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 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(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) 3-5, 7, 9-11, 19-21, and 24-25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Pat. No. 2023/0132601 to Huang.
Claim 3, Huang the inflatable product wherein the inflatable product is an air mattress; and the external wall is a side wall of the air mattress.
Claim 4, Huang discloses the inflatable product wherein the inflatable product is an air lounger, and the external wall is a top wall or a bottom wall of the air lounger such as a sofa [0003].
Claim 5, Huang discloses the inflatable product further comprising an auxiliary portion defined by first and second portions (121,122) and a connecting element defined by seam R wherein the auxiliary portion is provided next to where the edges are connected, and is held by the connecting element (fig. 3).
Claim 7, Huang discloses the inflatable product wherein the inflatable product is an air mattress, and the external wall includes a corner wall of the air mattress (fig. 2 & 6).
Claim 9, Huang discloses an inflatable product comprising an external wall 103 which comprises a plurality of parts defined by a lateral confining sheet (103), a first portion (121) and a second portion (122) of an internally connecting sheet, and a connecting part (1203); wherein the parts comprise edges connected to each other via seams (R); wherein at least one of the edges is not straight; wherein the parts are strip-shaped, the edges of the strip-shaped parts comprise lateral edges and end edges, wherein each of the parts comprises edges with each edge having wave-forms with alternating convex and concave curvatures connected to each other along upper and lower welding seams (R) that clearly illustrate wave-forms having alternating profiles of convex and concave curvatures as illustrated in figures 2-3 [0029]; wherein each pair of the connected wave-form edges of the adjacent parts are connected, and the alternating profiles of convex and concave curvatures of one edge is connected to that of the other edge with a substantially matching profile of alternating convex and concave curvatures as clearly illustrated in figure 3 [0029]-[0033].
Claim 10, Huang discloses the inflatable product wherein the inflatable product is an air mattress, and the concave portions are connected to form side walls of the air mattress (fig. 2 & 5).
Claim 11, Huang discloses the inflatable product wherein the inflatable product is an air mattress, and the convex portions are connected to form corner walls of the air mattress (fig. 2 & 6).
Claim 19, Huang discloses a method of producing an inflatable product, comprising providing a first sheet and a second sheet (103,1203); connecting the first sheet and the second sheet by fusion defined by a welding seam (R) to form a connecting line thereon wherein the connecting line is not straight; spreading a part of the first sheet and a part of the second sheet that is disposed at a side of the connecting line, to form an external wall of the inflatable product.
Claim 20, Huang, as best understood, discloses the method further comprising forming and removing a part defined by notches 123 that is disposed at a side of the connecting line.
Claim 21, Huang discloses a method of producing an inflatable product, comprising: connecting different portions of a sheet by fusion defined by welded seams (R) form a plurality of parallel connecting lines thereon, wherein each of the connecting lines are not straight; spreading out the fused sheet to form an external wall of the inflatable product.
Claim 24, Huang discloses an inflatable product 100 comprising an external wall 103 which comprises a plurality of parts defined by a lateral confining sheet (103), a first portion (121) and a second portion (122) of an internally connecting sheet, and a connecting part (1203); wherein each of the parts comprises edges with each edge having wave-forms with alternating convex and concave curvatures connected to each other along upper and lower welding seams (R) that clearly illustrate wave-forms having alternating profiles of convex and concave curvatures as illustrated in figures 2-3 [0029]; wherein each pair of the connected wave-form edges of the adjacent parts are connected to the lateral confining sheet 103 via the welding seam R, and the alternating profiles of convex and concave curvatures of one edge is connected to that of the other edge with a substantially matching profile of alternating convex and concave curvatures as clearly illustrated in figure 3 [0029]-[0033].
Claim 25, Huang discloses an inflatable product 100 comprising an external wall 103 which comprises a plurality of parts (103,121,123,1203); wherein the parts comprise wavey edges connected to each other; wherein each pair of the wavy edges of the adjacent parts comprises alternating profiles of convex and concave curvature portions, and the convex and concave curvature portions of one edge is connected to that of the other edge with a substantially matching profiles of convex and concave curvature as clearly illustrated in figure 3 [0029]-[0033].
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) 12-14, 22, and 26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Pat. No. 2023/0132601 to Huang
Claim 12, Huang discloses an inflatable product comprising an external wall 103 which comprises a plurality of parts having a strip shape defined by a lateral confining sheet (103), a first portion (121) and a second portion (122) of an internally connecting sheet, and a connecting part (1203); wherein each of the edges comprise alternating profiles of convex and concave curvatures connected to each other along upper and lower welding seams (R) that clearly illustrate wave-forms having alternating profiles of convex and concave curvatures as illustrated in figures 2-3 [0029]; wherein each pair of the connected wave-form edges. Huang further discloses that the structures of the welding seams R that clearly illustrate wave-forms having alternating profiles of convex and concave curvatures as illustrated in figures 2-3, wherein connecting the internal connecting sheets and the lateral confining sheet, may be closed wavy lines, and the welding seams are capable of being arranged transversely, longitudinally or obliquely with respect to the inflatable product, and in the shape of, but not limited to, a wavy line, straight portions that include a "Z", a "W", lattice circles, intersecting circles, intersecting arcs, a rhomboid, a lattice-circle structure, or various discontinuous shape structures [0039]., Huang is silent to the lateral edges comprising alternating concave portions and straight portions. Selecting from a variety of alternating shapes is considered an obvious modification and it would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to select lateral edges having alternating concave and straight portions with the inflatable product of Huang with a reasonable expectation of success because it would have provided an equivalent and alternative shapes to the lateral edges of Huang.
Claim 13, Huang, as modified, discloses the inflatable product wherein the inflatable product is an air mattress, and the straight portions are capable of being connected to form side walls of the air mattress (fig. 4 & 6).
Claim 14, Huang, as modified, discloses the inflatable product wherein the inflatable product is an air mattress, and the convex portions are capable of being connected to form corner walls of the air mattress (fig. 4 & 6).
Claim 22, Huang discloses the method further discloses internal connection sheets 220 in a plurality of sections after the connecting lines are formed, wherein each of the sections has one connecting line thereon, but is silent to cutting the sheets. Cutting a sheet into a plurality is considered an obvious modification and it would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to cut the internal sheet of Huang into a plurality of sheets with a reasonable expectation of success because it would have provided an equivalent and alternative means to form the plurality of internal sheets of Huang.
Claim 26, Huang discloses an inflatable product 100 comprising an external wall 103 which comprises a plurality of parts that are strip-shaped defined by a lateral confining sheet (103), a first portion (121) and a second portion (122) of an internally connecting sheet, and a connecting part (1203), wherein each of the edges comprise alternating profiles of convex and concave curvatures connected to each other along upper and lower welding seams (R) that clearly illustrate wave-forms having alternating profiles of convex and concave curvatures as illustrated in figures 2-3 [0029]. Huang further discloses that the structures of the welding seams R, connecting the internal connecting sheets and the lateral confining sheet, may be closed wavy lines, and the welding seams are capable of being arranged transversely, longitudinally or obliquely with respect to the inflatable product, and in the shape of, but not limited to, a wavy line, straight portions that include a "Z", a "W", lattice circles, intersecting circles, intersecting arcs, a rhomboid, a lattice-circle structure, or various discontinuous shape structures [0039]., Huang is silent to the lateral edges comprising alternating concave portions and straight portions. Selecting from a variety of alternating shapes is considered an obvious modification and it would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to select lateral edges having alternating concave and straight portions with the inflatable product of Huang with a reasonable expectation of success because it would have provided an equivalent and alternative shapes to the lateral edges of Huang.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 06/30/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. With regards to claims 3-6, 7, 9-14, 19-22, and 24-26, claims are given the broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the specification and limitations in the specification are not read into the claims. Therefore, the words of a claim are generally given their ordinary and customary meaning. The independent claims 9, 12, 24, and 26 merely require a product comprising an external wall comprised of a first and a second strip-shaped part having a first lateral and second lateral edge parts having convex portions and concave portions which are alternately arranged in a symmetrical arrangement with the convex portions and the concave portions connected to each other. As stated above, Huang discloses an external wall which comprises a plurality of parts defined by a lateral confining sheet (103), a first portion (121) and a second portion (122) of an internally connecting sheet, and a connecting part (1203) wherein the plurality of parts comprise lateral edges having wave-forms with alternating convex and concave curvatures connected to each other along upper and lower welding seams (R) that clearly illustrate wave-forms having alternating profiles of convex and concave curvatures with the adjacent parts being connected as clearly illustrated in figure 3.
Therefore, the upper and lower welding seams clearly illustrate wave-forms having alternating profiles of convex and concave curvatures with the adjacent lateral edges of the plurality of parts, and the Examiner reads the adjacent lateral edges of the plurality of parts and the upper and lower welding seams on the Applicant’s broad limitations since the connecting the edges is met and performed by an equivalent means. It appears that the Applicant relies on broad structural language that fails to clearly distinguish the present invention over the prior art of record and does not preclude the Examiner from interpreting the claims as stated above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,068 to Fisher discloses an inflatable product having sinusoidal seals
U.S. Pat. No. 9,216,122 to Dzioba et al. discloses an inflatable product having sinusoidal seals.
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FREDRICK C CONLEY whose telephone number is (571)272-7040. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:30pm.
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/FREDRICK C CONLEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3679
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