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 .
The request filed on August 6, 2025 for a request for continued examination (RCE) is
acceptable and a RCE has been established. An action on the RCE follows:
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 1-2, 4-15 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
over Ganz (US 4,329,312) in view of Herbruck (US 2,036,413). Ganz discloses, as shown for example in FIG. 1, a glove (11) including a wrist region from region generally extending from 11c to palm region 27; reference annotated copy of FIG. 1 below); a palm region from palm zone/region (27); ref. annot. FIG. 1 below) extending outwardly from the wrist region extending outwardly generally in the direction from 11c towards fingers (23); a plurality of digit
regions/fingers (23) and frontal thumb (25); ref. annot. FIG. 1 below) extending
outwardly from the palm region extending outwardly generally in the direction from the
palm zone/region (27) to the distal end ( 23 & 25) defining at least one griping zone oriented substantially parallel to an imaginary axis thereof and at least one crotch area/zone
between thumb (25) and finger (23) and/or between adjacent fingers (23); ref. annot.
Figs’ 1 & 3 below) defined between two adjacent digit regions of the plurality of digit
regions (e.g., ref. annot. Figs’ 1 & 3 below). Further, a texture pattern provided on the at
least one crotch area defines first, second, third and fourth crotch areas between each
of the plurality of digit regions/fingers (23) as shown in figure 1 (e.g., exterior textured
surface 11b; see at least Col. 3 lines 16-28 "The glove film on the now inverted form is
thereupon sprayed with an aqueous mix of uncured rubber latex...an important feature
that the latex droplets are impacted onto the surface from two sources, angularly
differently directed, and preferably intersecting spray relation, to afford effective
coverage of the glove gripping surfaces including the palm, fingers, and thumb", Col.
2 lines 41-43 "The exterior textured surface 11b of the glove 11 is formed by impacting
the gripping surfaces with fine droplets of an aqueous rubber
latex solution", Col. 3 lines 45-49 "the spatial intersection of the paths of the droplets
from the two spray sources in front of the glove form aids in providing coverage on the
inner or crotch-facing surface of the thumb film which faces toward the palm of the form
21", Col. 4 lines 8-11 "The center lines of the nozzles are preferably directed along
lines intersecting the central sections of the fingers 23 and thumb 25, thereby affording
good coverage of the palm, finger and thumb gripping areas", and Col. 5 lines 7-11 "The
net result is a seamless homogeneous rubber latex glove which...has highly
desirable textured surfaces on both its inner and outer surfaces"; see FIG. 3 showing
spray pattern providing the texture on at least one crotch area; see stippling in FIG. 1
and Figs’ 4 & 5 showing the texture; note that the preamble of the claim uses the open-
ended transitional phrase "comprising", as such, the prior art may include more than
that set forth in the claim.
However, Ganz does no disclose at least one stay provided on a digit region of the plurality of digit regions of the glove and wherein digit region which reduces a circumference of the digit region.
Herbruck teaches, as shown for example in FIG. 3, a glove having at least one
stay (e.g., transvers grooves only on the palm sides of the fingers and thumb; see at
least pg. 2 col. 1 lines 22-26 "Fig. 3, a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating another
embodiment of the improved glove with curved fingers and thumb, and with transverse
grooves only on the palm sides of the fingers and thumb, and without bulges"; ref.
annot. copy of FIG. 3 of Herbruck below) provided on a digit region of the plurality of
digit regions of the glove and wherein the at least one stay comprises a concave/arcuate
indentation formed in the digit region and projects into an interior cavity thereof that frictionally engages the finger which reduces a circumference of the digit
region (e.g., see at least pg. 2 col. 1 lines 22-26 "Fig. 3, a view similar to Fig. 1,
illustrating another embodiment of the improved glove with curved fingers and thumb,
and with transverse grooves only on the palm sides of the fingers and thumb, and
without bulges"; ref. enlarged portion of annot. FIG. 3 of Herbruck below) that defines a second circumference without the bulges forming at least one gripping zone on both first and second sides, in order to minimize strains in the material of the formed glove itself and upon the hand of the user without impairing the sensitiveness of the fingers in a glove of any particular wall
thickness and to provide the advantage of facilitating manipulation of the gloves and
increasing the life thereof (e.g., see at least pg. 1 col. 2 lines 1-7 and pg. 2 col. 2 lines
37-39). Further, the at least one stay defines first and second stay located on each of
the index, middle, ring and little finger are located opposed to and laterally aligned
with respect to one another as shown in figure 2. The at least one gripping zone having the at least first and second stay being spaced apart on first and second sides and extends for less than a quarter of the circumference of the at least one digit region as shown in figure 3.
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the glove of Ganz to include a digit region of the plurality of digit regions of the glove and including a concave/arcuate indentation defining the opposed, spaced apart first and second stays being formed in the digit region of respective index, middle, ring and little finger which reduces a circumference of the digit region defining a first circumference smaller than that second circumference having no bulges, in order to minimize strains upon the hand of the user without impairing the sensitiveness of the fingers in a glove of any particular wall thickness and to provide the advantage of facilitating manipulation of the gloves and increasing the life thereof, as taught by Herbruck. Furthermore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made each of the first and second stays of Ganz when viewed with Herbruck can be provided on either back and front thereof to provide proper frictionally support to prevent the glove from slipping about contact between the at least one gripping zone and the fingers when worn or depending on end use thereof.
With regard to claim 14, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the
art before the effective date of the claimed invention that the textured glove of
Ganz when viewed with Herbruck ‘413 includes but not limited to the texture provided on an exterior surface between opposed side surfaces of first and second digit regions, partially onto an
exterior of a front of the palm region, back of the palm region, etc. as shown in figure 1 so that the glove provides increased gipping area with minimized strain on the fingers when
the device is worn.
With regard to claim 15, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art
before the effective date of the claimed invention that the glove of Ganz formed
by impacting the gripping surfaces with fine droplets of an aqueous rubber latex
solution col. 3 lines 45-49 when viewed with Herbruck can include but not limited
to a micro-etching process, etc. as an alternative but equivalent means for
gripping in order to make the device cost effective or depending on particular end
use thereof.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 16-18 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's
disclosure. The prior art cited on PTO-892 discloses a digit sheath having an indentation
with a circumference smaller than a second circumference defined about a tip portion
thereof.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TEJASH PATEL whose telephone number is (571)272-4993. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 9am -5pm.
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October 29, 2025 /TAJASH D PATEL/ Primary Examiner,
Art Unit 3732