DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is responsive to application number 18/406,433 - EXCREMENT TREATMENT MATERIAL AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME, filed on 1/8/24. Claims 1-20 are pending.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Daika Co. Ltd (JP 2020-117259 A)(hereinafter Daika) in view of Tokyo Automatic Machine Works (JP H02-55288 B2) (hereinafter Tokyo).
Regarding Claim 1 Daika shows an excrement treatment material (Figs. 1-12) comprising: a plurality of grains (10; The granular body 10 is a granular body for treating excrement) for treating excrement; and a packaging bag (20) in which the plurality of grains are housed (includes a plurality of granular bodies 10 and a packaging bag 20), but fails to show wherein a charge amount of an inner surface of the packaging bag is larger than a charge amount of an outer surface of the packaging bag. However, Tokyo shows a applying a voltage/electricity to a packaging film (Fig. 1; By applying a voltage to this electrode 1 and passing the packaging film B, the outer surface of the bag body A 2 is charged). Tokyo further shows wherein the charge amount of the inner surface of the bag is larger than a charge of an outer surface of the packaging bag before charging and applying specific charges to create the results intended (To describe an example of a normal charging state, the powder is +2.5KV, the inner surface of packaging film B is -3KV, and the outer surface of packaging film B is -4 to - 7.5KV. In this state, if a voltage of AC7KV is applied to electrodes 1, 3, and 3, for example, the inner surface of packaging film B is +2.5KV, and the outer surface of packaging film B is +0.5K~). Thus applying a particular charge to make the inner surface carry a charge greater than an outer surface charge is a matter of ordinary skill in the art and a design consideration that may be easily calculated based on the charge of the inner and outer surface at the start and the amount of charge needing to be applied to provide a packaging bag with a inner surface charge being greater than an outer surface charge, the charging needed is easily calculated and provides predictable results. Therefore because Tokyo suggests an inner charge is greater than an outer charge and because Tokyo applies charges to the inner and outer surfaces to change the charges, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Daika to include charging the packaging bag with an inner surface charge greater than an outer surface charge for the purpose of controlling an electrically charged grain particle by electrical attraction or repulsion within the packaging as shown by Tokyo.
Regarding Claim 2 Daika shows the excrement treatment material according to claim 1, but fails to show wherein the charge amount of the inner surface is twice or more of the charge amount of the outer surface. However, the degree to which the inner surface and the outer surface charge amount is larger is a matter of ordinary skill in the art and a design consideration. The degree may be easily calculated based on the degree of repulsion or attraction desired, and the based on the charge of the grain material. Further, Tokyo suggests an initial state range of charge of an inner surface that is twice or more than a charge amount of an outer surface (To describe an example of a normal charging state, the powder is +2.5KV, the inner surface of packaging film B is -3KV, and the outer surface of packaging film B is -4 to - 7.5KV). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Daika to include an inner surface charge amount that is twice or more than a charge of the outer surface for the purpose of desired repulsion or attraction as shown by Tokyo.
Regarding Claim 3 Daika shows the excrement treatment material according to claim 1, but fails to show wherein the inner surface is charged negatively. However, Tokyo details that it is known to have an initial state of an inner surface that is charged negatively (To describe an example of a normal charging state, the powder is +2.5KV, the inner surface of packaging film B is -3KV, and the outer surface of packaging film B is -4 to - 7.5KV). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Daika to include an inner surface charge that is negatively charged for the purpose of desired repulsion or attraction as shown by Tokyo.
Regarding Claim 4 Daika shows the excrement treatment material according to claim 1, but fails to show wherein the charge amount of the inner surface is 2 kV or more. However, this is not critical. The instant invention details that the charge may be 2kV or more or preferably 5kV or more and may be either positively charged or negatively charged (¶ [0022]). Turning to Tokyo. Tokyo details (To describe an example of a normal charging state, the powder is +2.5KV, the inner surface of packaging film B is -3KV, and the outer surface of packaging film B is -4 to - 7.5KV. In this state, if a voltage of AC7KV is applied to electrodes 1, 3, and 3, for example, the inner surface of packaging film B is +2.5KV, and the outer surface of packaging film B is +0.5K~) a charging state of +2.5kV, which is 2kV or more. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Daika to include an inner surface charge of a degree that is necessary to repel or attract the grain material as shown by Tokyo.
Regarding Claim 5 Daika shows the excrement treatment material according to claim 1, but fails to show wherein the charge amount of the outer surface is 1 kV or less. However, this is not critical. The instant invention details that the charge may be in a charged state or may not be charged (¶ [0023]) and may be positively charged or negatively charged. Turning to Tokyo. Tokyo details (To describe an example of a normal charging state, the powder is +2.5KV, the inner surface of packaging film B is -3KV, and the outer surface of packaging film B is -4 to - 7.5KV. In this state, if a voltage of AC7KV is applied to electrodes 1, 3, and 3, for example, the inner surface of packaging film B is +2.5KV, and the outer surface of packaging film B is +0.5K~) a charging state of -4 to -7.5 (or +0.5kV), which is 1kV or less. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Daika to include an outer surface charge of a degree that is necessary to repel or attract the grain material as shown by Tokyo.
Regarding Claim 6 Daika shows the excrement treatment material according to claim 1, wherein each of the grains contains an organic substance as a main material (The granular body 10 is a granular body for treating excrement. In the present embodiment, the granular body 10 processes the excrement by absorbing the excrement. The particle size of the granular body 10 is, for example, about 5 to 15 mm. Each granular body 10 has a core portion 12 and a coating portion 14. The core portion 12 is formed in a granular shape. Examples of such a granular shape include a sphere, a cylinder, and an ellipsoid. The core portion 12 has a function of absorbing and retaining excrement. The core 12 is preferably made of an organic material as a main material. Here, the main material of the core portion 12 refers to a material that constitutes the core portion 12 and has the largest weight ratio in the core portion 12. As the organic substance, for example, papers, tea leaves, plastics, or okara can be used.).
Regarding Claim 7 Daika shows the excrement treatment material according to claim 6, wherein each of the grains is made only of the organic substance (both covering material and core material are organic material; The covering portion 14 covers the core portion 12. The covering portion 14 may cover the entire surface of the core portion 12, or may cover only a part of the surface of the core portion 12. The covering portion 14 has a function of adhering the granular bodies 10 that have absorbed excrement to each other and solidifying them during use. The covering portion 14 contains an adhesive material. As such an adhesive material, for example, starch, CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose), PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), dextrin, or a water absorbing polymer can be used. The covering portion 14 is also preferably made of an organic material as a main material.).
Regarding Claim 8 Daika shows the excrement treatment material according to claim 6, wherein each of the grains contains papers as the main material (As the organic substance, for example, papers, tea leaves, plastics, or okara can be used. Papers refer to materials mainly composed of pulp).
Regarding Claim 9 Daika shows the excrement treatment material according to claim 1, wherein each of the grains includes a core portion (12) that is formed in a granular shape (The core portion 12 is formed in a granular shape), and a coating (14) portion that covers the core portion (The covering portion 14 may cover the entire surface of the core portion 12).
Regarding Claim 10 Daika shows the excrement treatment material according to claim 1, wherein each of the grains guides the excrement inside the grain (The granular body 10 is a granular body for treating excrement. In the present embodiment, the granular body 10 processes the excrement by absorbing the excrement).
Regarding Claim 11 Daika shows a method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material, the method comprising: a grain forming step of forming a plurality of grains for treating excrement (The granular body 10 can be formed as follows, for example. First, the material forming the core 12 (core material) is crushed to a predetermined size by a crusher, and then charged into a mixer at a predetermined ratio and mixed. Then, after adding water if necessary, the core material is extruded and granulated by a granulator. As a result, a plurality of granular cores 12 are obtained. Next, the covering portion 14 is formed so as to cover each core portion 12. Specifically, the coating portion 14 is formed by adhering the powdery material (coating material) forming the coating portion 14 to the surface of the core portion 12 using a coating device or the like. The coating material can be applied, for example, by spraying or spraying. Then, the granules thus obtained are passed through a sieve having sieve meshes of a predetermined size to extract only the granules satisfying a predetermined standard. Then, the extracted granular material is dried with a dryer. By the above, a plurality of granular bodies 10 are formed); and a grain housing step of housing the plurality of grains formed in the grain forming step in a packaging bag (Returning to FIGS. 1 to 3, the plurality of granular bodies 10 are accommodated in the packaging bag 20), but fails to show wherein a charge amount of an inner surface of the packaging bag is larger than a charge amount of an outer surface of the packaging bag. However, Tokyo shows a applying a voltage/electricity to a packaging film (Fig. 1; By applying a voltage to this electrode 1 and passing the packaging film B, the outer surface of the bag body A 2 is charged; method step of applying electricity). Tokyo further shows wherein the charge amount of the inner surface of the bag is larger than a charge of an outer surface of the packaging bag before charging and applying specific charges to create the results intended (To describe an example of a normal charging state, the powder is +2.5KV, the inner surface of packaging film B is -3KV, and the outer surface of packaging film B is -4 to - 7.5KV. In this state, if a voltage of AC7KV is applied to electrodes 1, 3, and 3, for example, the inner surface of packaging film B is +2.5KV, and the outer surface of packaging film B is +0.5K~). Thus applying a particular charge to make the inner surface carry a charge greater than an outer surface charge is a matter of ordinary skill in the art and a design consideration that may be easily calculated based on the charge of the inner and outer surface at the start and the amount of charge needing to be applied to provide a packaging bag with an inner surface charge being greater than an outer surface charge, the charging needed is easily calculated and provides predictable results. Therefore because Tokyo suggests an inner charge is greater than an outer charge and because Tokyo applies charges to the inner and outer surfaces to change the charges, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Daika to include charging the packaging bag with an inner surface charge greater than an outer surface charge for the purpose of controlling an electrically charged grain particle by electrical attraction or repulsion within the packaging as shown by Tokyo.
Regarding Claim 12 Daika as combined shows a method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 11, the method further comprising: an electrifying treatment step of electrifying the packaging bag ( By applying a voltage to this electrode 1 and passing the packaging film B, the outer surface of the bag body A 2 is charged; method step of applying electricity) such that the charge amount of the inner surface is larger than the charge amount of the outer surface, but fails to show applying the electrifying treatment step before the grain housing step. However, this is a design consideration within the level of ordinary skill in the art. However, there are a finite number of options of when the electrifying treatment step is carried out, i.e. before housing the grain or after housing the grain. The electrifying treatment step before housing the grain is not considered critical as the technical problem being solved is to attract fine particles that become peeled during transportation or the like due to the grains colliding with each other. The peeled part becomes fine particles and those fine particles may be release outside the packaging bag when the grains are taken out from the open packaging ¶ [0005]). Therefore performing the electrifying treatment step before or after the grain housing step, provides the solution of accumulating the fine particles prior to opening the package after transportation, storage or the like, i.e. predictable results. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Daika as combined to include housing the grain either before or after the electrifying treatment step.
Regarding Claim 13 Daika shows the method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 12, but fails to show wherein in the electrifying treatment step, the packaging bag is electrified such that the charge amount of the inner surface is twice or more of the charge amount of the outer surface. However, the degree to which the inner surface and the outer surface charge amount is larger is a matter of ordinary skill in the art and a design consideration. The degree may be easily calculated based on the degree of repulsion or attraction desired, and the based on the charge of the grain material. Further, Tokyo suggests an initial state range of charge of an inner surface that is twice or more than a charge amount of an outer surface (To describe an example of a normal charging state, the powder is +2.5KV, the inner surface of packaging film B is -3KV, and the outer surface of packaging film B is -4 to - 7.5KV). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Daika to include an inner surface charge amount that is twice or more than a charge of the outer surface for the purpose of desired repulsion or attraction as shown by Tokyo.
Regarding Claim 14 Daika shows the method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 12, but fails to show wherein in the electrifying treatment step, the inner surface is electrified negatively. However, Tokyo details that it is known to have an initial state of an inner surface that is charged negatively (To describe an example of a normal charging state, the powder is +2.5KV, the inner surface of packaging film B is -3KV, and the outer surface of packaging film B is -4 to - 7.5KV). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Daika to include an inner surface charge that is negatively charged for the purpose of desired repulsion or attraction as shown by Tokyo.
Regarding Claim 15 Daika shows the method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 12, but fails to show wherein in the electrifying treatment step, the packaging bag is electrified such that the charge amount of the inner surface is 2 kV or more. However, this is not critical. The instant invention details that the charge may be 2kV or more or preferably 5kV or more and may be either positively charged or negatively charged (¶ [0022]). Turning to Tokyo. Tokyo details (To describe an example of a normal charging state, the powder is +2.5KV, the inner surface of packaging film B is -3KV, and the outer surface of packaging film B is -4 to - 7.5KV. In this state, if a voltage of AC7KV is applied to electrodes 1, 3, and 3, for example, the inner surface of packaging film B is +2.5KV, and the outer surface of packaging film B is +0.5K~) a charging state of +2.5kV, which is 2kV or more. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Daika to include an inner surface charge of a degree that is necessary to repel or attract the grain material as shown by Tokyo.
Regarding Claim 16 Daika shows the method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 12, but fails to show wherein in the electrifying treatment step, the packaging bag is electrified such that the charge amount of the outer surface is 1 kV or less. However, this is not critical. The instant invention details that the charge may be in a charged state or may not be charged (¶ [0023]) and may be positively charged or negatively charged. Turning to Tokyo. Tokyo details (To describe an example of a normal charging state, the powder is +2.5KV, the inner surface of packaging film B is -3KV, and the outer surface of packaging film B is -4 to - 7.5KV. In this state, if a voltage of AC7KV is applied to electrodes 1, 3, and 3, for example, the inner surface of packaging film B is +2.5KV, and the outer surface of packaging film B is +0.5K~) a charging state of -4 to -7.5 (or +0.5kV), which is 1kV or less. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Daika to include an outer surface charge of a degree that is necessary to repel or attract the grain material as shown by Tokyo.
Regarding Claim 17 Daika shows the method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 11, wherein in the grain forming step, each of the grains is formed that contains an organic substance as a main material. (The granular body 10 is a granular body for treating excrement. In the present embodiment, the granular body 10 processes the excrement by absorbing the excrement. The particle size of the granular body 10 is, for example, about 5 to 15 mm. Each granular body 10 has a core portion 12 and a coating portion 14. The core portion 12 is formed in a granular shape. Examples of such a granular shape include a sphere, a cylinder, and an ellipsoid. The core portion 12 has a function of absorbing and retaining excrement. The core 12 is preferably made of an organic material as a main material. Here, the main material of the core portion 12 refers to a material that constitutes the core portion 12 and has the largest weight ratio in the core portion 12. As the organic substance, for example, papers, tea leaves, plastics, or okara can be used.).
Regarding Claim 18 Daika shows the method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 17, wherein in the grain forming step, each of the grains is formed that is made only of the organic substance (both covering material and core material are organic material; The covering portion 14 covers the core portion 12. The covering portion 14 may cover the entire surface of the core portion 12, or may cover only a part of the surface of the core portion 12. The covering portion 14 has a function of adhering the granular bodies 10 that have absorbed excrement to each other and solidifying them during use. The covering portion 14 contains an adhesive material. As such an adhesive material, for example, starch, CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose), PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), dextrin, or a water absorbing polymer can be used. The covering portion 14 is also preferably made of an organic material as a main material.).
Regarding Claim 19 Daika shows the method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 17, wherein in the grain forming step, each of the grains is formed that contains papers as the main material (As the organic substance, for example, papers, tea leaves, plastics, or okara can be used. Papers refer to materials mainly composed of pulp).
Regarding Claim 20 Daika shows the method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 11, wherein the grain forming step includes a core portion forming step of forming a plurality of core portions (12) in a granular shape (The core portion 12 is formed in a granular shape), and a coating portion forming step of forming a coating portion (14) so as to cover each of the core portions formed in the core portion forming step (The covering portion 14 may cover the entire surface of the core portion 12).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Dinter et al. (US 5,759,649) shows the general state of the art Ledodq et al. (US Pub. 2016/0185521) shows the general state of the art.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTINE J SKUBINNA whose telephone number is (571)270-5163. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Thursday, 9:30 AM to 6PM EST.
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/CHRISTINE J SKUBINNA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3754 3/6/2026