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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
The factual inquiries 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.
Claim(s) 1-7 and 12-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu, CN 112744111, in view of Lee et al, KR 2020008868.
Xu et al disclose a public charging of new energy automobile comprising: mounting grooves (6) connected to each other in the tops of both sides of a shell (1 ); three groups of guide grooves (9) inside the mounting grooves (6); and guide blocks (11) matched with each other on the inner surfaces of the three groups of guide grooves (9) and movable upward and downward (see paragraph [0030], claim 1, and figures 1 and 2).
Xu et al fail to disclose a damper is provided in any one of a first moving pulley and a second moving pulley.
Lee et al disclose a seismic retrofit of existing structure using damper and multipoint prestressed cable comprising: a first and second dampers (10, 10a) provided in damper pulleys (11, 11a) (see paragraphs [0018]-[0025] and figures 2-3b).
In view of Lee et al’s teachings, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the teachings of Xu et al to include dampers for reducing tortional vibration of the pulley and noise. Such modification would make the system operation more effective by improving rotational stability. Therefore, it would have been an obvious extension as taught by the prior art.
Regarding claim 2, the features could be derived through a simple design change to the feature in Xue et al wherein a power supply module (5) is at the center of the shell (1), and the mounting grooves (6) are formed in the tops of both sides thereof (see claim 1 and figures 2 and 3). Therefore, it would have been an obvious extension as taught by the prior art.
Regarding claim 3,the features could be derived through a simple design change to the feature in Xu et al wherein the mounting grooves (6) are located in the tops of both sides of the shell (1) (see claim 1 and figures 2 and 3). Therefore, it would have been an obvious extension as taught by the prior art.
Regarding claim 4, the features could be derived through a simple design change to the feature in Xu et al wherein the mounting grooves ( 6) connected to each other are arranged in the tops of both sides of the shell (1) ( see claim 1 and figures 2 and 3). Therefore, it would have been an obvious extension as taught by the prior art.
Regarding claim 5, Xu et al as modified by Lee et al fail to disclose a ball spring positioned on the bracket of guide rail. However, it is common practice to use ball springs (spring-loaded balls) to control force, positioning, or retention. Therefore, it would have been obvious to employ a ball spring in the teachings of Xu et al as modified by Lee et al to control the pulley and to maintain accurate positioning of the pulley. Such modification would have been an obvious extension as taught by the prior art.
Regarding claims 6-7, Xu et al as modified by Lee et al fail to disclose a number of pulleys and their relative size. However, such limitations are matters of choices for meeting specific customer requirements, which therefore, obvious.
Regarding claims 12-13, Xu et al as modified by Lee et al fail to disclose a gas spring on the mount to which the bracket is mounted. However, gas springs are commonly used in the art for proving smooth extension, damped compression to prevent sudden movements, and help to eliminate slamming. Therefore, it would have been an obvious extension as taught by the prior art.
Regarding claim 14, the teachings of Xu et al as modified by Lee et al can be derived to include a damping spring connected to the gasket for reducing oscillation and vibration. Any spring can be considered as a damping spring since it is connected to a mechanism for reducing oscillation and vibration. Therefore, it would have been an obvious extension as taught by Xu et al as modified by Lee et al.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-11 and 15-20 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The applicant teaches a charger which includes a cable movable accommodated on a bracket having at least one pulley, a damper connected to the bracket, wherein a recessed portion is formed on the outer circumference surface of the at least one pulley having a curvature on the of the changing cable and the recessed portion or wherein a gas spring has a piston rod mount on one end of which the bracket is mounted and a body accommodating a gas for moving the piston or an arm body disposed on the upper portion of the a main body and an arm rail through which the charging cable is guide and formed on the arm body, etc. These limitations in conjunction with other limitations in the claims were not shown by the prior art of record.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Kauffman, US Pub. 2013/0113425, discloses a pop up electrical apparatus. Zuber, US Pub. 20140305759, discloses a cable storage device for a charging cable of an electric vehicle.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL ST CYR whose telephone number is (571)272-2407. The examiner can normally be reached M to F 8:00-8:00.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Pham Thomas can be reached at 571-272-3689. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
DANIEL ST CYR
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2876
/DANIEL ST CYR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
Prosecution Insights