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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “resistor” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In ¶ 0006, 0018, delete “apparats” and replace with “apparatus”
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-7 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 1, lines 5, 9, delete “apparats” and replace with “apparatus”
Appropriate correction is required.
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, 3-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Beard et al. US Pub 2012/0238406 (hereinafter Beard) in view of Bruno (US Patent 8,894,547).
Regarding claim 1, Beard discloses a system combining exercise, work, power generation and energy storage, disposed on an exercise apparatus, comprising:
a seat (see fig. 16, element 1614);
a rotary power generation device, disposed in the exercise apparats for converting rotational kinetic energy into electric energy (¶¶ 0138, 0143; the power generation system includes a generator, the input signal can be produced by the generator that produces electrical power as the exercise apparatus is operated);
an energy storage device, electrically connected to the rotary power generation device for storing the electric energy converted by the rotary power generation device (¶ 0216; the variable electrical load device 2508 can direct power from the generator to a battery);
a charging port (fig. 25, element 2512; charging port), disposed on the exercise apparats (¶ 0209; a part of the exercise equipment system) or the workbench;
a monitoring unit, configured to provide an operation interface and display data of the kinetic energy and the electric energy (¶¶ 0119, 0120, 0146; the computer can determine the period of the AC waveform supplied by the generator and derive from this period a rate for display);
a control system (see fig. 5, element 824), electrically connected to the rotary power generation device (fig. 5, element 1204), the energy storage device (fig. 5, element 2506), the charging port (2512), the monitoring unit and a resistor for managing or controlling the electric energy (¶ 0212; the battery charger manager 2505 manages charging of the battery 2506), so as to adjust a charging electric energy demand of the charging port (¶ 0230; the AC output of the generator is converted to DC at a rectifier. The voltage of the system can be regulated at a voltage regulator to provide a desired power output for the system. Thus, the charging port 2512 is able to provide a regulated DC power for a personal electronic device), the electric energy stored by the energy storage device (¶ 0230; the power output can be used to charge a rechargeable battery 2506), and a resistance power of the resistor according to a resistance setting value of the monitoring unit (¶ 0215; the variable electrical load device 2508 is controlled by the computer. The computer can direct the variable electrical load device to increase or decrease an electrical applied to the generator to increase or decrease the amount of work required to operate the exercise equipment system).
However, Beard fails to disclose a system includes a workbench, disposed in front of the seat.
However, Bruno discloses a system includes a workbench, disposed in front of the seat (fig. 1-2).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Beard to incorporate with the teaching of Bruno by including a workbench in the system, because it would be advantageous to motivate individual to work-out and further improve their cardiovascular health.
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Regarding claim 3, Beard discloses wherein the monitoring unit has an operation panel (¶ 0128; a user input manager), and the energy storage device is electrically connected to the monitoring unit to supply power to the operation panel for operation (¶ 0231; the power supplied to the computer is provided by the rechargeable battery 2506).
Regarding claim 4, Beard discloses wherein the control system converts a rotational resistance value of the exercise apparatus into an estimated power generation datum (¶¶ 0128, 0132).
Regarding claim 5, Beard discloses wherein the monitoring unit is connected to the exercise apparatus for reading and recording exercise data (¶¶ 0011, 0128, 0130, 0136-0137, 0234-0238 and claim 13), connected to the energy storage device for reading and recording electric energy storage data, and connected to the control system for reading and recording resistance adjustment data and estimated power generation data (¶¶ 0132, 0136, 0214-0217).
Regarding claim 6, Beard in view of Bruno discloses wherein the workbench (see fig. 1-2 of Bruno) is fixedly or moveably connected to the exercise apparatus.
Regarding claim 7, Beard discloses wherein the resistor supplies resistance power and is electrically connected to the rotary power generation device (¶ 0214; the variable electrical load device applies a variable electrical load to the generator), the control system is electrically connected to the resistor, and a resistance value of the resistor is adjusted by the control system to set a rotational resistance value of the exercise apparatus (¶ 0215; the computer can direct the variable electrical load device to increase or decrease an electrical applied to the generator).
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Beard in view of Bruno as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Geng (CN202605621U).
Regarding claim 2, Beard in view of Bruno fails to disclose wherein the energy storage device is detachably disposed in the exercise apparatus and receives power through the charging port of the exercise apparatus.
However, Geng discloses wherein the energy storage device is detachably disposed in the exercise apparatus (page 2, lines 13-14; the storage battery of the indoor sports power generation bicycle is a detachable storage battery) and receives power through the charging port of the exercise apparatus (page 3, lines 19-20; the output end of the generator 10 is connected to the input end of a battery 11 through a wire).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Beard in view of Bruno to incorporate with the teaching of Geng by having a detachable energy storage device in the system, because it would be advantageous to utilize the energy storage device for charging mobile devices and increase the utility of the exercise apparatus.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZIXUAN ZHOU whose telephone number is (571)272-6739. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
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/ZIXUAN ZHOU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859 12/02/2025