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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the subject matter in claims 6, 12, 18, 19 and 21, section (ii) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
Claim 21 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 claim is redundant, see base claim section (i).
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) 19-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Madson et al (2021/0162264). Claim 19, Madson discloses a golf ball having an outer surface comprising a plurality of dimples disposed thereon, wherein the dimples are arranged in a first domain having a first dimple pattern (fig 20A) and a second domain having a second dimple pattern (fig 20B) that is different from the first dimple pattern, the first domain and the second domain being tessellated to cover the outer surface of the golf ball in a uniform pattern having no dimple-free great circles and consisting of four first domains and four second domains, each of the first and second domains having three-way rotational symmetry, wherein the plurality of dimples comprising dimples having at least five different dimple diameters (A-E), including a minimum dimple diameter (A), a maximum dimple diameter (E), and at least three additional dimple diameters (B, C, D), wherein for each of the at least three additional diameters, at least one dimple or a subset of dimples of each diameter is nearest neighbors with: (i) at least one dimple having the minimum dimple diameter, (ii) at least one dimple of each of the at least three additional dimple diameters, and (iii) at least one dimple having the maximum dimple diameter (fig 20C). Claim 20, Madson discloses each dimple having the minimum dimple diameter is nearest neighbors with at least one other dimple having the minimum dimple diameter. Claim 21, at least one dimple or a subset of dimples having the minimum dimple diameter is nearest neighbors with at least one of each of the at least three additional dimple diameters (fig 20C). Claim 22, at least one dimple having the maximum dimple diameter is nearest neighbors with at least one other dimple having the maximum dimple diameter (fig 20C). Claim 23, at least one dimple or a subset of dimples having the maximum dimple diameter is nearest neighbors with at least one of each of the at least three additional dimple diameters (fig 20C).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-18 are allowed.
Claim 24 is 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 RAEANN GORDEN whose telephone number is (571)272-4409. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
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, Eugene Kim can be reached at 571-272-4463. 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.
/RAEANN GORDEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3711
July 11, 2026
Prosecution Insights