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 amendment filed on 06/09/26, no amendment to the claims has been filed by the applicants. Applicants’ argument described that Nishino lacks teaching that the upstream container and the downstream container including side plates disposed inward in the web width direction with respect to both ends of the partition on a web width direction side is persuasive. See the argument section, on page 4, under Remarks/Argument on page 4, “Nishino, however, fails to show or disclose that the weir member 8 is disposed inward in a web width direction (into the page according to Nishino's FIG. 3) with respect to both ends of the fulcrum 4. Furthermore, Nishino does not disclose any other element corresponding to the side plate of claim 1”.
The art rejection over the reference to Nishino has been withdrawn in view of applicants’ argument described above. However, claims 1, 2-7 have been found rejectable over JP-2007-326080A as described in the European Search report filed on Feb. 13, 2026 (see rejections below with English Translation Doc of JP-2007-326080A).
Claim Interpretation
Claim 1, lines 12-14, recites the phrase “wherein the partition is a portion that separates the upstream container and the downstream container from each other, and has a flow path for discharging the coating liquid…”. The phrase “a flow path” is interpreted as a route the liquid travels.
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 2-4 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.
In claims 2-4 each, “the flow path for discharging the coating liquid” is considered to be a portion/structure of the partition as a flat surface…, at least one groove…or at least one hole…. It is unclear if “the flow path” (flow route) is a portion/structure of the partition discharging the coating liquid, in similar manner as a portion/structure of the partition separating the upstream and downstream containers claimed in claim 1, lines 12-13, or simply a flow route of the coating liquid.
On para [0016], applicants’ spec teaches “The inclined surface 6 is formed by cutting out a surface on the downstream side constituting the support portion 2a, and functions as a flow path through which the coating liquid flows out from between the coating bar 1 and the support portion 2a”.
On para [0020], applicants’ specification teaches “In the second coating device 100A, four grooves 7 are provided in a support portion 2a of a partition 2A as flow paths for discharging the coating liquid”.
On para [0022], applicants spec teaches “The third coating device 100B has, as flow paths for discharging coating liquid, four holes 8 each extending from a position below the coating bar 1 in the vertical direction through the inside of a partition 2B to a side surface of the partition 2B on the downstream side in the web conveyance direction”.
For the purpose of examination, in claim 2, line 2, the phrase “on a support portion of the partition” is inserted after the phrase “flat surface”. Similarly, in claim 3, line 2, the phrase “in a support portion of the partition” is inserted after the phrase “at least one groove”; and in claim 4, line 2, the phrase “through inside to a side surface of the partition” is inserted after the phrase “at least one hole”.
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) 1 and 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by JP-2007-326080 A.
As to claim 1, JP’080 teaches (see Figs 2 and 4) a coating device for coating a web that is traveling with coating liquid, the coating device comprising: a coating bar (12) extending in a web width direction (see para [0001]); a partition (support block 25) disposed below an axial center of the coating bar in a vertical direction (see Fig 2 and para [0034]), the partition (25) extending in the web width direction; and an upstream container (reservoir 34) and a downstream container (reservoir 36) disposed on an upstream side and a downstream side in a web conveyance direction (see para [0035]), respectively, with the partition (25) interposed between the upstream container (34) and the downstream container (36), the upstream container (34) and the downstream container (36) including side plates (40, 40B) disposed inward in the web width direction with respect to both ends of the partition on a web width direction side (see Fig 1 and para [0043] for movable side plate sliding inward in the web direction), the upstream container (34) and the downstream container (36) being configured to store the coating liquid, wherein the partition (25) is a portion that separates the upstream container (34) and the downstream container from each other (see Fig 2), and has a flow path for discharging the coating liquid from a position within a range of a web width and outside the side plates in the web width direction (see Fig 1 and para [0036] for the overflowing liquid collected in the tank 31A and 33A flowing outside the movable side plate 40 but across the entire width of the web 16 in the width direction).
As to claim 5, JP’080 teaches the side plates (40) are slidable in the web width direction (see para [0035]).
Regarding claim 6, JP’080 (see Fig 2) teaches the partition (25) is configured to support the coating bar (12) from below.
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.
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(s) 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP-2007-326080 A in view of JP2014180621A.
JP’080 lacks teaching supports configured to support the coating bar. However, the use of supports configured to support the coating bar from below are spaced apart in the web width direction is known in the art, for instance -as shown by JP’621 (see Fig 6 for the supports 30 configured to support the coating bar 40). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include supports in JP’080 so that the deflection of the coating bar by lifting from below decreases as taught by JP’621 (see English Translation on page 2).
Claims 2-4 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: JP’080 does not disclose or suggest a coating device for coating a web comprising among others, a coating bar and a partition disposed below an axial center of the coating bar, having the specific structures of the partition disclosed in claims 2-4) of, wherein the flow path for discharging the coating liquid is a flat surface on a support portion of the partition that is inclined downward in the vertical direction from a position below the coating bar in the vertical direction toward either the upstream side or the downstream side in the web conveyance direction (as to claim 2); wherein the flow path for discharging the coating liquid is at least one groove in a support portion of the partition having a bottom surface that is inclined downward in the vertical direction from a position below the coating bar in the vertical direction toward either the upstream side or the downstream side in the web conveyance direction (as to claim 3) ; wherein the flow path for discharging the coating liquid is at least one hole through inside to a side surface of the partition extending from a position below the coating bar in the vertical direction to a side surface of the partition on either the upstream side or the downstream side in the web conveyance direction through an inside of the partition.
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YEWEBDAR T. TADESSE
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1717
/YEWEBDAR T TADESSE/
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