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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: please update the status of parent application 17/772,563 in paragraph [0001].
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hirata et al. (JPH 11-10694A) in view of Nobuta et al. (US 2017/0001354 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Hirata et al. discloses an injection molding machine, comprising:
a heating barrel 11,
a nozzle 12 to inject a metered resin of the molten resin in the heating barrel 11 into a mold 1, [0048];
a screw 13 to move forward in the heating barrel 11 and move the metered resin into the nozzle 12;
pressure sensors 3 to measure pressure at different position inside the heating barrel 11,
temperature sensor 6 used to calculate a flow rate [0074], [0119] and an amount of the metered resin [0081];
a control system 5 for comparing the measured/calculated values with preset values of different control parameters, such as temperature, pressure, or viscosity which directly corresponding to the fluidity index of the material inside the heating barrel 11, [0041]-[0042]; [0058], [0097] and controlling the back pressure in accordance with the viscosity [0113].
Hirata et al. discloses that viscosity or fluidity of the resin can be calculated from the flow rate of the resin passing through a check ring 2 and at least two pressure sensors 3 are used to measure the hydraulic pressure in the heating barrel 11. However, Hirata et al. fails to disclose that the heating barrel 11 comprises a plurality of regions of the metered molten resin.
Nobuta et al. discloses an injection molding apparatus, comprising a screw 10 having a first and second flights 27, 28 divided into a plurality of portions 23-26, 70, 71, wherein the screw at each of the portions is structured different than the other portions for different purposes: feeding, compressing and/or measuring.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the screw in Hirata et al by providing a plurality different portions as taught by Nobuta et al. in order to improve the performance of the screw through the resin conveying/injecting process.
Nobuta also discloses that a plasticizing unit 200 driven by the electric motor controls a back pressure of the screw 10 in plasticization based on the load detected by the load cell [0064]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use the load cell as taught by Nobuta as an alternative or in addition to the pressure sensor as taught by Hirata et al. for the pressure sensors and the load cell are both capable to detect the back pressure of the injection screw.
Regarding claim 2, Hirata et al. further discloses narrow flow path 2a is formed between a non-return check ring and a seat 13b provided at the front end of the screw 13.
Regarding claims 3-6, Hirata et al. discloses that pressure sensor 3 is provided with a diaphragm 3a at the tip of a tubular body, and the pressure received by the diaphragm 3a is provided inside the body with a capillary 3b provided with the tip connected to the diaphragm 3a, [0053] and a temperature sensor 6 arranged in parallel with the pressure sensor 3, and
calculating the flow rate of the resin from the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 6, while the viscosity/fluidity is calculated from the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 3 [0043]-[0044], [0056]-[0058]. Hirata et al. also discloses that viscosity of the resin flowing through the heating barrel 17 can be calculated based on the flow rate of the resin or by the capillary rheometer [0056].
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Thu-Khanh T. Nguyen whose telephone number is (571)272-1136. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30-4:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Galen Hauth can be reached at 571-270-5516. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Thu Khanh T. Nguyen/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1743
