DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of group I, claims 1-16 in the reply filed on June 19, 2026 is acknowledged.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: there are missing text at every top right corner of every page in the specification.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Adamowicz et al. (2005/0268658). Adamowicz discloses a glass manufacturing apparatus comprising a forming device comprising a trough extending along a through axis between an inlet end 702 and an opposing end of the forming device opposite the inlet end, the forming device comprising a bottom surface 716 at least partially defining the trough and a pair of weirs (726b, 726a) extending from the bottom surface (abstract, figure 7), and a diverter 718 positioned within the trough configured to divert a molten material over at least one weir of the pair of weirs, the diverter extending along a diverter axis between a first diverter end and a second diverter end, a height of the diverter from the bottom surface at a center of the diverter increasing at a non-constant rate along the diverter axis from the first diverter end toward the second diverter end (figs 7-8, 11). A zoomed in portion of figure 8 shows a side profile of the diverter 718 having a non-constant increasing height, as provided below.
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-11 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The prior art of Feenaughty et al. (2016/0092673) discloses a glass manufacturing apparatus comprising a forming device comprising a trough extending along a trough axis between an inlet end and an opposing end of the forming device opposite the inlet end, the forming device comprising a pair of weirs (figs. 1 and 3, [0028]-[0029]) and a diverter positioned within the trough for diverting a molten material over at least one weir of the pair of weirs (fig. 3, [0031]). Feenaughty further teaches the diverter comprises a first edge contacting a bottom surface of the trough (figures 3, 5-7, . However, Feenaughty fails to teach the first edge of the director comprising an upstream diverter edge segment and a downstream diverter edge segment, wherein the downstream diverter edge segment is nonlinear with the upstream diverter edge segment and is positioned downstream from the upstream edge segment in a flow direction of the molten glass. Adamowicz et al. (2005/0268658) similarly discloses a glass manufacturing apparatus comprising a forming device comprising a trough extending along a trough axis between an inlet end 702 and an opposing end of the forming device opposite the inlet end, the forming device comprising a pair of weirs (726a, 726b) and a diverter 718 positioned within the trough for diverting a molten material over at least one weir of the pair of weirs (figs. 7-8, abstract). Adamowicz further teaches the diverter comprises a first edge contacting a bottom surface of the trough (figs. 8 and 11, abstract). However, Adamowicz fails to teach the first edge of the director comprising an upstream diverter edge segment and a downstream diverter edge segment, wherein the downstream diverter edge segment is nonlinear with the upstream diverter edge segment and is positioned downstream from the upstream edge segment in a flow direction of the molten glass.
Accordingly, the prior art fails to teach a diverter having a first edge contacting a bottom surface of the trough, the first edge comprising an upstream edge segment and a downstream edge segment that is nonlinear with the upstream edge segment.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Claims 13-16 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: In figure 11, Adamowicz further teaches the diverter further comprises a first face contacting the bottom surface and lying in a first plane and a second face contacting the bottom surface and lying in a second plane, the second face attached to the first face. The diverter further comprises a third face attached to the first face and a fourth face attached to the second face and the third face (the vertical walls of the upper triangular shaped part at the second diverter end. However, the third face and the fourth face do not contact the bottom surface, but instead in contact with the first face and the second face.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to QUEENIE S DEHGHAN whose telephone number is (571)272-8209. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00-4:30.
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/QUEENIE S DEHGHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1741
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