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
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-8 and 15 in the reply filed on 12/5/2025 is acknowledged.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because it is written in the form of a claim. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
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) 1-5, 7, 8, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hasegawa (US 2003/0064238 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Hasegawa discloses a process for making pallets (10; Fig. 1) from wooden material, by supplying of a plurality of base elements (11) having at least one lower surface intended, in use, to rest on a supporting surface and an upper surface facing, in use, upwards; supplying of at least one loading top (12), wherein the base elements (11) and the loading top (12) are made from wooden material (i.e., wood piece 20 and wood powder 22; pg. 3, [0057], lines 1-2; pg. 4, [0065], lines 1-7; Fig. 2); assembling (pg. 3, [0056], lines 6-10) the loading top (12) to the upper surface of the base elements (11) to obtain a pallet (10) made from wooden material. Hasegawa discloses the supply of a plurality of base elements (11) being provided by supplying wooden material (20, 22) in the form (pg. 2, [0029], lines 3-8; [0031]) of fibers and/or flakes, and pressing (pg. 5, [0074], lines 1-6) the wooden material (20, 22) so as to obtain (pg. 5, [0077]) at least one of the base elements (11) in a single body piece.
Regarding claim 2, Hasegawa discloses wherein the pressing is done by stamping (pg. 5, [0075]).
Regarding claim 3, Hasegawa discloses wherein the pressing comprises supplying of at least one mold (31; Fig. 5) for forming the at least one base element (11); introducing a first wooden material (20) into the mold (31); introducing a second wooden material (20) into the mold (31); and compaction (pg. 5, [0074], lines 1-6) of the wooden materials (20, 22) introduced inside the mold (31).
Regarding claim 4, Hasegawa discloses wherein the second wooden material (22) is of different type (pg. 4, [0065], lines 6-7) and/or density from the first wooden material (20).
Regarding claim 5, Hasegawa discloses wherein the first wooden material (20) which is a piece has a first density and wherein the second wooden material (22) which is a powder has a second density different from said first density, the resulting base element (11) having (see Fig. 2) at least a first portion having a first density and at least a second portion having a second density different from the first density.
Regarding claim 7, Hasegawa discloses wherein the pressing (pg. 5, [0074]; Fig. 5) comprises forming the at least one semi-finished body (40; Fig. 5) in a single body piece; and cutting (pg. 5, [0077]) the semi-finished body (40) along one or more cutting directions parallel to each other to obtain a plurality of base elements (11).
Regarding claim 8, Hasegawa discloses wherein the assembly fastening (pg. 3, [0056], lines 6-10) the loading top (12) to the base elements (11) by interposition of a plurality of fastening elements (i.e., nails).
Regarding claim 15, Hasegawa discloses a method for making pallets (10; Fig. 1) from wooden material (20, 22), by supplying of a plurality of base elements (11) having at least one lower surface intended, in use, to rest on a supporting surface and an upper surface facing, in use, upwards; supplying of at least one loading top (12), wherein the base elements (11) and the loading top (12) are made from wooden material (20, 22; pg. 5, [0077]); assembling (pg. 3, [0056], lines 6-10) the loading top (12) to the upper surface of the base elements (11) to obtain a pallet (10) made from wooden material, wherein the supply of a plurality of base elements (11) comprises supplying of wooden material (20, 22) in the form (pg. 2, [0029], lines 3-8; [0031]) of fibers and/or flakes; and pressing (pg. 5, [0074], lines 1-6) the wooden material (20, 22) so as to obtain at least one of the base elements (11) in a single body piece.
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 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hasegawa (US 2003/0064238 A1).
Hasegawa discloses a large amount of wood piece (20) being mixed (pg. 4, [0065], lines 6-7; Fig. 2) with a small amount of wood powder (22). Hasegawa discloses the base element (11) and loading top (12) being made from composite wood. In Fig. 2 of Hasegawa, the first wooden material (20) is arranged throughout the semi-finished body (40) with a portion of the first wooden material (20) provided at the bottom of the semi-finished body (40).
Hasegawa, however, does not disclose the introduction of the first wooden material being carried out prior to the introduction of the second wooden material so that the first portion is arranged, in use, resting on the supporting surface and the second portion is placed between the first portion and the upper surface.
Adding a first material prior to adding a second material is conventional and well known in the formation of strong composite products.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to add the larger amount of first wooden material of Hasegawa prior to the introduction of the smaller amount of second wooden material of Hasegawa so that the first portion is arranged, in use, resting on the supporting surface and the second portion is placed between the first portion and the upper surface, in order to form a semi-finished body having improved structural density.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The references listed on the attached PTO-892 are cited to show the manufacture of pallets.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JERMIE E COZART whose telephone number is (571)272-4528. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30am - 7:00pm.
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/JERMIE E COZART/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3799
January 6, 2026
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