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 § 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 1 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.
Claim 1 recites “a large number of short fibers.” This is unclear because the disclosure does not define “large number” or “short fibers.” In other words, it is unclear how many fibers are required to satisfy “large number,” and it is unclear what length of fiber will satisfy “short fibers.” For purposes of examination, any number of fibers will satisfy “large number” and any length of fiber will satisfy “short fibers.”
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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JP 2015-013538 Kimura et al.
Regarding claim 1, Kimura teaches a method for manufacturing (paragraph 0029) a soundproof cushioning material (paragraph 0010) to be attached to an inner face of a wheel well of a vehicle body (paragraph 0014), the soundproof cushioning material including:
a soundproof cushioning area 20 (paragraph 0022) including a non-woven fabric having a large number of short fibers entangled with each other (paragraph 0023);
a continuous resin area 11 defining a continuous face (bottom surface) with the soundproof cushioning area with a boundary part intervening therebetween (figure 3b), and
a rib resin area 41 protruding more than a face of the soundproof cushioning area (figure 3b),
the rib resin area and the soundproof cushioning area having a part of a boundary part 21 therebetween (figure 3b),
the method comprising:
compressing (via 201) the non-woven fabric to apply pressure to a part of the non-woven fabric at a boundary at the soundproof cushioning area (paragraph 0032) so as to increase a density of the non-woven fabric at the part (figure 4), thus suppressing inflow of resin for a stable boundary between the soundproof cushioning area and the continuous resin area and between the soundproof cushioning area and the rib resin area (paragraph 0039).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Megha M Gaitonde whose telephone number is (571)270-3598. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30 am to 5 pm.
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/MEGHA M GAITONDE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1781
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