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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-8 and 12-15 in the reply filed on 09/09/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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, 2, 7 and 12-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Miyake Yasuaki (JP 2017122015 A) (hereinafter Yasuaki).
Regarding claim 1, Yasuaki anticipates a method for manufacturing a glass panel unit, the method comprising: an arrangement step including arranging a first glass substrate (11) and a second glass substrate(12) to make the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate face each other with a seal member (2) interposed along multiple lines between the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate (Fig. 1a); a bonding step including bonding the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate via the seal member (¶0009); and a cutting step including cutting off the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate along an identical line as viewed in a direction in which the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate bonded together face each other and along the seal member (Fig. 1-3; ¶0034-¶0038), the cutting step being a step of forming multiple sets of the first and second glass substrates divided by cutting off the first and second glass substrates along multiple lines where the seal member remains along respective sides of cross sections of the first and second glass substrates, and the cutting step including: cutting off one member selected from the group consisting of the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate from a surface of the first or glass substrate along at least some of the multiple lines where the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate are to be cut off; and then cutting off another member selected from the group consisting of the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate from a surface of the first or second glass substrate (Fig. 1-5; ¶0034-¶0038).
Regarding claim 2, Yasuaki anticipates the cutting step includes: cutting off one member selected from the group consisting of the first glass substrate (SL1) and the second glass substrate (SL2) from a surface of the first or glass substrate along all of the multiple lines where the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate are to be cut off ( Fig. 1b; Vertical C); and then cutting off another member selected from the group consisting of the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate from a surface of the first or second glass substrate (Fig. 1b; Horizontal C).
Regarding claim 7, Yasuaki anticipates the seal member includes a frame member formed in a frame shape, and the bonding step includes creating an internal space (13) surrounded with the frame member between the first and second glass substrates bonded together via the frame member (Fig. 1b, Fig. 3a-c; ¶0037).
Regarding claim 12, Yasuaki anticipates the seal member (2) includes a plurality of facing portions arranged to face each other with a gap (13) left between the plurality of facing portions (Fig. 3a), and the cutting step includes: cutting off, along a line aligned with the gap (Fig. 2), one member selected from the group consisting of the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate from a surface of the first or second glass substrate along at least some of the multiple lines where the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate are to be cut off (Fig. 1b); and then cutting off another member selected from the group consisting of the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate from a surface of the first or second glass substrate such that the seal member remains along respective sides of cross sections of the first and second glass substrates divided (Fig. 2-5; ¶0034-¶0038).
Regarding claim 13, Yasuaki anticipates the cutting step includes cutting off either the first glass substrate or the second glass substrate from a surface of the first or second glass substrate along all of the multiple lines where the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate are to be cut off and then cutting off either the second glass substrate or the first glass substrate from a surface of the first or second glass substrate (Fig. 2-3; ¶0034-¶0037).
Regarding claim 14, Yasuaki anticipates the seal member includes a frame member formed in a frame shape, and the bonding step includes creating an internal space (13) surrounded with the frame member between the first and second glass substrates bonded together via the frame member (Fig. 1b, Fig. 3a-c; ¶0037).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 3-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Miyake Yasuaki (JP 2017122015 A) (hereinafter Yasuaki).
Regarding claims 3 and 4, Yasuaki discloses the cutting step includes a first cutting step and a second cutting step, the first cutting step includes: a first incision forming step including forming a first incision on a surface of the first glass substrate using a cutting blade (SL1); second glass substrate toward the first glass substrate to cut off the first glass substrate, and the second cutting step includes: a second incision forming step including forming a second incision (SL2) on a surface of the second glass substrate using a cutting blade; first glass substrate toward the second glass substrate to cut off the second glass substrate (¶0034-¶0038; Fig. 2-5).
Yasuaki is silent about first pressure and second pressure. However, give the delicacy of the invention it would have been obvious to apply pressure to hold the substrates in place while incisions are formed on the surface. The benefit of doing so would have been to assure the substrate do not move during manufacturing. Furthermore, to assure seal is maintained during cutting operation.
Regarding claim 5, Yasuaki discloses the seal member (2) includes a plurality of facing portions arranged to face each other with a gap (Fig. 3, RC 13; ¶0031) left between the plurality of facing portions, the cutting step includes: cutting off, along a line aligned with the gap, one member selected from the group consisting of the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate from a surface of the first or second glass substrate along at least some of the multiple lines where the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate are to be cut off; and then cutting off another member selected from the group consisting of the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate from a surface of the first or second glass substrate such that the seal member remains along respective sides of cross sections of the first and second glass substrates divided (Fig. 1b, Fig. 2-5).
Regarding claim 6, Yasuaki discloses wherein the cutting step includes cutting off either the first glass substrate or the second glass substrate from a surface of the first or second glass substrate along all of the multiple lines where the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate are to be cut off and then cutting off either the second glass substrate or the first glass substrate from a surface of the first or second glass substrate (Fig. 2-5).
Claim(s) 8 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yasuaki as applied to claims 1, 2, 7 and 12-14 above, and further in view of Abe et al. (US Pub. No.: 2020/0109594 A1) (hereinafter Abe).
Regarding claims 8 and 15, the limitations of claim 7 and 14 are taught by Yasuaki as cited above. Yasuaki is silent about limitations of claims 8 and 15.
Abe also discloses a process for manufacturing a glass panel unit. The process comprises the second panel T20 has a through hole 205 running through the second panel T20 in the thickness direction thereof. The second surface T202 of the second panel T20 is provided with an exhaust pipe 202. In this case, the through hole 205 is connected to the channel of the exhaust pipe 202, thereby forming an exhaust port 201. Providing the second panel T20 may include cutting the through hole 205 through the second panel T20 and providing the exhaust pipe 202 for the second panel T20 (Fig. 5a-d; ¶0098). The benefit of doing so would have been to reduce the pressure in the inner space to turn the inner space into a vacuum space (¶0117).
Given the wealth of knowledge, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to remove air/bubbles from the panel during manufacturing process as taught by Abe within the method of manufacturing a glass panel as taught by Yasuaki. The benefit of doing so would have been to remove air between the panels.
Conclusion
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/VISHAL I PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1746
