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 Objections
Claims 16-17 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 16, lines 7 and 11, “said cut” should be –said first cut—
In claim 17, line 2-3, “the web” should be --the flexible web—
In claim 17, line 3, “In claim 2, line 2-3, “the web” should be --the flexible web—
In claim 17, line 2, “the weave of one said layer” should be --a weave of one said layer –
In claim 17, lines 2-3, “the weave of the other layer” should be --a weave of the other said layer—
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 16-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 16 recites the limitation "the or each said connecting region" in line 12. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Recitation “the or each said connecting region" in line 12 and 16 of claim 16 also renders the claim indefinite for being unclear because it is not known whether said recitation is referred to “at least uncut connecting region” as recited in line 8 of claim 16.
Recitation “the or each connecting region" in line 2 of claim 18 also renders the claim indefinite for being unclear because it is not known whether said recitation is referred to “at least uncut connecting region” as recited in line 8 of claim 16.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 16 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Claim 17-30 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the closest prior art either alone or in combination fails to disclose, teach or suggest a method of producing laminated airbags, the method involving: providing a flexible web comprising a pair of superimposed woven fabric layers with a plurality of adjacent airbag preforms; an initial cutting step in which a plurality of first cuts are made through both fabric layers outside the periphery of each airbag preform, said cuts cooperating to collectively encircle the periphery of each said airbag preform except for at least one uncut connecting region of the flexible web; a removal step in which regions of said fabric layers outside the periphery of each airbag preform and which are separated by said cuts are removed from the flexible web to form a reduced web; a laminating step in which said reduced web is laminated between two thin film layers to form a laminated web; and a second cutting step in which a respective peripheral cut is made through said laminated web, around each peripheral seam and in the region of the respective said peripheral seal, thereby separating a respective laminated airbag from said laminated web.
Conclusion
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/TOAN C TO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3614 September 15, 2026
