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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Species E and sub-species c in the reply filed on 06/05/2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Claims 6-9, 11-13, and 17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Further, claim 18 is withdrawn as being directed to non-elected species Q (figs. 42, para 0166) and claim 19 is withdrawn as being directed to non-elected species H (fig. 21, para 0133).
Therefore, claims 1-20 are pending in this application with an action on the merits regarding claims 1-5, 10, 14-16, and 20.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-5, 10, 14-16, and 20 objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 recites “a first end a first end the wideband portion.” It is suggested the claim is rephrased to recite “a first end of the wideband portion.”
Claims 5 and 10 recite “the layer.” It is suggested the claims are rephrased to recite “the first layer” for consistency with the rest of the claim and/or for antecedent basis purposes.
Claims depending from claims objected to under this section are similarly objected to for their dependence on a claim objected to under this section.
Appropriate correction is required.
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, 4-5, 10, 15-16, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2007/0209869 A1 to Martin.
For claim 1, Martin discloses a harness component (fig. 7) comprising: a wide band portion (24) comprising a longitudinal length (length of 24) and a transverse width (width of 24); and a first narrow extension portion (10) extending from a first end a first end the wideband portion (see fig. 7), the first narrow extension portion comprising continuous longitudinally extending first tension lines (warps of 10 extending towards 24) having first splayed end portions spread across and connected to the transverse width of the wide band portion (see fig. 7); wherein the first splayed end portions are longitudinally spaced and nonoverlapping (see fig. 7 wherein 12 are nonoverlapping).
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The above embodiment of Martin does not specifically disclose:
The first splayed end portions spread across and connected to at least a majority of the transverse width of the wide band portion;
a second narrow extension portion extending from a second end of the wideband portion, the second narrow extension portion comprising continuous longitudinally extending second tension lines having second splayed end portions spread across and connected to at least a majority of the transverse width of the wide band portion; and
wherein the wideband portion longitudinally bridging between longitudinally spaced terminal ends of the first splayed end portions and the second splayed end portions.
However, in a separate embodiment, Martin teaches a wideband portion has two end portions and connected to first end and a second end of a narrow extension portion (see annotated fig. 8 below).
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Both of the above embodiments of Martin utilize a means for connecting narrow portion of a harness component to a wider portion of a harness component. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date wherein the wide band portion (24) and the narrow extension portion (10) of the first embodiment above are modified into the specific harness structure illustrated in fig. 8 above since the modification would amount to a simple substitution of known components for a predictable result. In this case, the substitution would yield the predictable result of applying a known type of strap connecting means into a practical application for use as a harness portion illustrated in fig. 8 above without requiring more than ordinary skill in the art to accomplish (see MPEP 2143(I)(B)).
As a result of applying first embodiment into the second embodiment, the modified Martin would be considered as providing: the first splayed end portions spread across and connected to at least a majority of the transverse width of the wide band portion; a second narrow extension portion extending from a second end of the wideband portion, the second narrow extension portion comprising continuous longitudinally extending second tension lines having second splayed end portions spread across and connected to at least a majority of the transverse width of the wide band portion; and wherein the wideband portion longitudinally bridging between longitudinally spaced terminal ends of the first splayed end portions and the second splayed end portions.
For claim 4, the modified Martin teaches the harness component of claim 1, wherein the wide band portion comprises a first layer and a second layer and wherein the first splayed end portions and the second splayed end portions are sandwiched between the first layer and the second layer (para 0043).
For claim 5, the modified Martin teaches the harness component of claim 4, wherein the layer and the second layer comprise first and second individual bands, respectively (glue bands 22).
For claim 10, the modified Martin teaches the harness component of claim 4, wherein the layer and the second layer are fused together (glue bands 22 are thermoactivated and implied fusing of the adhesive with appropriate thermo application).
For claim 15, the modified Martin teaches the harness component of claim 1, wherein the first splayed end portions have a spread of at least 80% of a width of the wideband portion (see annotated figs. above).
For claim 16, the modified Martin teaches the harness component of claim 1, but does not specifically disclose wherein the first splayed end portions of the first tension lines have a length overlapping at least 10% of a length of the wideband portion.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to select an overlap length of at least 10% through routine optimization of a results-effective variable for purposes of optimizing load distribution and attachment strength between the narrow and wide band portion. In the absence of any showing of criticality or unexpected results associated with the claimed overlap, selecting an overlap within the claimed range would have been an obvious matter of routine optimization to achieve the same predictable fluctional advantages taught by the prior art (See MPEP 2144.05(II)).
For claim 20, the modified Martin teaches the harness component of claim 1 further comprising at least one stitch pattern connecting the first splayed end portions and the second splayed end portions to the wideband portion (paras 0031 and 0043 of Martin. Any stitch line would represent a pattern).
Claims 2 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Martin as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US 2016/0096044 A1 to Franke.
For claim 2, the modified Martin teaches the harness component of claim 1, but does not specifically disclose wherein the wide band portion comprises continuous longitudinally extending third tension lines, wherein the first splayed end portions and the second splayed end portions are connected to the third tension lines of the wide band portion.
However, Martin does teach that the support surface (24) can be any kind of textile material or other support surfaces (para 0031 of Martin).
Attention is also directed to Franke teaching an analogous harness component (abstract). Specifically, Franke teaches the wide band portion comprises substantially parallel equidistant fibers distributed longitudinally across the entire wide band portion (para 0032 figs. 3a) for purposes of equalizing and evenly distributing the load between a narrow and wide portions of a harness component. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date wherein the modified Martin would be further modified wherein the wide band portion is a textile material and further comprises substantially parallel equidistant fibers distributed longitudinally across the entire wide band portion, as taught by Franke (para 0032 figs. 3a), for purposes of equalizing and evenly distributing the load between a narrow and wide portions of a harness component. As a result of the modification, Martin would be considered as providing wherein the wide band portion comprises continuous longitudinally extending third tension lines, wherein the first splayed end portions and the second splayed end portions are connected to the third tension lines of the wide band portion even the extending nature and geometry of each of the providing tensioning lines.
For claim 3, the modified Martin teaches the harness component of claim 2 further comprising a stitch pattern extending across the first splayed end portions and the third tension lines and into the wideband portion to connect the first tension lines and the third tension lines across a majority of a transverse width of the wideband portion (paras 0031 and 0043 of Martin. Any stitch line would represent a pattern).
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Martin as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US 2016/0375278 A1 to Blondeau.
For claim 14, the modified Martin teaches the harness component of claim 1, but does not specifically disclose wherein the wideband portion comprises an ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene.
However, attention is directed to Blondeau teaching an analogous strap and harness system (abstract of Blondeau). Specifically, Blondeau teaches a wideband portion comprise threads of polyethylene with ultra-high molecular weight for purposes of ensuring good transmission of forces (para 0060 of Blondeau). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date wherein the modified Martin would be further modified wherein the wideband portion comprise threads of polyethylene with ultra-high molecular weight for purposes of ensuring good transmission of forces, as taught by Blondeau (para 0060 of Blondeau).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERICK I LOPEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-3262. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday: 9:00am - 5:30pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Khoa Huynh can be reached at (571) 272-4888. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ERICK I LOPEZ/Examiner, Art Unit 3732
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