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 .
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed Feb. 25, 2026 has been entered. Claims 1-19 remain pending in the application. Claims 17-19 are newly added. Claims 1-4, 6-9, 17-19 have been examined. Claims 5, 10-16 are withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 1-4, 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Norihisa (JP2016091726, English translation provided).
Regarding claims 1, 2, 6, Norihisa discloses that, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, a molding method for molding a seal member (e.g., item 170 in Fig. 15 (page 14, line 795)) onto a first flat surface of a base material (e.g., as shown in Figs. 11, 12 (also see labels of the first flat surface of the base material 33 in attached annotated Figure I)) having the first flat surface, an inclined portion continuous with the first flat surface (as shown in Figs. 11, 12), and a second flat surface continuous with the inclined portion and higher than the first flat surface (see label of the second flat surface in attached annotated Figure I (it is noticed that, the second flat surface is provided at an end portion of the base material 33 (related to claims 2, 6)); it is noticed that, as illustrated in Fig. 12 (also see attached annotated Figure I), the height of the second flat surface is higher than the height of the first flat surface; it is also noticed that, due to the different heights, there is the inclined portion between the first flat surface and the second flat surface), the method comprising:
a first step of injecting a raw material for the seal member into a groove at a temperature where the raw material is not vulcanized, in a first mold (e.g., as shown in Fig. 11, the base material 33 is considered to provide as the first mold) including the groove into which the raw material is injected (as shown in Fig. 11 for injecting the material 52 (page 14, line 794) into the groove; as shown in Fig. 7, the raw material 52 is not vulcanized when starting injecting (i.e., from step S101 to step S104)); and
a second step of sandwiching the base material between the first mold in which the raw material is injected into the groove and a second mold (e.g., as shown in Fig. 15, the anode side separator 11 (page 14, line 785) is considered to provide as the second mold during the (second) pressing step), and molding the raw material onto the base material as the seal member at a temperature where the raw material is vulcanized (page 8, [0078], [0079], lines 471-479 (also see Fig. 7 from step S105 to S106)),
wherein the first mold includes a shape (e.g., the raw material 52 forming the shape in the groove as shown in Fig. 13) that creates a gap between the shape and the inclined portion of the base material when the first flat surface and the second flat surface of the base material are pressed in the second step (it is noticed that, during the pressing process of the first mold and the second mold, there are multiple gaps among the raw material (of the seal member), the inclined portion, the first mold, and the second mold), and a connecting groove (e.g., item 29 or 31 in Fig. 13 (page 14, lines 788-789); page 9, [0084]) connecting the groove and the shape, and
the groove of the first mold is provided in the vicinity of the shape (e.g., as shown in Fig. 15).
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Annotated Figure I (based on Figs. 11, 12 of Norihisa)
Regarding claim 3, Norihisa discloses that, in [0007] (page 1), To solve the above-mentioned problems related to burrs, a sealing material and a base are formed using a cavity plate having a grove for sealing. … There has been proposed a method of manufacturing a plate in which materials (for example, a carbon separator, a metal plate, a resin and the like) are integrated (lines 52-55).
Regarding claims 4, 7, 8, 9, Norihisa discloses that, in [0025] (page 3, lines 172-173), the seal member in the fifth aspect may be made of a material containing at least fluorine rubber.
Claims 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Norihisa (JP2016091726, English translation provided).
Regarding claim 17, Norihisa discloses that, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, a molding method for molding a seal member (e.g., item 170 in Fig. 15 (page 14, line 795)) onto a first flat surface of a base material (e.g., as shown in Figs. 11, 12 (also see labels of the first flat surface of the base material 33 in attached annotated Figure I)) having the first flat surface, an inclined portion continuous with the first flat surface (as shown in Figs. 11, 12), and a second flat surface continuous with the inclined portion and higher than the first flat surface (see label of the second flat surface in attached annotated Figure I (it is noticed that, the second flat surface is provided at an end portion of the base material 33); it is noticed that, as illustrated in Fig. 12 (also see attached annotated Figure I), the height of the second flat surface is higher than the height of the first flat surface; it is also noticed that, due to the different heights, there is the inclined portion between the first flat surface and the second flat surface), the method comprising:
a first step of injecting a raw material for the seal member into a groove at a temperature where the raw material is not vulcanized, in a first mold (e.g., as shown in Fig. 11, the base material 33 is considered to provide as the first mold) including the groove into which the raw material is injected (as shown in Fig. 11 for injecting the material 52 (page 14, line 794) into the groove; as shown in Fig. 7, the raw material 52 is not vulcanized when starting injecting (i.e., from step S101 to step S104)); and
a second step of sandwiching the base material between the first mold in which the raw material is injected into the groove and a second mold (e.g., as shown in Fig. 15, the anode side separator 11 (page 14, line 785) is considered to provide as the second mold during the (second) pressing step), and molding the raw material onto the base material as the seal member at a temperature where the raw material is vulcanized (page 8, [0078], [0079], lines 471-479 (also see Fig. 7 from step S105 to S106)),
wherein the first mold includes a shape (e.g., the raw material 52 forming the shape in the groove as shown in Fig. 13) that creates a gap between the shape and the inclined portion of the base material when the first flat surface and the second flat surface of the base material are pressed in the second step (it is noticed that, during the pressing process of the first mold and the second mold, there are multiple gaps among the raw material (of the seal member), the inclined portion, the first mold, and the second mold), and a connecting groove (e.g., item 29 or 31 in Fig. 13 (page 14, lines 788-789); page 9, [0084]) connecting the groove and the shape, and
the groove of the first mold is provided in the vicinity of the shape (e.g., as shown in Fig. 15).
Regarding claim 18, Norihisa discloses that, in [0007] (page 1), To solve the above-mentioned problems related to burrs, a sealing material and a base are formed using a cavity plate having a grove for sealing. … There has been proposed a method of manufacturing a plate in which materials (for example, a carbon separator, a metal plate, a resin and the like) are integrated (lines 52-55).
Regarding claim 19, Norihisa discloses that, in [0025] (page 3, lines 172-173), the seal member in the fifth aspect may be made of a material containing at least fluorine rubber.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 2/25/2026 have been fully considered. They are not persuasive.
In response to applicant’s arguments that the cited reference Norihisa fails to disclose each and every limitation of the present claims, such as “base material”, “the first mold”, and “the second flat surface is actually lower than the supposed first flat surface (e.g., as shown in Fig. 12 of Norihisa)”. These are found not persuasive.
It is clear that, as illustrated in Figs. 11, 12, 13, and 14 of Norihisa, different steps are disclosed for a molding method for molding a seal member.
For example, as illustrated in Fig. 11, when the raw material 52 (i.e., seal material) is injected into the mold, the base material 33 is considered to provide the first mold during this step (page 10, [0091], lines 546-551).
In this step (also see labels in attached annotated Figure I), the second flat surface is higher than the supposed first flat surface.
In the step as illustrated in Figs. 14, 15, the raw material (e.g., rubber) is finished with the injection and cured (i.e., a vulcanization process) (page 10, [0093], lines 561-567).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Shibin Liang whose telephone number is (571)272-8811. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8:30 - 4:30.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Alison L Hindenlang can be reached on (571)270 7001. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SHIBIN LIANG/Examiner, Art Unit 1741
/ALISON L HINDENLANG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1741
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