DETAILED ACTION
1. This Office Action is sent in response to Applicant s communication received on 09/24/2026 for application number 19/082,254. The Office herby acknowledges receipt of the following and placed of record in file: Specification, Drawings, Abstract, Oath/Declaration, and claims.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
2. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . 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 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.
Priority
3. Acknowledgment is made of applicant s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
4. 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.
5. Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Thurman et al., [US Pub. No.: 2021/0252356 A1].
Re. Claim 7, Thurman et al., [US Pub. No.: 2021/0252356 A1] discloses
A preparation process of the super-integrated structure pickleball paddle according to claim 1, comprising the following steps: step 1: cutting a paddle core and a paddle surface into a paddle shape [the one piece structure forms a handle 730-1 and a head 740-1. The handle 730-1 may have an oval or cylindrical shape extending from head 740-1 and terminating at an outwardly flared butt end 731| 0096];
step 2: making a silencing foam strip [The material may add cushioning, durability, sound dampening or other characteristics to those regions in which lattice filler 4453 is used |0227];
step 3: assembling the paddle core [Fig. 3a paddle core ], the paddle surface, and the silencing foam strip into the paddle body [FIGS. 32A and 32B illustrate an example pickleball paddle 2820. Pickleball paddle 2820 comprises handle 30 and head 2840. As shown by FIG. 32B, head 2840 comprises inner layer 2842 sandwiched between faceplates 2844 and 46 and bordered by bumper 28. Inner layer 2842 comprises sublayers 2870-1, 2870-2 and 2870-3 (collectively referred to as sublayers 2870). Sublayer 2870-1 is similar to sublayer 1370-2 described above.|0164];
step 4: hot pressing, heating to make the modified TPU composite material into a viscous flow state, leaving a space between the paddle body and a mold, wherein the mold has an injection port for injecting the modified TPU composite material in the viscous flow state, after high-temperature hot pressing, the edge banding and the paddle body are fused together [During heating and curing, the resin can flow between plies and within the fiber bundles. The faceplates 44 and/or 46 can be coated with one or more layers of paint and/or clear coats. Examples of translucent materials which may be used to form faceplate 44 and/or 46 include, but are not limited to, polycarbonate, poly methyl methacrylate, polyamide 11, polyolefins (e.g, polyethylene), or polyurethane. |0085];
step 5: printing a pattern on the paddle surface of the paddle body [pattern printed on paddle surface Figs 32a, 34a];
and step 6: installing the handle [An example pickleball paddle may include a handle and a head coupled to the handle. The head may include an inner layer sandwiched between a first outer faceplate and a second outer faceplate. The inner layer may include a lattice. At least portions of the handle, the inner layer, the first outer faceplate and the second outer faceplate are integrally formed as a single unitary body. |Abstract 0077,0089].
Allowable Subject Matter
6. Claims 8-12 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 HOWARD D BROWN JR whose telephone number is (571)272-4371. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:30AM - 5:00PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sathyanarayanan Perungavoor can be reached at 5712727455. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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HOWARD D. BROWN JR
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2488
/HOWARD D BROWN JR/Examiner, Art Unit 2488
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