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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 07/01/2026 has been entered.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 1 recites currently cancelled limitation “drive” in line 8. It is in the view of the Examiner the limitation is inadvertently cancelled. 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 22-24,39 and 41 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Massey (US 4,025,004) in view of Osborne (US 2020/0163498 A1).
Referring to claims 22 and 41. Massey discloses a sheet material dispenser (10; Figure 1), comprising:
a dispenser housing (housing of 10) defining at least one chamber (interior volume for 34 and 36);
a plurality of support assemblies (including assemblies 22,24,32 and 26,28 and 32) positioned within the at least one chamber of the housing (see housing portion of 12,16,30 and 32 encompassing the support assemblies) and configured for rotatably supporting a plurality of supplies of rolled sheet material (rolls 34 and 36).
Massey does not disclose a plurality of roller assemblies mounted within the dispenser housing, each roller assembly having a driven roller configured to drive sheet material from a respective supply of rolled sheet material.
Osborne discloses a sheet dispensing system (10; Figure 1) wherein a plurality of roller assemblies (42 and 44; Figure 2A) mounted within the dispenser housing (12), each roller assembly (42 and 44; Figure 2A) having a driven roller (56 and 58) configured to drive sheet material (sheet material from roller 14) from a respective supply of rolled sheet material (roll 14); and
a drive mechanism (50; Figure 2A) operably coupled to a select one of the driven rollers (56 and 58) to selectively drive rotation of the select one driven roller (56 and 58).
further comprising one or more material detection modules (158A and 158B; Figure 1) mounted within the dispenser housing (housing of 12) adjacent a respective roller assembly (rollers 43 and 57), each material detection module (158A and 158B; Figure 1) being configured to determine whether sheet material being fed from a respective supply of rolled sheet material is present (Para. [0053] and [0054]) in a respective sensor area (area of sensors 158A and 158B; Figure 1) positioned along a sheet path the sheet material follows (path 11) upstream (at the supply roller side) from the respective roller assembly (rollers 43 and 57);
further comprising an activation system (160; Para. [0060]) configured for sensing proximity of a user and sensing an activation or initiating gesture made by the user (user’s hand movement) within a forward sensing area (area in front of the dispenser 12) to initiate a dispensing operation of the sheet material (may be configured to detect an object placed in a detection zone external to the dispenser; Para. [0060]) and
wherein the activation system (160; Para. [0060]) comprises a dispenser activation sensor assembly (assembly of 160) includes at least one IR sensor (In an alternate embodiment, the sensor 160 may be an active device and include an active transmitter and associated receiver, such as one or more infrared (IR) transmitters and an IR receiver; Para. [0060]) positioned within a front recess (front recess for sensor 160)
defined within the dispenser housing (sensor, such as a proximity detector or other sensor 160, may be configured to detect an object placed in a detection zone external to the dispenser assembly 10 to initiate operation thereof; Para. [0060]) and configured to emit an IR beam within the front recess (IR sensor 160).
It would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the teachings of Massey to include a plurality of roller assemblies mounted within the dispenser housing, each roller assembly having a driven roller configured to drive sheet material from a respective supply of rolled sheet material as taught by Osborne because a plurality of roller assemblies mounted within the dispenser housing would allow the sheet product to be dispensed by a driven mechanism without a user having to manually pull the sheet product.
Referring to claim 23. Osborne discloses a sheet dispensing apparatus (10; Figure 1),
wherein each support assembly (including assemblies 22,24,32 and 26,28 and 32) comprises:
a bracket (24) hingeably mounted to a portion of the dispenser housing (housing of 10);
a support structure (Figure 3) mounted to a central portion of the dispenser housing (housing of 10); and
a spindle (20) connected to the bracket (24) and extends inwardly into the at least one chamber (towards interior volume of 34); wherein an inner end of the spindle (inner end of 20; Figure 3) is configured to be detachably supported by the support structure (Figure 3) in a stored position (as shown in Figure 1);
wherein, to facilitate resupply (loading of product), one or more of the support assemblies (including assemblies 22,24,32 and 26,28 and 32) can be pivoted to move the inner end of the spindle (inner end of 20; Figure 3) upwardly and away from the support structure (pivot our of housing 10) wherein the respective inner end of the spindle (inner end of 20; Figure 3) is spaced away from the support structure (in a loading position) in a load position that allows for the loading of a respective supply of rolled sheet material (roll 34 and 36) to be loaded onto the respective spindle (20 or 18).
Referring to claims 24 and 39. Osborne discloses a sheet dispensing apparatus (10; Figure 1),
wherein the at least one IR sensor (the IR sensor 160) of the dispenser activation sensor assembly comprises an IR launching tube and an opposing IR receiving tube, and wherein the IR launching tube is configured to emit IR rays directly toward the IR receiving tube wherein the IR receiving tube will detect the IR rays from the IR launching tube unless the IR beam is broken, (the sensor 160 may be an active device and include an active transmitter and associated receiver, such as one or more infrared (IR) transmitters and an IR receiver. The transmitter transmits an active signal in a transmission cone corresponding to the detection zone, and the receiver detects a threshold amount of the active signal reflected from an object placed into the detection zone; Para. [0060]).
Claims 25-28,40 and 42 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Massey (US 4,025,004) in view of Osborne (US 2020/0163498 A1) and further in view of Lewis (US 2012/0167739 A1).
Referring to claims 25 and 40. Massey in view of Osborne do not disclose wherein the activation system further comprises a visible light indicator that comprises a LED module configured to selectively emit one or more colors of visible light, and wherein the LED module is mounted in a portion of the front recess.
Lewis discloses an electronic sheet dispenser (10; Figure 1) wherein the activation system (Figure 16B) further comprises a visible light indicator (illumination of LED 426) that comprises a LED module (LED 426) configured to selectively emit one or more colors of visible light (When microcontroller 402 detects a low paper signal, microcontroller 402 asserts a signal to low paper LED 426 or similar signal and LED 426 will emit light informing a maintainer or user that the web material source is almost depleted; Para. [0083]), and wherein the LED module (LED 426) is mounted in a portion of the front recess (microcontroller 402 asserts a signal to low paper LED 426 or similar signal and LED 426 will emit light informing a maintainer or user that the web material source is almost depleted; Para. [0083]).
It would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the teachings of Massey in view of Osborne to include the activation system further comprises a visible light indicator that comprises a LED module configured to selectively emit one or more colors of visible light, and wherein the LED module is mounted in a portion of the front recess as taught by Lewis because the LED module would more readily relay status information of the dispenser to a user via the illuminated LED lights.
Referring to claim 26. Lewis discloses an electronic sheet dispenser (10; Figure 1) wherein the LED module (LED 426) is configured to emit visible light in differing colors of visible light to the operator to indicate different operational states of the dispenser assembly (The LED lights 502 may be any color but are preferred to be at least two different colors, which will be referred to as a first color and a second color; Para. [0113]).
Referring to claim 27. Osborne discloses a sheet dispensing apparatus (10; Figure 1),
wherein the dispenser activation (160; Para. [0060]) sensor assembly (sensor 160; Figure 1) comprises one or more IR launching tubes and IR receiving tubes mounted within the recess and oriented at an angle directed outwardly from the recess to form a forward sensing area (In an alternate embodiment, the sensor 160 may be an active device and include an active transmitter and associated receiver, such as one or more infrared (IR) transmitters and an IR receiver; Para. [0060]).
Referring to claims 28 and 42. Osborne discloses a sheet dispensing apparatus (10; Figure 1),
further comprising the control system (100; Figure 5) in communication with the drive mechanism (60) and the activation system (160).
Massey in view of Osborne do not disclose comprises a visible light indicator configured to at least partially illuminate the front recess to provide dispenser activation status.
It would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the teachings of Massey in view of Osborne to include the activation system further comprises a visible light indicator that comprises a LED module configured to selectively emit one or more colors of visible light, and wherein the LED module is mounted in a portion of the front recess as taught by Lewis because the LED module would more readily relay status information of the dispenser to a user via the illuminated LED lights.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 07/01/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The amended claims 22-28 and 29-42 are rejected in view of Massey (US 4,025,004) in view of Osborne (US 2020/0163498 A1) and further in view of Lewis (US 2012/0167739 A1) cited rejections above.
Applicant argues “There is, however, no articulated reasoning provided by the Office Action showing why one of skill in the art would have looked to make such a wholesale reconstruction of Massey's manual dispenser.” In response to applicant’s argument that there is no teaching, suggestion, or motivation to combine the references, the examiner recognizes that obviousness may be established by combining or modifying the teachings of the prior art to produce the claimed invention where there is some teaching, suggestion, or motivation to do so found either in the references themselves or in the knowledge generally available to one of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Fine, 837 F.2d 1071, 5 USPQ2d 1596 (Fed. Cir. 1988), In re Jones, 958 F.2d 347, 21 USPQ2d 1941 (Fed. Cir. 1992), and KSR International Co. v. Teleflex, Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007). In this case, the combination of Massey in view of Osborne would allow the sheet product to be dispensed by a driven mechanism without a user having to manually pull the sheet product.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RAKESH KUMAR whose telephone number is (571)272-8314. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH from 8AM-6:30PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gene Crawford can be reached at (571) 272-6911. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RAKESH KUMAR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651
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