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 .
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) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Skophammer (US 7761944) in view of Thornton (US 2014/0000984) and Barfield et al. (US 2005/0086839, hereinafter ‘Barfield’).
Skophammer discloses a device capable of use as a golf cart organizer assembly, comprising: a rectangular sleeve having an inner layer (34) and an outer layer (38) joined along a common periphery, wherein said common periphery includes a first long edge, a second long edge, a first short edge, and a second short edge (Fig. 1), wherein said rectangular sleeve can be flattened into an open configuration (Fig. 1) and rolled into a rolled configuration (functional/intended use limitation); a plurality of pockets (62, 66) formed on said inner layer that are accessible when said rectangular sleeve is in said open configuration (Fig. 1); except does not expressly disclose the hook structure or bistable spring as claimed.
However, Barfield teaches providing an organizer with a wire hook having a leg (86) and a hooked structure (92 through 108), wherein said leg of said wire hook stiffens said first short edge of said organizer (see Fig. 19) and prevents said first short edge from being folded (functional recitation), and wherein said hooked structure extends beyond said first short edge of said flexible sleeve (see Fig. 19) and defines an area that can receive and capture all of the flexible sleeve when said flexible sleeve is in said rolled configuration (functional/intended use recitation).
At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to add the leg/hook structure taught by Barfield to the mat/organizer taught by Skophammer as modified above, in order to allow the device to be hung when desired and as taught by Barfield (para 0046-0053).
Further, Thornton teaches providing a mat with at least one bistable spring (108) set in said rectangular mat, wherein said bistable spring is stable when said rectangular sleeve is in said open configuration and said bistable spring biases said rectangular sleeve into said rolled configuration when not in said open configuration (para 0025, 0026).
At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to add the roll mechanism taught by Thornton to the mat taught by Skophammer as modified above, in order to allow the mat to self-roll when desired for storage as taught by Thornton (para 0025).
Skophammer as modified above further discloses said hook structure can be used to hang said rectangular sleeve when said rectangular sleeve is in said open configuration (functional/intended use recitation); said leg of said hook structure prevents said rectangular sleeve from folding across said first short edge when in said open configuration (functional/intended use recitation); a wire element that extends along said second short edge and prevents said rectangular sleeve from folding across said second short edge (Thornton; other end 110) when in said open configuration; said at least one bistable spring is set in said rectangular sleeve between said first layer and said second layer (Thornton para 0025); said at least one bistable spring includes a first bistable spring positioned proximate said first long edge and a second bistable spring positioned proximate said second long edge (Thornton Figs. 2, 3).
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Skophammer (US 7761944) in view of Thornton (US 2014/0000984) and Barfield et al. (US 2005/0086839, hereinafter ‘Barfield’) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Dillon (US 5849390).
Skophammer as modified above discloses all limitations of the claim(s) as detailed above except does not expressly disclose the suction cup as claimed.
However, Dillon teaches providing a similar mat/organizer with a suction cup (28) disposed on said outer layer (Figs. 1, 2) as claimed.
At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to add the suction cups taught by Dillon to the mat/organizer taught by Skophammer as modified above, in order to allow the device to be attached to a hanging surface when desired and as taught by Dillon (col. 3, ll. 40-48).
Claim(s) 8, 9, and 12-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Skophammer (US 7761944) in view of Thornton (US 2014/0000984), Barfield et al. (US 2005/0086839, hereinafter ‘Barfield’), Felsenthal et al. (US 10856657, hereinafter ‘Felsenthal’), and Dillon (US 5849390).
Claims 8-16 are an amalgamation of claims 1-7 and are rejected under the grounds set forth above, duplication being omitted herein for the sake of expediency.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to all claim(s) have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 PETER N. HELVEY whose telephone number is (571)270-1423. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10am-7pm EST.
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/PETER N HELVEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3734
September 23, 2025