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 § 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.
Claims 1-6 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WO 2022004310A1.
Regarding claim 1, WO 2022004310A1 discloses a reed (1) for a, the reed for a wood wind musical instrument comprising: a plurality of plastic sheets (9,10) laminated in a lamination direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the reed (the Y and Z directions in figure 6), wherein an elastic modulus in a longitudinal direction of at least one plastic sheet of the plurality of plastic sheets (9,10) is greater than an elastic modulus in a direction perpendicular to both the lamination direction and the longitudinal direction of the at least one plastic sheet (“wherein the ratio of the modulus of elasticity in the longitudinal direction to the modulus of elasticity in the width direction is 2 or more; )(See the width direction Z that is perpendicular to the laminate direction Y and the longitudinal direction X; and as recited the laminated body 20 is a uniform anisotropic, and orthogonal anisotropy is defines materials having properties that differ along different axis’, and different resins).
WO2022004310A1 does not disclose the use of an aerophone.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date to modify the device as disclosed in WO 2022004310A1 to be used in the reed of an aerophone since reeds are known components in aerophones.
Regarding claim 2, WO 2022004310A1 discloses wherein the elastic modulus in the longitudinal direction of the at least one plastic sheet is equal to or greater than 1.1 times and equal to or less than 2.0 times the elastic modulus in a short direction of at least one plastic sheet (see figure 6 where, the width (z direction) is the short direction of the reed, being shorter than the longitudinal direction) .
Regarding claim 3, WO 2022004310A1 discloses wherein the elastic modulus in the longitudinal direction of the reed is equal to or greater than 1.1 times and equal to or less than 2.0 times the elastic modulus in a short direction of the reed (see figure 6 where, the width (z direction) is the short direction in the reed, being shorter than t the longitudinal direction).
Regarding claim 4, WO 2022004310A1 discloses wherein, the at least one plastic sheet of the plurality of plastic sheets comprises a first layer (9) and a second layer (10) adjacent to the first layer in the lamination direction; and an anisotropy of an elastic modulus of the first layer is different from an anisotropy of an elastic modulus of the second layer (see the width direction Z that is perpendicular to the laminated direction Y and the longitudinal direction X; and as recited the laminated body 20 is a uniform anisotropic, and orthogonal anisotropy is defined as materials having properties and values that differ when measured along different directions and axis’).
Regarding claim 5, WO 2022004310A1 discloses wherein the lamination direction is a same direction as a short direction of the reed (see the Y direction in figure 6) .
Regarding claim 2, WO 2022004310A1 discloses wherein the laminated direction is a direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction of the reed and the short direction of the reed (see the Y direction, the longitudinal direction, the X direction where the Z direction is the short direction and is shorter than the longitudinal direction, see figure 6).
Regarding claim 12, WO 2022004310A1 discloses a plastic sheet (9,10) for a reed, wherein the plastic sheet has an elastic modulus in a longitudinal direction of the plastic sheet is equal to or greater than 1.1 times and equal to or less than 2.0 times the elastic modulus in a short (width) direction of the plastic sheet, wherein the longitudinal direction of the plastic sheet is a same direction as a longitudinal direction of the reed, and the reed is formed by laminating a plurality of plastic sheets (9,10) (see figure 6 where, the width (z direction) is the short direction of the reed, being shorter than the longitudinal direction).
Claims 7- 11 are allowed.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KIMBERLY R LOCKETT whose telephone number is (571)272-2067. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30-5:00 pm M-F.
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/KIMBERLY R LOCKETT/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837