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 Objections
Claim 1 objected to because of the following informalities: “the length thereof”. A specific length has not been explicitly introduced in the claim.
Appropriate correction is required.
Applicant is advised that should claims 7-8 be found allowable, one of the claims will be objected to under 37 CFR 1.75 as being a substantial duplicate thereof. When two claims in an application are duplicates or else are so close in content that they both cover the same thing, despite a slight difference in wording, it is proper after allowing one claim to object to the other as being a substantial duplicate of the allowed claim. See MPEP § 608.01(m).
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) 1, 4, and 6-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Trowbridge (US 20170246778 A1) in view of Huntsman (Avalon 90 AB Data Sheet, supplied by applicant).
Regarding claim 1, Trowbridge teaches a joint of metal tubing or solid metal rod (Fig 11, Para 0103, tubular 1001, see also Para 0004 which discusses drilling tubulars as having “metal tubular body”) having one or more circumferential wear bands (Fig 10, Para 0107, wear bands 1006) formed around and bonded to the joint of metal tubing or solid metal rod at one or more selected locations along the length thereof (Fig 10, Para 0107, wear bands 1006 formed with sleeve 1007 protects the tubular at length/section seen).
While Trowbridge teaches “tubular sleeve may be formed from a polymer, preferably a polyamide, or similar type” (Para 0032) and the use of injection molding (Para 0052), Trowbridge is not explicit on Trowbridge is not explicit on wherein the one or more wear bands comprise a thermoplastic polyurethane material.
Huntsman teaches a thermoplastic polyurethane material (Product Description, Avalon 90 AB is a “Polyester based Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU)).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the invention disclosed by Trowbridge by having composition as disclosed by Huntsman because it presents a specific composition which would be necessary to implement the invention of Trowbridge who teaches a generic polymer, moreover the composition of Huntsman has “excellent mechanical properties and high tear strength” and is “Ideal for injection molding applications.”
Regarding claim 4, Trowbridge teaches wherein a reinforcing material is embedded in the one or more circumferential wear bands (Para 0106, “with reinforcing fiber”).
Regarding claim 6, Trowbridge teaches wherein the reinforcing material comprises glass fibers (Para 0106, “Such fiber reinforcing may include but not limited to glass,”).
Regarding claim 7, Trowbridge as modified teaches wherein the thermoplastic polyurethane is a polyester-based thermoplastic polyurethane (Huntsman, Product Description, Avalon 90 AB is a “Polyester based Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU)).
Regarding claim 8, Trowbridge as modified teaches wherein the thermoplastic polyurethane is a polyether-based thermoplastic polyurethane (Huntsman, Product Description, Avalon 90 AB is a “Polyester based Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU)).
Regarding claim 9, Trowbridge as modified teaches wherein the one or more circumferential wear bands are formed around the joint of metal tubing or solid metal rod by means of injection molding (Para 0052, “a polymer is then injected into the mold which forms around the tubular body”).
Claim(s) 2-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Trowbridge (US 20170246778 A1) in view of Huntsman (Avalon 90 AB Data Sheet, supplied by applicant), in view of Funk (US 4445727 A).
Regarding claim 2, while Trowbridge suggests couplings at both end of the tubular (Para 0109, tubular is a drill pipe), Trowbridge is not explicit on wherein the tubing or solid rod component has upset ends.
Funk teaches wherein the tubing or solid rod component has upset ends (Column 2, lines 52-60, tubular has box ends, please note that the recited tubing/rod components may reasonably be construed as multiple pipes with at least a plurality of “upset ends” as a result).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the invention disclosed by Trowbridge by having the tubing or solid rod component have upset ends including the wear elements as disclosed by Funk because it would be known means in the art to permit the coupling of the tubular elements together. The references are analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of endeavor i.e. wear protectors/stabilizers applied to downhole tubular devices.
Regarding claim 3, Trowbridge as modified teaches wherein at least one of the one or more circumferential wear bands is formed around and bonded to one of the upset ends of the joint of metal tubing or solid metal rod (Fig 1 of Funk, wear element 14, 16, and 18 are on box end 12).
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Trowbridge (US 20170246778 A1) in view of Huntsman (Avalon 90 AB Data Sheet, supplied by applicant), in view of Casassa (US 20110114338 A1).
Regarding claim 5, while Trowbridge teaches a reinforcing member (Para 0106), Trowbridge is silent on wherein the reinforcing material comprises a stainless steel mesh.
Casassa teaches wherein the reinforcing material comprises a stainless steel mesh (Para 0088, “Internal cage reinforcement 88 of steel […] cage is preferably made from stainless steel”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the invention disclosed by Trowbridge by having the reinforcing material comprises a stainless steel mesh as disclosed by Casassa because “Use of this material provides significant improvements in axial load capacity, i.e., increased compressive strength to failure and increased fatigue life” (Para 0088). The references are analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of endeavor i.e. wear protectors/stabilizers applied to downhole tubular devices.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Moore (US 20230323742 A1) teaches a wear band assembly for a pipe string operating inside a casing string includes a fixed cylindrical wear band made from a non-metallic, abrasion-resistant, low-friction material.
Nommensen (US 20200165881 A1) teaches a centralising assembly for a downhole device in the mining or oil well field, a method of manufacture therefor and to a coupling device including a centralising device.
Appleton (US 20020023782 A1) teaches a friction-reducing drill pipe component in the form of a sub (10) is adapted to form part of a drill string.
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/THEODORE N YAO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3676