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 .
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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)(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.
(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) 1-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lock (US 2013/0133369).
Regarding claim 1, Lock discloses a method of manufacturing a glass ribbon comprising:
introducing the glass ribbon (21) along a travel path in a travel direction as depicted in Fig 1-2 to a gap defined between a first forming roll (24) and a second forming roll (26);
passing the glass ribbon through the gap (See Fig 1-2); and
Lock discloses various embodiments of controlling the gap between forming rolls (24 and 26) [0083]-[0085],
Lock discloses changing a width of the gap by moving the roller vary the size of the gap between the forming rollers by moving roller (24) [0084]
thus moving one or more of the first forming roll independently of the second forming roll along a movement axis that is substantially perpendicular to the travel path or the second forming roll independently of the first forming roll along the movement axis.
Regarding claims 2 and 4, there is necessarily a step of assembling the first forming roll and the second forming roll to manufacture the apparatus depicted in Fig 1-8, and the roller working on the glass, thus “machining”
undesirable variations in the thickness or other parameters of the sized glass ribbon are detected by the sensors, then the gap between the sizing and texturing rolls may be adjusted in real time [0084]
thus reducing a variation in the width of the gap as the glass ribbon is being received.
Regarding claim 3, the changing the width of the gap comprises moving the roller [0084] thus; moving one end of the first forming roll to accommodate for a variation in the width of the gap along the length of the gap giving the broadest reasonable interpretation.
Regarding claims 5-6, Lock discloses sensors monitoring a characteristic of the glass ribbon such as thickness or other parameters of the glass ribbon and, based on the characteristic, changing the width of the gap [0084].
Regarding claim 7, Lock discloses a method of manufacturing a glass ribbon (Fig 1-2) comprising:
machining one or more surfaces of the first forming roll or the second forming roll (24 and 26) to reduce a variation in a width of a gap defined between the first forming roll and the second forming roll [0084];
introducing the glass ribbon along a travel path in a travel direction to the gap; and passing the glass ribbon through the gap (Fig 1-8).
Regarding claim 8, Lock discloses mounting rolls on shafts, thus assembling, at least [0087], a first shaft to a first side of a first roller and a second shaft to a second side of the first roller (24) to form the first forming roll, and attaching a third shaft to a first side of a second roller and a fourth shaft to a second side of the second roller (26) to form the second forming roll see Fig 7-8 and 14-15.
Regarding claim 9, Lock discloses the assembling comprises attaching the first shaft to a first bearing (126) and the second shaft to a second bearing (124) and attaching the third shaft to a third bearing (126) and the fourth shaft to a fourth bearing (124).
Regarding claim 10, the machining of the glass necessarily occurs after the assembling of the first forming roll and the second forming roll because the apparatus is manufactured to implement the glass forming method.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JODI COHEN FRANKLIN whose telephone number is (571)270-3966. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8 am-4 pm.
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JODI COHEN FRANKLIN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1741
/JODI C FRANKLIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1741
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