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 .
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.
Claim(s) s 11-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Schweigert et al. 2007/0225084.
As to claims 11 and 16, Schweigert shows a golf club head comprising a striking face portion 22 located at a frontal portion of said golf club head, adapted to impact a golf ball; and a body portion 18, attached to a rear of said striking face portion; wherein said striking face portion further comprise a frontal striking surface 22 that is substantially planar as shown in fig. 2; and a rear internal surface 26; wherein said frontal striking surface and said rear internal surface combine to further comprise: a thickened stress reducing region 46, having a fourth thickness, wherein said thickened stress reducing region comprises: a pocket 48 exposing a faceward portion of said thickened stress reducing region as seen in fig. 1; and a metal weight 52 to fit into the pocket, and a thickened central region 26, located near a geometric center of said striking face portion, having a first thickness, wherein said fourth thickness is greater than said first thickness as shown in fig. 1.
Claim 12 is considered shown in fig. 1 where the pocket 48is located near a bottom portion of said striking face portion.
Claim 13 is considered met were the pocket can be described as located on a faceward-most portion of said striking face portion as shown in fig. 9 where it extend forward most of the center of the striking face.
Claims 14 and 15 are considered met where fig. 1 shows the pocket is less than a quarter of a perimeter of said thickened stress reducing region as shown by fig. 7.
As to claim 17 while tungsten does not appear to be specifically mentioned, the use of tungsten for weights in golf club heads is considered old and well known. To have used such in Schweigert would have been obvious in order to select a known dense metal.
Claim(s) s 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nakano 2012/0071270
As to claims 18 and 20, Nakano shows a perimeter region of 3, 4 and 5 having a central opening K as shown in fig. 2. 9 is considered a thickened stress reducing region, having a fourth with pocket 16 exposing a faceward portion of said thickened stress reducing region; and a weight 12 to fit into the pocket, and a face insert 2 adapted to engage said central opening, wherein said face insert comprises a thickened central region, located near a geometric center of said striking face portion, having a first thickness; wherein said fourth thickness is greater than said first thickness as shown in fig. 3.
Where a faceward-most portion of said striking face portion in claim 19 is not defined. Where the pocket is considered closest to the face, such can be subjectively described as faceward-most.
Conclusion
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/WILLIAM M PIERCE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3711