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 .
Priority
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 17, 18 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) / (a)(2) as being anticipated by Pham (US 2016/0375675).
With respect to the limitations of claim 1, Pham teaches a tool for heating composite laminates (Figs 7-17, multi-ply composite charge 60, 0033), the tool comprising: a substructure (factory floor 90, or similar underlying supporting surface, 0039); a facesheet (Figs 7-9, mandrel support 82, base 86, 0039) supported on the substructure; and a plurality of expansion joints spaced apart from each other (adjustable supports 88, such as jack screws, 0039), each of the plurality of expansion joints including: a guide (where jack screws 88 has guide nuts) attached to one of the substructure and the facesheet; and a support member (threaded screw of jack screws 88) translatable relative to the guide and aligned radially from a centroid of expansion so as to have a single degree of freedom (up and down movement of jack screws 88) such that the facesheet (82, 86) is fully supported by the substructure (90) via the support members (threaded screw of jack screws 88) of the plurality of expansion joints and can freely expand relative to the centroid of expansion.
With respect to the limitations of claims 2, 5, 6 and 8, Pham teaches further comprising a heating component having at least one of induction coils, discrete heating components, burners, electrically resistive coating, and conductors (electric coil heater 107, 0041);
the substructure defines a plurality of material voids (Fig 7, voids between adjustable supports 88) for reducing a heating energy input requirement of the tool;
the substructure (90) has a different coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) from a CTE of the facesheet (82, 86);
the guides are carriages and the support members are rails entrained in the carriages (jack screws 88 having guide nuts equivalent to carriages for guiding the threaded screw equivalent to rails).
With respect to the limitations of claim 17, Pham teaches a tool for heating composite laminates (Figs 7-17, multi-ply composite charge 60, 0033), the tool comprising: a substructure (factory floor 90, or similar underlying supporting surface, 0039); a facesheet (Figs 7-9, mandrel support 82, base 86, 0039) supported on the substructure; and a plurality of expansion joints spaced apart from each other (adjustable supports 88, such as jack screws, 0039), each of the plurality of expansion joints including: a guide (where jack screws 88 has guide nuts) attached to one of the substructure and the facesheet; and a support member (threaded screw of jack screws 88) translatable relative to the guide and aligned radially from a center of expansion so as to have a single degree of freedom (up and down movement of jack screws 88) such that the facesheet is fully supported by the substructure via the support members of the plurality of expansion joints and can freely expand relative to the center of expansion, the facesheet is attached to the substructure at a fixed point (fixed points of adjustable supports 88) so that the center of expansion coincides with the fixed point.
With respect to the limitations of claims 18 and 19, Pham teaches the fixed point is near a midpoint of the facesheet (centrally located jack screws 88); the facesheet is U-shaped (concaved shape of 82, 86).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 3, 10 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Pham (US 2016/0375675) as applied to claims 1 and 2, further in view of Feigenblum (US 2017/0095986).
With respect to the limitations of claim 3, Pham discloses the claimed invention except for the substructure includes an expansion gap and wherein the heating component is positioned in the expansion gap such that the heating component evenly heats the facesheet. However, Feigenblum discloses the substructure includes an expansion gap (Figs 6, 7, ferromagnetic core 710, layer 720, 0096) and the heating component is positioned in the expansion gap (heating conduit 752, 0097) such that the heating component evenly heats the facesheet (sheet 700, 0096) is known in the art. It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to adapt the heating tool of Pham having a substructure silent to an expansion gap with the substructure includes an expansion gap and wherein the heating component is positioned in the expansion gap such that the heating component evenly heats the facesheet of Feigenblum for the purpose of providing a known heating configuration that allows the facesheet to be evenly heated.
With respect to the limitations of claims 10 and 11, Pham in view of Feigenblum discloses the facesheet is formed of an isotropic material (Feigenblum, Fig 6, bearing face 115, INVAR, 0095) such that the geometric centroid of the facesheet represents the centroid of expansion;
the facesheet is formed of an anisotropic material (Feigenblum, Fig 7, core 710, plating 720, 0096).
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Pham (US 2016/0375675) as applied to claims 1 and 2, further in view of Matsen (US 2016/0136879).
With respect to the limitations of claim 4, Pham discloses the claimed invention except for the heating component includes Litz wire induction coils. However, Matsen discloses the heating component includes Litz wire induction coils (Fig 1, induction coils 18, 19, 0029, induction coils 18, 19 comprise a dielectric and ferrite core wherein a Litz wire is spirally wound along an outer surface of the coil core) is known in the art. It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to adapt the heating tool of Pham having a heating component silent to induction coils with the heating component includes Litz wire induction coils of Matsen for the purpose of providing a known heating configuration that quickly and effectively heats composite bonds laminate structures (0029).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Pham (US 2016/0375675) as applied to claim 1, further in view of Engwall (US 6,012,883).
With respect to the limitations of claim 7, Pham discloses the claimed invention except for the support members are attached to the facesheet via at least one of brazing, soldering, and welding. However, Engwall discloses the support members are attached to the facesheet via at least one of brazing, soldering, and welding (Fig 14, nut 166, threaded rod 168, nut 166 is welded to the center of the attach plate 164, Col 12, Lines 10-20) is known in the art. It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to adapt the heating tool of Pham having support members silent to the attachment method with the support members are attached to the facesheet via at least one of brazing, soldering, and welding of Engwall for the purpose of using known and conventional welding methods for securely attaching components together.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Pham (US 2016/0375675) as applied to claim 1, further in view of McKenzie (US 2022/0344121).
With respect to the limitations of claim 9, Pham discloses the claimed invention except for the centroid of expansion is determined via finite element analysis. However, McKenzie discloses the centroid of expansion is determined via finite element analysis (0086, obtained by way of a finite element analysis simulation, for thermal expansion of the components; 0087, mounting centroid location 413) is known in the art. It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to adapt the heating tool of Pham having a centroid of expansion silent to the method of determining the centroid with the centroid of expansion is determined via finite element analysis of McKenzie for the purpose of using known analysis technique for determining physical properties of the tool.
Claims 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Pham (US 2016/0375675) as applied to claim 1, further in view of Reese (US 4,043,785).
With respect to the limitations of claim 12, Pham discloses the claimed invention except for the guide includes a spherical bearing thus allowing slight angular variations of the support member.
However, Reese discloses the guide (Fig 1, lever arm 58, Col 6) includes a spherical bearing (bearing housing 56, Col 6) thus allowing slight angular variations of the support member (Col 6, Lines 27-34) is known in the art. It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to adapt the heating tool of Pham having a guide silent to a spherical bearing with the guide includes a spherical bearing thus allowing slight angular variations of the support member of Reese for the purpose of providing a known bearing configuration that allows the support members to pivot.
With respect to the limitations of claims 13, 14, 15 and 16, Pham discloses the guides includes a through-hole (jack screws 88 has guide nuts with through-hole). Pham discloses the claimed invention except for the except for the through-hole formed via a 5-axis computer-numerical-control (CNC) machine; the guide includes a through-hole aligned with the centroid of expansion via lasers; the guide includes a through-hole formed in the guide before the guide is attached to the substructure; further comprising an unheated flange having strain relief corrugations attached to the facesheet. However, it would have been It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention was made to have the through-hole formed via a 5-axis computer-numerical-control (CNC) machine; the guide includes a through-hole aligned with the centroid of expansion via lasers; the guide includes a through-hole formed in the guide before the guide is attached to the substructure; further comprising an unheated flange having strain relief corrugations attached to the facesheet, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable guide configurations involves only routine skill in the art (see MPEP 2144.04).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 20 is allowed.
Conclusion
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/THIEN S TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761 7/10/2026
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