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 .
Election/Restrictions
Examiner has withdrawn the species restriction requirement between Species A and Species B, but has maintained the restriction requirement among Groups I-IV.
Applicant’s election of Group II, Claims 15-18, in the reply filed on 09/27/2025 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Claims 1-14 and 19-20 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Groups I, III and IV, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 09/27/2025
The restriction has been made FINAL.
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.
Claims 15, 17 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Torrijos et al. (US 2011/0255205 A1).
Regarding Claim 15, Torrijos teaches an assembly (Fig. 1) comprising first structure of a laminate comprising layers of fiber reinforced material (Fig. 1, Item 1; Paragraph 0018), a metal mesh lightning-strike protection layer (LSP) (Fig. 1, Item 2, 5; Paragraph 0018), where the LSP layer comprises an outer face and an inner face opposite to the outer face, a connector comprising an LSP connection which overlaps with and is electrically connected to the inner or outer face of the LSP layer, and a bore which passes through the LSP layer, the laminate and the connector. (Fig. 1). Torrijos teaches a second structure (Fig. 1; Abstract; Claim 1 of Torrijos), and a fastener (Fig. 1, Item 7) that secures the first and second structure, where the fastener is received in the bore and the connector electrically connects the LSP layer to the fastener. (Fig. 1; Claim 1 and 5 of Torrijos).
Regarding Claim 17, Torrijos teaches the connector comprises a washer with a hole bounded by an internal edge of the washer, an inner face, and an outer face, wherein the inner and outer faces of the washer meet at the internal edge of the washer, the LSP connection surface comprises part of one of the faces of the washer, and the internal edge of the washer is electrically connected to the fastener. (Fig. 1, Item 9; Paragraph 0021-0023)
Regarding Claim 18, Torrijos teaches this assembly is on an aircraft. (Abstract; Claim 1 of Torrijos).
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 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Torrijos in view of Iowa State University (NPL) and Haylock (US 2010/0272537 A1).
Regarding Claim 16, Torrijos teaches the fastener comprises a fastener body (Fig. 1). Torrijos teaches the fastener body can comprise titanium. (Claim 4 of Torrijos). Iowa State University teaches titanium and titanium alloy have a range of 0.87-3.1% IACS (International Annealed Copper Standard).
Torrijos does not specifically teach a sleeve surrounding the fastener body, where the sleeve is formed from a more electrically conductive material than the fastener body and the connector connects the LSP layer to the sleeve.
Haylock teaches applying a conductive conformable sleeve to a fastener, where the conformable sleeve has an electric conductivity of higher than 20% IACS. Haylock teaches the sleeve ensures the fasteners fits well into the assembly and proper electrical flow when the aircraft is struck by lightning and ensures the plane assembly is not damaged from improper electrical flow. (Paragraph 0005-0006, 0444, 0051, 0110). Thus, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art to use the sleeve taught by Haylock on the fastener of Torrijos to ensure proper electrical flow through the airplane assembly. This combination of Torrijos and Haylock would have the sleeve be formed of a more electrically conductive material than the fastener body and the connector electrically connected to the LSP layer to the sleeve to ensure proper electrical flow.
Correspondence
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL ZHANG whose telephone number is (571)270-0358. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday: 9:30am-3:30pm, 8:30PM-10:30PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Frank Vineis can be reached at (571) 270-1547. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Michael Zhang/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1781
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