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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Japan on 5-31-2023. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the 2023-001874 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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) 1-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watanabe et al. (2023/0082849) in view of Umezawa et al. (2013/0196790). Claim 1, Watanabe discloses a golf ball comprising a spherical core, an intermediate layer positioned outside the spherical core, and an outermost cover positioned outside the intermediate layer and having a plurality of dimples (fig 1). Watanabe further discloses a center hardness H0 (Shore C hardness) of the spherical core, a surface hardness H100 (Shore C hardness) of the spherical core, a hardness difference S=H100-H0, a material hardness Hm (Shore D hardness) of the intermediate layer, a material hardness Hc (Shore D hardness) of the outermost cover, and a thickness Tc (mm) of the outermost cover. Watanabe does not disclose a dimple volume greater than 365. Umezawa teaches a three-layer golf ball comprising a total lower dimple volume (fig 2) of 464.4 mm^3 (table 3) [(40x1.53) + (184x1.31) + (96x0.73) + (32x1.72) + (16x1.45) + (16x0.62) + (8x0.49)]. Solving for the equation using Watanabe Table 6, comp ex 4 in view of the total dimple volume of Umezawa, the value is 130. (Hc/Tc)×(S×Hm/Vi)≤130 [(47÷0.82) x 16 x (66 ÷ 464.4)]. One of ordinary skill in the art would have modified the dimple volume for the desired flight performance. Claim 2, Watanabe discloses the range for H50 (~H10) is from 65-74 ([0060] (fig 5) and H0 is from 62-72 [0064], using the first number for each range the difference would be 3 (65-62). 0.35<(H10-H0)/S<0.6 or (65-62)/16 = 0.19 (table 6, comp ex 4). Claim 3, Watanabe discloses the hardness difference S<20 is S=16 (table 6, comp 4). Claims 4-5, Umezawa teaches a total lower dimple volume (fig 2) of 464.4 mm^3 (table 3). Claim 6, Watanabe discloses the surface hardness (Shore C hardness) of the spherical core < a surface hardness (Shore C hardness) of the intermediate layer > a surface hardness (Shore C hardness) of the golf ball is satisfied (86.9 < 98 >87) (table 6, comp ex 4). Claim 7, Watanabe discloses the outermost cover contains a polyurethane as a resin component [0093]. Claim 8, Watanabe discloses the surface hardness H100 of the spherical core ranges from 83-94 in Shore C hardness [0056]. Claim 9, Watanabe discloses the center hardness H0 of the spherical core ranges from 62-72 in Shore C hardness [0064]. Claim 10, Watanabe discloses the material hardness Hm of the intermediate layer ranges from 60-72 in Shore D hardness [0078]. Claim 11, Watanabe discloses a thickness Tm of the intermediate layer ranges from 0.9 mm to 1.5 mm [0080]. Claim 12, Watanabe discloses the material hardness Hc of the outermost cover ranges from 35-60 in Shore D hardness [0089]. Claim 13, Watanabe discloses the thickness Tc of the outermost cover ranges from 0.3 mm to 1.2 mm [0091]. Claim 14, Watanabe discloses wherein the hardness H50 (~H10) ([0060] (fig 5) ranges from 65-76 in Shore C hardness [0060] (fig 5). Claim 15, Watanabe discloses the value (Hc/Tc) ranges from 57.3 (47/0.82) (table 6, comp ex 4). Claim 16, Watanabe discloses the value (Hm/Vi) ranges from 0.14 (66/464.4) (table 6, comp ex 4). One of ordinary skill in the art would have modified the dimple volume for the desired flight performance.
Conclusion
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/RAEANN GORDEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3711
December 17, 2025