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 .
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.
(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) 1-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1)(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hattori USPA_20200005753_A1.
1. Regarding Claims 1 and 2, Hattori discloses a laminated sound-absorbing material (Title) comprising a base material layer (corresponds to claimed base layer) comprising fibers (corresponds to claimed first fiber) (paragraph 0015) and a fiber layer also containing fibers (corresponds to claimed fiber sheet containing second fiber) (Abstract). Hattori further discloses that the preferred fiber diameter of the fibers (corresponds to claimed first fiber) that make up its base material layer (corresponds to claimed base layer) is preferably from 1 to 100 micrometers (paragraph 0044), while in Examples 1 and 8 (Table 2), the thickness of the fiber layer (corresponds to claimed fiber sheet) is 70 microns. This is because the structure of the Example 1 is as follows: fiber sheet/base layer/base layer/fiber sheet/base layer/base layer/fiber sheet (paragraph 0072). Given that Example 1 indicates a total thickness of all base layers is 0.12 mm (120 microns) and the total laminated sound absorbing material thickness is 0.33 mm, which yields a total fiber sheet thickness of 0.33 – 0.12 = 0.21 mm. Given that there’s 3 fiber sheets, then each individual fiber sheet thickness will be 0.21/3 = 0.07 mm = 70 microns. Using the formula cited in instant claims 1 and 2 for Example 1: (1 micron + square root of 70 microns)2 = 87.73; thereby meeting the claimed ranges of instant Claims 1 and 2.
2. Regarding Claim 3, Hattori discloses a preferred fiber diameter of 1 micron (paragraph 0044) and in Example 1 discloses a base material layer (corresponds to claimed base layer) thickness of 120 microns/4 = 30 microns.
3. Regarding Claim 4, Hattori discloses a fiber diameter (corresponds to claimed second fiber) of its fiber layer (corresponds to claimed fiber sheet) of up to 450 nm (paragraph 0029) and Example 1 discloses a fiber layer (corresponds to claimed fiber sheet) thickness of 70 microns.
4. Regarding Claim 5, Hattori discloses fusing said fiber layer (corresponds to claimed fiber sheet) to said base material layer (corresponds to claimed base layer) (paragraph 0026).
5. Regarding Claim 6, Hattori discloses using an adhesive layer (paragraph 0025) in between said layers.
6. Regarding Claim 7, Hattori discloses a structure of Example 1 to be as follows: fiber sheet/base layer/base layer/fiber sheet/base layer/base layer/fiber sheet (paragraph 0072).
7. Regarding Claim 8, Hattori discloses said fiber (corresponds to claimed first fiber) of said base material layer (corresponds to claimed base layer) to be polyethylene phthalate (paragraph 0015) and a spunlace nonwoven fabric (paragraph 0040).
8. Regarding Claim 9, Hattori discloses said fiber (corresponds to claimed second fiber) of its fiber layer (corresponds to claimed fiber sheet) can be nylon (paragraph 0034) and to accumulate such fibers into a layer (Examples).
Conclusion
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/TAHSEEN KHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1781 June 15, 2026
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