DETAILED ACTION
Applicant's election with traverse of Group I, claims 1-15, in the reply filed on 9/17/25 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the PCT examiner chose not to raise Unity of Invention arguments. This is not found persuasive because the USPTO is not bound to repeat decisions made by the PCT examiner, whether purposeful or oversight.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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:
Claim(s) 1-5, 7, 12-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Blomgren (WO 2020/108985) in view of Mathur (US 5,070,939).
Regarding claim 1, Blomgren teaches a gasket arrangement for sealing between corrugated heat transfer plates having port holes, the gasket comprising: an annular sealing part (32; Fig. 1) arranged to enclose the portholes of the heat transfer plates (e.g. 24a, 24b) and define a flow path between the port holes and an attachment part (e.g. the extension of 32 immediately adjacent 24a) connected to an inside of the annular sealing part at a first point and extending in an inwards direction relative to the annular sealing part (Fig. 10, extending less than halfway from its attachment to the opposite side of the gasket (Fig. 1) and defining a gasket attachment surface .
Blomgren does not specify that the gasket is attached via adhesives.
Mathur teaches that it is old and well-known to provide gaskets (4) with attachment parts (3) which have attachment surfaces (see bottom surface of 3) which are attached via adhesive (Fig. 6; 8’).
It would have been obvious to attach the gasket attachment part of Blomgren with adhesive, as taught by Mathur, as Blomgren is silent as to attachment methods.
Blomgren further teaches that: the attachment part extends less than ¼ of the distance from its connection to the gasket to the opposite side of the gasket (see Fig. 1), per claims 2-3; the annular sealing part extends along a straight line at the location of the attachment part (Fig. 1), per claim 12; attachment parts and sealing parts of a gasket may form oblique angles where they meet (e.g. Fig. 2), per claim 13.
Mathur further teaches that: the annular sealing part defines a first thickness between parallel lower and upper sealing planes (see Fig. 2; portion 2; vertical thickness) and the attachment part defines a second thickness between parallel lower and upper attachment plates (Fig. 2) which are parallel to the first planes and define different thicknesses (Fig. 2), per claim 4; the second thickness is smaller than the first (Fig. 2), per claim 5; the lower attachment plate coincides with the lower sealing plane, per claim 7; the attachment surface is flat (Fig. 2) and parallel to a plane of extension of the attachment part (i.e. the upper surface of the attachment surface; Fig. 2), per claim 14; the attachment surface is flat (Fig. 2) and defines an angle relative to a plane of extension of the attachment part (i.e. the angle at which the extension part extends upwardly relative to the attachment surface; Fig. 2), per claim 15.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Blomgren in view of Mathur and Usami (US 5,988,268).
Regarding claim 6, Blomgren as modified does not specify upper and lower attachment planes between the lower and upper sealing planes.
Usami teaches that many relative positions are optional for these planes, including both upper and lower attachment planes between the upper and lower sealing planes (Fig. 18).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to utilize many variations of relative locations of these planes as they are known art equivalents per Usami.
Claim(s) 8-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Blomgren in view of Mathur and GB 1,101,988 (‘988).
Regarding claims 8-11, Blomgren, as modified, does not specify the relationship between the width of the gasket and the width of the attachment part.
‘988 teaches that a gasket may be formed with an annular sealing part (see Fig. 4; annular sealing part is the gasket portion which is not extended into the rounded upward facing attachment parts) having a specific width (up-down in Fig. 4) and an attachment part (forming the rounded extensions in Fig. 4) having a specific distance (also up-down in Fig. 4) which is different from the specific width (Fig. 4) and less than the specific width (Fig. 4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to form the gasket of Blomgren with the minimum attachment portion specific width possible, including as taught by ‘988, in order to reduce material.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Devon Lane whose telephone number is (571)270-1858. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th, 9-4.
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/DEVON LANE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763