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
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-4, 7-15, 17-19 and 22-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chick (4,552,183).
As to claim 1, Chick discloses a packaging system (Figs. 2-3) for housing pipe repair components for cured in place pipe liner sectional and spot repairs (column 3, lines 61-65), the packaging system comprising packaging (20) with separate compartments (24, 26, 28) housing pipe repair components 44, 46, column 4, lines 1-10), and at least one of the compartments houses a bandage/pipe liner. The pipe liner is wet-out in the packaging with the pipe repair components from the other compartments (column 5, lines 10-68).
As to claim 2, Chick further discloses openable barriers (22, 48, 50) configured into the packaging between the separate compartments for combining the pipe repair components (column 5, lines 10-50).
As to claim 3, Chick further discloses the pipe repair components comprise a liquid resin (46), a liquid hardener (44), and the pipe liner.
As to claim 4, Chick discloses the separate compartments comprise a liquid resin compartment (26), a liquid hardener compartment (28), and a pipe liner compartment (24).
As to claim 7, Chick discloses at least two of the pipe repair components (26, 28) are combined before being combined with the pipe liner (column 5, lines 10-50).
As to claim 8, Chick discloses at least two of the pipe repair components comprise a curable resin when combined (column 5, lines 10-50).
As to claim 9, Chick discloses the pipe repair components are combined in one of the separate compartments (column 5, lines 10-50).
As to claim 10, Chick discloses the openable barriers have open and closed position for opening and closing communication between separate compartments (22, 48, 50; column 5, lines 10-50).
As to claim 11, Chick discloses at least one of the openable barriers is in the closed position for combining the pipe repair components (the barrier 22 between the compartments 24 & 26).
As to claim 12, Chick discloses a packaging (20) for cured in place pipe liner sectional and spot repairs, the packaging comprising separate compartments (24, 26, 28) housing pipe repair components (44, 46, bandage/liner), and at least one of the compartments houses a bandage/pipe liner. The pipe liner is wet-out in the packaging with the pipe repair components from the other compartments (column 5, lines 10-50).
As to claim 13, Chick further discloses openable barriers (22, 48, 50) configured into the packaging between the separate compartments for combining the pipe repair components (Figs. 2-3).
As to claim 14, Chick discloses the pipe repair components comprise a liquid resin (46), a liquid hardener (44), and the bandage/pipe liner.
As to claim 15, Chick discloses the separate compartments comprise a liquid resin compartment (26), a liquid hardener compartment (28), and a pipe liner compartment (24).
As to claim 17, Chick discloses a method for packaging pipe repair components and using packaging for cured in place pipe liner sectional and spot repairs (column 3, line 61-column 4, line56 & column 5, lines 10-50) comprising providing packaging (20) with separate compartments (24, 26, 28) housing pipe repair components (44, 46, bandage) with at least one of the compartments houses a bandage/pipe liner (24) and combining the pipe repair components from separate compartments together within the packaging to wet-out the pipe liner.
As to claim 18, Chick further discloses a method of opening a barrier (22, 48, 50) configured between the separate compartments for combining the pipe repair components (column 5, lines 10-50).
As to claim 19, Chick discloses a method of combining at least two of the pipe repair components together before combining with the pipe liner (column 5, lines 10-50).
As to claim 22, Chick further discloses a method of removing the pipe liner wet-out with a curable resin from the packaging (column 5, lines 10-66).
As to claim 23, Chick further discloses a method of applying the pipe liner wet-out with the curable resin to make a cured in place pipe liner sectional or spot repair (column 5, line 67-column 6, line 20).
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) 5-6 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chick in view of Hoffman et al. (2013/0048125; hereinafter Hoffman).
As to claims 5-6 and 16, Chick discloses the packaging system as above having most of the limitations of the claim except for a bleeder valve/bleeder port or a filter as claimed. Hoffman a packaging (11) comprising a relief valve/bleeder valve/bleeder port (110) with a filter (abstract or [0056] …) to prevent materials within the packaging from interfering with operation of the relief valve. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention in view of Hoffman to modify the packaging system of Chick so the packaging is constructed to include a relief valve/bleeder valve/bleeder port or a filter for evacuating air from within the compartments for better protecting the pipe repair components within the compartments.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 20 and 21 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 LUAN K BUI whose telephone number is (571)272-4552. The examiner can normally be reached Generally M-F, 7-4.
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/LUAN K BUI/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3736
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