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 .
DETAILED ACTION
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 6-9 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.
Claim 6 recites “a second temperature sensing device perpendicular to and spaced between the second heating device”. It is unclear how an object is between a singular object let alone how the object is perpendicular to another object. For examination purposes Examiner will consider the second temperature sensing device to be present.
Claim 8 recites “reheating the slate until the slate softens and is promoted to pre-form under its own gravity”. Its unclear how the slate is reheated based on the previous steps which only involve heating.
Claim 8 recites “subjecting a second heating device to moving so as to adjust a distance between the second heating device and a position to be subjected to the hot bending of the slate, and simultaneously turning on the second heating device to locally heat the slate to accelerate the fit between the slate and the mold”. It is unclear what a position to be subjected to the hot bending of the slate comprises because it is unclear how a position is bent.
Claim 8 recites “a flow direction of the air flow being consistent with a direction of the slate shaping toward a designed arc of the mold prompting the slate to further fit with the mold under a force generated by the air flow”. The air direction claimed is unclear.
Claim 8 recites “turning off the blowing assembly, naturally cooling the furnace chamber to room temperature, and taking out a hot bent slate”. It is unclear what natural cooling comprises and if the hot bent slate is a new slate or referring to the original slate placed in the device.
There are additional issues with claim 8 the above were to highlight the clarity issues.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN111592212 to Kuang et al. (Kuang) in view of CN207143095 to Wu et al. (Wu).
Regarding claim 1, Kuang teaches a mold (shown in Figure 1), which is arranged inside a furnace chamber and for placing a slate to be subjected to hot bending treatment (device of Figure 1); a furnace cover (15 and 16, Figure 1), which is configured in the form of a hot insulation plate, wherein the hot insulation plate is provided with a gas channel in communication with a furnace chamber (pathway from 1, Figure 1); a blowing assembly, which is arranged outside a furnace body and in communication with the gas channel of the furnace cover so as to provide an air flow into the furnace chamber (1, Figure 1 would be at least partially outside of the device because it draws air in from outside the device and in its normal orientation would be outside the device); heating devices, including a second heating device which moves in a vertical direction and/or a horizontal direction of the furnace body so as to adjust a local heating temperature of a position to be subjected to the hot bending treatment of the slate (4, Figure 1); a temperature control device (temperature control disclosed in at least claim 2), a temperature sensing device, which is connected to the temperature control device and the heating devices, a heating power of the heating devices being adjusted by adjusting the temperature control device (temperature control disclosed in at least claim 2 and throughout the disclosure and temperature control indicates a temperature sensing device); and an observation port, which is arranged on an outer wall of the furnace body, and to observe a hot bending condition of the slate inside the furnace chamber (a number of ports are provided which allow observation through at least temperature sensing means or through inlets and outlets per Figure 1), wherein when using the slate hot bending furnace to perform the hot bending treatment on the slate, the heating power of the first heating device is increased to reheat the slate until the slate softens and is promoted to pre-form under its own gravity; then the second heating device moves to adjust a distance between the second heating device and the position to be subjected to the hot bending of the slate after preforming, and simultaneously the second heating device is turned on to locally heat the slate to improve the fit between the slate and the mold; subsequently, the first heating device and the second heating device are closed, the blowing assembly is turned on, and air flow is introduced into the furnace chamber, and a flow direction of the air flow is consistent with a direction of the slate shaping toward a designed are of the mold, making the slate further fit to the mold under a force generated by the air flow (shown in Figures 1-2and disclosed throughout the specification. With regards to the slate limitation this is an apparatus claim and using slate is considered a contingent limitation which can be performed by the device).
Kuang is silent on a furnace body, a first heating device which is fixedly arranged on an inner wall of the furnace body so as to adjust the ambient temperature of the furnace chamber, a temperature control device which is arranged on an outer wall of the furnace body to display the ambient temperature of the furnace chamber and the local temperature of position to be subjected to hot bending treatment of the slate.
Wu teaches a furnace body (Figures 1-2 show a body), a first heating device which is fixedly arranged on an inner wall of the furnace body so as to adjust the ambient temperature of the furnace chamber (14, Figures 1-2), a temperature control device which is arranged on an outer wall of the furnace body to display the ambient temperature of the furnace chamber and the local temperature of position to be subjected to hot bending treatment of the slate (18, Figures 1-2) and an observation port, which is arranged on an outer wall of the furnace body, and to observe a hot bending condition of the slate inside the furnace chamber (opening on the right side of the device). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Kuang with the teachings of Wu to provide a furnace body, a first heating device which is fixedly arranged on an inner wall of the furnace body so as to adjust the ambient temperature of the furnace chamber, a temperature control device which is arranged on an outer wall of the furnace body to display the ambient temperature of the furnace chamber and the local temperature of position to be subjected to hot bending treatment of the slate. Doing so would be a rearrangement of parts and would be moving parts to locations of which are already likely present in Kuang.
Regarding claim 6, Kuang is silent on wherein the temperature sensing device includes a first temperature sensing device arranged on the inner wall of the furnace body so as to sense the ambient temperature of the furnace chamber, and a second temperature sensing device perpendicular to and spaced between the second heating device.
Wu teaches wherein the temperature sensing device includes a first temperature sensing device arranged on the inner wall of the furnace body so as to sense the ambient temperature of the furnace chamber (21, Figure 2),
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide multiple temperature sensors which would read on a second temperature sensing device perpendicular to and spaced between the second heating device because any location for the second temperature sensor would read on this, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. (In re Harza, 274 F.2d 669, 124 USPQ 378 (CCPA 1960)).
Claim(s) 2-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuang in view of Wu and CH109942179 to Chen et al. (Chen)
Regarding claim 2, Kuang is silent on wherein the hot insulation plate is equipped with one or more pores to form a gas channel and is in communication with the external blowing assembly.
Chen teaches wherein the hot insulation plate is equipped with one or more pores to form a gas channel and is in communication with the external blowing assembly (multiple air pathways shown in 132, Figure 1). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Kuang with the teachings of Chen to provide wherein the hot insulation plate is equipped with one or more pores to form a gas channel and is in communication with the external blowing assembly. Doing so would evenly distribute air to provide uniformity of the features of the final product.
Regarding claim 3, Kuang teaches wherein the hot insulation plate includes a first hot insulation plate and a second hot insulation plate embedded in the first hot insulation plate (multiple layers, 3, 4, and 5 are shown in Figures 1-2); the second hot insulation plate is made of a porous material (6 is disclosed to be a porous structure), the gas channel and the porous structure of the second hot insulation plate are in communication with the blowing assembly to provide the air flow into the furnace chamber (shown in Figures 1 and 2).
Kuang is silent on the first hot insulation plate is equipped with one or more pores to form a gas channel.
Chen teaches the first hot insulation plate is equipped with one or more pores to form a gas channel (shown in Figure 1). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Kuang with the teachings of Chen to provide the first hot insulation plate is equipped with one or more pores to form a gas channel. Doing so would evenly distribute air to provide uniformity of the features of the final product.
Regarding claim 4, Kuang is silent on wherein the second hot insulation plate is made of a honeycomb ceramic with porous structures distributed on a surface and inside thereof.
Chen teaches wherein the second hot insulation plate is made of a honeycomb ceramic with porous structures distributed on a surface and inside thereof (Figures 2-3). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Kuang with the teachings of Chen to provide wherein the second hot insulation plate is made of a honeycomb ceramic with porous structures distributed on a surface and inside thereof. Ding so would evenly distribute air to provide uniformity of the features of the final product.
Regarding claim 5, Kuang teaches wherein the hot insulation plate of the furnace cover is equipped with a scalable support for the second heating device, and the movement of the second heating device is adjusted by controlling the scalable support (17, Figures 1-2).
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuang in view of Wu and U.S. PGPUB 20040134232 to Kainuma et al. (Kainuma).
Regarding claim 7, Kuang is silent on wherein the scalable support is provided with the second temperature sensing device connected to the second heating device so as to sense the local temperature of the position to be subjected to the hot bending treatment of the slate.
Kainuma teaches wherein the scalable support is provided with the second temperature sensing device connected to the second heating device so as to sense the local temperature of the position to be subjected to the hot bending treatment of the slate (Paragraph 0054 discloses temperature sensors detecting temperatures of the dies. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Kuang with the teachings of Kainuma to provide wherein the scalable support is provided with the second temperature sensing device connected to the second heating device so as to sense the local temperature of the position to be subjected to the hot bending treatment of the slate. Doing so would allow the temperature of the product to be more accurately controlled.
Claim(s) 8-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuang in view of Wu and WO2017168403 to Tjoie (Tjoie).
Regarding claim 8, the device of claim 1 in its normal operation and per the disclosure of the references would perform the method of claim 8. It is also noted that there are a number of clarity issues making the claim unclear. Treating slate is disclosed in Tjioe. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Kuang with the teachings of Tjoie to provide treatment of slate. Doing so would allow a different material to be treated.
Regarding claim 9, it is observed that the temperature is a result effective variable because dependent on the properties desired on the product, the internal pressure of the furnace, and the material of the product the desired temperature would change. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to between 1200-1300C, since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. (In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980)).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The prior art cited provides the general state of the art.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN S ANDERSON II whose telephone number is (571)272-2055. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5.
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/STEVEN S ANDERSON II/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762
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