximum diameter of the conical part, a minimum diameter of the conical part is equal to a diameter of a second cylindrical part, and the nail sleeve body is a metal cylinder with variable diameter. See especially Figs. 1-8 and associated translated description.
With respect to claim 3, D0 teaches, or otherwise makes obvious wherein the nail sleeve body comprises n nail sleeve components assembled with each other, the fixed disk comprises n fan-shaped plates assembled with each other, wherein n first ends of the n nail sleeve components are fixedly connected with the n fan-shaped plates respectively, each of the n fan-shaped plates has a curved notch in a center thereof, n curved notches are combined together to form the central hole, and n >= 2. See especially Figs. 1-8 and associated translated description.
With respect to claim 4, D0 teaches, or otherwise makes obvious wherein two wedge-shaped plates are symmetrically set at two side walls of each of the nail sleeve components respectively; each of the two wedge-shaped plates comprises a straight plate and an inclined plate, wherein one end of the straight plate is fixedly connected with one of the fan-shaped plates, and another end of the straight plate is connected with one end of the inclined plate as a whole; a distance between an inclined edge of the inclined plate and the axis of the axial through hole is decreased from the one end of the inclined plate which is connected with the straight plate to another end of the inclined plate which is connected with a second end of the each of the nail sleeve components. See especially Figs. 1-8 and associated translated description.
With respect to claim 5, D0 teaches, or otherwise makes obvious wherein the each of the nail sleeve components comprises a first curved plate, a conical plate and a second curved plate, wherein one end of the first curved plate is fixedly connected with the one of the fan-shaped plates, and the second curved plate is connected with the conical plate; two side walls of the first curved plate, the conical plate and the second curved plate are fixedly connected with the two wedge-shaped plates respectively. See especially Figs. 1-8 and associated translated description.
With respect to claim 6, D0 teaches, or otherwise makes obvious wherein a curved through hole is provided between the first curved plate and the conical plate; an indented arm, which is integrated with the first curved plate, is provided at one end of the first curved plate which nears the curved through hole; a free end of the indented arm extends into the axial through hole. See especially Figs. 1-8 and associated translated description.
With respect to claim 7, D0 teaches, or otherwise makes obvious wherein n first curved plates are assembled together to form the first cylindrical part, n conical plates are assembled together to form the conical part, and n second curved plates are assembled together to form the second cylindrical part. See especially Figs. 1-8 and associated translated description.
With respect to claim 8, D0 teaches, or otherwise makes obvious wherein one connection plate, which is integrated with the one of the fan-shaped plates and is downwards inclined, is provided at a straight end surface of the one of the fan-shaped plates; the one connection plate is fixedly connected with a bottom surface of another of the fan-shaped plates adjacent to the one of the fan-shaped plates. See especially Figs. 1-8 and associated translated description.
With respect to claim 9, D0 teaches, or otherwise makes obvious wherein the guiding element comprises a disk body, an upper cylinder provided on an upper surface of the disk body, and a lower cylinder provided at a lower surface of the disk body three of which are integrated with each other. See especially Figs. 1-8 and associated translated description.
With respect to claim 10, D0 teaches, or otherwise makes obvious wherein multiple reinforcing ribs, which are parallel to an axis of the guiding element, are provided at an outer wall of the lower cylinder, and a lower portion of each of the multiple reinforcing ribs has a slope. See especially Figs. 1-8 and associated translated description.
With respect to claim 11, D0 teaches, or otherwise makes obvious wherein multiple upper reinforcing ribs, which are parallel to the axis of the guiding element, are provided at an outer wall of the upper cylinder, and an upper portion of each of the multiple upper reinforcing ribs has a slope. See especially Figs. 1-8 and associated translated description.
With respect to claim 12, D0 teaches, or otherwise makes obvious wherein the upper cylinder is provided within the first cylindrical part, the disk body is exposed from the curved through hole, the lower cylinder is provided within the conical part, a surface of the lower portion of the each of the multiple reinforcing ribs is in contact with an inner wall of the conical part. See especially Figs. 1-8 and associated translated description.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
CN 203096968 teaches a heat insulating nail, comprising a rear end having an outer sleeve pipe of pressure plate, front end of the outer sleeve is formed, the diameter-reduced space toward the pressure plate extends in a direction out of the of the inner sleeve in the outer sleeve.
CN 210318054 teaches a heat-insulating member insulating plate for refrigerator insulation nail for fixing, comprising an outer expansion sleeve and circular plate, a round plate fixed on the outer expansion sleeve upper end and middle of the upper surface of the circular bulge is provided with a limiting groove; the outer expansion sleeve with a clapboard, the clapboard is fixedly mounted in the middle of the upper surface is fixed with inner expansion sleeve, an inner expanding sleeve and outer expanding sleeve is filled with heat insulation filling material, an inner expansion sleeve is inserted with a heat insulation rod, and upper end of insulating rod through round bumps and fixedly mounted with a screw head. lower end of insulating rod through the opening and extends to just below a clapboard, through fixing mechanism is fixed with a metal nail end of lower heat insulation rod, an outer expansion sleeve lower end is screw thread connected with an insulating sleeve. the heat insulation plate is fixed insulating nail has for fixing performance is strong and stable performance, but also has the function of heat insulation, so as to improve the heat preservation performance of the whole heated board.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZAKIYA W BATES whose telephone number is (571)272-7039. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30am - 5pm.
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/ZAKIYA W BATES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3674 3/4/2026