Prior art

The USPTO provides tools for searching patents, including Patent Public Search, which allows searching by patent number and other criteria.

Here is an analysis of the most relevant prior art cited in US patent 9982388, focusing on potential anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102:

Most Relevant Prior Art for US9982388B2

The patent US9982388B2 cites several prior art documents. The core innovation of US9982388B2, as defined in its independent claims (Claim 1 and 15), lies in adding one or more "sheet-like plies" to a folded flat woven base material, where all these sheet plies are disposed on the outside of the folded layers. The cited prior art often addresses aspects of woven fabrics for papermaking or methods for producing such fabrics, particularly focusing on seamable designs and improving void volume.

Below are the cited patents considered most relevant based on their descriptions and how they relate to the distinguishing features of US9982388B2.

1. US8043477B2 - Belt and method of making a belt for a paper making machine

• Full Citation: US8043477B2
• Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2011-10-25; Filing: 2008-02-25.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a belt, particularly for a papermaking machine, formed from a flat woven material folded to create a two-ply structure with seam loops. The terminal ends are joined, for example, by a weld seam. The objective is to provide an easy and economical method of producing a seamable fabric with sufficient void volume.
• Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: US8043477B2 discloses a flat woven base material folded into two layers with seam loops and joined terminal ends, which forms the fundamental structure of the fabric in US9982388B2. However, it specifically notes that "the two ply designs as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,043,477 B2...do not provide enough void volume to guarantee sufficient dewatering properties." This suggests that while it lays the groundwork, it lacks the additional "sheet-like plies" and their specific disposition, which is the key distinguishing feature of Claim 1 of US9982388B2. Therefore, US8043477B2 would likely not anticipate Claim 1 or 15 of US9982388B2, but it establishes the basic folded woven structure as known prior art.

2. US8353252B1 - Process for preparing a seam area for a PMC base fabric

• Full Citation: US8353252B1
• Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2013-01-15; Filing: 2011-12-05.
• Brief Description: This patent addresses the task of preparing a seam for fabrics used in papermaking machines, particularly for two-ply base structures with seam loops made from a folded flat woven material.
• Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: Similar to US8043477B2, this patent focuses on the seam area of a folded flat woven base fabric. While it is highly relevant to the manufacturing process of the base fabric itself and its seam, it does not describe the inclusion of "one or more sheet plies, wherein all of said sheet plies are disposed outside said folded layers" as required by Claim 1 of US9982388B2. Therefore, US8353252B1 would likely not anticipate Claim 1 or 15 of US9982388B2.

3. WO2009106182A1 - Belt and method of making a belt for a paper making machine

• Full Citation: WO2009106182A1
• Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2009-09-03; Filing: 2008-02-25.
• Brief Description: This is the international counterpart to US8043477B2, describing the same subject matter: a belt for a papermaking machine made from a folded flat woven material with seam loops.
• Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: As a counterpart to US8043477B2, this document also focuses on the folded flat woven base material and seam loops. It does not disclose the additional sheet-like plies or their specific disposition as claimed in US9982388B2. Therefore, WO2009106182A1 would likely not anticipate Claim 1 or 15 of US9982388B2.

4. WO2013083468A1 - Process for preparing a sem area in a paper machine clothing base fabric

• Full Citation: WO2013083468A1
• Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2013-06-13; Filing: 2011-12-05.
• Brief Description: This is the international counterpart to US8353252B1, addressing the preparation of seam areas for PMC base fabrics.
• Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: As a counterpart to US8353252B1, this document also relates to the seam preparation of a folded woven base fabric. It does not teach the addition of sheet-like plies on the outside of the folded layers, which is a critical feature of US9982388B2. Therefore, WO2013083468A1 would likely not anticipate Claim 1 or 15 of US9982388B2.

5. DE102004044568A1 - Paper machine covering for use e.g. as press felt, comprises woven base fabric folded round the ends of a perforated mesh material to form folds with loops aligned in the machine direction

• Full Citation: DE102004044568A1
• Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2006-03-30; Filing: 2004-09-15.
• Brief Description: This German patent describes a paper machine covering, such as a press felt, that includes a woven base fabric folded around the ends of a perforated mesh material to create folds with aligned loops in the machine direction. This patent introduces the concept of a folded base fabric with seam loops, a foundational element also present in US9982388B2.
• Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: This patent shows a base fabric folded to form seam loops. However, it describes folding around a "perforated mesh material," which is distinct from the "one or more sheet plies" of various materials (woven, non-woven, polymer film, foam, knitted, warp-knit) that are disposed outside the folded layers as specified in Claim 1 of US9982388B2. While it shares the folded base and seam loop concept, the specific additional ply structure of US9982388B2 is not clearly disclosed. Therefore, it would likely not anticipate Claim 1 or 15 of US9982388B2.

6. US7892402B2 - Flat woven full width on-machine-seamable fabric

• Full Citation: US7892402B2
• Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2011-02-22; Filing: 2007-10-05.
• Brief Description: This patent discloses a flat woven, full-width, on-machine-seamable fabric, relevant to the general field of papermaking machine clothing.
• Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: Without a detailed description of the internal structure, particularly regarding additional layers or plies and their placement, it's difficult to definitively assess anticipation. However, the abstract indicates a "flat woven full width on-machine-seamable fabric," which could encompass the basic features of a folded woven base with seam loops. If this patent only describes a single-layer or inherently two-layer woven fabric and does not teach the addition of separate sheet-like plies disposed outside the folded layers, it would likely not anticipate Claim 1 or 15 of US9982388B2.

7. US4781967A - Papermaker press felt

• Full Citation: US4781967A
• Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 1988-11-01; Filing: 1987-10-07.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a papermaker press felt.
• Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: General papermaker press felts are well-known prior art. Without more specific details on the structure (e.g., folded base, seam loops, additional plies, and their specific disposition), it is highly unlikely to anticipate the specific combination of features in Claim 1 of US9982388B2. It would likely not anticipate Claim 1 or 15 of US9982388B2.

8. US20160069022A1 - Seamed press felt including an elastic carrier layer and method of making

• Full Citation: US20160069022A1
• Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2016-03-10; Filing: 2013-04-19.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a seamed press felt that includes an elastic carrier layer.
• Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: This patent post-dates the priority date of US9982388B2 (2015-08-13), as its publication date is 2016-03-10. Therefore, it cannot anticipate US9982388B2 under 35 U.S.C. § 102 based on its publication date. However, its filing date of 2013-04-19 is prior to the filing date of US9982388B2. If the "elastic carrier layer" functions as a "sheet-like ply" and is positioned on the outside of a folded base fabric with seam loops, it could be relevant for obviousness (35 U.S.C. § 103), but not direct anticipation. More information on its structural details would be needed for a thorough obviousness analysis.

9. US20090211722A1 - Belt and method of making a belt for a paper making machine

• Full Citation: US20090211722A1
• Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2009-08-27; Filing: 2008-02-25.
• Brief Description: This is a US patent application publication related to US8043477B2 and WO2009106182A1, describing a belt and method of making it for a papermaking machine, featuring a folded flat woven material with seam loops.
• Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: As a related document to US8043477B2, it describes the core folded base structure with seam loops. However, it would not anticipate the distinct feature of additional sheet-like plies disposed outside the folded layers as per Claim 1 of US9982388B2. Therefore, US20090211722A1 would likely not anticipate Claim 1 or 15 of US9982388B2.

In summary, the most relevant prior art documents (US8043477B2, US8353252B1, WO2009106182A1, WO2013083468A1, DE102004044568A1, and US20090211722A1) establish the fundamental concept of a folded flat woven base material with seam loops for papermaking fabrics. However, they do not explicitly disclose the addition of "one or more sheet plies, wherein all of said sheet plies are disposed outside said folded layers" as a distinguishing feature of Claim 1 of US9982388B2. US20160069022A1 cannot anticipate due to its publication date, though its earlier filing date could be relevant for obviousness.