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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Claims 1-12 in the reply filed on 09/18/2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Claims 13-20 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 09/18/2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-6 and 8-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by KIMOTO et al. (5,350,288).
Regarding claims 1-2, KIMOTO et al. discloses an injection molding method
comprising:
performing a mold positioning step (Fig. 1) to define a mold cavity, the mold positioning step comprising:
providing a deformable molding unit on a first axis, the deformable molding unit having a deformable cavity (33) and comprising a bottom portion (34c) and a first elastic portion (34a) connected to the bottom portion (see Fig.2), the bottom portion and the first elastic portion being connected to the deformable cavity (33), the first elastic portion (34a) being elastically deformable with respect to the bottom portion (34c), and the deformable cavity having an original dimension (Figs.1-2); and
applying, by a first drive module, a first compression force to the first elastic portion along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, such that the first elastic portion deforms with respect to the bottom portion and the deformable cavity is reduced to a reduced dimension (C6:L40-50);
injecting plastic into the mold cavity comprising the deformable cavity with the reduced dimension to form a workpiece (Fig.1; claim 3);
releasing, by the first drive module, the first compression force, such that the first elastic portion is returned and the deformable cavity is restored to the original dimension (C6:L40-50; Fig.1); and
retracting the deformable molding unit along the first axis (Figs.1-2).
Regarding claim 3, KIMOTO et al. discloses clamping a top molding unit (37-Fig.3), the deformable molding unit and a bottom molding unit together on a third axis to form the mold cavity, wherein the first axis, the second axis and the third axis are mutually perpendicular (Fig.4, Figs.1-2).
Regarding claim 4, KIMOTO et al. discloses wherein the first elastic portion comprises a first positioning structure at a location where it is in contact with the top molding unit (37-Figs.1-2).
Regarding claim 5, KIMOTO et al. discloses separating the top molding unit (33) from the deformable molding unit (34) along the third axis to expose the workpiece (32) (Fig.2).
Regarding claim 6, KIMOTO et al. discloses wherein the step of releasing the first compression force by the first driving module is performed after the step of separating the top molding unit from the deformable molding unit along the third axis (Fig.2).
Regarding claim 8, KIMOTO et al. discloses wherein the deformable molding unit further comprises a second elastic portion (34b) connected to the bottom portion (34c), and the first elastic portion (34a) and the second elastic portion (34b) are arranged on the bottom portion (34c) at spaced intervals along the second axis (Fig.2).
Regarding claim 9, KIMOTO et al. discloses wherein the deformable cavity (33) is formed between the first elastic portion (34b), the second elastic portion (34a) and the bottom portion (34c), and the first elastic portion, the second elastic portion and the bottom portion are in contact with the deformable cavity (Fig.2).
Regarding claim 10, KIMOTO et al. discloses wherein each of the first elastic portion, the second elastic portion and the bottom portion has a textured structure on a surface in contact with the deformable cavity (Fig.2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7, 11, and 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
a) JP 57205126 discloses a mold forming method.
b) TW 175269 discloses injection molding method.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STELLA KIM YI whose telephone number is (571)270-5123. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00-5:00 EST.
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STELLA YI
Examiner
Art Unit 1742
/STELLA K YI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1742
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