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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed on March 12, 2026 has been entered and considered and an action on the merits follows.
Specification
The proposed amendment filed on March 12, 2026 has been acknowledged and approved. The amendment sufficiently overcomes the disclosure informalities noted in the previous office action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 3-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kobiella et al. (hereinafter "Kobiella") (US 6,945,164).
Regarding claim 1, Kobiella discloses a strap dispenser (39-42) for a strapping machine, the strap dispenser comprising:
a dispenser frame (114);
a coil carriage (12) mounted to the dispenser frame (114) (fig. 40) and moveable relative to the dispenser frame (114) between a strap-dispensing position (fig. 39) and an extended position (fig. 40, the coil carriage (12) comprising a rotatable strap-coil holder (24) (fig. 39); and
a coil-carriage locking assembly (assembly 112, which includes 118, 120, 126, and 128) configured to “lock” the coil carriage (12) in the strap-dispensing position (fig. 39) to prevent the coil carriage from moving to the extended position (col. 8, line 43 to the last line). It is noted that without a rotation of the hex head (126), the coil carriage (12) cannot move to the extended or strap-dispensing positions, and thus the coil carriage is “locked” by the assembly 112.
Regarding claim 3, the strap dispenser of claim 1, further comprising an “engageable” element (a chain, see col. 8, line 61 and fig. 40) positioned to be releasably engaged by the coil-carriage locking assembly to "lock" the coil carriage (12) in the strap-dispensing position (fig. 40-42).
Regarding claim 4, the strap dispenser of claim 3, wherein the one of the engageable element and the coil-carriage locking assembly is mounted (indirectly) to the dispenser frame (114) (fig. 40) and the other of the engageable element and the coil-carriage locking assembly (112) is mounted to the coil carriage (12) (fig. 40).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-15 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 16-18 are allowed.
Regarding claim 5, the claim would be allowable because the prior art of record, considered alone or combination, neither anticipated nor renders obvious wherein the coil-carriage locking assembly comprise a locking member movable between a locking position and a release position, wherein when the coil carriage is in the strap-dispensing position and the locking member is in the locking position, the locking member releasably engages the engageable element to lock the coil carriage in the strap dispensing position, in combination with the rest of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 15, the claim would be allowable because the prior art of record, considered alone or combination, neither anticipated nor renders obvious. wherein the strap-coil holder comprises an axle assembly, a rear coil supporter rotatably mounted to the axle assembly and comprising a locking shaft, afront coil supporter removably mounted to the locking shaft, a retainer removably mounted to the locking shaft, and a biasing element biasing the retainer to a locked position to prevent removal of the retainer from the locking shaft, in combination with the rest of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 16, the claim is allowed because the prior art of record, considered alone or combination, neither anticipated nor renders obvious .. a biasing element biasing the locking member to the locking position, in combination with the rest of the claimed limitation.
Regarding claim 17, the claim is allowed because the prior art of record, considered alone or combination, neither anticipated nor renders obvious … the locking member is pivotable between a locking position and a release positions, in combination with the rest of the claimed limitation.
Regarding claim 18, the claim is allowed because the prior art of record, considered alone or combination, neither anticipated nor renders obvious … an axle assembly, a rear coil supporter rotatably mounted to the axle assembly and comprising a locking shaft, a front coil supporter removably mounted to the locking shaft, a retainer removably mounted to the locking shaft, and a biasing element biasing the retainer to a locked position to prevent removal of the retainer from the locking shaft, in combination with the rest of the claimed limitation.
Response to Arguments
In Applicant's arguments filed March 12, 2026, Applicant argued that an indicating pointer (136) Kobiella does not prevent the machine frame (12) from moving to its extended position. This argument is found persuasive.
After further consideration and since the claim does not specifically define the structural arrangement of the locking assembly, the Examiner interprets the assembly 112, which includes elements 118, 120, 126, and 128 as the locking assembly. Without a rotation of the hex head (126) of the assembly (112), the coil carriage (12) cannot move to the extended or strap-dispensing positions, and thus the coil carriage is “locked” by the assembly 112. Claim 5 further defines the locking assembly and its functions, and it is found allowable over Kobiella and the prior art of record.
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 JIMMY T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-4520. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, CHRISTOPHER L TEMPLETON can be reached at 571-270-1477. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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JIMMY T. NGUYEN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3725
/JIMMY T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3725