DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/28/2023 is being considered by the examiner.
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 of this title, 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 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Haddad et al., “Influence of moisture content on the thermal and mechanical properties and curing behavior of polymeric matrix and polymer concrete composite.” in view of Takahashi et al. (JP 2017223546 A - all citations are to the attached English translation).Regarding claim 1:Haddad teaches a method for producing a resin concrete deterioration model, comprising:
adding water (E.g., paragraph spanning pages 850-851; page 851, right column, second paragraph) to a precursor of resin concrete containing a thermosetting resin (first paragraph of introduction), fly ash filler (e.g., page 851, right column, second paragraph; first paragraph under section 3.2), and an aggregate (e.g., page 851, right column, second paragraph; first paragraph under section 3.2); and kneading the mixture (e.g., page 851, right column, second paragraph; section 2 in general)
Haddad fails to teach:
calcium carbonateTakahashi teaches:
calcium carbonate (e.g., [0002], [0029])
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use calcium carbonate, as taught by Takahashi, in the method of Haddad as it is a well-known and suitable component in forming resin concrete.
Regarding claim 2:Haddad and Takahashi teach all the limitations of claim 1, as mentioned above.As combined in the claim 1 section above, Haddad and Takahashi teach:
mixing the thermosetting resin, the calcium carbonate, and the aggregate to prepare the precursor; and adding water to the precursor to knead the mixture (all the instant claim limitations are present in the sections of Haddad and Takahashi cited in the claim 1 rejection above)
Regarding claim 3:Haddad and Takahashi teach all the limitations of claim 1, as mentioned above.Haddad also teaches:
wherein an addition amount of the water is increased when a deterioration model simulating a case of an older material age is produced(The examiner notes that this is a contingent limitation. Also see Haddad - FIG. 6 and FIG. 9)
Regarding claim 4:Haddad teaches a method of predicting deterioration of resin concrete, comprising:
a model producing step of producing a resin concrete deterioration model, the resin concrete deterioration model containing a thermosetting resin (first paragraph of introduction), fly ash filler (e.g., page 851, right column, second paragraph; first paragraph under section 3.2), and aggregate (e.g., page 851, right column, second paragraph; first paragraph under section 3.2);
a strength evaluation step of acquiring a strength of the resin concrete deterioration model (e.g., FIG. 6, FIG. 9);
a data accumulation step of producing two or more resin concrete deterioration models having different addition amounts of water in the model producing step (e.g., FIG. 6, FIG. 9);
executing the strength evaluation step to acquire a value of the strength corresponding to the addition amount of water (e.g., FIG. 6, FIG. 9); and
a correlation formula acquisition step of acquiring a correlation formula of the strength with respect to the addition amount on the basis of the acquired two or more strengths and the addition amount corresponding to the two or more strengths(e.g., FIG. 6, FIG. 9; Note that Haddad performs a best fit curve, which is inherently defined by a formula; This is also prima facie rendered obvious based on FIGS. 6 and 9 of Haddad)Haddad fails to teach:
calcium carbonateTakahashi teaches:
calcium carbonate (e.g., [0002], [0029])
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use calcium carbonate, as taught by Takahashi, in the method of Haddad as it is a well-known and suitable component in forming resin concrete.
Regarding claim 5:Haddad and Takahashi teach all the limitations of claim 4, as mentioned above.Haddad also teaches or renders obvious:
wherein the resin concrete deterioration model deteriorated to a target strength is produced on the basis of the correlation formula (Haddad carries out the same steps as the instant invention, i.e., varying water/moisture content in a resin concrete and plotting / creating a formula which directly relates water/moisture content with the strength. Haddad teaches the relationship between water content and strength degradation in FIG. 9 and Page 855. One of ordinary skill, having derived a correlation formula from Haddad’s data, would find it obvious to use that formula to produce a sample with a predetermined target strength by selecting the appropriate water content. As such the examiner concludes that Haddad teaches or renders obvious the instant claim limitations. Additionally / alternatively, see [0011], [0017], and [0030] of Takahashi which teaches that resin concrete deteriorates by exposure to water. One would find it obvious to combine these teachings of Takahashi with Haddad to allow for deterioration determination and relationships without spending hundreds or thousands of hours soaking the resin concrete.)
Regarding claim 6:Haddad and Takahashi teach all the limitations of claim 5, as mentioned above.As combined in the claim 4 and 5 rejection above, Haddad and Takahashi teach or render obvious:
wherein a target addition amount of the water corresponding to the target strength is obtained on the basis of the correlation formula, and the target addition amount of the water is added to a precursor of resin concrete containing the thermosetting resin, the calcium carbonate, and the aggregate to produce the resin concrete deterioration model
See Claim 5 analysis. Haddad’s data (FIGS. 6 and 9) enables one of ordinary skill to determine the water amount needed for a desired strength level. Haddad - Page 851, Section 2: Water is added at controlled percentages (1-5%v) to aggregates. Lastly, “calcium carbonate” is taught by Takahashi, as set forth in the claim 1 rejection above.
Regarding claim 7:Haddad and Takahashi teach all the limitations of claim 5, as mentioned above.Haddad also teaches:
wherein the strength is a bending strength (FIGS. 6 and 9)
Regarding claim 8:Haddad and Takahashi teach all the limitations of claim 4, as mentioned above.As combined in the claim 4 rejection above, Haddad and Takahashi teach:
wherein the resin concrete deterioration model comprising: a thermosetting resin, calcium carbonate, an aggregate, and water(see claim 4 rejection above)
Regarding claim 9:Haddad and Takahashi teach all the limitations of claim 1, as mentioned above.Haddad fails to explicitly teach:
wherein the resin concrete deterioration model simulates a mechanical strength of resin concrete of a predetermined material age
However, Haddad explicitly teaches that moisture degrades mechanical properties (Page 850, Abstract; Page 855). While Haddad does not explicitly correlate water content to “material age”, one of ordinary skill would recognize that accelerated degradation through moisture addition simulates aging effects. Environmental moisture exposure over time is a known aging mechanism for polymer materials. Further, [0005]-[0007], [0010], and [0024] of Takahashi teaches that it is known to take samples of aged resin concrete products of a known age, analyze their state, perform strength testing, and compare that to the “accelerated deterioration” samples. This provides an estimation of how the “model” samples (e.g., with X% water as in Haddad or after the accelerated deterioration of Takahashi) correlate with “real-world deteriorated” samples. Thus, the examiner holds that Haddad and Takahashi render obvious the instant claim limitations.
Regarding claim 10:Haddad and Takahashi teach all the limitations of claim 1, as mentioned above.Haddad also teaches or renders obvious:
wherein the adding water further comprises gradually adding water to the mixture while kneading the mixture(Page 851, Section 2: “The aggregate was sprayed with 1-5%v of water and mixed for 30 min to ensure even distribution.” The spraying technique inherently involves gradual addition. Mixing for 30 minutes while adding water constitutes gradual addition during kneading.)
Regarding claim 11:Haddad and Takahashi teach all the limitations of claim 1, as mentioned above.Haddad also teaches:
wherein the aggregate includes at least one of sand or gravel
Page 851, Section 2: “The PC aggregate contained basalt (coarse aggregate 49.8%v) and sand (middle-sized aggregate 24.9%v).” Sand is explicitly taught. Basalt serves as the coarse aggregate equivalent to gravel.
Regarding claim 12:Haddad and Takahashi teach all the limitations of claim 1, as mentioned above.Haddad also teaches:
wherein the thermoset resin includes at least one of an unsaturated polyester resin, a phenol resin, or an epoxy resin
Page 850, Abstract and Section 1: “Unsaturated polyester resins (UPEs) are thermosetting materials used as the binding matrix in PCs.” Page 851: “The UPE resin was made from a commercial unsaturated polyester AROPOL (67% unsaturated polyester dissolved in 33% styrene).”
Regarding claim 13:Haddad and Takahashi teach all the limitations of claim 1, as mentioned above.Haddad also teaches:
wherein adding more water produces the resin concrete deterioration model that simulates an older material age
Page 850, Abstract: “The mechanical properties of both unsaturated polyester resin and polymer concrete deteriorated dramatically with increasing moisture content.” Page 855-856: The correlation between increased water and decreased strength is explicit. One of ordinary skill would recognize this deterioration as simulating aged material. Additionally / alternatively, this is inherent as Haddad carries out the same steps as the instant invention, i.e., varying water/moisture content in a resin concrete and plotting / creating a formula which directly relates water/moisture content with the strength. Haddad teaches the relationship between water content and strength degradation in FIG. 9 and Page 855.
Regarding claim 14:Haddad and Takahashi teach all the limitations of claim 2, as mentioned above.Haddad also teaches:
wherein an addition amount of the water is increased when a deterioration model simulating a case of an older material age is produced(The examiner notes that this is a contingent limitation. Also see Haddad - FIG. 6 and FIG. 9)
Regarding claim 15:Haddad and Takahashi teach all the limitations of claim 4, as mentioned above.Haddad fails to explicitly teach:
wherein the resin concrete deterioration model simulates a mechanical strength of resin concrete of a predetermined material age
However, Haddad explicitly teaches that moisture degrades mechanical properties (Page 850, Abstract; Page 855). While Haddad does not explicitly correlate water content to “material age”, one of ordinary skill would recognize that accelerated degradation through moisture addition simulates aging effects. Environmental moisture exposure over time is a known aging mechanism for polymer materials. Further, [0005]-[0007], [0010], and [0024] of Takahashi teaches that it is known to take samples of aged resin concrete products of a known age, analyze their state, perform strength testing, and compare that to the “accelerated deterioration” samples. This provides an estimation of how the “model” samples (e.g., with X% water as in Haddad or after the accelerated deterioration of Takahashi) correlate with “real-world deteriorated” samples. Thus, the examiner holds that Haddad and Takahashi render obvious the instant claim limitations.
Regarding claim 16:Haddad and Takahashi teach all the limitations of claim 4, as mentioned above.Haddad also teaches:
wherein the model producing step further comprises gradually adding water to the resin concrete deterioration model while kneading the resin concrete deterioration model(Page 851, Section 2: “The aggregate was sprayed with 1-5%v of water and mixed for 30 min to ensure even distribution.” The spraying technique inherently involves gradual addition. Mixing for 30 minutes while adding water constitutes gradual addition during kneading.)
Regarding claim 17:Haddad and Takahashi teach all the limitations of claim 4, as mentioned above.Haddad also teaches:
wherein the aggregate includes at least one of sand or gravel
Page 851, Section 2: “The PC aggregate contained basalt (coarse aggregate 49.8%v) and sand (middle-sized aggregate 24.9%v).” Sand is explicitly taught. Basalt serves as the coarse aggregate equivalent to gravel.
Regarding claim 18:Haddad and Takahashi teach all the limitations of claim 4, as mentioned above.Haddad also teaches:
wherein the thermoset resin includes at least one of an unsaturated polyester resin, a phenol resin, or an epoxy resin
Page 850, Abstract and Section 1: “Unsaturated polyester resins (UPEs) are thermosetting materials used as the binding matrix in PCs.” Page 851: “The UPE resin was made from a commercial unsaturated polyester AROPOL (67% unsaturated polyester dissolved in 33% styrene).”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Herbert Keith Roberts whose telephone number is (571)270-0428. The examiner can normally be reached 10a - 6p MT.
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/HERBERT K ROBERTS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855