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 with traverse of group I, claims 1-9 in the reply filed on 06/23/2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground that they are linked by overlapping subtract matter and sheared features and that the search would substantially overlap, as the same references and classification areas would apply to all the claim groups. This is not found persuasive because although the search for the claims could be overlapping, consideration and the reason to determine the allowability are different for each group of the claims.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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.
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dickinson et al. (2015/0321622) in view of Risdale et al. (2012/0317757).
Dickinson et al. discloses a fastener clip 100 that is configured to fit over a carrier 200, [0018] for additional support and flexibility [0028], wherein the carrier is made of different plastic materials [0018], wherein the carrier is injection molded over a blade in one of the surface that the fastener clip is to fasten [0019]-[0020], [0044]; wherein at least a portion of a contour of a surface of the blade follows a contour of an inner surface of the fastener clip – see Fig. 5, 100, 210.
However, Dickinson et al. fails to discloses the actual molding steps.
Risdale et al. discloses a method for molding a fastener, comprising the steps of:
providing a mold 50 having a mold cavity 52 conforming the desired final geometry of the fastener 10, [0021],
providing an insert 60 into the mold cavity 52 via a tooling access port 54, which is used for introducing of core tooling during the molding process, Fig. 3
injecting polymer material through injection ports 56, 58 for introducing different molten polymer material into the mold cavity 52,
molding the molten polymer material into a final fastener 10, Fig. 4.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide Dickinson et al.’s fastener molding method including the steps of providing a mold with a mold cavity, providing a blade and a carrier as inserts, over molding the inserts with polymer material a as taught by Risdale et al. in order to mold a fastener clip by overmolding a plastic polymer over a blade.
Regarding claim 2, Dickinson et al. further discloses the step of inserting the fastener clip into the injection mold cavity where the blade is to be formed – claim 12.
Regarding claim 3, wherein the inserting comprises inserting the fastener clip into the injection mold cavity in a compressed state – Figs. 5-7.
Regarding claims 4-8, Dickinson et al. further discloses that the fastener clip 100 includes first and second feet 20 and a first and second pair of laterally offset legs 20, wherein the legs 30 have any suitable shape, such as tapered, straight, curved or any suitable shape [0031]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the shape of the mold corresponding to the desired shape of the fastener clip being formed.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Thu-Khanh T. Nguyen whose telephone number is (571)272-1136. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30-4:30.
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/Thu Khanh T. Nguyen/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1743
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