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 .
Claim Objections
Claims 1-20 are objected to because of the following informalities: the claims use the phrases “comprised of” or “is comprised of”. This is incorrect grammar. The correct phrases are “comprising” and “comprises”, respectively. Appropriate correction is required.
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) 1-7 and 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Crawford (US 7,152,554). Crawford discloses:
With regard to claim 1 - A bicycle animal cart device comprising:
a frame 20;
a wheel attached to the frame 100;
an attachment arm 60 attached to the frame 20, the attachment arm 60 comprised of an attachment member 70;
a mounting bracket 79; and
a fastener 88 that attaches the mounting bracket 79 to the attachment member 70.
With regard to claim 2 - wherein the fastener 88 is comprised of a pin (see Fig. 8A).
With regard to claim 3 - wherein the mounting bracket 79 is comprised of a first opening 85 and a second opening 84.
With regard to claim 4 - wherein the attachment member 70 is comprised of a third opening (see the opening through which the pin slides through in Fig. 6).
With regard to claim 5 - wherein the frame is comprised of a fourth opening (see the opening in component 68 in which component 74 extends).
With regard to claim 6 - wherein the frame is comprised of a vertical frame member 55.
With regard to claim 7 - wherein the frame 20 is comprised of a horizontal frame member 21.
With regard to claim 15 - A method of using a bicycle animal cart device, the method comprising the following steps:
providing a bicycle animal cart device 10 comprised of a frame 20 comprised of a wheel 100 and an interior space (see Fig. 2), an attachment arm 60, and a mounting bracket 79;
placing a rear axle 87 of a bicycle through a first opening 85 of the mounting bracket 79 and securing the mounting bracket 79 via a first fastener (see the end of axle 87 in Fig. 8B);
securing an attachment member 77 of the attachment arm 60 to the mounting bracket 79 via a second fastener 88; and
placing an animal into the interior space; and
pedaling the bicycle to transport the animal within the bicycle animal cart device (“The invention relates generally to pet transportation devices. In particular, the invention relates to a pet transporter designed for a larger pet, such as a dog, that can be attached to a bicycle and towed behind the bicycle.”).
With regard to claim 16 - wherein the second fastener 88 is comprised of a pin.
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) 8-14 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Crawford in view of Doyle et al (US 6,766,769). Crawford discloses:
With regard to claim 8, a bicycle animal cart device comprising:
a frame 20;
a wheel attached to the frame 100;
an attachment arm 60 attached to the frame 20, the attachment arm 60 comprised of an attachment member 70;
a mounting bracket 79; and
a fastener 88 that attaches the mounting bracket 79 to the attachment member 70.
Crawford fails to explicitly disclose ramp attached to the frame. Doyle teaches a bicycle animal cart device comprising:
a frame 24;
a wheel 48 attached to the frame 24;
ramp 26 attached to the frame 24; and
an attachment arm 58 attached to the frame 24, the attachment arm 60 comprised of an attachment member 72.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the bicycle animal cart of Crawford with the teaching of Doyle’s ramp, with a reasonable expectation of success, to allow for easy ingress and egress for an animal into the cart interior.
With regard to claim 9, Doyle teaches a locking member (see the marked up image below) that secures the ramp to the frame.
PNG
media_image1.png
594
640
media_image1.png
Greyscale
With regard to claim 10, Crawford fails to explicitly disclose wherein the frame is comprised of a reflector. However, as seen in the figure above, Doyle teaches wherein the frame is comprised of a reflector 40. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the bicycle animal cart of Crawford with the teaching of Doyle’s reflectors, with a reasonable expectation of success, to allow for the trailer to be more visible in the dark.
With regard to claim 11, Crawford discloses a strap 90.
With regard to claim 12, Crawford discloses wherein the strap 90 is comprised of a strap fastener (see Fig. 7).
With regard to claim 13, Crawford discloses wherein the strap fastener is comprised of a clip (see Fig. 7).
With regard to claim 14, Crawford discloses wherein the ramp attaches to the frame via a hinge (see marked up figure below).
PNG
media_image2.png
594
640
media_image2.png
Greyscale
With regard to claim 17, Doyle teaches wherein the frame is comprised of a ramp 26.
With regard to claim 18, Doyle teaches a step of lowering the ramp 26 (see Fig. 1).
With regard to claim 19, Doyle teaches a step of raising the ramp 26 (see Fig. 2).
With regard to claim 20, Doyle teaches a step of securing the ramp 26 to frame 24 via a locking member (see marked up figure above).
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 TIMOTHY WILHELM whose telephone number is (571)272-6980. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30-5:30.
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, Paul Dickson can be reached at 571-272-7742. 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.
/TIMOTHY WILHELM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3617 March 6, 2026