Claims 1-20 are pending in the application. Claim 20 has been withdrawn from consideration as being directed to a non-elected invention. Claims 1-19 are rejected.
The 112 rejection has been overcome in view of the present amendment.
The rejection over Alter has been withdrawn in view of the present amendment and response.
Alter discloses a core member having a structure comprising a collective body of hollow columnar cells compartmentally formed by a cell wall, wherein the cell wall is made of a fiber-reinforced composite material comprising a woven fabric, a resin and voids formed between intersections of a regular weave structure of warp and weft threads. Alter fails to teach the voids formed by overlapping or intersecting columnar supports of the fibers.
The rejection over Nomoto has been withdrawn in view of the present amendment and response.
Nomoto discloses an aramid honeycomb having a plurality of hollow columnar cells separated by cell walls wherein aramid sheet is used as a base material for cell walls, the aramid sheet 1 comprising para-aramid pulps 2, aramid fibers 3, a binder 4 and containing a plurality of pores 9 (abstract and figure 2B). Nomoto fails to disclose a honeycomb comprising discontinuous carbon fibers with a fiber length of 1 to 50 mm, and voids formed by overlapping or intersecting columnar supports of the carbon fibers covered by the resin.
New ground of rejection is made in view of newly discovered references to Patz (US 6,910,996) and Takebe et al. (US 2019/0002655).
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.
Claims 1-9 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 6,910,996 to Patz (hereinafter “Patz”) in view of US 2019/0002655 to Takebe et al. (hereinafter “Takebe”).
As to claims 1-8, and 19, Patz discloses a honeycomb structure through corrugation of individual sheets of resin-impregnated fibers or prepreg (column 2, lines 15-25). The honeycomb structure comprises a plurality of honeycomb cells compartmentally formed by a cell wall (figures 18-21). The cell wall is formed from the prepreg comprising carbon fibers combined with a resin comprising an epoxy, a cyanate, or a polyester (column 6, lines 15-20).
Patz does not explicitly disclose (i) at least a part of the cell wall which is a porous structural portion composed of an aggregate of carbon fibers covered by the resin; (ii) the carbon fibers that are discontinuous fibers and a number-average fiber length of the carbon fibers of 1 to 50 mm; and (iii) the porous structural portion having a void that is formed by overlapping or intersecting columnar supports of the carbon fibers covered by the resin.
Takebe, however, discloses a structure material for aircraft products, in the form of prepreg comprising a resin, reinforced fibers and voids with a void content of 10 to 97% (abstract). The void content reads on the claimed area ratio occupied by the cell wall in an end surface area of 0.075% where the cell opens. The void is also formed by overlapping or intersecting columnar supports of the carbon fibers covered by the resin (paragraph 57). Therefore, the examiner takes the position that the structure material would inherently have at least a continuous pore in a thickness direction thereof.
The carbon fibers with an average fiber length of 3 to 25 mm (table 2) and are dispersed in a random manner (paragraph 67).
The carbon fiber has a tensile modulus of 220 GPa (paragraph 96).
The structural material has a density of 0.03 to 0.9 g/cc (paragraph 64). In particular, the structural material has a density of 0.36 to 0.71 g/cc (table 5).
The structural material has an oriented angle of the carbon fibers in sectional direction of 1 to 8 degrees relative to the thickness direction (table 6). This is within the claimed range of the fiber orientation angle in an out-of-plane direction of the carbon fibers.
It appears that an average pore diameter of the prepreg is dictated by the density, the porosity, the fiber length, and the oriented angle of the fibers in sectional direction relative to the thickness direction. Therefore, the examiner takes the position that the average pore diameter of the prepreg in a range of 1 to 200 microns would inherently be present as the density, the porosity, the fiber length, and the oriented angle of the fibers in sectional direction relative to the thickness direction are within the claimed ranges.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute a structural material of Takebe for the prepreg of Patz, motivated by the desire to provide the honeycomb structure excellent in stiffness and lightness for used in aircraft productions.
As to claim 9, Patz discloses that the honeycomb cells have a plurality of polygonal cell shapes (figures 18-21).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Patz in view of Takebe as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US 2019/0329512 to Alter et al. (hereinafter “Alter”).
Patz in view of Takebe does not explicitly disclose the honeycomb cells having a curved surface shape.
Alter, however, discloses a core member having a structure comprising a collective body of hollow columnar cells compartmentally formed by a cell wall, wherein the cell wall is made from a fiber-reinforced composite material comprising a fiber and a resin wherein at least a part of the cell wall is a porous structural portion composed of an aggregate of the fiber covered by the resin (figures 1-3; paragraphs 26-28; and 67). The cell wall has a porosity of 2-40%, and an average pore diameter of 100 to 800 microns (paragraph 102).
Alter discloses that the honeycomb structure comprises honeycomb cells with a polygonal shape or a circular shape, corresponding to the claimed curved surface shape (figures 1-3, paragraph 18).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute a circular shape disclosed in Alter for the polygonal shape disclosed in Patz for the shape of the honeycomb cells because the circular shape and the polygonal shape have been shown in the art to be recognized equivalent shapes of the honeycomb cells and the selection of these known equivalents to be used as the shapes of the honeycomb cells will be within the level of the ordinary skill in the art.
Claims 11-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Patz in view of Takebe as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US 2002/0012767 to Ueda (hereinafter “Ueda”).
Patz in view of Takebe does not explicitly disclose a skin-core structural body formed by bonding a skin material to at least one of open-end surfaces of the honeycomb core.
Ueda, however, discloses a skin-core structural body formed by bonding a skin layer to at least one of open-end surfaces of the honeycomb core (figure 1). The skin layer is made of carbon fibers impregnated with a phenolic resin (paragraph 25).
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The top and bottom skin layers are fused to the surfaces of the honeycomb core so as to close the openings of the honeycomb cells (paragraph 25). The fusion indicates that the phenolic resin of the skin layer partially flows into the portion of the cell walls near an open-end portion of the hollow columnar cells and integrate with the cell wall material (paragraph 30). The integration can lead to the fibers from the portion of the cell wall in contact with skin layer being drawn or partially embedded into the skin layer as the resin cures.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to attach a skin layer disclosed in Ueda to the honeycomb structure disclosed in Patz/Takebe motivated by the desire to construct a honeycomb sandwich structure which is light and strong for used as structural member of an artificial satellite or a space station.
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Patz in view of Takebe and Ueda as applied to claim 15 above, and further in view of US 2018/0229443 to Pham et al. (hereinafter “Pham”).
None of first three references: Patz in view of Takebe and Ueda, disclose or suggest a thickness of the cell wall near the open-end portion is greater than a thickness of a central portion of the cell wall.
Pham, however, discloses a honeycomb structure comprising a plurality of honeycomb cells and each of which separated from each other by a cell wall wherein the thickness of the cell wall near the open-end portion is greater than the thickness of a central portion of the cell wall (paragraph 25).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to form the thickness of the cell wall near the open-end portion of the honeycomb structure disclosed in Patz/Takebe/Ueda that is greater than a thickness of a central portion thereof as disclosed in Pham motivated by the desire to provide a larger contact area for bonding.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Hai Vo whose telephone number is (571)272-1485. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm with every other Friday off.
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/Hai Vo/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1788
Prosecution Insights