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 .
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.
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) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ishii et al (US 2021/0402462).
Regarding claim 7, Ishii et al teaches a flask removal method (paragraph [0134], fig 19a-d) for removing a cope (paragraph [0135-0136], fig 17-19d, upper mold) and a drag (paragraph [0135-0136], fig 17-19d, lower mold) between which a pattern member (paragraph [0135], plate 2 with model 3) is disposed from an upper and lower flask (paragraph [0135], cope frame 31, drag frame 32), the flask removal method comprising:
extruding a mold (fig 19c-19d, paragraph [0151], when the upper squeeze board 33 and the lower squeeze board 34 lower, the aligned upper and lower green sand molds are lowered and removed from the cope frame 31 and drag frame 32 to the state in fig 19d) obtained by combining the cope and the drag with each other from an upper and lower flask obtained by coupling an upper flask having the cope formed inside and having open upper end and lower end and a lower flask having the drag formed inside and having open upper end and lower end (fig 17, 19c, paragraph [0135-0136]);
conveying the mold extruded from the upper and lower flask to an unloading position where the mold is unloaded (fig 19c-19d, paragraph [0151], lowering of the aligned upper and lower green sand molds, see unloading position in 19d); and
moving at least one of the upper flask and the lower flask to a position where the pattern member is able to be disposed between the upper flask and the lower flask (fig 19d, paragraph [0151], note fig 19d shows the lower flask moved lower, note that said position is capable of a pattern to be moved between the flasks, see fig 19d, note position of flasks and shuttle dolly 30 in fig 19d and fig 19a), wherein
the moving of the at least one of the upper flask and the lower flask is performed in a period which the conveying of the mold to the unloading position is performed (fig 19d, paragraph [0151], note that the lower flask is shown to be moved lower during the step of removing the mold from the flasks).
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) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Miyazaki et al (US 2022/0324137) in view of Ishii et al (US 2021/0402462).
Regarding claim 1, Miyazaki et al teaches a flask removal unit that removes a cope and a drag between which a pattern member is from an upper and lower flask disposed (paragraph [0032], upper and lower flask sandwich a pattern member 8), the flask removal unit comprising:
an upper flask (upper flask 2) having the cope formed inside (paragraph [0033], cope) and having open upper end and lower end (paragraph [0032], open upper and lower ends);
a lower flask (lower flask 3) having the drag formed inside (paragraph [0033], drag) and having open upper end and lower end (paragraph [0032], open upper and lower ends);
a guide member (flask guide members 5) to which at least one of the upper flask and the lower flask is movably connected (see figures, paragraph [0035]);
a flask moving unit (paragraph [0038], flask moving part such as adjustment cylinders 13 and 14) configured to move at least one of the upper flask and the lower flask along the guide member;
an extrusion unit (paragraph [0039], squeeze plate, guide members, frame) including an extrusion member (paragraph [0039], upper squeeze plate 7) configured to relatively move with respect to the upper and lower flask obtained by coupling the upper flask and the lower flask to each other (paragraph [0039], upper squeeze plate 7 can be inserted into the upper flask), and configured to extrude from the upper and lower flask, a mold obtained by combining the cope and the drag with each other (functional limitation, squeeze plate 7 is movable in the upper flask, thus capable of being used during the mold removal step, see Ishii below);
a support unit (paragraph [0070], squeeze cylinder 60) including a support member (paragraph [0070], lower squeeze plate 6) configured to relatively move to the upper and lower flask, configured to move the support member together with the extrusion member to support the mold extruded from the upper and lower flask by the extrusion unit (functional limitation, see Ishii below), and configured to convey the mold extruded from the upper and lower flask to an unloading position where the mold is unlocated (functional limitation, mold removal step (paragraph [0077]), see Ishii below); and
a control unit (paragraph [0066-0067], controller) configured to control the flask moving unit, the extrusion unit, and the support unit (paragraph [0067], controls movement of molding machine including flasks, upper squeeze plate, lower squeeze plate).
Miyazaki et al discloses the upper and lower squeeze plates, but is not specific to the function of the upper squeeze plate for extruding the mold from the flask and the lower squeeze plate for supporting the mold and conveying to an unloading position. Miyazaki et al also discloses a control unit, but is quiet to being configured to perform control such that at least one of the upper flask and the lower flask is moved to a position where the pattern member is able to be disposed between the upper flask and the lower flask in a period in which the support unit conveys the mold to the unloading position.
Ishii et al teaches a step of removing the upper and lower molds from the cope frame 31 and drag frame 32 (paragraph [0151], fig 19c-19d), where the upper squeeze board (corresponding to the claimed extrusion member as well as the upper squeeze plate of Miyazaki) and the lower squeeze board (corresponding to the claimed support member as well as the lower squeeze plate of Miyazaki) are lowered (fig 19d, paragraph [0151]). In the mold removal step, the drag frame 32 is also shown to be lowered (fig 19d) and in position for pattern plate on shuttle dolly to be moved in or out (fig 19d, fig 19a, paragraph [0151]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Miyazaki et al such that the upper squeeze plate and the lower squeeze plate lower during the step of mold removing, as is well known and conventional, for pushing out and supporting the mold. Furthermore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to move the lower flask during the step of removing the mold, as shown in figure 19d of Ishii et al, as the flasks will be in position for receiving the pattern plate from the shuttle dolly (Ishii, figs 19d, 19a, paragraph [0151]), thus reducing movement and cycle time.
All the claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would yield nothing more than predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art. KSR, 550 U.S. at 416, 82 USPQ2d at 1395. MPEP 2143(I)(A).
Regarding claim 2, the combination teaches wherein the lower flask is movably connected to the guide member (Miyazaki, figs 2-5, paragraph [0038]), the flask moving unit is configured to move the lower flask along the guide member (Miyazaki, paragraph [0038], adjustment cylinders), the unloading position is at a position below the upper and lower flask (note combination, Ishii shows in fig 19d the unloading position below the flasks), and the control unit is configured to perform control such that the lower flask is moved along the guide member to a position where the pattern member is able to be disposed between the upper flask and the lower flask in a period in which the support unit conveys the mold to the unloading position (note combination, where Miyazaki discloses the controller controlling movement, and Ishii shows in figs 19d the movement of the lower flask during the step of mold unloading, and that the position in fig 19d is capable for loading of a pattern member (same position as shown in fig 19a)).
Claim(s) 3-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Miyazaki et al as modified by Ishii et al as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Hirata et al (US 2007/0151694)
Regarding claim 3, the combination teaches a modeling machine (Miyazaki, figures) comprising the flask removal unit according to claim 1;
a conveyance unit (Miyazaki, paragraph [0046], pattern replacement part including a transport part 40 and a transport switching part 46) configured to load and unload the pattern member in and from between the upper flask and the lower flask (paragraph [0048], carries the pattern member in and out);
a rotation unit (Miyazaki, rotating part 102) configured to rotate a flask unit including the upper and lower flask and the guide member between a first position (fig 5, paragraph [0031], first position 101) where flask removal is performed (paragraph [0031], working position, where mold is removed) and a second position (fig 6, second position 105, paragraph [0031]) where squeezing is performed (paragraph [0031], squeezing); and
an unloading unit (Miyazaki, paragraph [0078], pushout cylinder) configured to unload the mold conveyed to the unloading position to an outside (paragraph [0078], carrying the cope and the drag out of the molding machine to the molding line), wherein the control unit is configured to control the conveyance unit, the rotation unit, and the unloading unit (Miyazaki, controller, paragraph [0066-0067], controls movement of the molding machine), and perform control such that the flask unit in which the pattern member is loaded in between the upper flask and the lower flask and the pattern member is clamped between the upper flask and the lower flask rotates from the first position to the second position (Miyazaki, paragraph [0033], molding flask unit including upper flask and lower flask with the pattern member sandwiched therebetween is rotated from the first position to the second position) and the mold is conveyed from the unloading position the outside (paragraph [0078], carryout processing where a pushout cylinder is extended to carry the mold out of the machine to the molding line).
The combination teaches the flask unit is controlled to rotate from the first position to the second position, as well conveying the mold from the unloading position to the outside, but is quiet to the rotating step being in a period before or during the conveying of the mold to the outside.
Hirata et al shows a process for removing the molds (paragraph [0246], figs 15-20) where a pushing member disposed above is inserted in the upper flask to press the molds out (figs 15-20, paragraph [0165, 0169-0173]) onto a lower toggle mechanism (paragraph [0173, 0178, 0180], figs 15-20). The molds can then be pressed out of the apparatus by apparatus 40 (paragraph [0205], fig 17, 20). Hirata et al further teaches that the molding process where the process to make the molds proceeds simultaneously with the process to remove the molds (paragraph [0019]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the combination such that the molding process including rotating the flask unit from the first position to the second position, occurs before or during the conveying step of the mold to the outside, as Hirata et al teaches that simultaneously performing the molding step and the removal step makes it possible to make the molds faster and more efficiently compared with the conventional method (paragraph [0019]).
Regarding claim 4, the combination teaches a trajectory along which the flask unit rotates from the first position to the second position does not pass below a rotation shaft of the rotation unit (Miyazaki, figs 5-6, see rotation shaft 32, paragraph [0044], clockwise from first position to second position).
Regarding claim 5, the combination teaches wherein a virtual circle including the trajectory along which the flask unit rotates from the first position to the second position, as a part of a circumference of the circle passes through the unloading position (note combination, see trajectory of Miyazaki, figs 5-6, where the flask unit rotates clockwise from figure 5 to figure 6, bottom of figure 5 would be the unloading position).
Regarding claim 6, the combination teaches wherein the control unit is configured to unload the mold conveyed to the unloading position to an outside in a period in which the flask unit in which the pattern member is clamped rotates from the first position to the second position, or after the period in which the flask unit rotates from the first position to the second position (note combination in the rejection of claim 3 above, would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art as Hirata suggests performing the molding process (thus including the rotating step) simultaneously with the mold removal step in order to make molds faster and more efficiently, paragraph [0019]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JACKY YUEN whose telephone number is (571)270-5749. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30 - 6:00.
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/JACKY YUEN/
Examiner
Art Unit 1735
/KEITH WALKER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1735