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 .
Response to Amendment
1. Applicants amended the claims in the response to the restriction requirement dated 11/21/25 to add new claims 16-19. Claims 16-19 have been added as requested.
Election/Restrictions
2. Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-9 and 16-19 in the reply filed on 11/21/25 is acknowledged. Claims 10-15 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected process, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
3. 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.
4. Claim(s) 1-9 and 16-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over by Nishimura et al., US. 6,995,099 in view of Zhou et al., US 20210404098 A1.
With regard to claims 1,9, and 16-19, the patent issued to Nishimura et al., teach a composite comprising first and second reinforcing layers and a non-woven disposed between said layers (title, abstract, column 4, 65, column 7, 20-35 and column 9, 55-65). Said reinforcing layers are made from fibers such as glass or carbon (column 5, 1-10). Nishimura et al., teach that the fibers of the reinforcing layers can be oriented at angles ranging from 0-90°degrees (column 6, 40-50). With regard to the claimed thermoset resin, Nishimura et al., teach impregnating the layers with epoxy resin (column 10, 1-10, column 10, 35-column 11, 10 and column 12, 10-20). With regard to the claimed non-woven, Nishimura teach that the non-woven layer can be spun-bond non-woven and can further comprise sheath/core bicomponent fibers (column 5, 55-column 6, 5 and column 8, 10-column 9, 10). Nishimura teach that the complex fiber reinforcing material exhibits excellent shaping properties and impact resistance after molding (column 2, 20-30).
Nishimura teach a spun-bond non-woven comprising bicomponent fibers.
Nishimura fails to teach the claimed bicomponent sheath/core polymeric materials.
The patent issued to Zhou et al., teach a spunbond nonwoven fabric comprising a purity of continuous bicomponent fibers having a sheath/core configuration ionomer of ethylene/(meth) acrylic acid copolymer forms the sheath and polyamide forms the core. Said non-woven can be used to form various impact resistant composites (title, abstract and paragraph 0003).
The prior art of Nishimura et al., and Zhou et al., are considered analogous since they are both concerned with forming similar articles. The Examiner is of the position that it would be within the skill of an ordinary worker in the art to form the sheath/core fibers in the spun-bond non-woven fabric Nishimura et al., with the sheath/core bicomponent fibers comprising the ionomer of ethylene/(meth) acrylic acid copolymer as the sheath component. The modification involves the mere substitution of one material with another material known for its suitability as sheath component polymer in sheath/core bicomponent fibers and would yield a predictable variation whose application is well within the skill of the art.
With regard to claims 3, 4 and 5, Zhou et al., teach an ionomer of ethylene/(meth)acrylic acid copolymer used herein is a copolymer of ethylene and (meth)acrylic acid, wherein the acid content in monomer of the ionomer of ethylene/(meth)acrylic acid copolymer ranges from about 1 wt. % to about 20 wt. %, and the acid groups are neutralized by sodium cations or zinc cations with neutralization level ranging from about 0.1% to about 60%.
With regard to claim 6, Zhou et al., teach that the ionomer of ethylene/(meth)acrylic acid copolymer used herein has a melt flow rate (MFR) of about 12-60 g/10 min, as measured in accordance with ASTM D1238 at 190° C. with a 2160 g load.
With regard to claims 7 and 8, in one embodiment, the bicomponent continuous fiber has an average fiber diameter of about 1-100 μm, or about 2-50 μm.
Conclusion
5. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LYNDA SALVATORE whose telephone number is (571)272-1482. The examiner can normally be reached M-F.
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/LYNDA SALVATORE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1789
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