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 .
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.
Claims 1-5 and 10-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Choi et al., KR 20190031908.
Regarding claim 1, Choi discloses three fiber reinforced sheets (100, 200 and 300) [0075]. Figure 4 shows the three fiber reinforced sheets laminated.
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Reference claim 1 discloses a fabric structure which includes a first prepreg 10 including reinforcing fibers oriented in a first direction and a second prepreg 20 including reinforcing fibers arranged in a second direction that is crosswise to each other are woven. Figure 4 shows that the three fiber reinforced sheets have the first prepreg interwoven with the second prepreg. Applicant’s claim 1 does not exclude the three sheets from having each sheet including first and second prepregs from being interwoven. Paragraph 0013 discloses a fiber-reinforced plastic sheet includes a fabric structure in which a first pre-leg including reinforcing fibers arranged in a first direction and a second pre-leg including reinforcing fibers arranged in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction are woven so as to intersect each other. Paragraph 0065 discloses that the first and second prepregs include polymer resin such as thermoplastic resins such as polypropylene resin.
Regarding claim 2, Figure 4 shows that the first and second prepregs are in tape form having a width longer than the thickness and a length longer than the width.
Regarding claim 3, paragraph 0054 discloses that the first direction of the reinforcing fibers is in the longitudinal direction of the first prepreg. Paragraph 0055 discloses that the second direction of the reinforcing fibers is in the longitudinal direction of the second prepreg.
Regarding claim 4, Figure 4 shows that the first fiber reinforced sheet, the second fiber reinforced sheet are each woven in a plain weave.
Regarding claim 5, Reference claim 3 discloses that the angle between the first prepreg and the second prepreg is 90 º [vertical].
Regarding claims 10-11, paragraph 0061 discloses that the reinforcing fibers are continuous and can include carbon fibers or glass fibers.
Regarding claim 12, paragraphs 0082-0083 discloses that the first fiber reinforced sheet, second fiber reinforced sheet and the third fiber reinforced sheet are bonded and pressed wherein the fiber reinforced sheets include a polymer resin which can include a thermoplastic resin
Regarding claim 13, Choi does not disclose an adhesive between the first, second and third fiber reinforced sheets.
Regarding claim 14-15 and 17, paragraphs 0082-0084 disclose fiber-reinforced plastic sheets (100, 200, 300) can be manufactured by cutting a UD prepreg manufactured by impregnating a polymer resin with reinforcing fibers (1, 2) oriented in a single direction (D1 or D2 in FIG. 1) to create a first prepreg (10) and a second prepreg (20), and then weaving the first prepreg and the second prepreg using these. For example, the first prepreg (10) and the second prepreg (20) can be cut so that the longitudinal direction is the same as the orientation direction of the reinforcing fibers (1, 2). For example, a laminate (1000) including fiber-reinforced plastic sheets (100, 200, 300) can be manufactured by laminating a plurality of fiber-reinforced plastic sheets (100, 200, 300), and after the lamination process, by pressing and bonding the plurality of fiber-reinforced plastic sheets (100, 200, 300) at a high temperature.
Regarding the limitation “a thermoplastic resin is manufactured using a pultrusion method, claim 15 is dependent upon claim 14 which recites a method of manufacturing a fiber reinforced composite material wherein the composite includes a thermoplastic resin. Claim 15 is not directed to a manufacturing method for a thermoplastic resin.
Regarding claim 16, Figure 4 illustrates a plain weave.
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 Choi et al., KR 20190031908.
Choi, above, remains relied upon for claim 1.
Regarding claim 6, Choi is silent to the second fiber reinforced sheet including the first prepreg and the second prepreg at a weight ratio of 1:1 to 0.92. This is an optimizable feature. Paragraph 0008 of Choi discloses that the fiber reinforced sheet has high elongation, high rigidity and high energy absorption performance. Paragraph 0036discloses that the first component may also be a second component. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date would optimize the second fiber reinforced sheet comprising a first prepreg and a second prepreg at a weight ratio of 1:1 to ensure enhanced elongation, rigidity and absorption performance in the second sheet.
Regarding claims 7 and 8, Choi is silent to the firs thermoplastic resin of the first prepreg and the second thermoplastic resin of the second prepreg are different thermoplastic resins. Paragraph 0065 discloses that the polymer resin can include wither a thermoplastic resin or a thermosetting resin wherein the polymers can be selected depending upon the product and the required performance. Paragraph 0066 discloses that the thermoplastic resin can include polypropylene. Additionally, paragraph 0065 discloses that the polymer resin can have improved shock resistance for the fiber reinforced sheet. Polymer resins have different properties. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would utilize different polymers in the first and second prepregs in order to obtain prepregs having different properties for the benefit of enhanced shock resistance.
Claims 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al., KR 20190031908 in view of Wang, U.S. Pre Grant Publication 2017/0129145.
Regarding claim 7, Choi is silent to the firs thermoplastic resin of the first prepreg and the second thermoplastic resin of the second prepreg are different thermoplastic resins. Paragraph 0065 of Choi discloses that the polymer resin can include a thermoplastic resin or a wherein the polymers can be selected depending upon the product and the required performance. Paragraph 0066 discloses that the thermoplastic resin can include polypropylene.
Wang discloses a composite material comprising a first prepreg and a second prepreg [see figure 2A and 0053]wherein the thermoplastic resin can be different in the prepregs and the thermoplastic resins can include polypropylene and polycarbonate [0079-0080]. Wang discloses in paragraph 0001 that the prepregs have high acoustic performance.
Choi and Wang are analogous art that discloses lamination of first and second prepregs for composite materials. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would utilize polypropylene in the first prepreg and polycarbonate in the second prepreg of Choi to obtain enhanced acoustic absorption in the composite material.
Conclusion
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/CAMIE S THOMPSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1786