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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Claims 1-7 in the reply filed on 10 September 2026 is acknowledged.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 3-4 and 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US Patent # 9,522,492 to Arnauts.
Regarding claim 1, Arnauts teaches in Figures 6A and 6C, a building component (1, Fig 5B) [skeleton framing segment (Column 9, Lines 47-48)] manufacturing method (Column 10, Lines 46-47) comprising: providing a structural component (2) [manufacture of assemblies (Column 10, Line 33)] of a building (Column 9, Line 48), the structural component (2) comprising: a generally planar surface (3) [panel (Column 9, Line 62)]; and a frame (4) (Column 9, Line 63) comprising a plurality of outer components (10, Fig 2) [beams (Column 13, Line 14)] coupled together to define an outer periphery [having a shape and dimension (Column 16, Line 1)] and one or more inner components (10e) [extra beam (Column 15, Line 45)] that divide the frame (4) into two or more sections (5) [compartments (Column 9, Line 64)], the frame (4) being positioned atop one side of the generally planar surface (3) so that at least one of the sections (5) comprises a cavity [compartment (Column 9, Line 64)]; applying (Column 18, Line 23) a pour-in-place [pumped (Column 18, Line 39)] insulation material (8) (Column 10, Lines 51-52) within the cavity (5) to insulate (Column 3, Lines 31-32) the structural component (2); monitoring [via sensor (Column 17, Line 45)] a fill level [thickness (Column 17, Lines 42-44)] of the pour-in-place insulating material (8) within the cavity (5) to insulate (Column 9, Line 47) the structural component (2).
Regarding claim 3, Arnauts teaches the applying (Column 18, Line 23) the pour-in-place [pumped (Column 18, Line 39)] insulation material (Column 10, Lines 51-52) is characterized by an overspray to less than about 5 vol % [over-filling (Column 14, Lines 33-34)].
Regarding claim 4, Arnauts teaches the pour-in-place [pumped (Column 18, Line 39)] insulation material (Column 10, Lines 51-52) transitions from a liquid state [foamed (Column 14, Line 45)] to a solid cured state [hardened (Column 14, Line 45)] to form a first layer of insulation (Column 12, Line 30), wherein the pour-in-place insulation material transitions to form the first layer of insulation (Column 12, Line 30) in less than or about 15 minutes (Column 14, Lines 48-49).
Regarding claim 6, Arnauts teaches in response to monitoring the [thickness (Column 17, Lines 42-44)] of the pour-in-place insulating material (8), reducing or increasing the flow rate of the pour-in-place insulation material [regulating the flow (Column 22, Line 23)].
Regarding claim 7, Arnauts teaches storing the building component at an offsite location [factory (Column 1, Lines 34-35)] relative to an installation site (Column 26, Lines 33-34) of the building component.
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 2 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Patent # 9,522,492 to Arnauts.
Regarding claim 2, Arnauts teaches a building component manufacturing method with one or more panels [wooden boards (Column 1, Lines 23-24)] but does not teach the panels comprise gypsum board, drywall, plywood, OSB or foam insulation. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to specify the use of these materials since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416. It is also common knowledge to choose a material that has sufficient strength, durability, flexibility, hardness, etc. for the application and intended use of that material.
Regarding claim 5, Arnauts teaches a pour-in-place insulation material comprising polyurethane (Column 4, Lines 50-51) but does not teach an additional component of methylene diisocyanate. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to specify the use of methylene diisocyanate since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416. It is also common knowledge to choose a material that has sufficient strength, durability, flexibility, hardness, etc. for the application and intended use of that material.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW J TRIGGS whose telephone number is (571)270-3657. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs 6am-2pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Brian Mattei can be reached at (571) 270-3238. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANDREW J TRIGGS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3635
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