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
Claims 8-14 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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 17 July 2026.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 15-18, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Takaoka (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2003/0092335). Regarding Claim 1, Takaoka shows a tractor conveyor (0078) comprising: a first carrier movable along a first drive (element 14, 54); a second carrier (i) movable along a second drive and (ii) spaced-apart from the first carrier (element 15, 55); and a plurality of plates, each plate of the plurality of plates extending between each of the first and second carriers, the plurality of plates operable to engage and transport a formed product (element 21; the examiner holds the property of elasticity to be inherent to the material of the plate which would be reasonably understood to be of an appropriate value for the processed material).
Regarding Claim 15, Takaoka shows a system (0078) comprising a die (Figure 5, element 33); first and second spaced-apart conveyors each comprising plates extending between opposing lateral sides of the first and second spaced-apart conveyors, wherein the plates (i) are operable to engage and pull the formed product away from the die (Figure 5, elements 14, 15; Figure 9, elements 54, 55; the examiner holds the property of elasticity to be inherent to the material of the plate which would be reasonably understood to be of an appropriate value for the processed material).
Regarding Claim 16, Takaoka shows the system of claim 15 above, including one wherein the first and second spaced-apart conveyors comprise movable carriers disposed along the opposing lateral sides of the first and second spaced-apart conveyors (element 54, 55).
Regarding Claim 17, Takaoka shows the system of claim 16 above, including one wherein the plates of each of the first and second spaced-apart conveyors extend between and are secured to the carriers of the corresponding conveyor (0095).
Regarding Claim 18, Takaoka shows the system of claim 16 above, including one further comprising stabilizing bars secured to the movable carriers of each of the first and second spaced-apart conveyors, wherein the stabilizing bars extending between and are secured to the carriers of the corresponding conveyor (element 54a, 55a).
Regarding Claim 20, Takaoka shows the system of claim 15 above, including one further comprising one or more motors operable to activate the first and second spaced-apart conveyors, wherein speeds of the one or more motors is adjustable to increase or decrease a force of the plates acting on the formed product (0101).
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.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takaoka. Takaoka shows the conveyor of claim 1, but he does not show adjustable elasticity. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to change the elasticity of Takaoka’s plates because adjustability is not a patentable advance (MPEP 2144.04 (V)(D)), for example making the plates thinner/more flexible in order to accommodate specific materials being processed.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-7 and 19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MONICA HUSON whose telephone number is (571)272-1198. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8a-4p.
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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.
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MONICA ANNE HUSON
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1742
/MONICA A HUSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1742
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