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 .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
DETAILED ACTION
Claims status
Claims 1-8 are pending as the applicant filed on 01/19/2024.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
2. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claims 1-8, the terms “defective articles” “defect rate” “high to low“ are vague and a relative term that renders the claim indefinite. The terms “defective articles” “defect rate” “high to low“ are not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably appraised of the scope of the invention. An artisan doing measuring and testing would not know at what point “defective articles” “defect rate” “high to low“ within the scope of the claim had been accomplished because nothing within the disclosure establishes when a sufficient “defective articles” “defect rate” “high to low“ occur.
Note: In view of the PTO compact prosecution, the Examiner notes that due to the indefiniteness issues described above all consideration of the merits of the claims in view of prior art is as best understood.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to a judicial exception (i.e., a law of nature, a natural phenomenon, or an abstract idea) without significantly more.
Claim 1, Step 1 the claim is a process (or machine) (Yes),
Step 2A Prong One, does the claim recite an abstract idea? current claim related to a molding management system comprising: a storage section configured to store molded article information including information on a number of defective articles for each item of molded article that was molded in a first period and information on a number of defective articles for each item of molded article that was molded in a second period, which is longer than the first period;
a calculation section configured to generate a report based on the molded article information; and an output section that outputs the report generated by the calculation section, wherein the report includes appears is an abstract idea of mental process (MPEP 2106.04(a)) or data gathering equivalent to mathematical concept or mathematical manipulation function (MPEP 2106.04 (a) (2) (concept need not be expressed in mathematical symbols, because "[w]ords used in a claim operating on data to solve a problem can serve the same purpose as a formula), (OR Mathematical Concepts and Mental Processes) Step 2A Prong One: Yes.
Step 2A Prong Two, is the claim directed to an abstract idea? In other words, does claim recite additional elements that integrate the Judicial Exception into a practical application? the additional elements of identification information, which is information for identifying an item of a molded article, information related to an actual defect rate for each item of molded article molded in the first period are recited at a high level of generality and merely amount to a particular field of use (see MPEP 2106.05(h)) and/or insignificant post-solution activity (MPEP 2106.05(g)), this does not integrate the Judicial Exception into a practical application,
Step 2A Prong Two: NO.
Step 2B, Does the claim recite additional element that amount to significantly more than the Judicial exception? the additional elements of information related to a defect rate target for each item of molded article in the first period, and
information related to an actual defect rate for each item of molded article molded in the second period appears to be field of use (See MPEP 2106.05(h) and MPEP 2106.05(f)) and/or merely amounts to insignificant extra-solution output of the results (see MPEP 2106.05(g)) and therefore fails to integrate the abstract idea into a practical application or amount to significantly more. Step 2B: No. claim 1 not eligible.
Claim 8, Step 1 the claim is a process (or machine) (Yes),
Step 2A Prong One, does the claim recite an abstract idea? current claim related to a molding management system comprising: a storage section configured to store molded article information including information on a number of defective articles for each item of molded article inspected in a first period and
information on a number of defective articles for each item of molded article inspected in a second period, which is longer than the first period; a calculation section configured to generate a report based on the molded article information; and an output section that outputs the report generated by the calculation section wherein the report includes appears is an abstract idea of mental process (MPEP 2106.04(a)) or data gathering equivalent to mathematical concept or mathematical manipulation function (MPEP 2106.04 (a) (2) (concept need not be expressed in mathematical symbols, because "[w]ords used in a claim operating on data to solve a problem can serve the same purpose as a formula), (OR Mathematical Concepts and Mental Processes) Step 2A Prong One: Yes.
Step 2A Prong Two, is the claim directed to an abstract idea? In other words, does claim recite additional elements that integrate the Judicial Exception into a practical application? the additional elements of identification information, which is information for identifying an item of a molded article, information related to an actual defect rate for each item of molded article inspected in the first period are recited at a high level of generality and merely amount to a particular field of use (see MPEP 2106.05(h)) and/or insignificant post-solution activity (MPEP 2106.05(g)), this does not integrate the Judicial Exception into a practical application,
Step 2A Prong Two: NO.
Step 2B, Does the claim recite additional element that amount to significantly more than the Judicial exception? the additional elements information related to a defect rate target for each item of molded article in the first period, and information relating to an actual defect rate for each item of molded article inspected in the second period appears to be field of use (See MPEP 2106.05(h) and MPEP 2106.05(f)) and/or merely amounts to insignificant extra-solution output of the results (see MPEP 2106.05(g)) and therefore fails to integrate the abstract idea into a practical application or amount to significantly more. Step 2B: No. claim 8 not eligible.
Claim 2 related to wherein the report includes any one of information related to an actual number of defective articles for each item of molded article molded in the first period, information related to an actual number of non-defective articles for each item of molded article molded in the first period, and information related to an actual number of molded articles for each item of molded article molded in the first period, it recite further data characterization and mathematical concepts that are part of the abstract idea, claim 2 not eligible.
Claim 3 related to wherein the calculation section generates alarm information for each item of molded article based on information related to an actual defect rate for each item of molded article molded in the first period and information on a defect rate target for each item of molded article in the first period and
the report includes the alarm information for each item of molded article, it recite further data characterization and mathematical concepts that are part of the abstract idea, claim 3 not eligible.
Claim 4 related to wherein the calculation section generates the alarm information based on information related to an actual defect rate for each item of
molded article molded in the second period, it recite further data characterization and mathematical concepts that are part of the abstract idea, claim 4 not eligible.
Claim 5 related to the calculation section generates the report with the
identification information arranged from high to low in descending
order of defect rate in the first period, it recite further data characterization and mathematical concepts that are part of the abstract idea, claim 5 not eligible.
Claim 6 related to wherein the storage section stores an amount of material required for molding a molded article and the report includes information related to actual consumption amounts of material for each item of molded article molded in the first period. it recite further data characterization and mathematical concepts that are part of the abstract idea, claim 6 not eligible.
Claim 7 related to wherein the second period is a period including the first period, it recite further data characterization and mathematical concepts that are part of the abstract idea, claim 7 not eligible.
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) 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin, CN 106779592 A, DATE PUBLISHED: 2017-05-31, CPC G06Q 10/103.
Regarding claim 1:
Lin described a molding management system comprising (page 2, injection molding): a storage section configured to store molded article information including information on a number of defective articles for each item of molded article that was molded in a first period and information on a number of defective articles for each item of molded article that was molded in a second period (abstract, computer server, page 2, injection molding, page 3 collect in real- time manner),
a calculation section configured to generate a report based on the molded article information; and an output section that outputs the report generated by the calculation section, wherein the report includes (page 6, report query and statistical functions)
identification information, which is information for identifying an item of a molded article,
information related to an actual defect rate for each item of molded article molded in the first period, information related to a defect rate target for each item of molded article in the first period, and information related to an actual defect rate for each item of molded article molded in the second period (page 7, a defective product information abnormal alarm, page 11, molding parameters, product management, page 12, injection molding machine, responsible for real-time collecting the machine data; the communication with the billboard system server, display control of the machine board; data collector).
Lin does not described second period which is longer than the first period.
Lin does described any condition in real-time is included (page 11, real-time processing manner).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify Lin to have the second period which is longer than the first period as the real-time processing will cover any length of period of time.
Regarding claim 8:
Lin described a molding management system comprising: a storage section configured to store molded article information including information on a number of defective articles for each item of molded article inspected in a first period and
information on a number of defective articles for each item of molded article inspected (abstract, computer server, page 2, injection molding, page 3 collect in real- time manner),
a calculation section configured to generate a report based on the molded article information; and an output section that outputs the report generated by the
calculation section page 6, report query and statistical functions), wherein
the report includes identification information, which is information for identifying an item of a molded article, information related to an actual defect rate for each
item of molded article inspected in the first period, information related to a defect rate target for each item of molded article in the first period, and information relating to an actual defect rate for each item of molded article inspected in the second period page 7, a defective product information abnormal alarm, page 11, molding parameters, product management, page 12, injection molding machine, responsible for real-time collecting the machine data; the communication with the billboard system server, display control of the machine board; data collector).
Lin does not described second period which is longer than the first period.
Lin does described any condition in real-time is included (page 11, real-time processing manner).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify Lin to have the second period which is longer than the first period as the real-time processing will cover any length of period of time.
Regarding claim 2, Lin further described wherein the report includes any one of information related to an actual number of defective articles for each item of molded article molded in the first period (page 10, real-time defect distribution in real-time), information related to an actual number of non-defective articles for each item of molded article molded in the first period, and information related to an actual number of molded articles for each item of molded article molded in the first period.
Regarding claim 3, Lin further described wherein the calculation section generates alarm information for each item of molded article based on
information related to an actual defect rate for each item of molded article molded in the first period and information on a defect rate target for each item of
molded article in the first period and the report includes the alarm information for each item of molded article (page 10, alarming with report defect distribution).
Regarding claim 4, Lin further described wherein the calculation section generates the alarm information based on information related to an actual defect rate for each item of molded article molded in the second period (page 8, real-time processing, page 10, alarming with report defect distribution).
Regarding claim 5, Lin further described wherein the calculation section generates the report with the identification information arranged from high to low in descending order of defect rate in the first period (page 8, any real-time processing).
Regarding claim 6, Lin further described wherein the storage section stores an amount of material required for molding a molded article and the report includes information related to actual consumption amounts of material for each item of molded article molded in the first period (page 6-7, including material for production, feeding material, page 8, any real-time processing).
Regarding claim 7, Lin further described wherein the second period is a period including the first period (page 8, any real-time processing).
Contact information
5. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Tung Lau whose telephone number is (571)272-2274, email is Tungs.lau@uspto.gov. The examiner can normally be reached on Tuesday-Friday 7:00 AM-5:00 PM EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, TURNER SHELBY, can be reached on 571-272-6334. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TUNG S LAU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2857
Technology Center 2800
May 19, 2026
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