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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Invention 1, claims 1-14 and 18-20 in the reply filed on 7/14/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the apparatus as claimed cannot be used to cure a coating on a plastic molded substrate as an inductor/induction element creates an electromagnetic field and an eddy current in the metallic workpiece due to a material makeup of metal.
This argument is deemed persuasive and the restriction requirement is withdrawn, and all claims are examined.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Efner et al (US 2021/0370347) in view of Katunori et al (JPH 09129191).
With respect to claims 1, 15 and 18, Efner discloses the apparatus and method claimed including an over for curing a coating on an exterior surface of a metallic container body (e.g., beverage containers/cans) comprising an induction element (36) for heating the metallic container body, a pin chain (66) having a pin (70) that engages with an interior surface of the container body as the pin is expanded or expandable through a slot (94) to transport the container body through the oven, a ventilation system (84) operable to selectively remove air from the oven, and providing electrical power to the induction element to heat the metallic container body to a predetermined temperature (also, see para 0235). But, Efner does not disclose a heater housing a and a tunnel extending through the heating housing wherein the heater housing with the tunnel comprises an entrance at a first end of the heater housing and an exit at a second end of the heater housing, a wall defining a periphery of the tunnel with a slot that extends through the wall wherein an induction element is provided within the heater housing in an enclosed area between exterior surfaces of the heater housing and the periphery of the tunnel as claimed.
Katsunori discloses it is known to provide an induction element (11) having a heater housing (shown by an outer case 13; also, see Figures 1 and 2) having a tunnel (shown by a coil support 12) having a corresponding structure as that of the heater housing with the induction element provided in an enclosed area between the exterior surface of the heating housing/outer case and a periphery of the tunnel/coil support wherein the exterior surface of the heater housing/outer case does not contact the tunnel/coil support (also, see para 0024).
In view of Katsunori, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Efner with the induction element provided with a heater housing for the protection of the induction element wherein a tunnel is further provided to provided a support for the inductor element wherein as the metallic body is transported through the heater housing and the channel, a slot would be provided with the channel as well as with the heater housing for the pins of the pin change to engage with the interior of the container body as the container body is transported through the heater housing and the tunnel, and the heater housing with the tunnel as taught by Katsunori would predictably provide the inductor element to maintain its heater configurations to effectively provide induction heating to the metallic container body as desired.
With respect to claim 2, Efner further discloses the inductor element comprises an inductor that creates an electromagnetic field and produces an eddy current in the metallic container body (para 0063).
With respect to claims 3 and 4, Efner further discloses the induction element (34/38) having a cooling element (52) to adjust or keep the induction element from exceeding a set/desired temperature wherein the cooling element including a tube that contains a cooling fluid (para 0255-0258).
With respect to claim 5, Efner as modified by Katsunori further discloses a plurality of the heating element which would have been provided with its respective housing and channel wherein the Efner discloses that a first heater housing (e.g., 34A) is configured to heat the metallic container to a first temperature wherein the tunnel, as modified by Katsunori, can be further provided through the second heater housing (e.g., 34B) downstream of the first heater housing to continuously provide a support for the inductor element associated with the second heater housing, wherein the second heater housing is heated to a second temperature that is greater than the first temperature (para 022 and 0065).
With respect to claims 6 and 7, Efner as modified by Katsunori further discloses for the ventilation system having a duct (88) and a plurality of ports (shown by perforation 89) including a first port and/or second port from the tunnel portions (as Katsunori discloses the tunnel 12 having a opened bottom as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2) wherein contaminants (e.g., vapor/organic compounds) are vented or drawn in through the ports by the ventilation system (para 0033 and 0409).
With respect to claim 8 Efner as modified by Katsunori further discloses the ventilation system including a vent or damper that can be adjusted to alter airflow (para 0408), and as the vent is capable of being adjusted to control the airflow, the vent/damper would include a plurality of intermediate positions to change a volume of air removed from the tunnel through the first port.
With respect to claim 9, Efner as modified by Katsunori discloses the ventilation system that is operable to maintain the airflow in the tunnel wherein it would have been obvious to maintain the pressure in the tunnel less than 1 atmosphere pressure or any other pressure desired, as a matter of routine operations and optimization, to control the airflow at a desired rate during the operation of the oven as the pressure would dictate the rate at which the air can flow.
With respect to claim 10, Efner further discloses an exhaust fan (85).
With respect to claim 11, Efner as modified by Katsunori discloses a second portion of the wall of the tunnel (12) that is positioned between the induction element (11) and an interior of the tunnel where a metallic container body (1) is received (see Figures 1 and 2 of Katsunori).
With respect to claim 12, Efner as modified by Katsunori discloses at least one portion of the wall of the tunnel is formed of a material that a glass-fiber that is non-magnetic (see para 0024 of Katsunori).
With respect to claims 13, 14, 16 and 17, Efner as modified by Katsunori discloses a controls system (100; see Figure 4A of Efner) that sends a signal to a power source (32) to adjust a heating output of the induction element that depends on a type of coating on the metallic container body, a thermal conductivity (its thickness) of the container body, or a rate at which the container body is heated (also, see para 0235).
With respect to claim 19, Efner as modified by Katsunori discloses a portion of the wall of the tunnel (12) that is positioned between the induction element (11) and an interior of the tunnel where a metallic container body (1) is received (see Figures 1 and 2 of Katsunori) wherein the tunnel includes a first (side)wall, a second (side)wall opposite the first (side)wall, a third (top)wall extending from the first wall to the second wall, and while Katsunori does not show a fourth (bottom)wall, Efner discloses a base (92) through which the slot (94) is provided, and it would have been obvious to provide the tunnel having the fourth wall having a slot, as an alternative tunnel body that can predictably enclose and retain the entirely of the container body within the tunnel, so that the pin chain with its pin can extend through the slot to transport the metallic container body.
With respect to claim 20, Efner as modified by Katsunori discloses at least one portion of the wall of the tunnel is formed of a material that a glass-fiber that is non-magnetic (see para 0024 of Katsunori).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Baxter et al (US 2012/0288638) discloses a pin oven including an induction element for curing a coating a coating on an exterior surface of a metallic workpiece/container.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SANG Y PAIK whose telephone number is (571)272-4783. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00-5:30; M-F.
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/SANG Y PAIK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761
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