Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/950,545

METHOD FOR CONTROLLING RESIN MOLDING APPARATUS, AND RESIN MOLDING APPARATUS

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Nov 18, 2024
Priority
Nov 22, 2023 — JP 2023-198292
Examiner
YI, STELLA KIM
Art Unit
1742
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Toyota Boshoku Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
71%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 6m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 71% — above average
71%
Career Allowance Rate
685 granted / 968 resolved
+5.8% vs TC avg
Strong +29% interview lift
Without
With
+28.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 2m
Avg Prosecution
25 currently pending
Career history
984
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
71.9%
+31.9% vs TC avg
§102
17.2%
-22.8% vs TC avg
§112
2.2%
-37.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 968 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 1-3 in the reply filed on 05/18/2026 is acknowledged. Claim 4 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 05/18/2026. 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 YASHIRO et al. (JP H1190924) and in further view of JP 4672635. Regarding claims 1-3, YASHIRO et al. discloses a method for controlling a resin molding apparatus, wherein the resin molding apparatus includes: a measuring (resin metering/extruding section 3-Fig.1)-holding (resin tank 1- Fig.1) unit configured to measure molten resin material and hold a predetermined amount of the measured resin material; and a molding unit (7-Fig.1) configured to use the predetermined amount of the resin material held by the measuring-holding unit to mold a resin portion, wherein the method for controlling the resin molding apparatus comprises: causing the resin molding apparatus to execute, as a single molding cycle, a series of steps including a molding step (7-Fig.1) and a measuring-holding step (1, 3-Fig.1), the molding step molding the resin portion using the molding unit (7-Fig.1), and the measuring-holding step measuring the resin material using the measuring-holding unit (1,3-Fig.1) and holding the resin material (in 1-Fig.1) subsequent to the molding step (Figs.1 and 3); and controlling operation of the resin molding apparatus (Fig.1) such that the measuring-holding unit (1,3-Fig.1) does not measure or hold the resin material in a final one of molding cycles that are executed repeatedly a predetermined number of times (Fig.3). YASHIRO et al. is silent to injecting the resin onto a motor core as claimed. However, JP 4672635 discloses a method of manufacturing a motor using a resin sealing method comprising a resin injection apparatus (1-Fig.1) and a mold apparatus (2-Fig.1). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have substituted the resin injection apparatus of YASHIRO et al. for the resin injection apparatus of JP 4672635 for the benefits of improving the productivity of molding since when a molded motor is formed using such a resin, it is important that the resin does not deform the windings applied to the stator core of the motor as disclosed by YASHIRO et al. Regarding claims 2-3, YASHIRO et al. discloses a control unit (9-Fig.1) that controls the number of revolutions at the time of the next resin molding. The measuring time in the resin metering/extruding section (3-Fig.1) and the measuring time in the curing agent metering/extruding section (4-Fig.1) are input to the control section (9-Fig.1, Fig.3). The viscosity of the material can be estimated at the measurement stage and the number of rotations of the stirring and mixing section 5 can be controlled. Therefore, the viscosity of the mixed resin injected into the mold is set to a set value according to the type of machine used. Can be controlled. Also, there is no need to incorporate various sensors in the resin flow path. Therefore, the configuration of the apparatus can be simplified, and the occurrence of molding defects can be reduced. Furthermore, since the temperature of the mixed resin can be changed according to the resin injection amount, the curing time of the mixed resin that is finally injected into the mold and fills the mold runner portion can be shortened, and productivity can be reduced and be improved. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. a) JP 2011025705 discloses a method of manufacturing molded article where resin is contained and measured. b) WO 2019198609 discloses manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus for molded foam involving measuring a predetermined amount of resin. c) CN 111216302 discloses manufacturing method of resin molding apparatus and resin molding comprising holding and measuring resin. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STELLA KIM YI whose telephone number is (571)270-5123. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00-5:00 EST. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christina Johnson can be reached at 571-272-1176. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. STELLA YI Examiner Art Unit 1742 /STELLA K YI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1742
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 18, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 22, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
71%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+28.8%)
3y 2m (~1y 6m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 968 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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