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 § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-6, 13, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Clark (US PG Pub. 2021/0402248, Dec. 30, 2021)
Regarding claim 1, Clark teaches an exercise equipment comprising: a. a base platform 5 comprising a plurality of base platform fastener sites 16 (see Figs. 2, 3, 6, and 9 below) configured for attaching an exercising accessory 4 to the base platform 5; b. a hinge structure (i.e., hinges 6, 12, 20, see Fig. 2 below) comprising first and second hinges (i.e., first hinge 6 and second hinge 20); and c. a collapsible frame comprising first and second frame sections (i.e., arms 11, and body 1; see Figs. 2, 3, 6, and 9 below), the first and second frame sections comprising a plurality of frame fastener sites (i.e., fastener site 9 on the body 1, and fastener site for elastic band 4 on the arms 11, see Figs. 2, 3, 6, and 9 below) configured for attaching the exercising accessory to the collapsible frame, wherein the first hinge 6 couples the base platform 5 to the collapsible frame 11,1, the second hinge 12 hingedly couples the first frame section 11 to the second frame section 1, the first hinge 6 configured to rotate the base platform 5 relative to the collapsible frame 11,1 in a first plane, the second hinge 12 configured to rotate the first frame section 11 relative to the second frame section 11 in a second plane orthogonal to the first plane (i.e., rotation of arms 11 relative to body 1 are in orthogonal axes), such that the first 11 and second 1 frame sections fold upon each other (see Fig. 6 below), the rotations to expand and collapse the exercise equipment into folded (see Fig. 6 below) and unfolded (see Fig. 2 below) configurations.
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Regarding claim 2, Clark teaches wherein in the unfolded configuration, the frame fastener sites are arranged in parallel columns extending from a proximal end of the first frame section 11 relative to the base platform 5 to a distal end of the second frame section 1 relative to the base platform 5 (i.e., as shown in Fig. 2 above, the fastener sites at the ends of first frame section 11 are in symmetrical parallel columns relative to the base platform 5 and second frame section 1).
Regarding claim 3, Clark teaches wherein in the unfolded configuration, the frame fastener sites are arranged to secure the exercising accessory 4 at different distances from the base platform 5 (i.e., the fastener sites on frame section 11 are pivotable via hinge 12 to different distances relative to the base platform 5, see Fig. 2 above).
Regarding claim 4, Clark teaches wherein the base platform 5 comprises a planar substrate configured to lie on a flat surface (see Figs, 2, 3.
Regarding claim 5, Clark teaches further comprising the exercising accessory 4,3 coupled to one or more of the fastener sites (i.e., fastener site 9 on the body 1, and fastener site for elastic band 4 on the arms 11).
Regarding claim 6, Clark teaches wherein the exercising accessory comprises a pull-up bar, a bench attachment 3 (see Fig. 3 above), a weight module, a rowing machine assembly, a leg curl assembly, a backrest and horizontal bar assembly, a T-bar, a bicycle assembly, or a Smith Machine assembly.
Regarding claim 13, as broadly interpreted, Clark teaches exercise equipment comprising: a. a base platform 5 comprising a plurality of base platform fastener sites 16 configured for attaching an exercising accessory 4 to the base platform 5 (see Figs. 2, 3, 6 and 9 above); and b. a collapsible frame coupled to the base platform, wherein the collapsible frame comprises first and second frame sections (i.e., body 11 and arms 1), the first frame section 11 hingedly coupled to both the second frame section 1 and the base platform 5 (see Figs. 2, 3, 6 and 9 above), the first frame section 11 having a first face (i.e., surface having channels 9, see annotated Fig. 2 below) and opposing first side surfaces (i.e., side surfaces on left/right of the first face), the second frame section 1 having a second face (see annotated Fig. 2 below) and opposing second side surfaces (i.e., top and bottom side surface) the first and second faces comprising a plurality of frame fastener sites (i.e., channel 9 for seat 3 and distal end of 2nd face for attachment of elastic bands 4, see Fig. 2 below) configured for attaching the exercising accessory to the collapsible frame, wherein the exercise equipment is configured such that in a folded configuration, corresponding ones of the first and second side surfaces are folded upon each other (see Fig. 6 below side surfaces of body 11 and arms 1 are folded upon each other) and the first frame section 11 is folded upon the base platform 5, and in an unfolded configuration, the first and second faces are aligned (see Fig. 2 below, the first and second face aligned in a frontal plane), such that the first section 11 supports the second section 1 on the base platform 5.
[AltContent: textbox (2nd face)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (1st face)]
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Regarding claim 17, Clark teaches exercise equipment comprising: a. a base platform 5 (see Figs. 2, 3, 6, and 9 above) comprising a plurality of base platform fastener sites 16 configured for attaching an exercising accessory 4 to the base platform 5; and b. a collapsible frame comprising multiple frame sections (i.e., body 11 and arms 1), wherein adjacent ones of the multiple frame sections are directly hingedly coupled (i.e., via hinges 6, 12, 20; see Figs. 2, 3, 6, and 9 above), the multiple frame sections 11,1 comprising a plurality of frame fastener sites (i.e., configured for attaching the exercising accessory 4, 3; see Figs. 2, 3, 6, and 9 above) to the collapsible frame, wherein, for a user on the base platform 5 facing the collapsible frame, the multiple frame sections 11,1 are configured to rotate relative to each other in a frontal plane (i.e., body 1 about hinges 20, 6, see Figs. 2, 3, 6, and 9 above) and to rotate relative to the base platform 5 in a sagittal plane (i.e., arms 11 about hinges 12), to move the collapsible frame between folded and unfolded configurations.
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.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Clark, as applied to claim 13 above, in view of Baudhuin (US PG Pub. No. 2008/0171643, July 17, 2008)
Clark teaches the invention as substantially claimed.
Regarding claim 14, Clark is silent in explicitly teaching wherein one of the first opposing side surfaces or one of the second opposing side surfaces includes one or more of the multiple frame fastener sites.
Baudhuin, however, in an analogous art teaches an exercise device having frame fastener sites 230, 220 on a front face and opposing side faces of a bar for attachment of exercise accessories 205,207 (see Baudhuin, Fig. 5 below, and para. [0032]).
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It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Clark such that wherein one of the first opposing side surfaces or one of the second opposing side surfaces includes one or more of the multiple frame fastener sites 220 as taught by Baudhuin in order to provide multiple positions to quickly position an exercise accessory for a desired exercise (see para. [0032]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-10 and 15-16 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.
Regarding claim 7, none of the prior art either alone or in combination teach or suggest all the limitations of the preceding and intervening claims and further reciting wherein the exercising accessory comprises: a seat track for slidably coupling a seat; and legs coupling the seat track to the base platform fastener sites.
Regarding claim 8, none of the prior art either alone or in combination teach or suggest all the limitations of the preceding and intervening claims and further reciting, wherein the exercising accessory comprises a bicycle assembly comprising a flywheel coupled to a pedal assembly, the pedal assembly comprising pedals, wherein a distance of the pedals from the frame, a distance of the pedals from the seat track, or both are adjustable.
Claim 10 depends from claim 8.
Regarding claim 9, none of the prior art either alone or in combination teach or suggest all the limitations of the preceding and intervening claims and further reciting wherein the base platform comprises opposing strips coupled by a cross strip forming a perimeter of an enclosure, such that when the exercising equipment is in the folded configuration, the first and second frame sections are at least partially contained within the enclosure.
Regarding claim 15, none of the prior art either alone or in combination teach or suggest all the limitations of the preceding and intervening claims and further reciting wherein the base platform comprises a planar substrate configured to lie on a flat surface and a rigid rail structure positioned along a perimeter of the planar substrate.
Claim 16 depends from claim15.
Claims 11-12 are allowed.
Regarding claim 11, none of the prior art either alone or in combination teach or suggest teaches exercise equipment comprising: a. a base platform comprising opposing first and second strips coupled by a cross strip, the base platform comprising a plurality of base platform fastener sites configured for attaching an exercising accessory to the base platform; and b. a collapsible frame comprising first and second frame sections hingedly coupled together and to the base platform, the multiple frame sections comprising a plurality of frame fastener sites configured for attaching the exercising accessory to the collapsible frame, wherein, the first and second sections are configured to rotate relative to each other in a first plane defined by the first strip, the second strip, and the cross strip, orthogonal to a surface of the base platform, and to rotate relative to the base platform in a second plane orthogonal to the first plane, to move the collapsible frame between folded and unfolded configurations.
Claim 12 depends from claim 11.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW S LO whose telephone number is (571)270-1702. The examiner can normally be reached Mon. - Fri. (9:30 am - 5:30 pm EST).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, LoAn Jimenez can be reached at (571) 272-4966. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANDREW S LO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3784