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 Group I, claims 1-16, in the reply filed on March 5, 2026 is acknowledged.
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 2 and 8 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.
The terms “a fiber” and “a resin” in claim 2 render the claim indefinite because it is unclear if the terms are intended to refer back to the previously recited “a fiber and “a resin” of claim 1, or second fibers and resins.
The term “thin thickness” in claim 8 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
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.
Claims 1-2, 12 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sungwoo (KR 102423992; paragraph numbers to corresponding English language translation).
Claim 1: Sungwoo discloses a pultrusion molding apparatus for manufacturing a vehicle member (abstract; ¶ 39; fig. 1). The apparatus includes a molding unit configured to mold the vehicle member having at least one rib (6) by impregnating a fiber passing therein with a resin (figs. 1-4); whrein the molding unit includes an upper mold (17) forming a first space (figs. 2-4); a lower mold (15) disposed below the upper mold and forming a second space corresponding to the first space (figs. 2-4); and a mandrel (core die 30) having one end fastened to the upper mold and configured to be inserted into the first and second spaces between the upper mold and the lower mold (figs. 2-5).
Claim 2: Sungwoo discloses a body of the vehicle member is molded with a fiber and a resin provided through gaps between the upper mold and the mandrel and between the lower mold and the mandrel, respectively (figs. 5-6); the mandrel is divided into sub-mandrels (parting cores) along a longitudinal direction of the mandrel (figs. 2-5); and the at least one rib (6) of the vehicle member is formed with the fiber and the resin provided through the first and second spaces between the upper and lower molds and spaces between the sub-mandrels (figs. 5-6).
Claim 12: Sungwoo discloses a plurality of pullers configured to convey the vehicle member discharged from the molding unit in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle member (fig. 1).
Claim 16: Sungwoo discloses one end of the molding unit being connected to a fixing unit configured to guide and fix a position of the fiber to be provided into the upper mold and the lower mold (¶ 74; roving preform guide).
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.
Claims 3-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sungwoo (KR 102423992), as applied to claim 1 above, further in view of Lee (US 2011/0262581).
Claim 3: Sungwoo discloses the mandrel/core mounted at one end to the die assembly (core block 31) but is silent as to a mandrel mounting hold in which a first end of the mandrel is mounted is formed at one end of the upper mold, and as assembly block mounted in the mandrel mounting hold is fasted to a second end of the mandrel. However, Lee discloses fixing a core within a die block by seating it in a mounting/guiding slot of the die and securing it with a fixing bolt/block. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to have mounted the mandrel of Sungwoo by forming a mounted hole in the die and seating a mounting/assembly block therein to fasten the mandrel end, as taught by Lee, in order to provide a secure, removable, precisely located mandrel support.
Claim 4: Sungwoo discloses a front surface of the assembly block being inclined downward and an upper fiber inlet through which the fiber is provided into between the upper mold and the mandrel is formed on a surface of the upper mold facing the front surface of the assembly block (figs. 2-5).
Claim 5: Sungwoo discloses the front surface of the assembly block and the upper fiber inlet of the upper mold are parallel to each other and a first gap is formed between the front surface of the assembly block and the upper fiber inlet (figs. 2-5).
Claim 6: Sungwoo discloses a lower fiber inlet is formed at one end of the lower mold, the lower fiber inlet is parallel to a bottom surface of the assembly block, a second gap is formed between the lower fiber inlet and the bottom surface of the assembly block, and the fiber is capable of being provided into between the lower mold and the mandrel through the second gap (figs. 2-5).
Claim 7: Sungwoo discloses an upper resin inlet through which the resin is injected into an interior of the upper mold is configured to pass through the upper mold at a predetermined distance from the assembly block, and a lower resin inlet through which the resin is injected into an interior of the lower mold is configured to pass through the lower mold below the upper resin inlet (figs. 2-5).
Claim 8: Sungwoo discloses a cross-sectional area of a portion where the upper resin inlet and the lower resin inlet intersect in the mandrel is smaller than cross-sectional areas of other portions of the mandrel, and the upper mold and the lower mold are each formed to have a thin thickness (figs. 2-5).
Claims 9-11: A claim is only limited by positively recited elements. Thus, "[i]nclusion of the material or article worked upon by a structure being claimed does not impart patentability to the claims." In re Otto, 312 F.2d 937, 136 USPQ 458, 459 (CCPA 1963); see also In re Young, 75 F.2d 996, 25 USPQ 69 (CCPA 1935).
Claims 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sungwoo (KR 102423992), as applied to claim 12 above, further in view of Wilson (US 5,540,797).
Claims 13-15: Sungwoo is silent as to the claimed puller elements. However, in the same field of endeavor, Wilson discloses pullers including a housing with a roller contracting upper and lower surfaces, a conveying plate supporting those surfaces, and a plurality of puller spaced along the discharge direction (fig. 1; col. 4, line 1-10; opposed upper and lower driven belts frictionally contacting and pulling the profile). As taught by Wilson, these pullers effectively pull the fiber reinforced structure therethrough (col. 4, lines 1-6). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to have utilized the puller elements of Wilson in the apparatus of Sungwoo in order to effectively pull the fiber reinforced structure therethrough.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LARRY THROWER whose telephone number is (571)270-5517. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm MT M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Susan Leong can be reached at 571-270-1487. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LARRY W THROWER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1754
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