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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 discloses that the fixed mold is attached to a first plate, and then is sized for attachment to a first injection molding device, while the first place is attached to a second injection molding device different from the first injection molding device. It is unclear how a mold is fixed to a plate and is attached to a first different molding device, while the plate is attached to a second molding device.
For purpose of examination, the claims are interpretated as claiming a molding apparatus having:
a first mold and a second mold defining a cavity, wherein the first mold is stationary while the second mold is movable relative to the first mold during the molding process;
wherein the first and second molds are removably attached to first and second supporting plates,
wherein the first and second molds are directly attachable to a first injection molding device without the first and second supporting plates; and
wherein the first and second mold are attachable to the second injection molding device via the first and second supporting plates.
Claim 3 discloses “a third opening”, where are first and second openings?
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 1-2 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by the JP reference (JP 3137778).
The JP reference discloses an injection molding apparatus, comprising:
a first mold 40 and a second mold 50 forming a cavity;
a first supporting plate or mold base 14 supporting a first mold 40;
a second supporting plate or mold base 13 supporting a second mold 50;
wherein the first mold 40 and the second mold 50 are supported by the mold bases 13, 14 that are attached to a mold machine 10 having a sprue hole 12 for forming a product P;
wherein the first mold 40 and the second mold 50 are separated from the mold bases 13, 14 and attached to different molding devices for receiving different resin material R through openings 44, 44 different than the sprue 12 for forming mold surface portions 49 and 59.
Regarding claim 2, while the usage of the molding machine does not further define the claimed structure limitations, the JP reference further discloses that the first mold 40 and the second mold 50 are attached to the first and second mold bases 13, 14 in the injection mold machine 10 to form the final product P, or the molds 40, 50 can be used in different injection machine to form the mold surface layers 49, 59.
Regarding claim 5, depending on the desired shape of the forming product that the cavity surface of one mold is located closer to the other mold, in this case, the forming surface 59S is located closer to the first mold 40 than the forming surface 49S to the second mold 50.
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 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the JP reference (JP3137778) as applied to claims 1-2 and 5 above, and further in view of Slisse et al. (2017/0259481).
The JP’778 reference discloses that the molds are used in different machines to form the molding surfaces 49S and 59S and the final product P, where the resin material are introduced by different resin injection portions 12, 44, 54.
However, the JP’778 reference fails to disclose an interchangeable contact portion for connecting different injection portions.
Slisse et al. discloses a hot runner system for an injection molding apparatus, comprising a manifold having a manifold inlet and a plurality outlets, wherein a plurality of hot runner nozzles coupled to the manifold outlets and located in individual bores of a mold plate. Each hot runner nozzle 20 may include a nozzle body 22 and a nozzle tip 23, wherein the nozzle tip 23 is removable and replaceable from the nozzle body 22, [0076], Fig. 7A-7C.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the JP’778 with removable/replaceable/exchangeable nozzle tip having different size/shape as taught by Slisse et al. in order to make the molds usable with different the resin injection holes/nozzles for different injection mold settings/machines.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the JP reference (JP3137778) as applied to claims 1-2 and 5 above, and further in view of Kojima et al. (5,650,177).
The JP’778 fails to disclose that the hardness of the mold is greater than the hardness of the plate.
Kojima et al. discloses an injection molding apparatus, in which the cavity blocks 11, 21 have greater hardness than the holder basis 14, 24 – see col. 4, lines 41-43 - for improving the wearing resistance and mold releasability.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the JP’778 reference with the molds having greater hardness than the supporting plates as taught by Kojima et al., because the molds are constantly subjected to high temperature and high-pressure during injection molding process, they wear out faster than the supporting plates, so by using material having greater hardness, the wearing resistance of the molds can be improved.
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