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 1-4, 8-10, 12-15, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Gordon (US 4,533,036).
In regard to claim 1, Gordon shows a conveyor belt scraper blade B that has an extension along a scraper axis parallel to shaft 27( see the annotated figure below). The scraper blade is configured to scrape off material from a surface of a conveyor belt 21 along a scraping region extending in parallel with the scraper axis. The conveyor belt scraper blade includes a supporting shell structure 160/161/164 presenting a scraper tip 164 at a first end and a mounting base 160 at a second, opposite, end. The scraper blade is tapered towards the scraper tip 164 at least at the first end. One scraper element 165 is arranged within the supporting shell structure so as to at least partially fill an interior thereof at the first end. The conveyor belt scraper blade is structured and arranged to wear off during use and the one or more scraper elements 165 are arranged with respect to the supporting shell structure such that the one or more scraper elements, at the end of a service life of the conveyor belt scraper blade, is at least partially worn off. The supporting shell structure is made of a first polyurethane material and the scraper element is made of a second stiffening material (see the discussion of the elastomer blade supports at the bottom of column 3 and the discussion of the rigid insert 165 in column 4, lines 40-45). The first and second materials are different at least in so far as the second material is stiffer than the first material.
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In regard to claim 2, in can be seen in the above figure that the supporting shell structure 160/161/164 completely encloses the one or more scraper elements in directions being transverse to the scraper axis.
In regard to claim 3, it can be seen in the above figure that the supporting shell structure has a constant cross-sectional profile along the scraper axis.
In regard to claim 4, the supporting shell structure is manufactured by an injection moulding process (see the discussion of the moulding of the blade at the bottom of column 3).
In regard to claim 8, the first material comprises a thermoplastic elastomer in the form of polyurethane.
In regard to claim 9, an interior of the supporting shell structure comprises a plurality of portions P1/P2 each defining a respective interior volume. The plurality of portions including one scraper portion P1 which is filled with the scraper element 165, and one or more hollow portions P2 which receives the shaft 27.
In regard to claim 10, the one or more hollow portions P1/P2 includes a first hollow portion P2 which is located within the mounting base.
In regard to claim, 12 adjacent portions of the plurality of portions P1/P2 are separated from each other by a separating structure S which interconnects opposing walls of the supporting shell structure 160/161/164.
In regard to claim 13, the above described structure is used as part of a conveyor belt scraper assembly that scrapes off material from a surface of the conveyor belt 21. The assembly includes the support shaft 27 structured and arranged to support the plurality of conveyor belt scraper blades and tensioning means (see figure 11) configured to exert a torque or a force onto the support shaft for pressing the plurality of conveyor belt scraper blades towards the conveyor belt surface.
In regard to claim 14, the above described structure is made by manufacturing a supporting shell structure 160/161/164 made of a first material having a scraper tip 164 at a first end and a mounting base 160 at a second, opposite, end. The shell structure is tapered towards the scraper tip 164 at least at the first end. During this process, one or more scraper element made of a second material within the supporting shell structure is arranged so as to at least partially fill an interior thereof at the first end.
In regard to claim 15, the step of manufacturing the supporting shell structure is achieved by an injection moulding process (see the discussion of the moulding of the blade at the bottom of column 3).
In regard to claim 17, as noted above, the first and second materials are different at least in so far as the second material is stiffer than the first material.
Claims 1-5, and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Gronvall et al. (US 2009/0218196).
In regard to claim 1, Gronvall shows a conveyor belt scraper blade 14 that has an extension along a scraper axis parallel to shaft 10( see the annotated figure below). The scraper blade is configured to scrape off material from a surface of a conveyor belt 24 along a scraping region extending in parallel with the scraper axis. The conveyor belt scraper blade includes a supporting shell structure 40 presenting a scraper tip 42 at a first end and a mounting base 16 at a second, opposite, end. The scraper blade is tapered towards the scraper tip 42 at least at the first end. One scraper element 41 is arranged within the supporting shell structure so as to at least partially fill an interior thereof at the first end. The conveyor belt scraper blade is structured and arranged to wear off during use and the one or more scraper elements 41 are arranged with respect to the supporting shell structure such that the one or more scraper elements, at the end of a service life of the conveyor belt scraper blade, is at least partially worn off (see paragraphs 0014 and 0047). The supporting shell structure is made of a first polyurethane material and the scraper element is made of a second stiffening material (see the discussion of the polyurethane material of shell structure 40 and polycarbonate material of the scraper element 41 in paragraph 0011). The first and second materials are different, polyurethane and polycarbonate.
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In regard to claim 2, in can be seen in figure 1 that the supporting shell structure 40 completely encloses the one or more scraper elements 41 in directions being transverse to the scraper axis.
In regard to claim 3, it can be seen in figure 1 that the supporting shell structure has a constant cross-sectional profile along the scraper axis.
In regard to claim 4, the supporting shell structure is manufactured by an injection moulding process (see the discussion of the moulding in paragraphs 0022-0023).
In regard to claim 5, the second material comprises a thermoplastic elastomer in the form of polycarbonate.
In regard to claim 8, the first material comprises a thermoplastic elastomer in the form of polyurethane.
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 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gordon.
In regard to the relative hardness of the first and second materials, it should be noted that Gordon teaches that it is advantageous to use a scraper material 65 in contact with the conveyor belt that has a higher hardness that a second material 64 supporting the material. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to make the shell structure 160/161/164 from a first material with a greater hardness than the second material 165 supporting it. When this is done, the resulting structure would have all the structure required by claim 6.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gordon in view of https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Polyurethane&direction=next&oldid=1131587372.
In regard to the biodegradable or biobased first material of claim 7, it should be noted that the above Wikipedia article published in January of 2023 teaches that making polyurethane to be biodegradable of based on biological materials would be advantageous.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11 and 16 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARK A DEUBLE whose telephone number is (571)272-6912. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday flex schedule.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gene Crawford can be reached at 571-272-6911. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MARK A DEUBLE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651
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