DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This office action is in response to claims in application 18/333,144 filed on 6/12/2023.
The instant application claims benefit to provisional application #63/352,448 with a priority date of 6/15/2022.
The Pre-Grant publication # US 20230410686 A1 is published on 12/21/2023.
Claims 1-22 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to a judicial exception (i.e., a law of nature, a natural phenomenon, or an abstract idea) without significantly more. The claimed invention is typically falling under utility patents for new, useful, and non-obvious mechanical structures with appearance of a card device system (Step 1: YES).
Claims 1 and 15 are directed to a system or device for instructing chemistry comprising of a work surface, frame around the work surface and movable tiles, on a front with a portion of a visible chemistry symbol thereon readable via eyesight,. An attachment member on a rearward surface to attach the moveable tile to the work surface being adapted to allow the moveable tile to be removed from the work surface and to be slidably position able to generally any position on the work surface once attached. But the underlying teaching instruction step rules are directed to patent-ineligible subject matter. The printed matter changes, actions of moving, attaching and storing all falls within the “Certain Method of Organizing Human Activity” groupings of abstract idea.. Observing, locating positions, identifying of braille indicia, rules determination for playing a game, , identifying of braille indicia with respect to attachments contributes towards “mental processes” for specific instances of managing interactions between people. Accordingly, the claims recite one or more groupings of abstract idea(s). (Step 2A; Prong One: Yes).
The independent claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to be significantly more than the judicial exception because the limitations of “tiles with visible display”, “distributive storage", "separate compartments” are merely use of standard device known and used in art. Hence the interactions are not indicative of integration of a practical application (Step 2A: Prong 2 No).
The steps in the recited claims that are highlighted are a well-understood, routine, and conventional activities known in art. Fig.1A-1G of the instant specification depict touchable object movements for a hardware in a standard tile connections and attachment environment with image panel implement the process claimed here. They are disclosed in their specification in a manner that indicates that those features are well-known, routine, and conventional formula and equations and bond relations in chemistry. They are not dealing with actual improvements to, e.g., chemical reaction etc.
Further, there found to be no additional elements here in the claim recitation that improves the functioning of a device for instructing chemistry itself to overcome the abstract idea rejection (Step 2B: No).
Claims 2-14,16-22 do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. Additionally, taking the claimed elements individually yields no difference from taking them in combination because each element simply performs its respective function as discussed above. In other words, these claims merely apply an abstract idea to a programmable processor or computer and do not improve the performance of the process or computer itself or provide a technical solution to a problem in a technical field. They do not effect a transformation of a particular article to a different state or thing, the underlying computing elements remain the same. Instead, the additional features merely amount to an instruction to apply the abstract idea using generic, functional, and conventional components well-known in the art. Mere instructions to apply an exception using the generic computer components cannot provide an inventive concept. Therefore, for these reasons, the claims are not patent-eligible under 35 USC 101.
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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Patent Application Publication Number US 20020072044 A1 to Possidento in combination with Wolf in view of Patent Number US 7273375 B2 to Wolf et al.(Wolf).
Claim 1. Possidento teaches a system for instructing chemistry, comprising: a device comprising a work surface ( Fig.4,5 work surface );
a frame around the work surface (Para 0025 puzzle framework), and
movable tiles, each of the movable tiles comprising, on a front surface thereof, at least a portion of a visible chemistry symbol thereon readable via eyesight, each of the movable tiles further comprising an attachment member on a rearward surface to attach the moveable tile to the work surface ( Para 0029 puzzle or a tile as the case may come with face covers readable via eyesight that snap into place or attach to the faces with hinges could be used to keep the pieces from falling out or to serve as trays or holders for the pieces when the puzzle is in use ), the attachment member being adapted to allow the moveable tile to be removed from the work surface and to be slidably positionable to generally any position on the work surface once attached thereto (Para 0029 hinges or other form of known positional attachments adapted could be used to keep the pieces from falling out, sliding or to serve as trays or holders for the pieces when the puzzle is in use ).
Possidento Wolf does not identify movable tiles, each of the movable tiles further comprising Braille indicia on the front surface thereof corresponding to the at least a portion of the visible chemistry symbol. Wolf, however, teaches movable tiles further comprising Braille indicia on the front surface thereof corresponding to the at least a portion of the visible chemistry ( col.4 lines 65-66; col.5 lines 40-56 Braille indicia on clear sheet or movable tiles on a front surface corresponding to a portion of the visible symbol for reasonably pertinent solution to the problem faced with a reasonable expectation of success). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to incorporate each of movable tiles further comprising Braille indicia on the front surface thereof corresponding to at least a portion of the symbol , as taught by Wolf, for a visible chemistry symbol of Possidento in combination with Wolf, in order to provide a teaching aid useful in instructing a visibly impaired students.
Possidento teaches the frame defining an abutment boundary for positioning of the movable tiles, and a storage device for at least a portion of the movable tiles which comprise a symbol of one of a plurality of chemical elements thereof ( Fig,4,5,6 Para 0025 puzzle framework defining an abutment boundary may be facile enough to simply put the pieces into the framework based upon the name or the atomic number alone or is a learning experience and should include the chemical elements like electron configuration information for the sake of making the model complete; Possidento in combination with Wolf: para 0025 atomic number).
Possidento in combination with Wolf (Para 0001 based on periodic table) does not identify a storage device comprising a plurality of separate compartments for the at least a portion of the moveable tiles, the plurality of separate compartments being arranged in space in the format of a periodic table of elements. Wolf, however, teaches the storage device comprising a plurality of separate compartments for the at least a portion of the moveable tiles, the plurality of separate compartments being arranged in space in the format of a periodic table of elements ( col.3 lines 33-45 multi compartment storage container. Each of the movable elements having a different symbol). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to incorporate the storage device comprising a plurality of separate compartments for the at least a portion of the moveable tiles, each of the plurality of separate compartments comprising a visible symbol of one of the plurality of elements thereon readable via eyesight and a Braille indicia of the one of the plurality of chemical elements thereon, the plurality of separate compartments being arranged in space, as taught by Wolf, in the format of a periodic table of elements for a visible chemistry symbol of Possidento in combination with Wolf, in order to provide readily available to work on the perimeter.
Claim 2. Possidento in combination with Wolf teaches the system of claim 1 wherein the work surface has sufficient surface area to provide for positioning a plurality of the moveable tiles around at least a portion of a perimeter of the work surface bounded by the frame from which the moveable tile can be slid to form a standard chemistry expression.( Fig.3 each panel in the pyramid-shaped platform preferably has an inclination a piece of the puzzle would tend to slide downwardly on the panel surface ).
Claim 3. Possidento in combination with Wolf teaches the system of claim 1 wherein magnetic attraction is used to maintain the attachment member in movable connection with the work surface ( Fig.3,4 inclined pieces may be alternatively formed with interlocking tabs and grooves or the pieces may be magnetic as known in art).
Claim 4. Possidento in combination with Wolf in combination with Wolf teaches the system of claim 1 further comprising one or more reference documents comprising information in the form of Braille indicia (Wolfe: col.2 lines 26-28 Braille indicia ; col.5 lines 45-48 corresponding clear sheet reference document) .
Claim 5. Possidento in combination with Wolf teaches the system of claim 4 wherein the one or more reference documents provides information in the form of Braille indicia on the plurality of chemical elements to supplement information provided on each of the plurality of separate compartments (Possidento : para 0024 chemical elements for students; Wolfe: col.3 lines 41-45; col.7 lines 28-30 multi compartments, Braille indicia).
Claim 6. Possidento in combination with Wolf teaches the system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of separate compartments independently comprises a movable cover comprising the visible chemistry symbol of one of the plurality of chemical elements and the Braille indicia of the one of the plurality of chemical elements on an upper surface thereof (Possidento : para 0024 chemistry symbol; Wolf: col. col.7 lines 28-30 individual independent compartments for quick retrieval such as for movable cover) .
Claim 7. Possidento in combination with Wolf teaches the system of claim 6 wherein the movable cover of each of the plurality of separate compartments is connected to a body of each of the plurality of separate compartments via a hinge mechanism ( Para 0029 hinges or other form of known positional attachments adapted could be used to keep the pieces from falling out, sliding or to serve as trays or holders for the pieces when the puzzle is in use).
Claim 8. Possidento in combination with Wolf teaches the system of claim 6 wherein the upper surface of the movable cover of each of the plurality of separate compartments further comprises a visible indicia of an atomic number of the one of the plurality of chemical elements and the Braille indicia of the atomic number of the one of the plurality of chemical elements (Possidento : para 0025 atomic number; Wolf: A display is provided behind the counting pieces which can include numerals and Braille indicia).
Claim 9. Possidento in combination with Wolf teaches the system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of support components, each of the plurality of support components comprising a first seating via which one of the moveable tiles is positionable to be in operative connection with the support component, each of plurality of support components further comprising an attachment member on a rearward surface to attach the support component to the work surface, the attachment member being adapted to allow the support component to be removed from the work surface and to be slidably positionable to generally any position on the work surface once attached thereto, and a plurality of extending bond line components, wherein a user can form a structure on the work surface representing a molecule by arranging two or more of the plurality of support components in spaced relation with one or more of the plurality of extending bond line components extending between the two or more of the plurality of support components (Wolf: Col. 7 lines 11-61 varied size, dimension, and a seating support component subject to positionable actions and attachment member being adapted to allow the support component).
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Claim 10. Possidento in combination with Wolf teaches the system of claim 9 wherein magnetic attraction is used to maintain the attachment member of each of the plurality of support components in movable connection with the work surface ( Fig.3,4 inclined pieces may be alternatively formed with interlocking tabs and grooves or the pieces may be magnetic as known in art).
Claim 11. Possidento in combination with Wolf teaches the system of claim 9 wherein each of the plurality of support components further comprises a second seating via which one of the moveable tiles is positionable to be in operative connection with the support component, the first seating being dimensioned to seat one of the plurality of movable tiles having a first size, the second seating being dimensioned to seat one of the plurality of movable tiles having a second size, different from the first size ( Wolf: Col. 7 lines 11-61 varied size, dimension, and seating support component subject to positionable actions).
Claim 12. Possidento in combination with Wolf in combination teaches the system of claim 9 wherein one or more of the plurality of extending bond line components comprises an attachment member on a rearward surface to attach the extending bond line component to the work surface, the attachment member being adapted to allow the extending bond line component to be removed from the work surface and to be slidably positionable to generally any position on the work surface once attached thereto (Possidento : Para 0006 rhomboid shaped piece have distinct pieces of information such as electronic configuration that include bondline component, chemical name, oxidation state, etc. ; Wolf: Fig.7 movable element for plurality of extending line could be stored).
Claim 13. Possidento in combination with Wolf teaches the system of claim 12 wherein each of the one or more of the plurality of extending bond line components comprises, on a front surface thereof, a visible representation thereon readable via eyesight of one of a single bond, a double bond, a triple bond or a quadruple bond, each of the extending bond line components further comprising Braille indicia or other tactile indicia on the front surface thereof corresponding to the one of the single bond, the double bond, the triple bond or the quadruple bond (Possidento : Para 0006, 0022, 0023 when information could be modified for rhomboid shaped piece have distinct pieces of information such as electronic configuration that include bondline component, chemical name, oxidation state when one of a single bond, a double bond, a triple bond or a quadruple bond, each of the extending bond line components; Wolf: Fig.7 movable element for plurality of extending line could be stored in braille tactile indicia).
Claim 14. Possidento in combination with Wolf teaches the system of claim 9 wherein one or more of the of the plurality of extending bond line components comprises an adhesive surface to removably attach the extending bond line component to the work surface, wherein a single bond line is represented by one of one or more extending bond line components, a double bond line is represented by two of one or more extending bond line components, a triple bond line is represented by three of one or more extending bond line components, and a quadruple bond line is represented by four of one or more extending bond line components ( Possidento : Para 0006, 0022, 0023 when information could be modified for rhomboid shaped piece have distinct pieces of information such as electronic configuration that include bondline component, chemical name, oxidation state when one of a single bond, a double bond, a triple bond or a quadruple bond for extending bond line components; Wolf: Fig.7 movable element for plurality of extending line could be stored in braille tactile indicia).
Claim 15. Possidento in combination with Wolf teaches a device for instructing chemistry (para 0001 chemistry teaching device) , comprising:
a work surface; a frame around the work surface, movable tiles, each of the movable tiles comprising, on a front surface thereof, at least a portion of a visible chemistry symbol thereon readable via eyesight, each of the movable tiles further comprising Braille indicia on the front surface thereof corresponding to the at least a portion of the visible chemistry symbol, each of the movable tiles further comprising an attachment member on a rearward surface to attach the moveable tile to the work surface, the attachment member being adapted to allow the moveable tile to be removed from the work surface and to be slidably positionable to generally any position on the work surface once attached thereto, the frame defining an abutment boundary for positioning of the movable tiles, the movable tiles comprising a plurality of chemical element tiles and a plurality of moveable tiles comprising a visible chemistry symbol of one of the plurality of chemical elements thereon readable via eyesight and a Braille indicia of the one of the plurality of chemical elements thereon (Possidento : para 0024 chemistry symbol ),
Possidento does not identify movable tiles, each of the movable tiles further comprising Braille indicia on the front surface thereof corresponding to the at least a portion of the visible chemistry symbol. Wolf, however, teaches movable tiles further comprising Braille indicia on the front surface thereof corresponding to the at least a portion of the visible chemistry ( col.4 lines 65-66; col.5 lines 40-56 Braille indicia on clear sheet or movable tiles on a front surface corresponding to a portion of the visible symbol for reasonably pertinent solution to the problem faced with a reasonable expectation of success). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to incorporate each of movable tiles further comprising Braille indicia on the front surface thereof corresponding to at least a portion of the symbol , as taught by Wolf, for a visible chemistry symbol of Possidento in combination with Wolf, in order to provide a teaching aid useful in instructing a visibly impaired students.
Possidento teaches the frame defining an abutment boundary for positioning of the movable tiles, and a storage device for at least a portion of the movable tiles which comprise a symbol of one of a plurality of chemical elements thereof ( Fig,4,5,6 Para 0025 puzzle framework defining an abutment boundary may be facile enough to simply put the pieces into the framework based upon the name or the atomic number alone or is a learning experience and should include the chemical elements like electron configuration information for the sake of making the model complete; Possidento in combination with Wolf: para 0025 atomic number).
Possidento (Para 0001 based on periodic table) does not identify a storage device comprising a plurality of separate compartments for the at least a portion of the moveable tiles, the plurality of separate compartments being arranged in space in the format of a periodic table of elements. Wolf, however, teaches the storage device comprising a plurality of separate compartments for the at least a portion of the moveable tiles, the plurality of separate compartments being arranged in space in the format of a periodic table of elements ( col.3 lines 33-45 multi compartment storage container. Each of the movable elements having a different symbol). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to incorporate the storage device comprising a plurality of separate compartments for the at least a portion of the moveable tiles, each of the plurality of separate compartments comprising a visible symbol of one of the plurality of elements thereon readable via eyesight and a Braille indicia of the one of the plurality of chemical elements thereon, the plurality of separate compartments being arranged in space, as taught by Wolf, in the format of a periodic table of elements for a visible chemistry symbol of Possidento in combination with Wolf, in order to provide readily available to work on the perimeter.
a plurality of support components, each of the plurality of support components comprising a first seating via which one of the moveable tiles is positionable to be in operative connection with the support component (Wolf: Col. 7 lines 11-61 varied size and seating support component subject to positionable actions), each of plurality of support components further comprising an attachment member on a rearward surface to attach the support component to the work surface, the attachment member being adapted to allow the support component to be removed from the work surface and to be slidably positionable to generally any position on the work surface once attached thereto; and a plurality of extending bond line components (Wolf: col.3 lines 55-66 adapted to allow the element to be removed from the work surface and to be slidably positionable to any position on the work surface); wherein a user can form a structure on the work surface representing a molecule by arranging two or more of the plurality of support components in spaced relation with one or more of the plurality of extending bond line components extending between the two or more of the plurality of support components (Possidento : Para 0006 rhomboid shaped piece have distinct pieces of information such as electronic configuration that include bondline component, chemical name, oxidation state, etc. ; Wolf: Fig.7 movable element for plurality of extending line could be stored).
Claim 16. Possidento in combination with Wolf teaches the device of claim 15 wherein the work surface has sufficient surface area to provide for positioning a plurality of the moveable tiles around at least a portion of a perimeter of the work surface bounded by the frame from which the moveable tile can be slid to form a standard chemistry expression (Fig.3 Each panel in the pyramid-shaped platform preferably has an inclination a piece of the puzzle would tend to slide downwardly on the panel surface forming a standard chemistry expression).
Claim 17. Possidento in combination with Wolf teaches the device of claim 15 wherein magnetic attraction is used to maintain the attachment member in movable connection with the work surface ( Fig.3,4 inclined pieces may be alternatively formed with interlocking tabs and grooves or the pieces may be magnetic as known in art).
Claim 18. Possidento in combination with Wolf teaches the device of claim 15 wherein magnetic attraction is used to maintain the attachment member of each of the plurality of support components in movable connection with the work surface ( Fig.3,4 inclined pieces may be alternatively formed with interlocking tabs and grooves or the pieces may be magnetic as known in art ) .
Claim 19. Possidento in combination with Wolf teaches the device of claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of support components further comprises a second seating via which one of the moveable tiles is positionable to be in operative connection with the support component, the first seating being dimensioned to seat one of the plurality of movable tiles having a first size, the second seating being dimensioned to seat one of the plurality of movable tiles having a second size, different from the first size (Wolf: Col. 7 lines 11-61 varied size, dimension, and seating support component subject to positionable actions).
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Claim 20. Possidento in combination with Wolf teaches the device of claim 15 wherein one or more of the plurality of extending bond line components comprises an attachment member on a rearward surface to attach the support component to the work surface, the attachment member being adapted to allow the support component to be removed from the work surface and to be slidably positionable to generally any position on the work surface once attached thereto (Possidento: Para 0006, 0022, 0023 when information could be modified for rhomboid shaped piece have distinct pieces of information such as electronic configuration that include extended bondline component, chemical name, oxidation state; Wolf: Fig.7 movable element for plurality of extending line could be stored in braille tactile indicia; Wolf: col.3 lines 55-66 adapted to allow the element to be removed from the work surface, extending line and to be slidably positionable to any position on the work surface).
Claim 21. Possidento in combination with Wolf the device of claim 20 wherein each of the one or more of the plurality of extending bond line components comprises, on a front surface thereof, a visible representation thereon readable via eyesight of one of a single bond, a double bond, a triple bond or a quadruple bond, each of the movable tiles further comprising Braille indicia on the front surface thereof corresponding to the one of the single bond, the double bond, the triple bond or the quadruple bond (Possidento: Para 0006, 0022, 0023 when information could be modified for rhomboid shaped piece have distinct pieces of information such as electronic configuration that include bondline component, chemical name, oxidation state when one of a single bond, a double bond, a triple bond or a quadruple bond, each of the extending bond line components; Wolf: Fig.7 movable element for plurality of extending line could be stored in braille tactile indicia).
Claim 22. Possidento in combination with Wolf teaches the device of claim 15 wherein one or more of the of the plurality of extending bond line components comprises an adhesive surface to removably attach the extending bond line component to the work surface, wherein a single bond line is represented by one of one or more extending bond line components, a double bond line is represented by two of one or more extending bond line components, a triple bond line is represented by three of one or more extending bond line components, and a quadruple bond line is represented by four of one or more extending bond line components (Possidento in combination with Wolf: Para 0006, 0022, 0023 when information could be modified for rhomboid shaped piece have distinct pieces of information such as electronic configuration that include bondline component, chemical name, oxidation state when one of a single bond, a double bond, a triple bond or a quadruple bond as represented by two of one or more extending bond line components).
Conclusion
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/S.Z/Examiner, Art Unit 3715 January 10, 2026
/XUAN M THAI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3715