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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-6 and 8-20 in the reply filed on 5/26/2026 is acknowledged.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, a difference between the first thickness and the second thickness is greater than or equal to a separation distance between the first weight and the heel portion (claim 16) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 16, a separation distance between the first weight and the heel portion is not clear. Should this be the rear surface of the heel portion, see [0040]?
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, 5, and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gilbert et al. (2018/0333619) in view of Hasebe (6,780,123). Claim 1, Gilbert discloses an iron type golf club head, comprising a striking face having a substantially flat frontal striking surface (146), and having a lower leading edge and an opposite upper topline edge (144); a topline extending rearward from the upper topline edge; a sole extending rearward from the lower leading edge; a support bar (124) (fig 11) protruding rearwardly from the striking face and extending in a toe-heel direction of the golf club head; an upper cavity at least partially surrounded by the topline (144), an upper section of the striking face, and the support bar (124); and a lower cavity [0029] at least partially surrounded by the support bar, a lower section of the striking face, and the sole. Gilbert does not disclose a thick portion in the lower section. Hasebe teaches the lower section of the striking face comprises a heel portion, a toe portion, and a thick portion (41; fig 9A) between the heel portion and the toe portion, and wherein a first thickness of the thick portion (41) is greater than each of a second thickness of the heel portion and a third thickness of the toe portion (fig 9A). One of ordinary skill in the art would modify the face of the golf club with a thick portion for enhance durability. Claim 2, Gilbert discloses the lower cavity is entirely enclosed by the golf club head, and wherein the upper cavity is exposed, at a rear of the upper cavity, to the exterior of the golf club head (fig 11). Claim 3, Hasabe teaches the first thickness (41) is greater than a thickness of the upper section of the striking face at any position on the upper section of the striking face (9A). Claim 5, Hasabe teaches the first thickness is greater than a thickness of the lower section of the striking face at any position over the heel portion and the toe portion. Claim 6, Hasabe teaches the thick portion has a shape extending from the sole toward the support bar. One of ordinary skill in the art would modify the face of the golf club with a thick portion for enhance durability.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-15 are allowed.
Claims 4 and 8-10 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RAEANN GORDEN whose telephone number is (571)272-4409. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eugene Kim can be reached at 571-272-4463. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RAEANN GORDEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3711
July 28, 2026
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