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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Carole et al (DE10201001107; citations directed to machine translation provided herein, hereafter Carole) in view of McDaniel et al (US 2010/0210745; hereafter McDaniel). {Viscosity Conversion Chart from https://www.clearcoproducts.com/pdf/library/Viscosity-Conversion-Chart.pdf, relied upon solely as evidence; hereafter Chart}
Claim 1: Carole teaches a method for producing a threadlike adhesive body which includes a threadlike core material and an adhesive layer configured to cover a surface of the core material in a longitudinal direction (See, for example, [0003], such as an adhesive pre-treated / rubber coated filamentary reinforcing member / reinforcing cords),
the core material being a multifilament yarn including two or more filaments obtained by intertwining or twisting a filament containing a recycled resin and a filament not containing a recycled resin, (see, for example, [0015], [0022])
the method comprising a step of forming the adhesive layer by applying a coating liquid to the surface of the core material in the longitudinal direction (see, for example, [0003], such as passing in a longitudinal direction through a calendar or extruder).
Carole is silent as the viscosity of the coating liquid so it does not explicitly teach the claimed viscosity conditions.
McDaniel teaches a method including the application of resinous adhesive coatings onto textiles / multifilament yarn, further for applications including for tires, such as tire cords (See, for example, [0003-0005], [0912], [0942]. McDaniel further teaches the importance of understanding and designing for the rheology of coating formulations relative to its suitability for periods of storage and application (See, for example, [1906-1907]). McDaniel teaches wherein improper rheology / viscosity can negatively influence brushability, leveling, sagging, etc (See, for example, [1906-1907]). McDaniel teaches wherein particularly implementing a shear viscosity on the order of 60 KU to 140 KU (~3 to ~50 poise, or ~0.3 to 5 Pa*s {per conversion from Chart}) at shear of 10 to 103 s-1, allows one promote ease of application and preparation; while further in combination with implementing a shear viscosity on the order of 10 to 100 Pa*s at 10 to 10-3 s-1, additionally ensures that just following application, and away from associated higher shear conditions, the applied coating becomes viscous enough to ensure sufficient retention and avoid sagging (See, for example, [1907]). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have incorporated a coating liquid with a solution viscosity of 0.3 to 5 Pa*s under a condition of a shear rate of 10 to 103 s-1, (and thus covering 100 s-1) and a solution viscosity of 10 to 100 Pa*s under a condition of a shear rate of 10 to 10-3 s-1 (and thus covering 0.1 s-1), as such tailored rheological properties of the coating composition are conventional in the art and would predictably enhance suitability of the formulation for periods of storage and application ensuring sufficient brushability, leveling, ease of application, and avoiding sagging. Alternatively, for sake of argument that the above disclosed shear rate ranges and associated viscosities do not already anticipate the claimed viscosity conditions: It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have incorporated a coating liquid solution having a solution viscosity of 0.3 to 5 Pa*s under a condition of a shear rate of 100 s-1 and a solution viscosity of 10 to 100 Pa*s under a condition of a shear rate of 0.1 s-1 since in the case where the claimed ranges “overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art” a prima facie case of obviousness exists. In re Wertheim, 541 F.2d 257, 191USPQ 90 (CCPA 1976).
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Carole in view of Yoshinori et al (JP 2013-076186; hereafter Yoshinori).
Claim 2: Carole teaches a method for producing a threadlike adhesive body which includes a threadlike core material and an adhesive layer configured to cover a surface of the core material in a longitudinal direction (See, for example, [0003], such as an adhesive pre-treated / rubber coated filamentary reinforcing member / reinforcing cords),
the core material being a multifilament yarn including two or more filaments obtained by intertwining or twisting a filament containing a recycled resin and a filament not containing a recycled resin, (see, for example, [0015], [0022])
the method comprising a step of forming the adhesive layer by applying a coating liquid to the surface of the core material in the longitudinal direction (see, for example, [0003], such as passing in a longitudinal direction through a calendar or extruder).
Carole is silent as the particular coating processing conditions, so it does not explicitly teach wherein a tension of the core material during coating is 6 mN/dtex or less.
Yoshinori teaches a method of producing a threadlike adhesive body, further for use in tires, wherein reinforcing threads are coated with an adhesive to enhance bonding (See, for example, abstract, pg 1, pg 3). Yoshinori further teaches wherein during application of the adhesive to the body involves the implementation of tension thereon, specifically between 0.05 to 0.4 cN/dTex (0.5 to 4 mN/dTex) as tension above the upper threshold leads to insufficient impregnation of adhesive into the fiber and tension below the lower threshold can cause excess loosening of the cord body and reduced productivity (See, for example, pg 6). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have incorporated a tension of the core material of 0.5 to 4 mN/dTex during coating as such implementation is conventional in the art and would predictably ensure sufficient impregnation into the fiber while avoiding excess loosening and reduced productivity.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHAN H EMPIE whose telephone number is (571)270-1886. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 5:30AM - 4 PM.
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/NATHAN H EMPIE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1712
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