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 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.
Status of Claims
Claims 1 – 19 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 08/01/2024 was filed before the first office action. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
Claims 1 – 2 and 4 – 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Altmann et al. (U. S. Patent Publication No. 2020/0383469 A1).
Regarding Independent Claim 1, Altmann teaches a device (filament transportation device, 1) for feeding bristle bundles (filament bundles, 40) for the production of bristle products (Paragraph [0002]), the device (1) comprising: at least one perforated plate (filament collection plate, 50) with at least one perforated area (face of 50 as shown in Fig. 1) including receiving holes (filament collection holes, 51), into which the bristle bundles (filament bundles, 40) are adapted to be transported by a flow generated by negative pressure (Paragraph [0041]; Fig. 1); at least one impact plate (baffle, 91 and 101) downstream of the perforated plate (50), said impact plate (91) has at least one impact surface (top surface, 92) as a stop for bristle bundles (Paragraph [0042]) that are adapted to be transported into the receiving holes (51) in the perforated plate (50); wherein the impact plate (91, 101, 101A) has an aerodynamic shape (Paragraph [0026]; concave and convex shapes); and a housing (pressure chamber, 60) with a receptacle (110B) for the impact plate (101), the receptacle (110B) having a streamlined inner contour (Fig. 4) with a form corresponding to the shape of the impact plate (91, 101).
Regarding Claim 2, Altmann teaches the device (filament transportation device, 1) wherein the aerodynamic shape of the impact plate comprises at least one of a streamlined portion (8) which is downstream of the at least one impact surface, or at least one impact surface (92) which is adapted to a shape of at least one of the perforated areas (face of 50 as shown in Fig. 1) of the perforated plate (50).
Regarding Claim 4, Altmann teaches the device (filament transportation device, 1) wherein the aerodynamic shape of the impact plate (91, 101, 101A,120E) comprises at least one streamlined portion (120E) which is downstream of the at least one impact surface (124E), and a respective one of the streamlined portions (120E) being downstream of each said impact surface (124E) of the impact plate (Fig. 6B).
Regarding Claim 5, Altmann teaches the device (filament transportation device, 1) wherein at least one of a) the streamlined portions (shown at 61E) of the impact plate (120E; Fig. 6B) have a geometry which tapers in a direction of flow (Fig. 6b), or b) the impact plate has rounded transitions on surfaces that come into contact with flow.
Regarding Claim 6, Altmann teaches the device (filament transportation device, 1) wherein the aerodynamic shape (Paragraph [0026]; concave and convex shapes) of the impact plate (91, 101, 101A, 120E) at least one of a) includes a rounded transition (shown at 61E; Fig. 6B) between the at least one impact surface (124E) and a streamlined portion (Fig. 6B) of the impact plate (120E), or the aerodynamic shape of the impact plate includes a constriction between adjacent impact surfaces, or b) includes rounded contours between the impact surfaces of the impact plate.
Regarding Claim 7, Altmann teaches the device (filament transportation device, 1) wherein the aerodynamic shape at least one of includes at least one streamlined portion (shown at 61E; Fig. 6B) having a mirror-symmetrical longitudinal section (about the axis, L; Fig. 6B) or is rotationally symmetrical.
Regarding Claim 8, Altmann teaches the device (filament transportation device, 1) wherein the aerodynamic shape includes at least one streamlined portion (shown at 61E; Fig. 6B) having a longitudinal section delimited by at least two or more arcuate lines (125E on either side of axis L; Fig. 6B), the two or more arcuate lines (Fig. 6B) being connected to one another on a side (127E) of the impact plate (120E) facing away from the impact surface (124E) or each of the two or more arcuate lines extends around a center point which is arranged outside the impact plate.
Regarding Claim 9, Altmann teaches the device (filament transportation device, 1) wherein the aerodynamic shape (Fig. 6B) includes at least one streamlined portion (shown at 61E; Fig. 6B), and longitudinal section of the at least one streamlined portion (shown at 61E; Fig. 6B) has a rounded end (Fig. 6B) pointing away from the impact surface (124E).
Regarding Claim 10, Altmann teaches the device (filament transportation device, 1) wherein the impact plate (91) includes at least one flow guiding structure (top surface is concave and bottom surface is convex in shape; Paragraph [0026]).
Regarding Claim 11, Altmann teaches the device (filament transportation device, 1) wherein the impact plate (91, 101) includes at least one flow channel (concave top surface; Paragraph [0026]) as the flow guiding structure (Paragraph [0026]), and the at least one flow channel (13) is at least one of formed on an outer side of a streamlined portion (side surface; Paragraph [0026]) or passes through the impact plate (4).
Regarding Claim 12, Altmann teaches the device (filament transportation device, 1) wherein the at least one impact surface (92) includes at least one inlet opening (through-hole; Paragraph [0026]) into a flow channel (Paragraph [0031]) of the impact plate (91).
Regarding Claim 13, Altmann teaches the device (filament transportation device, 1) wherein the at least one impact surface (92) is perforated by at least one flow opening (Paragraph [0031]).
Regarding Claim 14, Altmann teaches the device (filament transportation device, 1) wherein the housing (60) includes at least one of a) at least one flow channel (Paragraph [0031]) aligned in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the impact plate (91) or b) at least one flow channel (Paragraph [0031]) aligned transversely to the longitudinal axis of the impact plate (91).
Regarding Claim 15, Altmann teaches the device (filament transportation device, 1) wherein at least one of a) the impact plate (101) includes at least one retainer (mounting frame, 110; Fig. 4), or b) the housing and the at least one impact plate (101) are produced in one piece.
Regarding Claim 16, Altmann teaches the device (filament transportation device, 1) wherein at least one of the impact plate (101) or the housing (60) is produced by an additive manufacturing process (Paragraph [0043]).
Regarding Claim 17, Altmann teaches the device (filament transportation device, 1) further comprising at least one of a suction line (tube element, 10) for each said receiving hole (51) in the perforated plate (50) or each said receiving hole (51) being connected to or having a negative-pressure source (Fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 18, Altmann teaches the device (filament transportation device, 1) wherein outlet ends (end of tubes, 10; Fig. 4) of the suction lines (10) are arranged or formed on a retaining plate (13) that is upstream of the perforated plate (50).
Regarding Claim 19, Altmann teaches a bristle material production machine (Claim 29) having the device (1) as claimed in claim 1.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Altmann et al. (U. S. Patent Publication No. 2020/0383469 A1).
Regarding Claim 3, Altmann teaches the device (filament transportation device, 1) of claim 1 as discussed above.
Altmann does not explicitly teach wherein at least one of the perforated plate has at least two of the perforated areas with receiving holes or an impact surface is assigned to each said perforated area, the impact plate having a number of impact surfaces that matches a number of perforated areas of the perforated plate.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the impact plate of Altman to further include at least one of the perforated plate has at least two of the perforated areas with receiving holes or an impact surface is assigned to each said perforated area, the impact plate having a number of impact surfaces that matches a number of perforated areas of the perforated plate, as claimed, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art.
Conclusion
Art made of record, however, not relied upon for the current rejection is as follows: DE 10 2010 055686 A1 to Bernhard teaches a the bristle field manufacturing device (1) has two sub-plates (13a,13b) formed in a receiving plate (7), where each of multiple downstream holes (6) of individual sub-plate has different surface textures and diameters. Each downstream hole is provided with flow channel for gas or air stream associated free space
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KATINA N HENSON whose telephone number is (571)272-8024. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday; 5:30am to 3:30pm.
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/KATINA N. HENSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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