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 without traverse of Species 5 in the reply filed on 8/18/2025 is acknowledged.
Claim 63 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected Species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 8/18/2025.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claim(s) 52, 54, 55, 57, 58, and 60 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Merryman (US 2020/0238920).
Merryman discloses a vehicle mounted camping unit (110, Fig. 1, para 0023) comprising: a unit housing (120) for providing amenities for camping activities (para 0025); a vehicle mounting arrangement (115) on which the unit housing is supported (Fig. 2), the vehicle mounting arrangement being configured for operatively coupling the camping unit to a vehicle (105); and a plurality of retractable support legs (155, Figs. 10-14) mounted on the unit housing that are extendible down to a support surface (220) beneath the unit housing for supporting the camping unit on the support surface when it is detached from the vehicle (Figs. 11-14, para 0044-0047), and wherein each support leg is able to be independently extended or shortened to adjust the height or inclination of the unit housing on the support surface (Figs. 10-11, para 0036, 0038, 0040-0042), and each support leg has a wheel for running on the support surface (178, Figs. 10-14, para 0036, 0038, 0040-0042).
Merryman further discloses a surface orienting arrangement for orienting a surface of the camping unit in a certain or desired orientation (180, para 0042); the surface orienting arrangement comprises a sensor for sensing an inclination of the surface and providing sensing information, and a controller that is operatively connected to the sensor for receiving the sensing information from the sensor, and the controller is operatively coupled to the retractable support legs to independently adjust the length of each retractable support leg in response to the sensing information and orient the surface (para 0042); the vehicle mounting arrangement includes a hitch for coupling up to a hitch receiver on the camping vehicle, and a mounting displacement mechanism extending from the hitch for displacing the unit housing away from the hitch (105, 215, 125, 210, para 0035-0036); and the mounting displacement mechanism displaces the unit housing between a travelling configuration in which the unit housing is proximate to the hitch, and an extended camping configuration in which the unit housing is spaced away from the hitch, and the mounting displacement mechanism comprises a slide mechanism including telescopic slide members that can slide axially relative to each other and support the unit housing (Fig. 1-6; para 0034-0035); and the unit housing comprises inner and outer housing sections that are telescopically displaceable relative to each other between a compact travelling configuration and an expanded camping configuration, and wherein the outer housing section defines a covered internal space providing shelter in the expanded camping configuration (Fig. 4l para 0028; drawer meets scope of telescopic inner and outer housings).
Claim(s) 66-70 and 72 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Williams (US 2006/0027618).
Williams discloses a vehicle mounted camping unit (100) comprising: a unit housing (102) for providing amenities for camping activities; a vehicle mounting arrangement (30) on which the unit housing is supported, the vehicle mounting arrangement comprising a tow hitch (para 0034) that is configured for operatively coupling the camping unit to a vehicle; and first and second retractable support legs (82, 84) mounted on the unit housing that are configured for supporting the unit housing on a support surface, the first and second retractable support legs being laterally spaced from each other on the unit housing and defining a transverse leg axis therebetween (Figs. 5-9); and a jockey wheel (80/86) mounted on the vehicle mounting arrangement that is configured for supporting the vehicle mounting arrangement on the support surface, wherein the first and second retractable support legs and the jockey wheel are operable to support the camping unit on the support surface when it is uncoupled from the vehicle (Figs. 5, 9, para 0039, 0043).
Williams further discloses each of the first and second retractable support legs can be independently extended or shortened to adjust a height of the unit housing, and each said retractable support leg has a wheel at a lower end thereof for running on the support surface (88, 90); the vehicle mounting arrangement defines an axial tow axis extending from the tow hitch to the unit housing, and the jockey wheel is positioned on or adjacent the tow axis, and the axial tow axis is substantially orthogonal to the transverse leg axis extending between the first and second retractable support legs (Figs. 5, 9); the jockey wheel comprises a height adjusting arrangement, and the height adjusting arrangement is manually operable to adjust the height of the jockey wheel by means of a handle (para 0039); a surface orienting arrangement for orienting a surface of the unit housing in a certain orientation along the transverse leg axis extending between the first and second retractable support legs (para 0039); the vehicle mounting arrangement further comprises a slide mechanism extending from the tow hitch, and the slide mechanism is able to displace the unit housing between a travelling configuration in which it is adjacent to the tow hitch, and an extended camping configuration in which the unit housing is spaced away from the tow hitch (Figs. 1, 2; para 0034).
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(s) 52, 59, 61, 62, and 64 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pierce et al. (US 2013/0229029, hereinafter ‘Pierce’), and further in view of Merryman (US 2020/0238920).
Pierce discloses a vehicle mounted camping unit (1) comprising: a unit housing (8) for providing amenities for camping activities (para 0025); a vehicle mounting arrangement (24, 25) on which the unit housing is supported (Fig. 2), the vehicle mounting arrangement being configured for operatively coupling the camping unit to a vehicle (Figs. 1, 4, 5); and a plurality of retractable support legs (40-43) mounted on the unit housing that are extendible down to a support surface (ground) beneath the unit housing for supporting the camping unit on the support surface when it is detached from the vehicle (functional recitation), and wherein each support leg is able to be independently extended or shortened to adjust the height or inclination of the unit housing on the support surface (para 0044); except does not expressly disclose each support leg having a wheel as claimed.
However, Merryman teaches a similar device wherein each support leg has a wheel for running on the support surface (178, Figs. 10-14, para 0036, 0038, 0040-0042).
At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to add the wheels taught by Merryman to the support legs taught by Pierce, in order to allow the assembly to be moved easily over a ground surface as taught by Merryman (para 0030).
Pierce as modified above further discloses a shade structure (6) mounted on the housing interchangeable between a stowed configuration in which it is retracted and a deployed configuration in which the shade structure extends over a support surface adjacent to the camping unit and provides shade (para 0036-0040); the unit housing forming a working counter surface (9), and a cook plate and/or a wash basin (para 0009) mounted on the unit housing in proximity to the working counter surface; the shade structure comprises a shade support that is pivotable up from the unit housing, a flexible shade sail extending from the shade support in use to provide shade, and two or more support posts mounted on the support surface and spaced from the unit housing in use to support the shade sail (Pierce Figs. 1-7).
Claim(s) 53 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Merryman (US 2020/0238920) as applied to claim 52 above, and further in view of Hamm (US 2015/0042071).
Merryman discloses all limitations of the claim(s) as detailed above except does not expressly disclose the linear actuator as claimed.
However, Hamm teaches a similar device wherein each retractable support leg comprises two leg sections that are axially displaceable relative to each other, and a linear actuator for selectively driving displacement of the two leg sections relative to each other to extend or shorten the retractable support leg (104, para 0066, 0070).
At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to add the linear actuators taught by Hamm to the support legs taught by Merryman, in order to allow the legs to be extended and retracted without manual effort as taught by Hamm (para 0066).
Claim(s) 65 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pierce et al. (US 2013/0229029, hereinafter ‘Pierce’) in view of Merryman (US 2020/0238920) as applied to claim 64 above, and further in view of Hamm (US 2015/0042071).
Pierce as modified above discloses all limitations of the claim(s) as detailed above except does not expressly disclose the linear actuator as claimed.
However, Hamm teaches a similar device wherein each retractable support leg comprises two leg sections that are axially displaceable relative to each other, and a linear actuator for selectively driving displacement of the two leg sections relative to each other to extend or shorten the retractable support leg (104, para 0066, 0070).
At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to add the linear actuators taught by Hamm to the support legs taught by Pierce as modified above, in order to allow the legs to be extended and retracted without manual effort as taught by Hamm (para 0066).
Claim(s) 56 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Merryman (US 2020/0238920) as applied to claim 55 above, and further in view of Leonard (US 2018/0004230).
Merryman discloses all limitations of the claim(s) as detailed above except does not expressly disclose the accelerometer as claimed.
However, Leonard teaches the sue of an accelerometer specifically as a sensor that is used to sense the inclination of a surface to aid in leveling a camping structure (para 0032).
At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to use an accelerometer as taught by Leonard to as one of the sensors taught by Merryman, in order to aid in measuring the angle of inclination to support leveling operations as taught by Leonard (para 0032).
Claim(s) 71 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Williams (US 2006/0027618) as applied to claim 70 above, and further in view of Merryman (US 2020/0238920).
Williams discloses all limitations of the claim(s) as detailed above except does not expressly disclose the sensor/controller system as claimed.
However, Merryman teaches a similar device the surface orienting arrangement comprises a sensor for sensing an inclination of the surface and providing sensing information, and a controller that is operatively connected to the sensor for receiving the sensing information from the sensor, and the controller is operatively coupled to the retractable support legs to independently adjust the length of each retractable support leg in response to the sensing information and orient the surface of the unit housing (para 0042).
At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to add the automatic leveling system taught by Merryman to the assembly taught by Williams, in order to allow the device to be automatically adjusted level as taught by Marryman (para 0042).
Claim(s) 73 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Williams (US 2006/0027618).
Williams discloses all limitations of the claim(s) as detailed above except does not expressly disclose the two-dimension moveability of the mounting arrangement on the vehicle as claimed.
However, it is noted that making a mounting arrangement adjustable in various directions has long been part of the general knowledge of those of ordinary skill in the art since before the invention by applicant as a means to increase the flexibility of usage of a device or make it more adaptable to specific mounting needs.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to make the mounting arrangement movable in two-dimensions as claimed, since it has been held that the provision of adjustability, where needed, involves only routine skill in the art. In re Stevens, 101 USPQ 284 (CCPA 1954).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PETER N. HELVEY whose telephone number is (571)270-1423. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10am-7pm EST.
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/PETER N HELVEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3734
October 19, 2025