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 .
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.
Claims 1 and 3-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Skilton US20220234714.
Claim 1. Skilton discloses an aircraft (20) comprising: a fuselage (22); wings (24) attached to the fuselage; and a torque box (40) within the fuselage, the torque box including a side panel (46), the side panel comprising a composite laminate material including a plurality of stiffening beads (84, 86) incorporated into an exterior surface of the side panel (P.0044-0045).
Claim 3. Skilton discloses the plurality of stiffening beads are integrated with the side panel (P.0003 discloses pressure deck comprises a composite laminate panel that is reinforced with external stiffeners).
Claim 4. Skilton discloses the plurality of stiffening beads extend parallel to one another (Fig.12).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Victorazzo US20140186588.
Claim 10. Victorazzo discloses a component for an aircraft (P.0002) comprising a panel (10) fabricated from a composite laminate material, the panel including a plurality of stiffening beads (14) integrated therewith, wherein the stiffening beads extend parallel to one another from proximate one end of the panel to proximate an opposite end of the panel (Fig.1).
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, 5, 8, and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Skilton US20220234714 as applied to claim 1 and above.
Claim 2. Skilton is silent on the side panel includes a first side panel on a first side of the torque box and a second side panel on a second side of the torque box opposite the first side. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the instant invention to modify the each side panels to comprise composite laminate material including a plurality of stiffening beads integrated therewith for a structural barrier that prevents any penetration into pressurized space as taught by Skilton. Furthermore, 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.
Claim 5. Skilton discloses ends of the stiffening beads are rectangular but is silent on square. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the instant invention to form the ends of the stiffening beads in squares for easy arrangement, since there is no invention in merely changing the shape or form of an article without changing its function except in a design patent.
Claim 8. Skilton discloses is silent on an additional component comprising a second panel comprising a composite laminate material including a plurality of stiffening beads integrated therewith. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the instant invention to provide an additional component to comprise a second panel with a composite laminate material including a plurality of stiffening beads integrated therewith for a structural barrier that prevents any penetration into pressurized space as taught by Skilton. Furthermore, 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
Claim 9. Skilton as modified discloses the additional component comprises at least one of a keel beam (Fig.8), a rib of one of the wings, and rib of a tail of the aircraft.
Claims 11 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Victorazzo US20140186588 as applied to claim 10 above.
Claim 11. Victorazzo discloses ends of the stiffening beads are trapezoidal but is silent on square. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the instant invention to form the ends of the stiffening beads in squares for easy arrangement, since there is no invention in merely changing the shape or form of an article without changing its function except in a design patent.
Claim 14. Victorazzo discloses the panels may be employed as sections of an aircraft fuselage (P.0032) but is silent on at least one of a keel beam, a rib of one of a wing of the aircraft, and rib of a tail of the aircraft. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the instant invention to use the panels for at least one of a keel beam, a rib of one of a wing of the aircraft, and rib of a tail of the aircraft with the motivation of providing a relatively high strength-to-weight component as suggested by Victorazzo.
Claims 15-17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Skilton US20220234714 in view of Victorazzo US20140186588 .
Claim 15 and 16. Skilton discloses vehicle (20) comprising: a body (22); and a torque box (40) within the body, the torque box including a first side panel (56) on a first side of the torque box and a second side panel (58) on a second side of the torque box opposite the first side, but is silent on each of the first and second side panels comprises a composite laminate material including a plurality of stiffening beads integrated with the side panel.
Victorazzo discloses a component for an aircraft (P.0002) comprising a panel (10) fabricated from a composite laminate material, the panel including a plurality of stiffening beads (14) integrated therewith, wherein the stiffening beads extend parallel to one another from proximate one end of the panel to proximate an opposite end of the panel (Fig.1). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the instant invention to use the panels for the first and second sides with the motivation of providing a relatively high strength-to-weight box as suggested by Victorazzo, 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.
Claim 17. Skilton in view of Victorazzo discloses ends of the stiffening beads are trapezoidal but is silent on square. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the instant invention to form the ends of the stiffening beads in squares for easy arrangement, since there is no invention in merely changing the shape or form of an article without changing its function except in a design patent.
Claim 20. Skilton as modified discloses an additional component comprising a third panel comprising a composite laminate material including a plurality of stiffening beads (84, 86) integrated therewith (P.0044-0045).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 7, 12, 13, 18 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the closest prior art of record fails to teach or adequately suggest the combination of characteristics specified in the independent claim, especially the requirement of a substance concerning end portions of the stiffening beads comprise ramp portions extending from top surfaces of the stiffening beads, hence there is no cogent reasoning that is unequivocally independent of hindsight that would have led one of ordinary skill in the art at the time.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Refer to attached NOTICE OF REFERENCE CITED.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BABAJIDE A DEMUREN whose telephone number is (571)270-7017. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.
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BABAJIDE A. DEMUREN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3633
/BABAJIDE A DEMUREN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3633
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