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 .
Claims 1-17 are pending.
Claim 18 are withdrawn from examination.
Election/Restrictions
Claim 18 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected method, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 1/14/2026.
Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-8, 10-14 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over TSENG (US 2014/0170258 A1) in view of SMITH (US 2003/0201576 A1) and PLEASANT (US 4828479 A).
Re: 1, TSENG teaches of an insert 20 for an injection mold (abstract, and also cavity 22), the insert comprising:
a gate insert body (main portion 21), wherein the gate insert body includes or is machinable to include a gate (216a) for delivering plastic material into the mold;
a fastener seat (engaging blocks 22) extending laterally from the gate insert body (see Fig. 2) and including a first fastener opening (through holes 221);
a mold plate including a second fastener opening (connecting hole 15); and
a fastener (bolt 30) configured to extend through the mold plate and the fastener seat.
TSENG teaches of a mold plate instead of clamp block, and wherein does not specifically state of a clamp block.
Wherein, the use in injection molding arts, the use of a clamp block is known. See SMITH of a locking wedge 102 and further of shim plates 118 that facilitate the holding and release of the locking wedge 102 from the receptacle 116. Such locking manner with compressive force for urging mold elements together are known, see [0031, 0032] and Fig. 3.
Further, as seen in PLEASANT, the use of a clamp body adjacent to an insert is a concept is known in the PLEASANT teaching wherein, key 160 which act similar to clamp bodies are adjacent to the cavity insert 184, see Fig. 1 and 10, wherein, the surfaces are flush with each other when in position and can also be seen as a clamp/key to hold the insert in position.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the insert body of TSENG with the clamp body and shim body as taught by SMITH for locking the mold elements into position along with adjustment, and of the positioning of the clamping of the clamp body to an adjacent insert body as taught by PLEASANT as known configurations to ensure locking an insert body into position to the mold.
Re: 2 (upon 1), wherein a top surface of the clamp block is flush with a top surface of the gate insert body when the clamp block is seated on the fastener seat. The gate insert body of TSENG is flush with the top surface of the mold body when seated. This alignment of the elements to be flush is a concept is known in the PLEASANT teaching wherein, key 160 which act similar to clamp bodies are adjacent to the cavity insert 184, see Fig. 1 and 10, wherein, the surfaces are flush with each other when in position. This concept would have been obvious in the
Re: 3 (upon 1), wherein the clamp block includes a tapered recess matching a tapered head of the fastener. See Fig. 1 of TSENG teaches of shaping that matches with the features of the bolt and also with the gate insert body. Further, see SMITH of locking wedge which acts as a clamp block with a tapered recess, see Fig. 3. See also recess that allows for a shaft 104 which is similar to the claimed clamp block with recess to match a fastener.
Re: 4 (upon 3), wherein a top surface of each of the clamp block and the fastener is flush with or below a top surface of the gate insert body when the clamp block is fastened to the fastener seat. See teaching by PLEASANT such as the teaching for claim 2 above regarding the flush alignment of the elements.
Re: 5 (upon 1), wherein the gate insert body comprises a lower heel extension. See teaching of the gate insert body of TSENG that includes extensions and wherein, a lower heel extension would be a change in shape of the desired portions for particular clamping location.
Re: 6 (upon 1), further comprising a removeable spacer sized to fit against a surface of the gate insert body opposite the injection mold. See teaching by SMITH of shim above which encompasses the claimed spacer.
Re: 7 (upon 6), wherein the spacer includes a foot extension configured to fit in a slot at a bottom surface of the gate insert body. See extension in TSENG, and further of shim plates of SMITH, wherein, there is a change in size to accommodate to fit in the slot for better clamping.
Re: 8 (upon 6), further comprising a second spacer having a greater thickness than and interchangeable with the removeable spacer. See teaching of shim plates by SMITH that can be changed to ensure clamping fit.
Re: 10 (upon 1), wherein the gate insert body includes a first surface facing the injection mold. See TSENG with gate 20 that faces cavity 12) and a second surface opposite the first, and further comprising a spacer sized to fit against the second surface.
Re: 11, similar to claim 1 with an additional “a removeable spacer adjacent to the back surface of the gate insert body.”, see teaching above in claim 1, and further, see teaching of the shim plates by SMITH for claim 6 above.
Re: 12 (upon 11), similar to claim 7, see teaching above.
Re: 13 (upon 11), similar to claim 8, see teaching above.
Re: 14 (upon 11), similar to claim 9, see teaching above.
Re: 17 (upon 15), similar to claim 3, see teaching above.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over modified TSENG as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of CAVALLARO (US 2002/0061790 A1).
Re: 9 (upon 6), wherein the first fastener opening is an adjustable slot including more than one tap for receiving the fastener in more than one position. Regarding fastener opening features, the slot, TSENG fails to teach of this feature.
This feature is known in the molding art, see in CAVALLARO regarding the use of elongated slots in the plate in which screws (fasteners) can move to change the position of the cup 74, see [0054], Fig. 9. This use in the molding arts allow for adjustment of the fastened element to the desired position that the elongated slot provides.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the opening of the modified TSENG with the slot as taught by CAVALLARO that would allow for adjustment of the positioning of the mold elements, see KSR, MPEP 2143 as it is combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
Claim(s) 15 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over TSENG in view of SMITH as applied to claim 14 above, and further in view of DISSING (US 2021/0372457 A1).
Re: 15 (upon 14), wherein the fastener is a partially threaded shoulder bolt having a tapered head. This is type of bolt/screw feature, and wherein, TSENG teaches of a bolt 30 with a head, see Fig. 1. TSENG and SMITH do not teach the additional fastener features.
However, these are particular fastener features that are known in the fastener arts. See in DISSING that teaches of screw 1 with screw head 2 with tapering under side and further of partially threaded portion, see Figs. 1a, 1e, 1f, 2a-2d, 3a-3c, 4a-4e.
These types of fasteners with the additional features of DISSING can be applied to the fastener of TSENG as alternate known features for desired fastening features.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have further modify the fastener of the modified TSENG with the features taught by DISSING as alternate known features to fasteners, see the KSR rationale, MPEP 2143, as it is combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
Re: 16 (upon 15), similar to claim 2, see teaching by PLEASANT above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See attached PTO-892 form, of particular note:
CRAIN (US 7241405 B1) teaches of interchangeable mold block with different mold elements that can be exchanged and fastened.
GRAHAM (US 6481996 B1) teaches of tapered mold runner block, see Figs. 2 and 3. The concept of tapered adjacent mold elements to ensure locked position being known in the molding arts.
BUTLIN (US 5318429 A) teaches of various mold elements that are locked/clamped, see Figs. 17, 28 and 29.
RUHL (US 4500275 A) teaches of mold elements that are clamped into position, allowing for quick change assembly.
YANG (US 2013/0040014 A1) teaches of mold assembly with various elements that are clamped and locked together, see Fig. 1 and Fig. 4.
CHOI (US 2008/0099959 A1) teaches of a gate insert positioned into a mold, see Fig. 2.
PERSSON (US 2003/0068403 A1) teaches of a gate insert positioned into a mold, see Figs. 1-8.
SMITH (US 4363505 A) and SALUNKE (US 2022/0330993 A1) teaches of fastener features.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EMMANUEL S LUK whose telephone number is (571)272-1134. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9 to 5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Xiao S Zhao can be reached at 571-270-5343. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/EMMANUEL S LUK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1744