DETAILED ACTION
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
In response to a Restriction Requirement mailed on 07/27/2026, the Applicant elected without traverse Group II (claims 5-6) in a reply filed on 09/02/2026. Claim 1 links inventions I and II. Claims 2-4 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group II.
Currently, claims 1 and 5-6 are examined as below.
Information Disclosure Statement
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) filed on 04/22/2024. The IDS has been considered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 2022/0339696 A1 to Tsuji et al. (“Tsuji”).
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Regarding independent claim 1, Tsuji in Fig. 1 teaches a molten metal discharging device 1 (Fig. 1 & ¶ 21, injection device 1 of a light metal injection molding machine) comprising:
a syringe 2-3 (Fig. 1, ¶ 24, a collective of melting unit 2 and injection unit 3) including a storage section 20, 30a (¶ 29, the melting cylinder 20 storing the molten metal; ¶ 36, ¶ 38, injection chamber 30a of injection cylinder 30 in which the molten metal is stored) that stores molten metal (¶ 36, ¶ 38), a discharge nozzle 35 (¶ 37, injection nozzle 35) that discharges the molten metal stored in the storage section 20, 30a (¶ 29, ¶ 36-¶ 38), an opening 40b (Fig. 1, ¶ 43, opening 40b) different from the discharge nozzle 35, and a bypass path 40 (Fig. 1, ¶ 43, communication path 40) that connects the opening 40b and the storage section 20 and through which the molten metal flows (¶ 28);
a heater (Fig. 1, ¶ 27, ¶ 31, ¶ 39, heater for the melting cylinder 20 and heaters for the injection cylinder 30) provided around the syringe 2-3 and heating the molten metal to keep the molten metal in a molten state (¶ 27, ¶ 31, ¶ 39);
a shaft 32 (Fig. 1, ¶ 36, plunger 32) sliding inside the syringe 5-3 to press the molten metal stored within the storage section 30a (¶ 36-¶ 38); and
a cover 52 (Fig. 1, ¶ 45, volve rod 52) provided on the opening 40b (¶ 45, ¶ 47), opening and closing (¶ 45-¶ 47),
wherein the opening 40b is positioned above an upper surface of the molten metal inside the syringe 2-3 (Fig. 1, ¶ 38, the opening 40b is above an upper surface of the molten metal in the chamber 30a).
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claims 5-6 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if (i) rewritten in independent form to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims or (ii) the objected claim and any intervening claims are fully incorporated into the base claim.
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Regarding claim 5, Tsuji in Fig. 1 teaches the molten metal discharging device according to claim 1.
However, Tsuji does not explicitly disclose a molten metal discharging method, comprising: bringing the discharge nozzle of the syringe into close contact with a liquid surface of the molten metal within a molten metal storage tank and pulling the shaft upward with the cover closed to draw the molten metal inside the syringe; and positioning the discharge nozzle above a component and pushing down the shaft with the cover opened to discharge the molten metal from the discharge nozzle onto the component.
US 2015/0336195 A1 to Kuramochi et al. (“Kuramochi”) recognizes a need for stabilizing the amount of one discharge of the molten metal (¶ 5). Kuramochi satisfies the need by providing a molten metal discharging method, comprising: bringing a discharge nozzle 5b (Figs. 1, 4, ¶ 21, nozzle 5b) of a syringe 5 (Figs. 1, 4, ¶ 21, syringe 5) into close contact with a liquid surface of a molten metal 2 (Fig. 4, ¶ 38, molten metal 2) within a molten metal storage tank 1 (Fig. 4, ¶ 38, storage reservoir 1) and pulling a shaft 4 (Fig. 4, ¶ 40, shaft 4) upward to draw the molten metal 2 inside the syringe 5 (Fig. 4, ¶ 40-¶ 42); and positioning the discharge nozzle 5b above a component 15, 16 (Fig. 2, ¶ 33, semiconductor chip 15 or lead frame 16) and pushing down the shaft 4 to discharge the molten metal 2 from the discharge nozzle 5b onto the component 15, 16 (Fig. 1, ¶ 33).
However, the prior art of record, including Tsuji and Kuramochi, singularly or in combination, fails to disclose or suggest, in combination with the other claimed elements in claim 5, pulling the shaft upward with the cover closed to draw the molten metal inside the syringe; and pushing down the shaft with the cover opened to discharge the molten metal from the discharge nozzle onto the component.
Therefore, claim 5 would be allowable.
Claim 6 would be allowable, because claim 6 depends from the allowable claim 5.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 2015/0191844 A1 to Hunter et al. relates to an electroplating system and method having a needle anode associated with a multi-direction positioning device and is configured for plating internal surfaces of holes in metal products. The needle anode is positioned such that an insertion portion of the needle anode is centered over a hole and inserted to a predetermined depth in the hole, with a discharge end located a predetermined distance from the inner end of the hole. Plating solution is supplied to the needle anode and flows continuously during plating from the discharge end of the needle, through a gap between the needle anode and inner surface of the hole, and out of the open end of the hole into a drain.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MIKKA LIU whose telephone number is (571)272-2568. The examiner can normally be reached on 9AM-5AM EST M-F.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eliseo Ramos-Feliciano can be reached on 571-272-7925. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/M.L./Examiner, Art Unit 2817
/ELISEO RAMOS FELICIANO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2817
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