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 15 is 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 phrase “the hanger” (cl 15:4) lacks antecedent basis in the claim.
Correction is required.
Claims 1-4,6-7,10-11,13-14,16-17, 41,43, and 46-50 are allowed.
Claim 15 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the prior art of record including the closest prior art Young et al (USP2015/0174331) teaches a stamping a metal shaft 42 and then overmolding a plunger engagement member 44 onto an end of the metal shaft 42. However, Young et al neither teaches nor renders obvious every claimed limitation including a stamping machine having an inlet, an outlet, and a travel path extending between the inlet and the outlet; activating the stamping machine to advance the blank of sheet metal along the travel path of the stamping machine, the travel path including a plurality of stages configured to process the blank of sheet metal into a plurality of plunger bodies, each of the plunger bodies including an inner wall defining an axial chamber, an outer wall, a first end, and a second end opposite the first end; forming the plurality of plunger bodies from the blank of sheet metal as the blank of sheet metal passes through the travel path and exits the outlet; separating each of the plurality of plunger bodies from the blank of sheet metal; loading at least one of the plurality of plunger bodies into a cavity of a molding tool of a molding system; and injecting molten plastic into a plurality of channels of the molding tool to form an overmolded plunger body.
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.”
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. USP 2015/0174331 teaches blanking a metal sheet and molding a plunger body onto the plunger rod); and USP2006/0089602 teaches injection molding of a plunger but no blanking/stamping.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EDMUND H LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-1204. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 9AM-4PM.
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EHL
/EDMUND H LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1744
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