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 Group I in the reply filed on 10/22/25 is acknowledged.
Claims 10-17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 10/22/25.
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) 1-9,18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hageman (5231814) in view of Joshi (20200071935).
Claim 1. Hageman discloses a radiant barrier roofing panel comprising:
a panel (12) having a first and a second side;
a radiant barrier (14 alone or in combination with 17) comprising a foil layer (14, as noted throughout the disclosure), wherein the foil layer has a first side and a second side;
wherein the second side of the foil layer of the radiant barrier is coupled to the first side of the panel; and
wherein the radiant barrier is perforated (18, as noted throughout the disclosure).
Hageman does not expressly disclose that the panel is formed with a plurality of channels on the first side of the panel, or that the radiant barrier extends across the plurality of channels to form ventilation pathways, where the perforations are at least over the plurality of channels.
Joshi discloses a panel (such as 1,3a-j,5,7,9 or as seen in various other embodiments) having a first side and a second side, wherein the panel is formed with a plurality of channels (2, 2d,2e,2f,2g,2h,2j,2k,2l or as seen in various other embodiments), a barrier coupled to the first side of the panel and extends across the plurality of channels to form ventilation pathways.
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to pursue known design options and modify the panel of Hageman to have a plurality of channels on the first side of the panel to form ventilation pathways to achieve the predictable result of an attic space that allows for ventilation to improve insulation and reduce the undesired result of excess moisture in an attic space. Wherein upon such a modification the radiant barrier of Hageman would extend across the plurality of channels forming the ventilation pathway and the perforated radiant barrier of Hageman is perforated at least over the plurality of channels (where it is perforated across the entirety as noted at least in the figures of Hageman).
Claim 2. The radiant barrier roofing panel of claim 1, wherein the radiant barrier comprises the foil layer and a carrier layer (14,17);
the carrier layer has a first side and a second side; the second side of the foil layer is coupled to the first side of the carrier layer (where they are coupled); and
the second side of the foil layer of the radiant barrier is coupled to the first side of the panel (where it is coupled to the panel as noted in the figures and disclosure at least at col. 2, lines 50-55).
Claim 3. The radiant barrier roofing panel of claim 1, wherein in an installed position the first side of the foil layer faces an attic of a house, and the second side of the panel faces a shingle layer of a roof of the house (as seen in the figures and noted at least at col. 2, lines 50-55).
Claim 4. The radiant barrier roofing panel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of channels is formed along a longitudinal length of the panel and the plurality of channels are substantially parallel to each other (as seen in the figures and noted in the disclosure of Joshi).
Claim 5. The radiant barrier roofing panel of claim 1, wherein the panel comprises a structural wood-based panel (as noted at least at col. 1-2).
Claim 6. The radiant barrier roofing panel of claim 5, wherein the structural wood-based panel is plywood or oriented strand board (as noted at least at col. 1, lines 15-16).
Claim 7. Hageman in view of Joshi disclose the radiant barrier roofing panel of claim 1, but do not disclose wherein at least one of the plurality of channels has a depth in the range of 30 - 50% of a thickness of the panel.
Joshi discloses a panel having channels as noted above, but does not expressly disclose that the channels have a depth in the range of 30-50% of a thickness of the panel. Joshi does disclose that the depth of the channel is optimized to prevent excessive weakening of the flexural strength of the panel (paragraph 0080 and 0142). Further Joshi discloses an embodiment 172 in figure 9, where the depth of the channel can be 30% so as not to affect the structural integrity of the article (paragraph 0142).
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to pursue known design options and modify the depth of the channels of to be 30% and/or in the range of 30-50% if a thickness of the panel where Joshi discloses optimizing the depth of the panel as a percentage or range of percentages of the thickness of the panel, to achieve the predictable result of a panel that allows for ventilation and drainage and reduces or prevents excessive weakening of the flexural strength and structural integrity of the article.
Claim 8. Hageman in view of Joshi disclose the radiant barrier roofing panel of claim 7, but Hageman or Joshi do not expressly disclose that the panel has a thickness in the range of 1.0 - 0.375 inches.
However Joshi does disclose that the depth of the channels can be between 0.023-0.2 inches and that the depth can be a percentage of the thickness of the panel (paragraph 0142). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to pursue known design options, as disclosed by Joshi, and modify the thickness of the panel of Hageman to be in the range of 1.0 - 0.375 inches to achieve the predictable result of a panel that has structural integrity for the intended purpose, and optimizes strength, weight, cost and ease of installation (where the cost and weight are result effective variables directly linked to the thickness of the panel).
Claim 9. Hageman in view of Joshi disclose the radiant barrier roofing panel of claim 1,
wherein in an installed position the first side of the foil layer faces an attic of a house and the second side of the panel faces a shingle layer of a roof of the house (as seen in the figures and noted in the disclosure as noted above);
wherein each of channels of the plurality of channels is formed along a longitudinal length of the panel and each of the channels of the plurality of channels are substantially parallel to each other (as noted in the figures and disclosure of Joshi);
wherein the panel is plywood or oriented strand board (as noted at col. 1, lines 15-16 of Hageman).
Hageman does not disclose wherein at least one of the plurality of channels has a depth in the range of 30 - 50% of a thickness of the panel; and
wherein the thickness of the panel is in the range of 1.0 - 0.375 inches.
Joshi discloses a panel having channels as noted above, but does not expressly disclose that the channels have a depth in the range of 30-50% of a thickness of the panel or that the thickness of the panel is in the range of 1.0-0.375 inches. Joshi does disclose that the depth of the channel is optimized to prevent excessive weakening of the flexural strength of the panel (paragraph 0080 and 0142). Further Joshi discloses an embodiment 172 in figure 9, where the depth of the channel can be 30% so as not to affect the structural integrity of the article (paragraph 0142).
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to pursue known design options and modify the depth of the channels of to be 30% and/or in the range of 30-50% if a thickness of the panel where Joshi discloses optimizing the depth of the panel as a percentage or range of percentages of the thickness of the panel, to achieve the predictable result of a panel that allows for ventilation and drainage and reduces or prevents excessive weakening of the flexural strength and structural integrity of the article.
Hageman or Joshi do not expressly disclose that the panel has a thickness in the range of 1.0 - 0.375 inches.. However Joshi does disclose that the depth of the channels can be between 0.023-0.2 inches and that the depth can be a percentage of the thickness of the panel (paragraph 0142). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to pursue known design options, as disclosed by Joshi, and modify the thickness of the panel of Hageman to be in the range of 1.0 - 0.375 inches to achieve the predictable result of a panel that has structural integrity for the intended purpose, and optimizes strength, weight, cost and ease of installation (where the cost and weight are result effective variables directly linked to the thickness of the panel).
Claim 18. Hageman discloses a vented radiant barrier roofing panel comprising:
a panel (12);
a radiant barrier (14,17); and
wherein at least a portion the radiant barrier is perforated (at 18).
Hageman does not disclose that the panel is formed with a plurality of channels on one side running along a dimension of the panel and having a thickness of at least 0.25 inches;
or that the radiant barrier is coupled over the plurality of channels of the panel to form a plurality of ventilation pathways;
or that the perforations are over the plurality of channels to provide fluid transfer through the plurality of channels.
Joshi discloses a panel (such as 1,3a-j,5,7,9 or as seen in various other embodiments) having a first side and a second side, wherein the panel is formed with a plurality of channels (2, 2d,2e,2f,2g,2h,2j,2k,2l or as seen in various other embodiments), a barrier coupled to the first side of the panel and extends across the plurality of channels to form ventilation pathways.
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to pursue known design options and modify the panel of Hageman to have a plurality of channels on the first side of the panel to form ventilation pathways to achieve the predictable result of an attic space that allows for ventilation to improve insulation and reduce the undesired result of excess moisture in an attic space. Wherein upon such a modification the radiant barrier of Hageman would extend across the plurality of channels forming the ventilation pathway and the perforated radiant barrier of Hageman is perforated at least over the plurality of channels to provide fluid transfer through the plurality of channels (where it is perforated across the entirety as noted at least in the figures of Hageman).
Hageman or Joshi do not expressly disclose that the panel has a thickness of at least 0.25 inches. However Joshi does disclose that the depth of the channels can be between 0.023-0.2 inches and that the depth can be a percentage of the thickness of the panel (paragraph 0142). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to pursue known design options, as disclosed by Joshi, and modify the thickness of the panel of Hageman to be at least 0.25 inches to achieve the predictable result of a panel that has structural integrity for the intended purpose, and optimizes strength, weight, cost and ease of installation (where the cost and weight are result effective variables directly linked to the thickness of the panel).
Claim 19. The vented radiant barrier roofing panel of Claim 18, wherein the radiant barrier comprises a foil layer (14) and a carrier layer (17) coupled to each other.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JESSICA LAUX whose telephone number is (571)272-8228. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-3:30.
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JESSICA L. LAUX
Examiner
Art Unit 3635
/JESSICA L LAUX/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3635
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