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 .
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mason et al (US 2019/0090667) in view of Eckman et al (US 2012/0313405), Campf (US 5,986,243) and Gonzalez (US 11,517,120).
Mason shows a chair assembly claimed including a camping chair having a collapsible frame (102) and a membrane (shown by a seat 106) defining a pouch within which a user can sit, the chair having a plurality of pockets (202) being integrated into the membrane (also see Figure 2; para 0013), and a blanket (302) for keeping the user warm (para 0015). But, Mason does not show the blanket being extrinsic to the camping chair wherein the blanket is comprised of a thermally insulating material, a heating coil, a power cord, a control unit positioned in one of the pockets wherein the control unit is provided with a battery well to receive a rechargeable battery, and a remote control as claimed.
Eckman shows it is known to provide a camping chair with a blanket (100) that is extrinsic and separable from the camping chair (para 004), and Eckman further shows it is also known to provide a control unit (62) having a battery (54) in a pocket of the chair wherein the control unit provides an electric power to an electric heating element of the chair. In view of Eckman, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Mason with a blanket that is extrinsic to the camping chair wherein the blanket can be removed from the chair as an alternative arrangement to store the blanket separate from the chair which allows a user to separate use the blanket apart from the chair.
Campf shows it is known to provide a blanket that is comprised of a thermally insulating material/layer shown by an outer layer (12) that would inhibit thermal transfer between a user and an ambient air and keep the user warm, a heating wire (50) integrated with the blanket that provides heat, a power cord (18) that is in communication with the heating coil and extending away from the blanket as illustrated in Figure 1, a control unit/apparatus (16) with the power cord plugged thereto thereby facilitating the control unit to control the heating coil, the control unit having a battery receiving section/compartment for a rechargeable battery (84) wherein the battery is in electrical connection with the heating coil when the power cord is plugged into the control unit. In view of Campf, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Mason as modified by Eckman with the blanket having a heating wire or heating coil to provide heating for a user to keep warm wherein the heating wire/coil is powered via a control unit along with a power cord and a rechargeable battery which is received within a compartment or well of the control unit, as Eckman also shows the control unit having a battery for supplying power to an electric heating element, to predictably supply the energy needed to power the heating wire/coil of the blanket wherein the control unit can be conveniently and adequately positioned in one of the pockets of the membrane of Mason as also shown by Eckman to safely put the control unit within an adequate reach of the user.
Gonzalez shows it is known to provide a heating blanket with a heating element (131) that is controlled by a remote control (102) that is in remote communication with a control unit (141) facilitating a user to remotely control the heating blanket which is powered by a rechargeable battery (151). In view of Gonzalez, it would have been obvious to adapt further Mason, as modified by Eckman and Campf, with a remote control that is in communication with the control unit as an alternative control means to allow a user to remotely control the heating wire/coil as known in the art.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mason in view of Eckman, Campf and Gonzalez as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Horowitz (US 2014/0292041).
Mason in view of Eckman, Campf and Gonzalez shows the assembly claimed including the pockets (202) that are positioned on a respective first and second lateral sides of the membrane (as illustrated in Figure 2) but does not show a closure aligned with respective pockets for closing and opening the pocket.
Horowitz shows it is known to provide a pocket (32/34) having an enclosure shown by a zipper (76) for closing and opening the pocket (para 0032).
In view of Horowitz, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Mason, as modified by Eckman, Campf and Gonzalez, with the pockets each having an enclosure for closing and opening the pocket as items or accessories can be safely stored and accessed from the pockets.
Claim(s) 3-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mason in view of Campf and Gonzalez as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Balbinot (US 4,697,359).
With respect to claims 3 and 5, Mason in view of Eckman, Campf and Gonzalez shows the assembly claimed including Campf that further shows the power cord (18) having an coupled end (shown at 52) and a free end wherein the coupled end is electrically coupled to the heating wire and the free end shown with a power plug/connector that can engage to a receptable (88) of the control unit wherein Campf shows the housing/chassis (88) which houses the battery (84) indicating a corresponding a battery well or battery compartment, a control circuit (shown by circuit 102, 104, 106) being electrically coupled to charge the battery, and an output port (88) that receives the power plug of the free end of the power cord (18), but does not explicitly show the control circuit with charging contacts in the battery well.
Balbinot shows it is known to provide a battery having a terminal plug that is engaged with a corresponding termina connection of a battery well/casing (4; column 2, line 63 to column 3, line 9).
In view of Balbinot, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Mason, as modified by Eckman, Campf and Gonzalez, with the control circuit that is coupled to charging contacts in the battery cell/compartment that correspond to the terminal connection of the battery which would not only for charging the battery but also to provide necessary power for the heating coil/wire as shown by Campf that shows the battery providing power as well as being recharged.
With respect to claim 4, Gonzalez shows the control unit (122) having a receiver (shown by a transceiver 142) integrated into a housing of the control unit wherein the receiver is electrically coupled to a control circuit (as shown in Figure 4), and Campf shows a power button (90) to turn on and off the control circuit, a power level selector (92) that allows for electing different heat/temperature settings as the selector is pressed or toggled to a high/maximum and a low/minimum heat setting (column 4, lines 49-61) wherein it would have been obvious to adapt Mason as modified Eckman, Campf and Gonzalez with a receiver coupled to the control circuit which allows for wireless transmission of a control signal as known in the art wherein the control unit would include a power button as well as a temperature increase/decrease button to predictably allow different temperature/heat settings to provide for an optimal heating temperature as desired by the user.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mason in view of Eckman, Campf, Gonzalez, and Balbinot as applied to claims 3-5 above, and further in view of Petrovski et al (US 2011/0115635).
With respect to claim 6, Mason in view of Eckman, Campf, Gonzalez, and Balbinot shows the assembly claimed including Gonzalez showing the remote control (102) having a transmitter (shown by a transceiver 122) that is in wireless communication with the receiver (142) of the control unit wherein Gonzalez shows an interface (124) that allows for controlling the control circuit (as shown in Figure 4 of Gonzalez), but Gonzalez does not show the remote control with an actuate button, an increase button, a decrease button, and a remote power supply as claimed.
Petrovski shows it is known to provide a remote control (700) having an actuate power button (732), a temperature increase button (736), and a temperature decrease button (736) which are integrated in the remote control wherein the buttons can be in the form of knobs, keypad, levers or switches that are movable.
In view of Petrovski, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Mason, as modified by Eckman, Campf, Gonzalez, and Balbinot, with the remote control having an actuate button that turns on the control unit, an increase button to increase the temperature, and a decrease button to decrease the temperature which would have predictably control the desired heating operations including the desired heating temperature of the blanket for the user wherein while Petrovski does not show a remote power supply in the remote control, it would have been obvious to provide a power supply in the remote control that powers the electronic components of the remote control as known in the art.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mason et al (US 2019/0090667) in view of Horowitz (US 2014/0292041), Eckman et al (US 2012/0313405), Campf (US 5,986,243), Balbinot (US 4,697,359), Gonzalez (US 11,517,120), and Petrovski et al (US 2011/0115635).
Mason shows a chair assembly claimed including a camping chair having a collapsible frame (102) and a membrane (shown by a seat 106) defining a pouch within which a user can sit, the chair having a plurality of pockets (202) being integrated into the membrane (also see Figure 2; para 0013), and a blanket (302) for keeping the user warm (para 0015). But, Mason does not show a pair of closures aligned with the respective one of the pockets, the blanket being extrinsic to the camping chair wherein the blanket has a thermally insulating material, a heating coil, a power cord, a control unit with a battery well to receive a rechargeable battery wherein the control unit further includes a housing, a control circuit, an output port, a power button, a temperature increase button, a temperature decrease button, a charger for the rechargeable battery, and a remote control having a transmitter, an actuate button, an increase button, a decrease button, and a remote power supply as claimed
Horowitz shows it is known to provide a pocket (32/34)having an enclosure shown by a zipper (76) for closing and opening the pocket (para 0032). In view of Horowitz, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Mason with the pockets each having an enclosure for closing and opening the pocket as items or accessories can be safely stored and accessed from the pockets.
Eckman shows it is known to provide a camping chair with a blanket (100) that is extrinsic and separable from the camping chair (para 004), and Eckman further shows it is also known to provide a control unit (62) having a battery (54) in a pocket of the chair wherein the control unit provides an electric power to an electric heating element of the chair. In view of Eckman, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Mason, as modified by Horowitz, with a blanket that is extrinsic to the camping chair wherein the blanket can be removed from the chair as an alternative arrangement to store the blanket separate from the chair which allows a user to separate use the blanket apart from the chair.
Campf shows it is known to provide a blanket that is comprised of a thermally insulating material/layer shown by an outer layer (12) that would inhibit thermal transfer between a user and an ambient air and keep the user warm, a heating wire (50) integrated with the blanket that provides heat, a power cord (18) that is in communication with the heating coil and extending away from the blanket as illustrated in Figure 1, a control unit/apparatus (16) with the power cord plugged thereto thereby facilitating the control unit to control the heating coil, the control unit having a battery receiving section/compartment for a rechargeable battery (84) wherein the battery is in electrical connection with the heating coil when the power cord is plugged into the control unit. Campf that further shows the power cord (18) having an coupled end (shown at 52) and a free end wherein the coupled end is electrically coupled to the heating wire and the free end shown with a power plug/connector that can engage to a receptable (88) of the control unit wherein Campf shows the housing/chassis (88) which houses the battery (84) indicating a corresponding a battery well or battery compartment, a control circuit (shown by circuit 102, 104, 106) being electrically coupled to charge the battery, and an output port (88) that receives the power plug of the free end of the power cord (18), and a charger (110) for charging the rechargeable battery. Campf also shows a power button (90) to turn on and off the control circuit, a power level selector (92) that allows for electing different heat/temperature settings as the selector is pressed or toggled to a high/maximum and a low/minimum heat setting (column 4, lines 49-61)
In view of Campf, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Mason as modified by Horowitz and Eckman, with the blanket having a heating wire or heating coil to provide heating for a user to keep warm wherein the heating wire/coil is powered via a control unit along with a power cord and a rechargeable battery with a charger wherein the battery is received within a compartment or well of the control unit, as Eckman also shows the control unit having a battery for supplying power to an electric heating element, to predictably supply the energy needed to power the heating wire/coil and the control unit further includes a housing, a control circuit , a power button, a temperature increase/decrease button to further control the operating condition of the blanket wherein the control unit can be conveniently and adequately positioned in one of the pockets of the membrane of Mason as also shown by Eckman to safely put the control unit within an adequate reach of the user for setting an optimal warming temperature for the user.
Balbinot shows it is known to provide a battery having a terminal plug that is engaged with a corresponding termina connection/charging contacts of a battery well/casing (4; column 2, line 63 to column 3, line 9). In view of Balbinot, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Mason, as modified by Horowitz, Eckman and Campf, with the battery having a charging plug that can be engaged in a corresponding terminal of the battery well/compartment as another suitable means for electrical connection between the battery and the battery well that allows for the battery to be recharged as shown by Campf.
Gonzalez shows it is known to provide a heating blanket with a heating element (131) that is controlled by a remote control (102) that is in remote communication with a control unit (141) facilitating a user to remotely control the heating blanket which is powered by a rechargeable battery (151) wherein Gonzalez further shows the control unit (122) having a receiver (shown by a transceiver 142) integrated into a housing of the control unit wherein the receiver is electrically coupled to a control circuit (as shown in Figure 4). Gonzalez further showing the remote control (102) having a transmitter (shown by a transceiver 122) that is in wireless communication with the receiver (142) of the control unit wherein Gonzalez shows an interface (124) that allows for controlling the control circuit (as shown in Figure 4 of Gonzalez). In view of Gonzalez, it would have been obvious to adapt further Mason, as modified by Horowitz, Eckman, Campf, and Balbinot, with a remote control that is in communication with the control unit having a receiver and the remote control with a transmitter for wireless communication as an alternative control means to allow a user to remotely control the heating wire/coil as known in the art.
Petrovski shows it is known to provide a remote control (700) having an actuate power button (732), a temperature increase button (736), and a temperature decrease button (736) which are integrated in the remote control wherein the buttons can be in the form of knobs, keypad, levers or switches that are movable. In view of Petrovski, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Mason, as modified by Horowitz, Eckman, Campf, Balbinot, and Gonzalez, with the remote control having an actuate button that turns on the control unit, an increase button to increase the temperature, and a decrease button to decrease the temperature which would have predictably control the desired heating operations including the desired heating temperature of the blanket for the user wherein while Petrovski does not show a remote power supply in the remote control, it would have been obvious to provide a power supply in the remote control that powers the electronic components of the remote control as known in the art.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground of rejection including Eckman which is applied to teach a camping chair that can be provided with an extrinsic blanket wherein the blanket can be further modified with a heating coil and a thermal insulation as known in the art as stated in the ground of rejection.
Regarding Campf and Gonzalez, Applicant argues that they are not related to a camping chair. It is noted that while neither Campf nor Gonzalez shows its heated electric blanket used with a camping chair, the applied art is reasonably related to the claimed invention also having the heated electric blanket wherein the combination of the applied art is proper as being in the same filed of endeavor, which includes an electric heating blanket, wherein combination would yield the predictable results of providing electric heating to a user.
Thus, the Applicant’s arguments are not deemed persuasive.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/SANG Y PAIK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761