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Claims 10-12 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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 March 24, 2024.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 1, 6 and is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Simpson (US 7574839) in view of Taylor et al. (US 2003/0188495 A1).
Re Claim 1, Simpson discloses a method of assembling a roofing panel for a roof 28 (See figs. 1 and 2), the method comprising: supporting a plurality of open web joists 22 parallel to one another (See figures 1 and 2); securing a plurality of sheets 24 of sheathing to the plurality of open web joists 22, each sheet of the plurality of sheets 24 secured in succession across the plurality of open web joists 22 until at least a majority of the plurality of open web joists 22 are covered with the plurality of sheets 24 of sheathing, forming the roofing panel (Col. 5, Line 49-Col. 6, Line 3, Figs. 1 and 2). Simpson does not explicitly disclose supporting a plurality of open web joists proximate to ground level or hoisting the roofing panel to the roof and securing the roofing panel to the roof.
Taylor discloses a method of assembling a roofing panel 60 for a roof (See figs. 4 and 5), the method comprising: supporting a plurality of trusses 54 proximate to ground level (See figure 4); securing a plurality of sheets 58 of sheathing to the plurality of trusses 54, each sheet of the plurality of sheets 58 secured in succession across the plurality of trusses 54 until at least a majority of the plurality of trusses 54 are covered with the plurality of sheets 58 of sheathing, forming the roofing panel 60 and hoisting the roofing panel 60 to the roof and securing the roofing panel 60 to the roof (Pars. 0024-0030, Figs. 1-5). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Simpson by supporting the plurality of open web joists proximate to ground level and hoisting the roofing panel to the roof and securing the roofing panel to the roof, as disclosed by Taylor, as a known alternative type of roof panel construction.
Re Claim 6, the combination as applied to claim 1 remains as previously applied. Simpson discloses coupling the plurality of open web joists 22 to one another via one or more purlins 18 (Col. 5, Lines 58-60).
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Simpson (US 7574839) in view of Taylor et al. (US 2003/0188495 A1), as applied to claim 1, in view of Calini (US 8615935).
Re Claim 2, the combination as applied to claim 1 remains as previously applied. The combination does not explicitly disclose the plurality of open web joists are supported by placing a first end of each open web joist in a respective first joist receiving bracket of a first joist railing on a first end, and placing a second end of each open web joist in a respective second joist receiving bracket of a second joist railing on a second end.
Calini discloses a method of assembling a roofing panel for a roof, the method comprising: supporting a plurality of open web joists 24 parallel to one another; the plurality of open web joists 24 are supported by placing a first end of each open web joist 24 in a respective first joist receiving bracket 54 of a first joist railing 14 on a first end, and placing a second end of each open web joist 24 in a respective second joist receiving bracket 54 of a second joist railing 14 on a second end (Col. 4, Line 69-Col. 5, Line 13 and Col. 6, Line 9-Col. 7, Line 13, Figs. 1 and 4-6). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Simpson by supporting the plurality of open web joists by placing a first end of each open web joist in a respective first joist receiving bracket of a first joist railing on a first end, and placing a second end of each open web joist in a respective second joist receiving bracket of a second joist railing on a second end, as disclosed by Calini as a known method of securely supporting joists to produce a roof.
Claim(s) 3 and 7-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Simpson (US 7574839) in view of Taylor et al. (US 2003/0188495 A1), and Calini (US 8615935), in view of DesJardien (US 2015/0314890 A1).
Re Claim 3, the combination as applied to claim 2 remains as previously applied. The combination does not explicitly disclose the first joist railing is coupled to a first catwalk and the second joist railing is coupled to a second catwalk.
DesJardien discloses an assembly method, comprising: supporting a plurality of open web joists 2202 parallel to one another; the plurality of open web joists 2202 are supported by placing a first end of each open web joist in a respective first joist receiving bracket (not labeled) of a first joist railing (not labeled) on a first end (See figures 22 and 23, as may be noted from figures 22 and 23, ends of the parallel joists are connected to an outer extending rail); the first joist railing is coupled to a first catwalk (not labeled, the first catwalk is shown adjacent the joist assembly 2202 and overhead support systems 2208, 2210) and the second joist railing is coupled to a second catwalk 2206 (Par. 0203, Figs. 22 and 23). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Simpson by providing a plurality of open web joists supported by respective first joist receiving brackets of a first joist railing on a first end; the first joist railing is coupled to a first catwalk and the second joist railing is coupled to a second catwalk, as disclosed by DesJardien for the benefit of supporting the joists to properly manufacture the roof assembly.
Re Claim 7, the combination as applied to claim 1 remains as previously applied. The combination does not explicitly disclose a center frame, the plurality of open web joists are positioned on a first side of the center frame; supporting a second plurality of open web joists on a second side of the center frame, the second plurality of open web joists positioned parallel to one another proximate to ground level; securing a second plurality of sheets of sheathing to the second plurality of open web joists, each sheet of the second plurality of sheets secured in succession across the second plurality of open web joists until at least a majority of the second plurality of open web joists are covered with the second plurality of sheets of sheathing, forming a second roofing panel; and hoisting the second roofing panel to the roof and securing the second roofing panel to the roof.
Taylor does however disclose supporting a second plurality of trusses 54, the second plurality of trusses 54 positioned parallel to one another proximate to ground level; securing a second plurality of sheets 58 of sheathing to the second plurality of trusses 54, each sheet of the second plurality of sheets 58 secured in succession across the second plurality of trusses 54 until at least a majority of the second plurality of trusses 54 are covered with the second plurality of sheets 58 of sheathing, forming a second roofing panel 60; and hoisting the second roofing panel 60 to the roof and securing the second roofing panel 60 to the roof (Pars. 0026-0029, Figs. 1-5). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Simpson by supporting a second plurality of open web joists; securing sheets of sheathing to form a second roof panel and hoisting the second roofing panel to the roof and securing the second roofing panel to the roof, as disclosed by Taylor, as a known alternative method of manufacturing a roof panel.
DesJardien discloses an assembly method, comprising: supporting a plurality of open web joists 2202 parallel to one another proximate ground level; the plurality of open web joists are positioned on a first side of the center frame 2206; supporting a second plurality of open web joists 2204 on a second side of the center frame 2206, the second plurality of open web joists 2204 positioned parallel to one another proximate to ground level (Pars. 0203-0205, Figs. 20-23). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of the combination by supporting a first and second plurality of open web joists on respective first and second sides of a center frame as disclosed by DesJardien, as a known alternative method of assembling components.
Re Claim 8, the combination as applied to claim 7 remains as previously applied. The combination discloses the plurality of open web joists 24 are supported by placing a first end of each open web joist 24 in a respective first joist receiving bracket 54, and placing a second end of each open web joist 24 in a respective second joist receiving bracket 54 (See Calini, Col. 4, Line 69-Col. 5, Line 13 and Col. 6, Line 9-Col. 7, Line 13, Figs. 1 and 4-6).
Re Claim 9, the combination as applied to claim 7 remains as previously applied. The combination discloses the center frame 2206 comprises a cantilevered gantry 2208, 2210, 2212, 2214, the cantilevered gantry 2208, 2210, 2212, 2214 configured to convey each sheet of the plurality of sheets across the plurality of open web joists (Pars. 0203-0205, Figs. 20-23). Note: DesJardien discloses overhead support systems 2208, 2210, 2212, 2214 are moveable and carry at least one hexapod in this illustrative example. Each of these systems may work simultaneously to perform various assembly operations on either structure 2202 or structure 2204 (Par. 0205). Based on this disclosure the Examiner construes the invention of DesJardien is capable of conveying each sheet of the plurality of sheets across the plurality of open web joists.
Claim Objections
Claims 4 and 5 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
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/BAYAN SALONE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3726