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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on August 8th, 2025 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed August 8th, 2025 has been entered. Claims 1, 3, 6, 12, 14 and 17 have been amended. Claims 1, 3, 6-8, 10, 12, 14, 16-18 and 20 remain pending. Applicant’s amendments to the claims overcome the objections, 112(b) rejections and 112(d) rejections previously set forth in the Final Office Action mailed April 8th, 2025.
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.
Claims 1, 3, 6-8, 10, 12, 16-18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) in view of Connolly et al. (US 4840728).
Regarding claim 1, Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) teaches a protective plate (Fig. 1 #102 “support body”) for a screen having a side panel (Fig. 1 #107 “sidewall”) and a screen deck (Fig. 1 #100 “screen elements”, #104 “rails”), comprising:
an outer surface (Fig. 2 #200 “rearward face”) for connecting the protective plate to the side panel (Fig. 2 #200 connects #102 to #107); and
an inner surface (Fig. 2 #203 “inner face”) for protecting the side panel (Fig. 1 #203 protects #107);
wherein the inner surface (Fig. 2 #203 “inner face”) has one or more connecting elements (Fig. 2 #202 “grooves”) that connect the protective plate to the screen deck (Paragraph 0026 lines 22-25); and
wherein the one or more connecting elements (Fig. 2 #202 “grooves”) comprise flanges (Fig. 2 #227 “trough”) for cooperating with one or more corresponding connecting elements of the screen deck (Fig. 6 #227 cooperating with #601 “rail ends”); and
wherein the protective plate (Fig. 1 #102 “support body”) is configured such that, in use, spring tension is generated by resilient deformation of the protective plate (Paragraph 0030 lines 1-7) to ensure engagement of the protective plate with the side panel (Paragraph 0025 lines 1-13, Fig. 1 #102 engaged with #107).
Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) lacks teaching a protective plate for a vibratory screen.
Connolly et al. (US 4840728) teaches a protective plate (Fig. 1 #6 “support plate”) for a vibratory screen (Col. 1 lines 41-45).
Connolly et al. (US 4840728) explains that the vibrating mechanism vibrates the frame with a forward force component for moving the material being screened forwardly along the screen panels (Col. 3 lines 52-58).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) to include a protective plate for a vibratory screen as taught by Connolly et al. (US 4840728) in order to provide a force component which moves the material being screened along the screen deck.
Regarding claim 3, Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) teaches the protective plate of claim 1, wherein the flanges (Fig. 2 #227 “trough”) each have two arms (Fig. 2 see two divots in #227 “trough”) for engaging the one or more corresponding connecting elements of the screen deck (Fig. 6 two divots in #227 cooperating #601 “rail ends”).
Regarding claim 6, Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) teaches the protective plate of claim 1, wherein the inner surface (Fig. 2 #203 “inner face”) comprises one or more protrusions (Fig. 4 #103 “liner”) for protecting the one or more connecting elements (Fig. 4 #103 protects #202).
Regarding claim 7, Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) teaches the protective plate of claim 6, wherein at least one protrusion (Fig. 4 #103 “liner”) comprises a ridge (Fig. 2 #218 “upper lengthwise end surface”) extending along the inner surface (Fig. 2 #218 extends along #203).
Regarding claim 8, Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) teaches the protective plate of claim 7, wherein the ridge (Fig. 2 #218 “upper lengthwise end surface”) extends along the length of the inner surface of the protective plate (Fig. 2 #218 extends along length of #203).
Regarding claim 10, Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) teaches the protective plate of claim 1, wherein the screen deck (Fig. 1 #100 “screen elements”, #104 “rails”) comprises a screen surface (Fig. 1 surface of #100) supported by one or more rails (Fig. 6 #105) and at least one rail cooperates with the at least one flange of the protective plate (Fig. 6 #105 cooperates with #227 as it is attached below #202).
Regarding claim 12, Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) teaches the protective plate of claim 10, wherein the at least one rail (Fig. 6 #105) comprises the one or more connecting elements (Paragraph 0027 lines 10-13).
Regarding claim 16, Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) teaches the protective plate of claim 1, wherein the outer surface (Fig. 2 #200 “rearward face”) comprises one or more protrusions (Fig. 5 #224 “flange”) for engaging the side panel (Paragraph 0026 lines 6-8).
Regarding claim 17, Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) teaches the protective plate of claim 16, wherein at least one protrusion comprises a ridge (Fig. 5 #224 “flange”) extending along the outer surface (Fig. 5 #224 “flange” extending along #200).
Regarding claim 18, Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) teaches the protective plate of claim 17, wherein the ridge (Fig. 5 #224 “flange”) extends along the length of the outer surface of the protective plate (Fig. 5 #224 “flange” extending along the length #200).
Regarding claim 20, Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) teaches a screen (Paragraph 0001 lines 1-2) comprising: a frame having side panels (Fig. 1 #107 “sidewall”);
at least one screen deck (Fig. 1 #100 “screen elements”, #104 “rails”); and
one or more protective plates (Fig. 1 #102 “support body”) according to claim 1 (see claim 1 above) mounted to at least one side panel (Fig. 1 #102 “support body” mounted to #107).
Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) lacks teaching the screen which is a vibratory screen.
Connolly et al. (US 4840728) teaches a vibratory screen (Col. 1 lines 41-45).
Connolly et al. (US 4840728) explains that the vibrating mechanism vibrates the frame with a forward force component for moving the material being screened forwardly along the screen panels (Col. 3 lines 52-58).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) to include a vibratory screen as taught by Connolly et al. (US 4840728) in order to provide a force component which moves the material being screened along the screen deck.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) in view of Connolly et al. (US 4840728) and further in view of Lane et al. (US 7946428).
Regarding claim 14, Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) lacks teaching the protective plate of claim 12, wherein at least one of the one or more connecting elements comprises an annular flange, collar or ring.
Lane et al. (US 7946428) teaches a protective plate (Fig. 2 #40) for a vibratory screen (Col. 1 lines 6-13) wherein at least one of the one or more connecting elements (Fig. 2 #90) comprises an annular flange (Fig. 2 #98), collar (Fig. 2 see collar formed by #90) or ring.
Lane et al. (US 7946428) explains that the connecting element of the rail (#90) which connects the rail (#14) to the connecting elements of the protective plate (#110) provides a secure connection yet allows removal of the protective plate in the unlikely event of breakage or undue wear of a particular one of the protective plates (Col. 9 lines 49-53).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) to include wherein at least one of the one or more connecting elements comprises an annular flange, collar or ring as taught by Lane et al. (US 7946428) in order to provide a secure and removable connection of the rail to the protective plate.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed March 24th, 2024 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding the Applicant’s argument that Malmberg et al. (EP 2915595) fails to teach wherein the protective plate is configured such that, in use, spring tension is generated by resilient deformation of the protective plate to ensure engagement of the protective plate with the side panel, the Examiner would like to clarify the following. Malmberg et al. states “The present side liner assembly may be regarded as freely mounted with respect to the sidewalls 107 in that the liner assembly does not require specific mounting to the sidewalls 107 as is common to conventional liner arrangements. In particular, the present assembly is effectively sandwiched in position between the lengthwise ends 601, 602 of the screen and screen frame (reference 108) and the side walls 107. Advantageously, a protection wear resistant liner 103, in the form of a sheet or block component, is removably and releasably attached to the support body 102 via attachment elements indicated generally by reference 106 that extend between liner 103 and support body 102. Importantly, the attachment elements 106 do not extend into the sidewalls 107” (Paragraph 0025 lines 1-13), therefore explaining that the protective plate is effectively sandwiched in position between end of the screen frame and the side panel. Further, Malmberg et al. states that the protective plate is formed of polyurethane (Paragraph 0030 lines 1-7), therefore providing a protective plate with spring tension generated by resilient deformation.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Molly K Devine whose telephone number is (571)270-7205. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 7:00-4:00.
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/MOLLY K DEVINE/Examiner, Art Unit 3653