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 .
The indicated allowability of claims 2-5, 7, 9-14, and 19-22 is withdrawn in view of the newly discovered reference(s) to U.S. Pat. No. 2023/0132601 to Huang. Rejections based on the newly cited reference(s) follow.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. It is unclear what is meant by the Applicant’s recitation “removing another part of the first sheet and second sheet that is disposed at another side of the connecting line” since it is unclear which part or side the Applicant is referencing.
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.
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 (103,121,123,1203); 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, the lateral edges of the strip-shaped parts comprise convex portions and concave portions which are alternately arranged, and the strip- shaped parts are disposed in a symmetrical arrangement with the convex portions connected to each other and the concave portions connected to each other [0029]-[0033](fig. 2-4).
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 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 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 (103,121,122,1203); wherein the parts comprise edges connected to each other [0029]; wherein each pair of the connected edges of the adjacent parts (103,121,123,1203) wherein the connecting part 1203 is connected to the lateral confining sheet 103 via a welding seam R, and comprises concave portions (fig. 2-4), and the concave portion of one edge is connected to that of the other edge with a substantially matching concave profile [0029]-[0033](fig. 3).
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 convex portions, and the convex portion of one edge is connected to that of the other edge with a substantially matching convex profile [0029]-[0033](fig. 3).
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 (103,121,123,1203); wherein the parts comprise edges connected to each other; wherein the parts are strip-shaped, the edges of the strip-shaped parts comprise lateral edges and end edges, wherein the lateral edges comprise wavy portions that include alternating concave portions [0029]-[0033](fig. 3).
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.
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 (103,121,123,1203); wherein the parts are strip-shaped, comprising edges connected to each other; wherein the edges of the strip-shaped parts comprise lateral edges and end edges; wherein the lateral edges comprise wavy portions that include alternating concave portions [0029]-[0033](fig. 3).
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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,089,618 to Metzger discloses an inflatable device having wall formed of a plurality of strips that are joined together.
U.S. Pat. No. 12,484,708 to Yang et al. discloses an inflatable device having wall formed of a plurality of strips that are joined together.
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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