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 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sakai (JP 2022-072926) (see attached machine translation).
Regarding claim 1, Sakai discloses a piping tool (item 1, figure 1) comprising:
a container connecting member (item 43, figure 1) comprising a plurality of supply ports (item 44, figure 2) to which a plurality of containers (items 3A-3D, figure 1, paragraph [0010]) are connectable in a first direction, respectively, each of the plurality of containers configured to contain a creamy substance (items 30A-30D, figure 1, paragraph [0010]); and
a discharge member (item 41, figure 1) configured to merge a plurality of flow paths (figures 4(a) and 4(b) configured to allow creamy substances from the plurality of containers connected to the plurality of supply ports to pass therethrough, and discharge a merged creamy substance (through item 417, figure 3(b)),
wherein each of the plurality of flow paths is configured to directly suppresses leakage of the creamy substance (paragraphs [0014], [0016]) by bringing an end surface of the container connecting member or an end surface of a corresponding one of the plurality of containers into surface-to-surface contact with a bottom surface of the discharge member in the first direction (an end surface of member 43 is directly in contact with end surface of member 41, see figures 6(a), 6(b), and 7).
Regarding claim 2, Sakai discloses that the discharge member comprises a tip connecting member (body of member 41, figures 2, 3(a)-3(b), 4(a)-4(b)), the tip connecting member being configured to be connected to the plurality of containers on one side of the tip connecting member in the first direction and configured to be connected to a piping tip (item 5, figure 2) on another side of the tip connecting member in the first direction.
Regarding claim 3, Sakai discloses that the container and the piping tip are connected via only two components consisting of the container connecting member (item 43, figure 1) and the tip connecting member (item 41, figure 1) to form the plurality of flow paths.
Regarding claim 4, Sakai discloses that the tip connecting member comprises a plurality of inclined guide portions (see bottom of member 41, figure 3(b)) configured to guide the plurality of flow paths in second directions, respectively, the second directions in which the plurality of flow paths approach each other, and wherein the plurality of inclined guide portions are positioned on extensions of discharge ports of the plurality of containers in the first direction (figure 7), respectively.
Regarding claim 5, Sakai discloses that each of the plurality of inclined guide portions comprises an inclined surface with a gradient of 45 degrees or less with respect to the second directions (see figures 7-10, the angle of the inclined guide portions is less than 45 degrees).
Regarding claim 6, Sakai discloses that the tip connecting member comprises a conduit portion (item 416, figures 2 and 3(b)) in which as a plurality of discharge passages, the plurality of flow paths guided by the inclined guide portions are provided in parallel.
Regarding claim 7, Sakai discloses that the tip connecting member comprises a plurality of second supply ports (figures 4(a) and 4(b)) configured to receive tip ends of the plurality of containers, respectively, and wherein a part or a whole of each of the plurality of discharge passages is disposed within an opening of a corresponding one of the plurality of second supply ports in the first direction.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8 and 9 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The following documents disclose subject matter related to dispensers that squeeze out materials from flexible bags connected to dispensing nozzles and mix multiple materials together prior to dispensing: US PN 5,114,044, US PN 6,257,450, and US PG PUB 2010/0108709.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VISHAL J PANCHOLI whose telephone number is (571)272-9324. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday (9 am - 7 pm).
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/Vishal Pancholi/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3754
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