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 § 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.
Claims 4-10 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.
Claim 4 recites “The method according to claim 3, wherein in the step 2, stamping and curling: stamping the cut sheet material…”. There is no reference or recitation in claim 3 to step 2. Claim 3 only refers to step 103 of claim 2. As such, the claim is rendered indefinite.
Claim 5 recites “The method according to claim 4, wherein in the step 3, CNC processing comprises…”. There is no reference or recitation in claim 4 to step 3, CNC processing. Claim 4 only refers to step 2. As such, the claim is rendered indefinite.
Claim 6 recites “The method according to claim 5, wherein in the step 4, grinding and cleaning…”. There is no reference or recitation in claim 5 to step 4, grinding and cleaning. Claim 5 only refers to step 3. As such, the claim is rendered indefinite.
Claim 8 recites “The method according to claim 7, wherein in the step 5, surface T processing…”. There is no reference or recitation in claim 7 to step 5, surface T processing. Claim 7 only refers to step 4, which relates to grinding and cleaning. As such, the claim is rendered indefinite.
Claim 10 recites “The method according to claim 9, wherein in the step 6, nano-injection molding…”. There is no reference or recitation in claim 9 to step 6, nano-injection molding. Claim 9 only refers to step 5, which relates to surface T processing. As such, the claim is rendered indefinite.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun et al. (US 2022/0371069 A1).
RE Claim 1, Sun discloses a method for processing frameless shell materials, comprising the following steps: obtaining a sheet material: obtaining a pre-cut aluminum sheet 10 in a basic shape for processing a frameless shell material for later use (Pars. 0065-0067); stamping and curling: stamping the cut sheet material by using a stamping machine, and during the stamping process, thickening a frame and curling the frame into an inner U-shaped frame (Pars. 0084-0095 and 100, Figs. 4-8); CNC processing: creating an antenna groove 164 on a surface of the U-shaped frame and creating a step structure 162 for installing a screen on the U-shaped frame (Par. 0106); grinding and cleaning: cleaning burrs and dirt on the surface of the U-shaped frame (Pars. 0066, 0134 and 0135; note: as Sun discloses the steps may be performed in different orders as desired, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to clean burrs and dirt on the surface of the frame as desired to properly produce the shell); surface T processing: oxidizing the surface of the U-shaped frame to form micro-pores on the surface of the U-shaped frame (Pars. 0107-0109); and nano-injection molding: nano-injection molding the antenna groove and other plastic parts on the surface of the U-shaped frame (Pars. 0115-0119, Figs. 1-10). Sunn does not explicitly disclose cutting a sheet material: pre-cutting an aluminum sheet however, Sun discloses obtaining a pre-cut aluminum sheet for processing a frameless shell material (Pars. 0065-0067). The Examiner takes official notice that it is well known in the art to cut/pre-cut sheet metal prior to perform machining/fabrication processes and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to cut/pre-cut the aluminum metal sheet of Sun, to utilize said sheet to manufacture the frameless shell.
Claim Objections
Claim 2 is 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
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/BAYAN SALONE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3726
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