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 .
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.
Claims 1 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuramoto (JP 5432351 B1) in view of Hogg (US 6,439,281 B1).
For claim 1, Kuramoto discloses a tire cover 12 for a wheelchair (page 23, paragraph [0019]), the tire cover [covering a tire 10 of the wheelchair from outside in a radial direction] (fig. 3), the tire cover comprising:
a plurality of cover pieces 13, [each of which has an arc shape] (fig. 2, page 24, paragraph [0020]); [wherein an opening groove is formed on an inner circumferential side of each of the plurality of cover pieces] (fig. 4); [the opening groove extends along a circumferential direction] (page 24, paragraph [0020]), and [the opening groove accommodates the tire] (fig. 3);
[a sliding surface and a friction surface are formed on an inner surface of the opening groove; the sliding surface is formed near an opening end; the friction surface is formed on a bottom surface of the opening groove such that the sliding surface is nearer to the opening end than the friction surface is to the opening end] (drawing 1 below); but does not explicitly disclose the friction surface has a higher coefficient of friction than the sliding surface.
Hogg discloses a wheelchair 12 including a chair portion 12 and a wheel 14; a cover 26 comprising [a strip of material 29 has a center portion 30, attached to and preferably formed to be integral with the center portion are opposed side portions 32 having inside diameter edges 36; a band of elastic material 34 is attached to the edge of each of the respective side portions] (col. 3, lines 53 – 63), and [the strip of material is of a sueded polyester fabric material, this material has an inside surface 46 in contact with tire 24 which has a rough texture in order to promote friction between the cover and the tire] (col. 4, lines 9 – 14).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to alternatively use the materials of Hogg with the cover pieces of Kuramoto with a reasonable expectation of success because it would allow for reduced overall slipping between the tire cover and tire, thus reducing overall relative movement and replacement costs.
PNG
media_image1.png
466
453
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Drawing 1
For claim 5, Kuramoto modified as above discloses the tire cover for the wheelchair wherein the opening groove comprises a tire accommodating portion 17 and a rim accommodating portion 18a, 18b, 19a, 19b; [a cross-sectional shape of the tire accommodating portion is an arc shape, and the cross-sectional shape is perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the opening groove; and the rim accommodating portion extends linearly from an end of the tire accommodating portion to the opening end] (fig. 4).
Claims 2 – 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuramoto (JP 5432351 B1) in view of Hogg (US 6,439,281 B1), and further Szeg, III et al. (US 2006/0170276 A1).
For claim 2, Kuramoto modified as above does not explicitly disclose the tire cover for the wheelchair wherein a sum of arc lengths of the plurality of cover pieces exceeds a circumferential length of the tire; each of the plurality of cover pieces comprises a body portion and two joint portions; the body portion extends in the circumferential direction; the two joint portions are disposed at respective circumferential ends of the body portion; the joint portion of a first cover piece and the joint portion of a second cover piece are overlapped and attached to the tire; and the joint portions of the first cover piece and the second cover piece are thinner than the body portions of the first cover piece and the second cover piece.
Szeg, III et al. discloses tire cover assembly 100 comprising [an elongated base member 110 having a first end 112 and a second end 114; and other forms of connectors can be used to connect together the first end and the second end of tire base member with each other, such as snap connecting members 142 and 144 or buckle and tab connectors 152 and 154] (page 3, paragraph [0031]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to alternatively use the first and second ends and the connecting members of Szeg, III et al. with the tire cover of Kuramoto modified as above with a reasonable expectation of success because it would allow for improved overall covering of the tire and connection, thus improving overall protection of the tire.
For claim 3, Kuramoto modified as above discloses the tire cover for the wheelchair [wherein a step between the body portion and the joint portion is formed on an outer surface of the first cover piece; and a step between the body portion and the joint portion is formed on an inner surface of the second cover piece] (figs. 6 and 7 of Szeg, III et al.).
For claim 4, Kuramoto modified as above discloses the tire cover for the wheelchair wherein a plurality of fasteners 142, 144 of Szeg, III et al. [are disposed on an outer surface of the joint portion of the first cover piece and an inner surface of the joint portion of the second cover piece, respectively] (fig. 6 of Szeg, III et al.).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
KR-101926299 – comprising a bicycle tire comprising a second engaging and fixing part including a second engaging protrusion and a second engaging groove;
KR-101252426 – comprising a tire; a tire cover; left edge protrusion unit; and a right edge protrusion unit;
US-1947145 – comprising a tire cover comprising a metal portion; an arcuate-shaped portion; and internal rubber lugs; and
US-1482892 – comprising a tire cover comprising parts; pivoted handle; cylindrical shaped member; and nub.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jacob D. Knutson whose telephone number is (571)270-5576. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00 am - 4:00 pm.
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, Valentin Neacsu can be reached at (571)-272-6265. 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.
/JACOB D KNUTSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3611