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, and 3-19 are pending as per latest amendment.
Claim 2 have been canceled in the latest amendment.
Claim 19 have been added in the latest amendment.
Claims 1, 3-17, and 19 have been examined.
Claim 18 currently remains withdrawn from examination.
Interview Summary
A telephonic interview was conducted on 5/28/2026, and a suggestion was made to incorporate claim 6 into claim 1 in a possible examiner’s amendment. However, no agreement was made.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments based upon the latest amendment, filed 5/7/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-19 under TSENG in view of SMITH and PLEASANT have been fully considered and are persuasive in part. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn.
However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection of claims 1, 2, 5, 10, and 19 is made of ADAMS (US 2004/0185139 A1) in view of HANAOKA (US 12466116 B2), and further in view of SMITH for claims 3-4, and for claims 1-5, 10, and 19 is made over TSENG (US 2014/0170258 A1) in view of HANAOKA (US 12466116 B2).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 5, 10, and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ADAMS (US 2004/0185139 A1) in view of HANAOKA (US 12466116 B2).
Re: 1, ADAMS teaches of an insert 44 for an injection mold (abstract, and also Figs. 2-4), the insert comprising:
a gate insert body (52), wherein the gate insert body includes or is machinable to include a gate (72) for delivering plastic material into the mold;
a fastener seat (mounting ears 54) extending laterally from the gate insert body (see Fig. 3-4A) and including a top surface and a first fastener opening (recesses 70);
a mold plate (32) including a second fastener opening (see Fig. 2); and
a fastener (screw 66) configured to extend through the mold plate (32) and the fastener seat (see Fig. 2).
ADAMS does not specifically teach of a clamp block and configured to seat on the top surface of the fastener seat, 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.
Wherein, the use in injection molding arts, the use of a clamp block is known.
The concept of the clamp block is noted, however, the teaching as seen in HANAOKA that teaches of a clamp block, which can be seen as a washer 81 that acts as the clamp block that configured to seat with the top surface of the fastener seat (flanges 72, 75) and configured to allow for a fastening bolt 73 to pass through the first and second through holes (see screw portions 79, 78).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the mounting portions of the ADAMS reference with the additional clamp block (washer) as taught by HANAOKA that allows for positioning of the fastening bolt within the through holes when positioned with the insert (see HANAOKA, Col. 8, lines 62-67).
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. See teaching of ADAMS regarding the clamp body (washer), see Fig. 6.
Re: 5 (upon 1), wherein the gate insert body comprises a lower heel extension. See teaching of the gate insert body of ADAMS and wherein, a lower heel extension would be seen as a change in shape for the desired portions for particular clamping location.
Re: 10 (upon 1), wherein the gate insert body includes a first surface facing the injection mold. See teaching by ADAMS that includes a gate that faces a cavity and the surface that would face the injection mold.
Re: 19 (upon 1), wherein the top surface of the fastener seat is offset from and lower than the top surface of the gate insert body. See teaching of both ADAMS and HANAOKA regarding the top surface of the fastener seat that are lower than the top surface of the gate insert body of ADAMS, see Figs.
Claim(s) 3-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ADAMS in view of HANAOKA as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of SMITH (US 2003/0201576 A1).
Re: 3 (upon 1), wherein the modified ADAMS does not specifically teach of the clamp block includes a tapered recess matching a tapered head of the fastener. This is a change in shape of the clamp block, see also
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. Wherein, in SMITH the locking wedge 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.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have further modify the insert of the modified ADAMS with the clamp body and shim body as taught by SMITH for locking the mold elements into position along with adjustment as known configurations of ensuring the clamping body within the fastener seat to ensure locking an insert body into position to the mold.
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 HANAOKA, see Fig. 6.
Claim(s) 1-5, 10, and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over TSENG (US 2014/0170258 A1) in view of HANAOKA (US 12466116 B2).
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 top surface and 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 configured to seat on the top surface of the fastener seat, 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.
Wherein, the use in injection molding arts, the use of a clamp block is known.
The concept of the clamp block is noted, however, the teaching as seen in HANAOKA that teaches of a clamp block, which can be seen as a washer 81 that acts as the clamp block that configured to seat with the top surface of the fastener seat (flanges 72, 75) and configured to allow for a fastening bolt 73 to pass through the first and second through holes (see screw portions 79, 78).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the mounting portions of the TSENG reference with the additional clamp block (washer) as taught by HANAOKA that allows for positioning of the fastening bolt within the through holes when positioned with the insert (see HANAOKA, Col. 8, lines 62-67).
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.
See also teaching of ADAMS regarding the clamp body (washer), see Fig. 6.
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.
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 HANAOKA, see Fig. 6.
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: 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: 19 (upon 1), wherein the top surface of the fastener seat is offset from and lower than the top surface of the gate insert body. See teaching of both TSENG and HANAOKA regarding the top surface of the fastener seat that are lower than the top surface of the gate insert body of ADAMS, see Figs.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-17 are allowed over the prior art.
Claims 6-9 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art references fail to teach the claimed invention of the gate insert body having the fastener seats, clamp block, fastener, and in particular of the removeable spacer sized to fit against a surface of the gat insert body opposite the injection mold.
The closest prior art include:
TSENG (US 2014/0170258 A1) that fails to teach of the clamp block and removable spacers.
ADAMS (US 2004/0185139 A1) also fails to teach of the clamp block and removable spacers.
HANAOKA (US 12466116 B2) teaches of a clamp block feature.
SMITH (US 2003/0201576 A1), PLEASANT (US 4828479 A), CAVALLARO (US 2002/0061790 A1), DISSING (US 2021/0372457 A1) were used to teach of dependent claim features that does not resolve the deficiencies of TSENG and ADAMS.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See KAWANASHI (US 10532503 B2) teaches of clamping block via pressing member ST32 that is engaged via screw N6 that presses against an ‘insert’ body G1, see Figs. 4-6.
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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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 mailing date of this final action.
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.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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
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