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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 1-3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13-15, 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Beach et al. (US 2014/0274457).
Regarding claim 1, Beach et al. discloses a club head having a face portion and a body portion. Evident by Figures 1A, 1C, and 22, the face portion includes a striking face, a crown return portion, and a sole return portion and the body includes a crown portion and a rear sole portion. The sole return extends a distance backward from a leading edge. The sole return portion includes a slot adjacent to the leading edge defining a slot wall. The rear sole portion forms an aft portion of the sole and extends to the sole return portion.
Regarding claim 2, Beach et al. discloses an insert 1301 fitted into the slot (See Figures 16A and 16B and paragraph 0142).
Regarding claim 3, Beach et al. discloses the insert being polymeric (See Paragraph 0137).
Regarding claim 5, Beach et al. discloses the striking face having a first region with a constant thickness wherein the first region includes the slot wall (See Figure 3).
Regarding claim 6, Beach et al. discloses the first region including the sole return (See Figure 3).
Regarding claim 8, see the above regarding claims 1 and 2.
Regarding claim 9, see the above regarding claim 3.
Regarding claim 11, see the above regarding claim 5.
Regarding claim 13, see the above regarding claims 1 and 5.
Regarding claim 14, see the above regarding claim 2.
Regarding claim 15, see the above regarding claim 3.
Regarding claim 17, see the above regarding claim 6.
Regarding claim 18, Beach et al. discloses the first region being oval-shaped (See Figure 17C).
Regarding claim 19, Beach et al. discloses the first region covering only the lower strike face region (See Figure 3).
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) 7, 12, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Beach et al. (US 2014/0274457).
Claim(s) 7, 12, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Beach et al. (US 2014/0274457) in view of Kumamoto (JP 2004-242938 A).
Regarding claims 7, 12, and 20, Beach et al. does not explicitly disclose the thickness of the first region. Kumamoto discloses a club head having a main portion that includes the striking face and a sole return portion. Kamamoto notes that the main portion has a variable thickness with a range of 1.0 to 3.0 (See Paragraph 0019). Kumamoto also notes that the front end of the sole portion is constant (See Figure 4). One having ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to have the front portion of the sole to have a constant thickness, as taught by Kumamoto, in order to assist in the center of gravity being moved rearward.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 10, and 16 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALVIN A HUNTER whose telephone number is (571)272-4411. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday from 7:30AM to 4:00PM Eastern Time.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eugene Kim, can be reached at telephone number 571-272-4463. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ALVIN A HUNTER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3711
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