DETAILED ACTION
The following Non-Final Office Action is in response to the amendment filed 4/20/2026.
Status of the claims: Claims 1-10, 14-15 and 17-24 are hereby examined below.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 7/8/2026. These drawings are acceptable.
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.
Claim 22 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang US 6,752,194 in view of Manske US 2015/0300083 and Smith US 1,620,741.
In regard to claim 22, Huang ‘194 discloses an actuating system for a window shade, comprising: A control module adapted to couple to a transmission axle, the control module being actuatable to rotate the transmission axle for adjusting a shading structure of a window shade, wherein the control module includes: a wand (571)(578) having a hollow interior extending between a first end and a second end of the wand, a flexible operating element (58) extending outside the wand at the first end thereof, and a handle (534) coupled to the operating element (58) and disposed at the second end of the wand, the handle (534) being operable to pull the operating element (58) for actuating the control module, an anti-winding guard (533) of an elongate shape, wherein the operating element (58) , the handle (534) and the anti-winding guard (533) are connected to one another so as to be movable in unison relative to the wand, and the anti- winding guard (533) is configured to extend outside the wand (571)(578) between the handle (534) and the second end of the wand (571)(578) when the handle moves away from the second end of the wand, wherein the anti-winding guard (533) is a tube fixedly connected to the handle (534) and the operating element (58) is threaded through a hollow interior of the tube and has an end anchored to the anti-winding guard (533), the tube (533) being provided as a separate part fastened to the handle (534)at one end.
Huang ‘194 fails to disclose the end of the operating element being anchored to the handle and engaged with a retaining structure provided in the handle, wherein the handle has a channel and an inner cavity connected to each other, the handle having a first handle end and a second handle end opposite to each other along a longitudinal axis of the wand, the channel being adjacent to the first handle end and the inner cavity being spaced apart from the second handle end, the tube being connected at the first handle end with the end of the tube being disposed inside the channel, and the end of the operating element extending outside the end of the tube into the inner cavity of the handle, the end of the operating element being entirely received inside the inner cavity of the handle.
Manske ‘083 discloses the end of the operating element (440) being anchored to the handle (140, below)) and engaged with a retaining structure provided in the handle, wherein the handle has a channel and an inner cavity connected to each other (shown below), the handle (140) having a first handle end (left side, below) and a second handle end (right side, below) opposite to each other along a longitudinal axis of the wand, the channel being adjacent to the first handle end (left side) and the inner cavity being located on the second handle end (right side) of the handle, the tube being connected at the first handle end (left side) with the end of the tube (130) being disposed inside the channel, and the end of the operating element (440) extending outside the end of the tube into the inner cavity of the handle (paragraph [0034]).
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Smith ‘741 discloses the inner cavity (3) being spaced apart from the second handle end (bottom) and the end (7) of the operating element (6) being entirely received inside the inner cavity (3) of the handle (1,2).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the device of Huang ‘194 to make the end of the operating element be anchored to retaining structure in the handle as taught by Manske ‘083 as such is shown to be a known configuration for anchoring an operating element. Such would keep the operating element accessible if removal is needed.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the device of Huang ‘194/Manske ‘083 to make the locate the inner cavity spaced apart from the second handle end, with the operating element entirely received inside the inner cavity of the handle as taught by Smith ‘741 for the purpose of providing a handle that is able to be changeable in order to provide a desired look. (column 2, lines 73-85)
Claim 24 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang US 6,752,194, Manske US 2015/0300083 and Smith US 1,620,741 as applied to claim 22 and further in view of Yu et al US 2015/0007946.
In regard to claim 24, Huang ‘194/Manske ‘083/Smith ‘741 fail to disclose wherein the handle has a loop between the inner cavity and the second handle end.
Yu et al ‘946 disclose wherein the handle (192) has a loop between the inner cavity (at top) and the second handle end (bottom).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the device of Huang ‘194/Manske ‘083/Smith ‘741 to make the handle have a loop between the inner cavity and the second handle end as such provides an easy structure for a user to grab and hold.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 22 have been considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection. Newly applied reference Smith ‘741 teaches the inner cavity space apart from the second handle end as is now claimed by the applicant.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-10,14-15,17-21 and 23 are allowed.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEREMY C RAMSEY whose telephone number is (571)270-3133. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Wed 7:00-3:30.
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/JEREMY C RAMSEY/Examiner, Art Unit 3634
/DANIEL P CAHN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3634
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