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 Group II, corresponding claims 8-9 in the reply filed on 04/10/2026 is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/15/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because that is not what the claimed invention is drawn to (see claims 8-9). Correction is required. See MPEP § 608.01(b), section I, B recites “A patent abstract is a concise statement of the technical disclosure of the patent and should include that which is new in the art to which the invention pertains”.
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed (see the discussion below). The following title is suggested: “Insulated Wall Panels & Cutting system” or equivalent.
The lengthy specification (29 pages) has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification. For examples, the language “Turcotte sculptor” is not clear and not descriptive that helps a reader to understand the disclose.
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 8-9 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.
The preamble of claim 8 “a method executed by a computer system that cuts a foam slab of foam material” is vague how the computer system cuts the foam slab of foam material.
Also, as the preamble is written “a method executed by a computer system”, it is unclear because it appears that this method is executed by the computer system, but there are two steps of receiving a user’s input and another user’s input (in the claim body).
As the preamble is written, it is unclear what it is about because in the claim body does not provide any cutting step. The step of tracing is not same as a cutting step, moreover, the hot- wire path is NOT same as a cutting hot wire. It is a path. Therefore, it is unclear what the method is about.
Claim 8, line 9 “the user’s input” is unclear whether it refers the user’s input in line 3 or in line 5.
Claim 8, the phrase “an origin position associated with the foam slab of foam material and associated with a hot-wire foam cutting system” is unclear what Applicant is trying to claim. What is the origin position? How and when does it consider as an origin position? Is it the origin position prior cutting or after cutting or during cutting?
Claim 9 “a wire linear speed” is unclear what the wire linear speed refers to.
For examination purposes, as best understood, Examiner is interpreting the “issues above” as below and all claims dependent from claim 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being dependent from the rejected parent claim.
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.
Claims 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Demont (US 4683791) in view of Winn (US 2015/0251267).
Regarding claim 8, as best understood, Demont teaches a method for cutting a foam slab of foam material (36, see the abstract and Figure 3), comprising:
receiving, by a computer system (14), a user's input specifying a part number associated with the foam slab of foam material (as this is written, it is unclear what the part number refers to and how it is associated with the foam slab of foam material, therefore, see Col. 8, lines 58-62 “there are many variables that can be set by the operator. These variables can all be controlled by way of computer control via the keyboard 15 with storage being provided by the disk drive 21. Some of these variables include by way of example, the wire warm up time, the speed of the first cut, the delay of turn on of wire 20, the delay at the bottom of the cut, the speed differential between the downward and upward cuts, the delay of the turn off of the wire 50 and the delay of turn off of the wires 20, 30 and 40 at the end of their cuts” that means one of variables or a part number used to cut or “associated with” the foam slab of foam material);
identifying, by the computer system, a hot-wire path to be cut within the foam slab of foam material by querying a database having a database entry that associates the part number specified by the user's input to the hot-wire path to be cut within the foam slab of foam material (see the hot-wire 205, Figures 13-14, that is used to cut along a cutting path or a cut pattern of the block 36 to be shaped as seen in Figures 10-12 and Col. 10, lines 5-10 “This can all be accomplished under computer control so that the slopes of the cuts and the associated speeds of cutting and other parameters can be closely controlled. In practice, in order to provide the cut pattern 161”);
identifying, by the computer system, an electrical wattage associated with the hot-wire path by querying the database having additional database entries that associate the material heating and cooling times for the wires”)
(see Watts=Q/t; Q is the heat energy in joules and t is time. This shows that watts indicate how quickly energy is delivered, and higher wattage results in faster heating for the same material and mass);
determining, by the computer system, an origin position associated with the foam slab of foam material and associated with a hot-wire foam cutting system (Col. 10, lines 1-5 “the block 156 is inserted on the table 210, is held in position, and then the X and Y drives associated with the hot wire 205 are controlled so as to provide the cut pattern illustrated in FIG. 10” that means a position of the block 156 is inserted on the table 210 is identified for cutting the cut pattern); and
tracing, by the computer, the hot- wire path along the foam slab of foam material from the origin position according to the electrical wattage (see Col. 10, lines 1-5).
However, Demont fails to discuss a step of receiving, by the computer system, another user's input specifying a material thickness associated with the foam slab of foam material.
Winn shows a step of receiving, by a computer system, user's input specifying a material thickness associated with a workpiece (see Para. 10 “an input component that is configured to receive a user input associated with a parameter to perform the plasma cutting or marking operation, wherein the parameter is… a thickness of the workpiece, a material type of the workpiece”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the method of Demont to have a step of receiving, by a computer system, user's input specifying a material thickness associated with a workpiece, as taught by Winn, in order to allow providing heat or energy to the hot-wire foam cutting system for properly cutting the foam block.
Regarding claim 9, as best understood, the modified method of Demont teaches identifying a wire linear speed associated with the hot-wire path by querying the database having the additional database entries that associate the material thickness and the electrical wattage to the wire linear speed associated with the hot-wire path (see all hot wires are identified, controlled, and moved linearly to associate or cut the foam block as seen in 20p-50p, Figure 12).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NHAT CHIEU Q DO whose telephone number is (571)270-1522. The examiner can normally be reached 8AM-5PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Boyer Ashley can be reached at (571) 272-4502. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NHAT CHIEU Q DO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3724 5/11/2026
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