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 .
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 allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). 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, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 3/18/26 has been entered.
Claims 11-13 and 15-16 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 phrase “the in injection molding device” (cl 11: 2) is grammatically incorrect.
The phrase “the transfer means of two neighboring columns and/or rows” (cl 12, ln 2) lacks antecedent basis in the claim.
The phrase “finished products” (cl 15, step i, lns 1-2) lacks antecedent basis in the claim.
Corrections are required.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1,2,3,6,7,8,9,10, and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by DE102011112971 (cited on IDS filed 3/18/26).
1. (Currently Amended) An injection molding device (1) for manufacturing of multi-component plastic parts comprising at least one first material component and at least one second material component, the injection molding device (1) comprising:
a. a first mold half (2) and a second mold half (3) arranged movable relative to each other in a first direction (x) between an open position and a closed position in which the first and the second mold half (2, 3) interact with each other along a first side face (4) of the first mold half (2) and a thereto opposite second side face (5) of the second mold half (3) to form at least one group of first cavities (6) and at least one group of second cavities (7) there between (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 1-6; first cavities on the top; second cavities on the bottom);
b. per group of first and second cavities (6, 7) at least one transfer means (8) (DE102011112971: together plate 4, core 5, scraper 6 constitute the transfer means) arranged at the first mold half (2) and comprising a base (9) (DE102011112971: plate 4) and at least one slide (11) (DE102011112971: scraper bar 6) arranged thereon comprising per first cavity (6) at least one core segment (12) (DE102011112971: para. 0007; mold pins) arranged movable with respect to the base (9), to demold at least one hollow section of the multi-component plastic part, wherein the base (9) being in the closed position arranged between and at least partially encompassed by the first side face (4) and the second side face (5) and in the open position being arranged rotatable around a rotation axis (10) arranged parallel to the first direction (x) (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 5b), wherein
c. the at least one transfer means (8) being designed to, in the open position of the injection molding device (1), transfer the first injection molded material components from the at least one group of first cavities (6) into the at least one group of second cavities (7) by rotation about the rotation axis (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 5b).
2. (Original) The injection molding device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the transfer means (8) in the closed position of the injection molding device (1) forms part of the group of first cavities (6) and/or the group of second cavities (7) (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 1, 2b, and 5b).
3. (Original) The injection molding device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the transfer means (8) is arranged displaceable in the first direction (x) (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 1, 2b, and 5b).
6. (Currently Amended) The injection molding device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one slide (11) is actuated by a control surface (14) arranged at a control finger (15) (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 5b; rod 3 constitutes the claimed control finger and is connected at an end surface to the scraper bar 6 to displace and rotate the scraper bar 6).
7. (Original) The injection molding device (1) according to claim 6, wherein the control finger (15) protrudes from the first mold half (2) in the direction of the second mold half (3) (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 1, 2b, and 5b).
8. (Original) The injection molding device (1) according to the injection molding device (1) according to wherein the control finger (15) is arranged displaceable relative to the first mold half (2) (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 1, 2b, and 5b).
9. (Original) The injection molding device (1) according to claim 6, wherein the first mold half comprises an actuator to displace the control finger (15) with respect to the first mold half (2) (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 1, 2b, and 5b; it is inherent that rod 3 is actuated by a means to displacing and rotating the rod).
14. (Previously Presented) The injection molding device (1) according to the injection molding device (1) according to wherein the at least one group of first cavities (6) and the at least one group of second cavities (7) each comprise only one cavity (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 2b).
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by DE102011112971 (cited on IDS filed 3/18/26).
15. (Currently Amended) Method for the production of injection molded multi- component plastic parts comprising at least one first material component and at least one second material component comprising the following method steps:
a. providing an injection molding device (1) according to claim 1 (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 1, 2a);
b. in the closed position of the injection molding device (1) injecting a-the first material component into the group of first cavities (6) (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 1, 2a);
c. after sufficient curing of the first material component, opening the injection molding device (1) by relative movement of the first mold half (2) with respect to the second mold half (3) in the first direction (x) (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 2a);
d. removing semi-finished products consisting of the first material component by the transfer means (8) from the group of first cavities (6) by linearly moving the transfer means (8) in the first direction (x) in the direction of the second mold half (3) such that the semi-finished products are arranged above the group of first cavities (6) (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 2-5);
e. transferring the first material components temporarily attached at the transfer means (8) by rotation of the transfer means (8) around a rotation axis (10) arranged parallel to the first direction (x) into a position in front of second cavities (7) (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 2-5);
f. inserting the first material components into the group of second cavities (7) by linear moving the transfer means (8) in the first direction (x) in the direction of the first mold half (2) (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 2-5);
g. closing the injection molding device (1) by relative movement of the first mold half (2) in the first direction (x) in the direction of the second mold half (3) until the first material components are encompassed by the group of second cavities (7) (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 2-5);
h. injecting the second material component into the group of second cavities (7) onto the first material component of the semi-finished product (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 2-5);
i. opening the injection molding device (1) and demolding the finished products from the transfer means (8) (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 6).
16. (Currently Amended) Method according to claim 15, wherein the finished products are demolded by opening the at least one slide (11) arranged at the transfer means (8) (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 4-5).
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) 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DE102011112971 as applied to claim 1 above. The above teachings of DE102011112971 are incorporated hereinafter.
Regarding claim 11, DE102011112971 does not teach the several rows/columns of groups of first and second cavities. Since it is well-known in the molding art to include duplicate mold cavities and its associated structures within a single molding tool to improve efficiency, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to arrange duplicate group of first and second cavities of DE102011112971 in several rows/columns in order to improve manufacturing efficiency.
Regarding claim 12, DE102011112971 does not teach arranging the neighboring columns or rows to be turnable in sequence when the device is in an open position. Since turnable in sequence mold cavities are well-known in the molding art in order to facilitate improved production, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to arrange the neighboring columns or rows of DE102011112971 (modified) to be turnable in sequence in order to improve production without compromising efficiency.
Regarding claim 13, such is taught by DE102011112971 (DE102011112971: paras. 0034-0041; fig 1, 2b, 4b and 5b).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EDMUND H LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-1204. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 9AM-4PM.
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EHL
/EDMUND H LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1744