DETAILED ACTION
This is a Non-final Office Action on the merits for U.S. App. 18/650,346.
Claims 1-5 are pending.
Claims 1-5 are examined.
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 Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: claim 1 defines multiple instances of “to corresponding thereto,” such as “parallel to corresponding thereto the first surface” in line 7, where such limitations instead should define --parallel to corresponding thereto a respective first surface-- or --parallel to a respective first surface-- in order to clarify such limitations and the relation between such surfaces. Appropriate correction is required.
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(s) 1, 3 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brasken (U.S. Patent 5,702,627) in view of Liu (CN 203583768) and Long et al. (U.S. Patent 4,329,821).
Regarding claim 1, Brasken discloses an external corner wall element, comprising an internal layer (#60; see figure 3B), an external layer (#62), a heat-insulating layer (#58), a reinforcing member (the reinforcing members #32 and 56 within the external layer #62), first horizontal reinforcing elements (figure 2 depicts such horizontal reinforcements #32 comprise a plurality of such elements spaced vertically along the element, where the top half of the plurality of figure 3B would be considered the first horizontal elements #32 as defined), second horizontal reinforcing elements (the plurality of members #32 extending on the bottom half of the element of figure 3B can be considered the second horizontal elements #32), first vertical reinforcing elements (the innermost elements #56 of figure 3B), second vertical reinforcing elements (the outermost elements #56 of figure 3B), is provided with an upper end (the top end of element #12 facing out of the page of figure 3B) and a lower end (the bottom end of element #12 facing into the page of figure 3B), the internal layer is provided with two first surfaces (the first surfaces as depicted in figure 3B from Brasken below), two third surfaces (the third surfaces as depicted in figure 3B from Brasken below), and two first lateral surfaces (the flat, recessed surface of key #42 as depicted in figure 3B from Brasken below), the internal layer is configured with an L-shaped cross section (see figure 3B from Brasken), the first surfaces face inward of the L shape (see figure 3B), each third surface is disposed substantially parallel to corresponding thereto the first surface (see figure 3B), the external layer is configured with an L-shape cross section (see figure 3B), the external layer is provided with two fourth surfaces (the fourth surfaces as depicted in figure 3B from Brasken below), two second surfaces (the second surfaces as depicted in figure 3B from Brasken below), two third lateral surfaces (the third lateral surfaces formed by the bottom flat surface of the key #42 as depicted in figure 3B from Brasken below), two fourth lateral surfaces (the fourth lateral surfaces as depicted in figure 3B from Brasken below), and two additional surfaces (the additional surfaces formed by the angled walls of the key #42 as depicted in figure 3B from Brasken below), the fourth surfaces face inward with respect to the L shape of the external layer (see figure 3B), each second surface is disposed substantially parallel to corresponding thereto the fourth surface (see figure 3B), each fourth lateral surface is adjacent to corresponding thereto the second surface (see figure 3B), each third lateral surface is adjacent to corresponding thereto the fourth surface (see figure 3B), wherein each third lateral surface is coupled to corresponding thereto the fourth lateral surface by means of corresponding thereto the additional surface (see figure 3B), the heat-insulating layer is configured with an L-shaped cross-section (see figure 3B), the heat-insulating layer is provided with two second lateral surfaces (the second lateral surface as depicted in figure 3B from Brasken below), the heat-insulating layer is disposed between the third surfaces and the fourth surfaces (see figure 3B), and each fourth lateral surface protrudes in relation to corresponding thereto the first lateral surface, the second lateral surface, and the third lateral surface to form a protrusion (see figure 3B from Brasken below), the reinforcing member is bent at a right angle and disposed in the external layer (see figure 3B), the first horizontal reinforcing elements and the second horizontal reinforcing elements are configured in the form of L-shaped bent metal rods (see figure 3B), each first horizontal reinforcing element and each second horizontal reinforcing element are disposed in the internal layer in a plane generally perpendicular to the first surfaces (see figure 3B, where the horizontal members #32 extend perpendicular to the vertical surfaces), the first vertical reinforcing elements and the second vertical reinforcing elements are configured in the form of metal rods (such vertical members #56 are steel bars), the first vertical reinforcing elements and the second vertical reinforcing elements are disposed in the internal layer along the first surfaces (see figure 3B).
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Figure 3B from Brasken
However, Brasken does not specifically disclose elements #32 and #56 of the external layer are connected together to form a reinforcing mesh or the first and second vertical reinforcing elements connecting respective first and second horizontal reinforcing elements to one another as defined. It is highly well known in the art, as evidenced by Liu, that such corner concrete sandwich panels can comprise of an external layer #3 and internal layer #1 of concrete that sandwich a heat insulating layer #2, where such layers are L-shaped and the concrete layers comprise of steel meshes #4/5 that are also L-shaped in order to reinforce such layers. See figures 1 and 2. The vertical and horizontal rods/wire of the mesh attach to one another in order to form the mesh structure. See figure 3. Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have attached the vertical #56 and horizontal #32 reinforcement elements of Brasken to form meshes within the internal and external layers, as taught in Liu, in order to increase the strength of such concrete layers and make positioning of such reinforcement members within the concrete formwork easier during the pouring manufacturing step. Thus, when the internal layer of Brasken comprises of a reinforcement mesh, as taught in Liu, the top half of horizontal reinforcement members can be considered the first set of horizontal reinforcement elements and the bottom half of horizontal reinforcement members can be considered the second set of horizontal reinforcement elements, where the vertical members on one side of the L-shaped internal layer can be considered the first set of vertical reinforcement elements and the vertical members on the other side of the L-shaped internal layer can be considered the second set of vertical reinforcement elements, where the vertical members are used to connect the first and second horizontal reinforcement members to one another.
Furthermore, Brasken does not disclose flexible connectors secured at one end in the internal layer and at an opposite end in the external layer. However, it is highly well known in the art, as evidenced by Long et al., that such sandwich constructions formed from outer and inner concrete layers #20 and a sandwiched insulation layer #16 can be constructed with flexible connectors #17 that extend through each layer and have ends embedded within a respective concrete layer #18. See figures 2 and 3. Long et a. depict such flexible connectors #17 comprise a flexible characteristic since they are configured to be bent without breaking, as depicted in figures 7 and 9. Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided flexible connectors within the sandwich structure of Brasken so as to have ends embedded and terminated within the internal and external layers of concrete, as taught in Long et al., in order to prevent movement between the sandwich layers during use and strengthen such a structure.
Regarding claim 3, Brasken in view of Liu and Long et al. render obvious each first lateral surface and corresponding thereto the second lateral surface and corresponding thereto the third lateral surface are disposed generally in the same plane (See figure 3B of Brasken, where the first, second, and third lateral surfaces are generally disposed in the same horizontal plane, where such limitations do not require an entirely coplanar orientation and where such surfaces extend parallel to one another is generally the same plane. However, if the Examiner is considered to over broadly interpret such limitations and Brasken depicting such features, such first, second, and third lateral surfaces of Brasken are configured to receive protrusions from adjacent concrete structures so as to connect and prevent movement between such adjacent concrete structures and it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have formed such first, second, and third lateral surfaces within the same plane as one another in order to form the same depth with such key portions and thus provide a common connection depth and also since it has been held that changing the shape of an object is a matter of choice which a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found obvious absent persuasive evidence that the particular configuration of the claimed connection edge was significant. In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966).).
Regarding claim 5, Brasken in view of Liu and Long et al. render obvious the first horizontal reinforcing elements are coupled to the second horizontal reinforcing elements (as explained above, when the reinforcing mesh of Liu is provided within the internal layer of Brasken, the first and second horizontal reinforcing elements would be connected to one another through the vertical reinforcing elements).
Claim(s) 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brasken in view of Liu, Long et al., and Cole et al. (U.S. Publication 2015/0047281).
Regarding claim 2, Brasken in view of Liu and Long et al. render obvious the claimed invention except for the additional surface is disposed generally at a right angle to the third and fourth lateral surfaces. Instead, Brasken depicts in figure 3B that such additional surfaces are oblique in angle. It is highly well known in the art, as evidenced by Cole et al., that the connection between panels of a building wall structure can comprise of tongue #211’ and groove #210’ connections which have oblique sidewalls that extend between horizontal edges of the panel structure, as depicted in figure 2B, or can comprise of rectangular tongue #211 and groove #210 connection elements where the recessed groove areas comprise of surfaces at right angles with one another, as depicted in figure 2A/2C. Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have constructed the additional surfaces of Brasken to comprise of right angles with the third and fourth lateral surfaces, as taught in Cole et al., since such shapes for the tongue and groove are known to be substituted for one another to yield the same predictable result of connect adjacent wall elements to one another.
Claim(s) 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brasken in view of Liu, Long et al., and Hou et al. (CN 115142553).
Regarding claim 4, Brasken in view of Liu and Long et al. render the claimed invention obvious except for on the upper end, the thermal insulation layer and the external layer protrude in relation to the inner layer. However, it is highly well known in the art, as evidenced by Hou et al., that such sandwich constructions comprising of an outer concrete layer #201, an inner concrete layer #202, and a sandwiched insulation layer #203 can comprise of an upper end where the insulation layer and outer layer protrude above the inner layer to form a recessed portion #205 so that another element, such as a floor #800, can be rested thereon and concrete can be set therein to attach such elements to one another. See figure 10 and the middle of page 7 of the English translation. Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have constructed corner element of Brasken so that the external layer and insulation layer protrude past the inner layer at the upper end thereof, as taught in Hou et al., in order to allow for upper elements, such as a concrete floor, to be rested thereon and connected thereto with concrete that can set within such a recessed portion formed by such a protruding area.
Conclusion
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/THEODORE V ADAMOS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3635