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 without traverse of claims 1-4 in the reply filed on 7/20/26 is acknowledged.
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.
(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) 1-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Griffith (US 2016/0363265 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Griffith discloses a method for manufacturing a liner for a pressure vessel (abstract), the liner including body portions each including a central portion (610) and tapered portions (625), and a plurality of connecting portions each connecting two of the body portions adjacent to each other in series via the tapered portions (see figure 15d), having a smaller diameter than the central portion, and bent to fold the body portions (see figure 15d), the method comprising a step of manufacturing the liner by extruding a tubular preform having a predetermined bore diameter [0060-0061; claim 15], disposing a tubular molding assist member (705 A, 705B) having an outside diameter corresponding to a bore diameter of the connecting portion on an inside of a portion of the preform corresponding to the connecting portion, and performing blow molding [0068] with the molding assist member in contact with the inside of the connecting portion (figures 7a and 7b).
Regarding claim 2, Griffith depicts wherein the step includes using a mold set including a plurality of pairs of molds disposed to face the preform on a predetermined track (see figure 7a and 7b).
Regarding claim 3, Griffith depicts wherein the step includes molding the connecting portion to provide a groove shape on an outer surface to be located on an inside when the connecting portion is bent (figure 6c [0069, 0072], claim 2, 12, and 18).
Regarding claim 4, Griffith discloses a step of bending the connecting portions of the liner (figure 6c [0069, 0072], claim 2, 12, and 18).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: JP7599300 B2
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/FARAH TAUFIQ/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1754
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