DETAILED ACTION
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 06/29/2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
2. 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.
3. Claim(s) 1, 5, 6, and 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eddie Oquendo Virella (US 2013/0228623 A1 – hereinafter Virella) in view of Ian J. Forster (US 2023/0054777 A1 – hereinafter Forster) Gonzalo Garcia Contreras (EP 1,903,539 A1 – hereinafter Contreras), Larry G. Fitzpatrick (US 4,396,192 – hereinafter Fitzpatrick), and Shen et al. (US 11,013,361 B1 – hereinafter Shen).
Re Claims 1, 5, 6, 13, and 14:
Virella discloses a waste identification system comprising: at least one reusable identification device (105) comprising a body that houses an identification chip (119, 120, 121) therein, and a dispenser (100) comprising:- a container (101) configured for storing the at least one reusable identification device (105), a hopper (106) configured for receiving a released reusable identification device (105) from the container (101), an external screen (108 – also includes push buttons 109) forming an interface which is located on an outside of the dispenser (100) to allow interaction with a user- a release mechanism (107 – see paragraph [0017]) configured for enabling exit of the reusable identification device (105) from the hopper, and- an RFID reader/writer (see paragraphs [0019, 0021, 0029 and 0034]) (see Figs. 1-8, “NFC information (e.g., an embedded RFID tag of a credit card”, :The unique identifier, is stored as machine readable code, such as barcode 119, QR code 120, and/or RFID tag 121), but fails to teach comprising a spherical body that houses an identification chip therein, and wherein the identification device is provided with a metallic portion in the form of a ring that enables recovery of the identification device by magnets or electromagnets, and wherein the ring is disposed around an inner perimeter of the spherical body.
Forster teaches wherein an identification device (20, 22) is provided with a metallic portion that enables recovery of the identification device by magnets or electromagnets (see paragraph [0051]) (see Figs. 1-8C). Re Claim 5: Forster teaches wherein the metallic portion (see 701, see 706, see Figs. 8A-8B) is part of a spherical body itself (see Figs. 1-8C). Therefore, it would have been obvious, for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have been motivated to combine the teachings of Virella with that of Forster to allow for recovering during return or recycling type operations.
Contreras teaches a spherical body that houses an identification chip therein (see paragraph [0016]) (see Figs. 1-5). Therefore, it would have been obvious, for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have been motivated to combine the teachings of Virella with that of Forster and Contreras, to allow for dispensing of a particular type or shape of product, for a given purpose, as known within the art.
Fitzpatrick teaches wherein an identification device (12) is provided with a metallic portion in a form of a ring (34), and wherein the ring (34) is disposed around an inner perimeter (inner perimeter at 22) of a spherical body (see Fig. 3) (see Figs. 1-6) (see col. 3 lines 25-56). Therefore, it would have been obvious, for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have been motivated to combine the teachings of Virella with that of Forster, Contreras, and Fitzpatrick to provide allow for detection of a device. Examiner notes the combination would further be capable of providing enabling recovery of the identification device by magnets or electromagnets, for Foster teaches such and one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that metal would allow for such as well.
Shen teaches a spherical body (for oil) (see col. 4 lines 59-66). Therefore, it would have been obvious, for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have been motivated to combine the teachings of Virella with that of Forster, Contreras, Fitzpatrick, and Shen, to use a container of a desired shape to meet a particular need as required by the user, as suggested by Shen, and obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Further Re Claim 15:
Virella discloses wherein the dispenser (100) is integrated in a waste collection container (at 106) (see Figs. 1-8).
4. Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Virella in view of Forster, Contreras, Fitzpatrick, and Shen and further in view of Ariel Haroush (US 2022/0396426 A1 – hereinafter Haroush).
Re Claim 2:
Virella in view of Forster, Contreras, Fitzpatrick, and Shen discloses the device of claim 1, but fails to teach wherein the spherical body is made up of two semi-sphere bodies which are configured to be coupled to one another using attachment means.
Haroush further in view teaches wherein a spherical body is made up of two semi-sphere bodies (25a, 25b) which are configured to be coupled to one another using attachment means (see Fig. 28). Therefore, it would have been obvious, for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have been motivated to combine the teachings of Virella in view of Forster, Contreras, Fitzpatrick, and Shen, with that of Haroush, to allow access to contents within a device, while also providing a particular shape as known within the art, and suggested by Contreras.
5. Claim(s) 7-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Virella in view of Forster, Contreras, Fitzpatrick, and Shen, and Haroush and further in view of van Pol et al. (US 2020/0209093 A1 – hereinafter Pol).
Re Claims 7-9:
Virella in view of Forster, Contreras, Fitzpatrick, and Shen, and Haroush discloses the device of claim 2, but fails to teach wherein the attachment means are made up of perimetral channels arranged in proximity of the edges of the semi-sphere bodies.
Pol further in view teaches wherein attachment means are made up of perimetral channels (see Fig. 3A near 302) arranged in proximity of the edges of the semi-sphere bodies (2) (see Figs. 1-11). Re Claim 8: Pol further in view teaches wherein the attachment means are complemented with at least one projection (414) extending from an inside of the semi-sphere bodies, which is coupled in at least one cavity arranged in opposition in the other semi-sphere body (see Fig. 6). Re Claim 9: Pol further in view teaches wherein the spherical body has a through hole (226) (see Fig. 2). Therefore, it would have been obvious, for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have been motivated to combine the teachings of Virella in view of Forster, Contreras, Fitzpatrick, and Shen, and Haroush with that of Pol, to connect two parts together as commonly known within the art.
6. Claim(s) 11 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Virella in view of Forster, Contreras, Fitzpatrick, and Shen and further in view of Voorhees et al. (US 2,878,961 – hereinafter Vorhees).
Re Claims 11 and 12:
Virella in view of Forster, Contreras, Fitzpatrick, and Shen discloses the device of claim 1, but fails to teach wherein the release mechanism of the dispenser comprises a mechanical rotational mechanism linked to a lever, and wherein the release mechanism of the dispenser includes a locking element.
Vorhees further in view teaches wherein the release mechanism of the dispenser comprises a mechanical rotational mechanism (32) linked to a lever (see col. 13 lines 30-45) (see Figs. 1-18). Re Claim 12: Vorhees further in view teaches wherein the release mechanism of the dispenser includes a locking element (shaft locking mechanism) (see col. 13 lines 30-45) (see Figs. 1-18). Therefore, it would have been obvious, for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have been motivated to combine the teachings of Virella in view of Forster, Contreras, Fitzpatrick, and Shen with that of Vorhees, to provide a particular alternative dispensing arrangement from a vending machine as known within the art.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
7. 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.
8. Claim(s) 1, 5, 6, and 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eddie Oquendo Virella (US 2013/0228623 A1 – hereinafter Virella) in view of Ian J. Forster (US 2023/0054777 A1 – hereinafter Forster) Gonzalo Garcia Contreras (EP 1,903,539 A1 – hereinafter Contreras), Savarese et al. (US 2010/0293777 A1 – hereinafter Savarese), and Shen et al. (US 11,013,361 B1 – hereinafter Shen).
Re Claims 1, 5, 6, 13, and 14:
Virella discloses a waste identification system comprising: at least one reusable identification device (105) comprising a body that houses an identification chip (119, 120, 121) therein, and a dispenser (100) comprising:- a container (101) configured for storing the at least one reusable identification device (105), a hopper (106) configured for receiving a released reusable identification device (105) from the container (101), an external screen (108 – also includes push buttons 109) forming an interface which is located on an outside of the dispenser (100) to allow interaction with a user- a release mechanism (107 – see paragraph [0017]) configured for enabling exit of the reusable identification device (105) from the hopper, and- an RFID reader/writer (see paragraphs [0019, 0021, 0029 and 0034]) (see Figs. 1-8, “NFC information (e.g., an embedded RFID tag of a credit card”, :The unique identifier, is stored as machine readable code, such as barcode 119, QR code 120, and/or RFID tag 121), but fails to teach comprising a spherical body that houses an identification chip therein, and wherein the identification device is provided with a metallic portion in the form of a ring that enables recovery of the identification device by magnets or electromagnets, and wherein the ring is disposed around an inner perimeter of the spherical body.
Forster teaches wherein an identification device (20, 22) is provided with a metallic portion that enables recovery of the identification device by magnets or electromagnets (see paragraph [0051]) (see Figs. 1-8C). Re Claim 5: Forster teaches wherein the metallic portion (see 701, see 706, see Figs. 8A-8B) is part of a spherical body itself (see Figs. 1-8C). Therefore, it would have been obvious, for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have been motivated to combine the teachings of Virella with that of Forster to allow for recovering during return or recycling type operations.
Contreras teaches a spherical body that houses an identification chip therein (see paragraph [0016]) (see Figs. 1-5). Therefore, it would have been obvious, for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have been motivated to combine the teachings of Virella with that of Forster and Contreras, to allow for dispensing of a particular type or shape of product, for a given purpose, as known within the art.
Savarese teaches wherein an identification device (10) is provided with a metallic portion in a form of a ring (33A-33B, 47, 85A-85B, 105A-105B, 125, 133A-133B), and wherein the ring (33A-33B, 47, 85A-85B, 105A-105B, 125, 133A-133B) is disposed around an inner perimeter (core) of a spherical body (see Figs. 1-27C) (see col. 3 lines 25-56) (see paragraphs [0082 and 0084]). Therefore, it would have been obvious, for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have been motivated to combine the teachings of Virella with that of Forster, Contreras, and Savarese to provide allow for detection of a device. Examiner notes the combination would further be capable of providing enabling recovery of the identification device by magnets or electromagnets, for Foster teaches such and one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that metal would allow for such as well.
Shen teaches a spherical body (for oil) (see col. 4 lines 59-66). Therefore, it would have been obvious, for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have been motivated to combine the teachings of Virella with that of Forster, Contreras, Savarese, and Shen, to use a container of a desired shape to meet a particular need as required by the user, as suggested by Shen, and obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Further Re Claim 15:
Virella discloses wherein the dispenser (100) is integrated in a waste collection container (at 106) (see Figs. 1-8).
9. Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Virella in view of Forster, Contreras, Savarese, and Shen and further in view of Ariel Haroush (US 2022/0396426 A1 – hereinafter Haroush).
Re Claim 2:
Virella in view of Forster, Contreras, Savarese, and Shen discloses the device of claim 1, but fails to teach wherein the spherical body is made up of two semi-sphere bodies which are configured to be coupled to one another using attachment means.
Haroush further in view teaches wherein a spherical body is made up of two semi-sphere bodies (25a, 25b) which are configured to be coupled to one another using attachment means (see Fig. 28). Therefore, it would have been obvious, for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have been motivated to combine the teachings of Virella in view of Forster, Contreras, Savarese, and Shen, with that of Haroush, to allow access to contents within a device, while also providing a particular shape as known within the art, and suggested by Contreras.
10. Claim(s) 7-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Virella in view of Forster, Contreras, Savarese, and Shen, and Haroush and further in view of van Pol et al. (US 2020/0209093 A1 – hereinafter Pol).
Re Claims 7-9:
Virella in view of Forster, Contreras, Savarese, and Shen, and Haroush discloses the device of claim 2, but fails to teach wherein the attachment means are made up of perimetral channels arranged in proximity of the edges of the semi-sphere bodies.
Pol further in view teaches wherein attachment means are made up of perimetral channels (see Fig. 3A near 302) arranged in proximity of the edges of the semi-sphere bodies (2) (see Figs. 1-11). Re Claim 8: Pol further in view teaches wherein the attachment means are complemented with at least one projection (414) extending from an inside of the semi-sphere bodies, which is coupled in at least one cavity arranged in opposition in the other semi-sphere body (see Fig. 6). Re Claim 9: Pol further in view teaches wherein the spherical body has a through hole (226) (see Fig. 2). Therefore, it would have been obvious, for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have been motivated to combine the teachings of Virella in view of Forster, Contreras, Savarese, and Shen, and Haroush with that of Pol, to connect two parts together as commonly known within the art.
11. Claim(s) 11 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Virella in view of Forster, Contreras, Savarese, and Shen and further in view of Voorhees et al. (US 2,878,961 – hereinafter Vorhees).
Re Claims 11 and 12:
Virella in view of Forster, Contreras, Savarese, and Shen discloses the device of claim 1, but fails to teach wherein the release mechanism of the dispenser comprises a mechanical rotational mechanism linked to a lever, and wherein the release mechanism of the dispenser includes a locking element.
Vorhees further in view teaches wherein the release mechanism of the dispenser comprises a mechanical rotational mechanism (32) linked to a lever (see col. 13 lines 30-45) (see Figs. 1-18). Re Claim 12: Vorhees further in view teaches wherein the release mechanism of the dispenser includes a locking element (shaft locking mechanism) (see col. 13 lines 30-45) (see Figs. 1-18). Therefore, it would have been obvious, for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have been motivated to combine the teachings of Virella in view of Forster, Contreras, Savarese, and Shen with that of Vorhees, to provide a particular alternative dispensing arrangement from a vending machine as known within the art.
Conclusion
12. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
13. Douglas Abbott (US 2007/0182563 A1) – shows a metal ring (26) inside a container (see Fig. 2)
14. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KELVIN L RANDALL, JR. whose telephone number is (571)270-5373. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:00 am-5 pm 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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/K.L.R/Examiner, Art Unit 3651
/GENE O CRAWFORD/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3651
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