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 § 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 1-8 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.
Regarding claim 1, in line 13 the phrase “the workpiece group” render the claim indefinite because it is unclear if “the workpiece group” is the same as or different from “a workpiece assembly” that recited in line 8 of the same claim 1.
As best understood and for the purpose of the examination, the Examiner interpreted “the workpiece group” is the same as “a workpiece assembly” that recited in line 8 of the same claim 1.
Claims 2-8 are rejected because they depend from claim 1.
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.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kidane (US20160029440A1) in view of Sanders (US20200122215A1).
Regarding claim1, Kidane discloses a heat press bonding apparatus (abstract and paragraphs 0020-0021 and 0041-0047) comprising:
a working chamber (paragraphs 0014-0015 and 0040-0041: obviously the device of fig.2 having a closing chamber in order to control the temperature so as to minimizing energy costs);
a heat press device located in the working chamber and having an upper heat press module (fig.2: (100)) and a lower heat press module (fig.2: (1)),
the upper heat press module and the lower heat press module both having a water cooling device and a heating block engaged with the water cooling device (paragraphs 0035 and 0039: heating/cooling device of the hollow space), and the heating block of the upper heat press module being opposite to the heating block of the lower heat press module for performing a heat press operation on a workpiece assembly to form a finished product;
a first two-way water-cooling conveyor located on one side of the working chamber for feeding the workpiece assembly into the heat press device (paragraphs 0047 and 0048; fig.2: the cooling device (120) and supply rolls that convoy the material toward the pressing) or receiving and cooling down the finished product from the heat press device;
a second two-way water-cooling conveyor located on an opposite side of the working chamber for feeding the workpiece group into the heat press device or receiving and cooling down the finished product from the heat press device (paragraphs 0043 and 0046; fig.2: the cooling device (80) and take-off rolls that convoys the material (200) out of the pressing); and
a control module electrically coupled with the heat press device for controlling temperatures of the heating block of the upper heat press module and the heating block of the lower heat press module (paragraphs 0033 and 0040), and for controlling a pressure between the heating block of the upper heat press module and the heating block of the lower heat press module (paragraph 0043: controlling the nip force).
Kidane does not disclose having a non-oxidizing atmosphere.
Sanders teaches a heat press bonding apparatus (abstract and paragraphs 0148), comprising: a working chamber having a non-oxidizing atmosphere (paragraphs 0103, 0146 and 0183).
Both of the prior arts of Kidane and Sanders are related to a heat press bonding apparatus.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Kidane to have a working chamber having a non-oxidizing atmosphere as taught by Sanders in order to restrict oxidation of the heating element (Sanders: paragraph 00146)
Regarding claims 2-8, Having the limitations of claims 2-8 would have resulted from routine engineering practices and it therefore not patentable and would be obvious because there is no unexpected result;
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have the limitations of claims 2-3 in order to control the operation of the heat press.
Examiner note: in order to place this application in condition of allowance ;the Examiner advice the Applicant to use paragraphs 0031-0032 of the Applicant’s specification to amend claim 1 by add function languages in order to more clarify the function of the first two-way water-cooling conveyor and the second two-way water-cooling conveyor; the Examiner suggests the fowling language: “wherein the workpiece assembly including a first workpiece and a second workpiece; a first two-way water-cooling conveyor located on one side of the working chamber for feeding the first workpiece in a first direction into the heat press device; and a second two-way water-cooling conveyor located on an opposite side of the working chamber for feeding the second workpiece into the heat press device in a second first direction opposite to the first direction; and wherein the first two-way water-cooling conveyor is configured to receive and cool down the finished product from the heat press device; and wherein the second two-way water-cooling conveyor is configured to receive and cooldown the finished product from the heat press device”.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMED S ALAWADI whose telephone number is (571)272-2224. The examiner can normally be reached 08:00 am- 05:00 pm.
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/MOHAMMED S. ALAWADI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3725
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