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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of claims 1-6, 8-15 in the reply filed on 12-13-25 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that there’s no serious burden to search all species. This is not found persuasive because there’s a serious burden to search the species using different search terms and to look in different subclasses.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claim 7 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 12-13-25.
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.
Claim 6 is 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.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "the vicinity" in line 4 of the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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)(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) 1-5, 14-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wang et al. (CN214726388).
Regarding claim 1, Wang et al. discloses an intermediate mold 200 displaced between a stationary-side mold and a movable-side mold 100, 300 in a mold unit of an injection molding machine, the intermediate mold comprising:
A support portion 210 that supports, in an attachable and detachable manner, both sides of a rotary shaft 221, 222 of a mold portion that is rotated; and
A connection member 211 that is detachably connected to a top side of the support portion in a to-bottom direction,
Wherein, in a case where the mold portion is attached to and detached from the support portion, the mold portion is attached and detached through a space formed by removing the connection member from the support portion (fig. 1-3, para 30, abstract, claim 1).
Regarding claim 2, Wang et al. discloses wherein the support portion is configured to be disassembled into a first support member that supports one side of the rotary shaft, and a second support member that supports the other side of the rotary shaft, and is fixed to the injection molding machine (fig. 1-3, abstract, claim 1).
Regarding claim 3, Wang et al. discloses wherein the support portion is configured to be disassembled into the first support member, the second support member, and a coupling member 212 that performs positioning of the first support member and the second support member (fig. 3, abstract, claim 1).
Regarding claim 4, Wang et al. discloses wherein the coupling member is detachably connected to bottom sides of the firs support member and the second support member in a to-bottom direction, and is detachably fixed to an inside of the injection molding machine (fig. 3, abstract, claim 1).
Regarding claim 5, Wang et al. discloses wherein a width of the connection member in an axial direction is greater than widths of the first support member and the second support member in the axial direction (see fig. 1-3).
Regarding claim 14, Wang et al. discloses a mold unit of an injection molding machine,
Wherein an intermediate mold 200 displaced between a stationary-side mold 100, 300 includes
A support portion 210 that supports, in an attachable and detachable manner, both sides of a rotary shaft 221, 222 of a mold portion that is rotated; and
A connection member 211 that is detachably connected to a top side of the support portion in a to-bottom direction, and
in a case where the mold portion is attached to and detached from the support portion, the mold portion is attached and detached through a space formed by removing the connection member from the support portion (fig. 1-3, para 30, abstract, claim 1).
Regarding claim 15, Wang et al. discloses an injection molding machine mounted with a mold unit including a stationary-side mold, a movable-side mold, and an intermediate mold 200 disposed between the stationary-side mold and the movable-side mold (100, 300),
Wherein the intermediate mold includes
A support portion 210 that supports, in an attachable and detachable manner, both sides of a rotary shaft 221, 222 of a mold portion that is rotated; and
A connection member 211 that is detachably connected to a top side of the support portion in a to-bottom direction,
in a case where the mold portion is attached to and detached from the support portion, the mold portion is attached and detached through a space formed by removing the connection member from the support portion (fig. 1-3, para 30, abstract, claim 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 6 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 8-13 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claim 6, Wang et al. does not teach wherein the first support member and the second support member include a through-hole that penetrates in direction perpendicular to an axial direction, and the through-hole is provided in the vicinity of an end portion on each of a top side and a bottom side of the fist support member and the second support member in a to-bottom direction.
Regarding claim 8, Wang et al. does not teach wherein the support portion supports, in an attachable and detachable manner, shaft bodies that are detachably attached to both sides of the mold portion, respectively.
Regarding claim 9, Wang et al. does not teach wherein the support portion supports, in an attachable and detachable manner, both sides of a shaft body penetrating the mold portion.
Regarding claim 13, Wang et al. does not teach wherein a jig tat fixes the connection member and the mold portion is configured to be attached to and detached from the connection member and the mold portion.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to XUE H LIU whose telephone number is (571)270-5522. The examiner can normally be reached 1PM - 10PM.
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/X.H.L/Examiner, Art Unit 1742 /CHRISTINA A JOHNSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1742
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