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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in the People's Republic of China on August 3rd, 2023. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the CN202310974749.5 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “circular structure” of claim 25 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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) 1-7, 11-14, and 24-27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fauveaux (BE 1028180 B1) in view of Zhu (CN 216690512 U).
Regarding Claim 1, Fauveaux discloses a quick-installation cabin (1; Pg. 2, Para. 2; Fig. 1), comprising a cabin frame (2; Pg. 6, Lines 20-25; Fig. 1-2), an end sealing assembly and a quick-installation mechanism located between the cabin frame and the end sealing assembly (Quick installation mechanism 7-9 located between frame 2 and end sealing assembly 6; Pg. 7, Lines 5-25; Fig. 3-4. Quick installation mechanism 11; Pg. 7, Lines 25-35; Pg. 8, Lines 1-10; Fig. 5), wherein the quick-installation mechanism comprises a supporting body located at a bottom end of the cabin frame (Quick installation mechanism 7 located at bottom end 4 of frame 2; Pg. 6, Lines 25-30; Pg. 7, Lines 1-5; Fig. 3), and the supporting body is protruded towards a direction close to the end sealing assembly from the bottom end of the soundproof cabin frame, to form a supporting structure that is suspended (7 protrudes/suspended towards 6; Fig. 3), and the end sealing assembly is configured to be placed and supported on the supporting structure and turned over to an assembly position mated with the cabin frame (End assembly 6 on 7 shown as being turned over in Fig. 3 to mate with 2 in Fig. 1). Fauveaux fails to explicitly disclose the quick-installation cabin (1; Fig. 1) as a quick-installation soundproof cabin and the cabin frame (2; Fig. 2) as a soundproof cabin frame. However, Zhu teaches a quick-installation soundproof cabin and a soundproof cabin frame (Zhu: Cabin of Fig. 1 with frame 2 and 3 with 23, 32-33, 41 having sound insulating properties and convenient to assemble/disassemble; Pg. 5, Para. 2-3; Fig. 1,3-4). Fauveaux and Zhu are in similar fields comprising prefabricated and transportable housing. Modifying Fauveaux with teachings of Zhu would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a quick-installation soundproof cabin and a soundproof cabin frame for the purpose of being convenient to assemble while maintaining sound insulation (Zhu: Pg. 5, Para. 2-3).
Regarding Claim 2, Fauveaux as modified by Zhu disclose the quick-installation soundproof cabin according to claim 1, wherein the supporting structure comprises a front-rear section (A in Examiner Annotated Fauveaux Fig. 3 ) and an inclined section connected together (B in Examiner Annotated Fauveaux Fig. 3) and arranged along a protruding direction of the supporting body, and the inclined section is extended and inclined upwardly along the protruding direction relative to the front-rear section, and a bottom of the end sealing assembly is configured to slide and turn over along the inclined section to switch to the assembly position, and the end sealing assembly is supported by the front-rear section from below (Bottom end 20 of end sealing assembly 6 turned over along B and supported from below by A when assembled; Pg. 7, Lines 5-15; Examiner Annotated Fauveaux Fig. 3).
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Examiner Annotated Fauveaux Fig. 3
Regarding Claim 3, Fauveaux as modified by Zhu disclose the quick-installation soundproof cabin according to claim 2, wherein the supporting structure further comprises an upper-lower section connected to the inclined section and arranged in sequence along the protruding direction of the supporting body, and the upper-lower section are protruded upwardly relative to the inclined section (Upper-lower section C connected to inclined section B in Examiner Annotated Fauveaux Fig. 3).
Regarding Claim 4, Fauveaux as modified by Zhu disclose the quick-installation soundproof cabin according to claim 3, wherein the front-rear section is arranged horizontally, and the upper-lower section is arranged vertically (Front-rear section A horizontal at its connection to 2 and upper-lower section C vertical in Examiner Annotated Fauveaux Fig. 3).
Regarding Claim 5, Fauveaux as modified by Zhu disclose the quick-installation soundproof cabin according to claim 2, wherein the front-rear section is provided with a supporting surface for supporting the end sealing assembly (Front-rear section A’s top surface when end sealing assembly 6 is fixed against 5 in Examiner Annotated Fauveaux Fig. 3; Pg. 7, Lines 5-15). Fauveaux as modified by Zhu fails to explicitly disclose the supporting surface is coplanar with a bottom surface of the soundproof cabin frame (6 attached to bottom surface 4 of frame 2 through 7; Pg. 6, Lines 25-30; Pg. 7, Lines 1-2; Fig. 2-3). However, this would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention by choosing from a finite number of identified predictable solutions, the supporting surface between top and bottom surfaces of the frame (Pg. 6, Lines 25-30; Pg. 7, Lines 1-2), with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of reducing lifting height of the end sealing assembly onto the supporting surface.
Regarding Claim 6, Fauveaux as modified by Zhu disclose the quick-installation soundproof cabin according to claim 2, wherein the supporting body has an assembly structure connected to the front-rear section (7 comprises alignment feature/assembly structure 9 of Fig. 4 connected to front-rear section A in Examiner Annotated Fauveaux Fig. 3), and one side of the bottom end of the soundproof cabin frame facing the end sealing assembly is fixedly connected to the assembly structure (In structure of 6 attached to bottom surface 4 of frame 2 through 7; Pg. 6, Lines 25-30; Pg. 7, Lines 1-2; Fig. 2-4), or the assembly structure is located below the bottom end of the soundproof cabin frame and fixedly connected to the bottom end.
Regarding Claim 7, Fauveaux as modified by Zhu disclose the quick-installation soundproof cabin according to claim 6, wherein the assembly structure and the front-rear section are connected in a straight line (Follows from assembly structure 9 connected to 10 and along length of 7 wherein front-rear section A in Examiner Annotated Fauveaux Fig. 3 is near 10 in Fig. 4A-B).
Regarding Claim 11, Fauveaux as modified by Zhu disclose the quick-installation soundproof cabin according to claim 1, wherein the quick-installation mechanism further comprises positioning guiders for positioning and guiding the end sealing assembly during turning-over to the assembly position (Position guiders 8-9; Pg. 7, Lines 5-25; Fig. 3-4. Position guiders 11; Pg. 7, Lines 25-35; Pg. 8, Lines 1-10; Fig. 5), the positioning guiders are assembled in one of the soundproof cabin frame and the end sealing assembly, and another of the soundproof cabin frame and the end sealing assembly is provided with matching cavities matched with the positioning guiders, and the positioning guiders are protruded from the soundproof cabin frame or the end sealing assembly (8 protrudes from frame 2 and matches cavity 8’ in end sealing assembly 6; Fig. 3. 11/11’ similarly mating as protruding and cavity between frame and end sealing assembly 6; Pg. 7, Lines 25-35; Pg. 8, Lines 1-10; Fig. 5).
Regarding Claim 12, Fauveaux as modified by Zhu disclose the quick-installation soundproof cabin according to claim 11, wherein the positioning guiders are arranged on left and right sides of the soundproof cabin frame or the end sealing assembly, and a number of the positioning guiders on a same side is one or more, and each of the positioning guiders corresponds to each of the matching cavities (11 on left and right sides of end sealing assembly 6 with 11 corresponding to 11’; Pg. 7, Lines 25-35; Pg. 8, Lines 1-10; Fig. 5).
Regarding Claim 13, Fauveaux as modified by Zhu disclose the quick-installation soundproof cabin according to claim 12. Fauveaux as modified by Zhu fails to explicitly disclose wherein each of the positioning guiders (11; Fig. 5) is provided with a conical head at a position where is protruded from the soundproof cabin frame or the end sealing assembly, and the conical head is arranged in a decreasing manner along a protruding direction of each of the positioning guiders. However, Zhu teaches wherein each of the positioning guiders is provided with a head at a position where is protruded from the soundproof cabin frame or the end sealing assembly, and the head is arranged in a decreasing manner along a protruding direction of each of the positioning guiders (Zhu: Supporting plates/position guiders 22 and 31 in Fig. 3-4 protrude from frame 2-3 in a triangular/decreasing manner towards matching cavity 11-12 of end sealing assembly 1; Pg. 4; Pg. 5, First Para.). Modifying Fauveaux as modified by Zhu with additional teachings of Zhu would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention wherein each of the positioning guiders is provided with a head at a position where is protruded from the soundproof cabin frame or the end sealing assembly, and the head is arranged in a decreasing manner along a protruding direction of each of the positioning guiders for the purpose of connection stability (Zhu: Pg. 4; Para. 2). Fauveaux as modified by Zhu fails to explicitly disclose the head (Zhu: 22 and 31; Fig. 3-4) as a conical head. However, would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention since it has been held by the courts that a change in shape or configuration, without any criticality, is nothing more than one of numerous shapes that one of ordinary skill in the art will find obvious to provide based on the suitability for the intended final application. See In re Dailey, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1976). It appears that the disclosed device would perform equally well shaped as disclosed by Zhu.
Regarding Claim 14, Fauveaux as modified by Zhu disclose the quick-installation soundproof cabin according to claim 13, wherein each of the positioning guiders is further provided with a connecting portion connected to the conical head at the position where is protruded from the soundproof cabin frame or the end sealing assembly, the connecting portion and the conical head are successively arranged along the protruding direction of each of the positioning guiders, and one end of the conical head connected to the connecting portion is radially protruded from the connecting portion, and a locking groove between the end of the conical head and the connecting portion is defined (Zhu: Connecting portion A, connected to head B with locking groove C between; Examiner Annotated Zhu Fig. 3).
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Examiner Annotated Zhu Fig. 3
Regarding Claim 24, Fauveaux as modified by Zhu disclose the quick-installation soundproof cabin according to claim 1, wherein the end sealing assembly comprises a front end sealing assembly located at a front of the soundproof cabin frame and a rear end sealing assembly located at a rear of the soundproof cabin frame (Choosing an oppositely oriented pair of end sealing assemblies 6 in Fig. 1), and the quick-installation mechanism is respectively arranged between the front end sealing assembly and the soundproof cabin frame and/or between the rear end sealing assembly and the soundproof cabin frame (Each quick installation mechanism 7/12 located between end sealing assembly 6 and frame 2; Pg. 6, Lines 25-30; Pg. 7, Lines 5-15; Fig. 1,3).
Regarding Claim 25, Fauveaux as modified by Zhu disclose the quick-installation soundproof cabin according to claim 24, wherein the front end sealing assembly is a front door assembly (6 with door in Fig. 1), and the rear end sealing assembly is a rear cover assembly or a rear glass door assembly (Choosing oppositely oriented of front door 6; Fig. 6); the soundproof cabin frame comprises a bottom end assembly, a top cover assembly , a left wall assembly, and a right wall assembly, which are connected in a structure, and the bottom end assembly is served as the bottom end of the soundproof cabin frame (Bottom end 2 in Fig. 1, top cover 13, left and right walls of 6 with door in Fig. 6). Fauveaux as modified by Zhu fails to explicitly disclose wherein the front end sealing assembly (6 with door and window feature in Fig. 6) is a front glass door assembly. However, this would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for the purpose of visibility, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416. Fauveaux as modified by Zhu fails to explicitly disclose connected in a circular structure. However, this would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, since it has been held by the courts that a change in shape or configuration, without any criticality, is nothing more than one of numerous shapes that one of ordinary skill in the art will find obvious to provide based on the suitability for the intended final application. See In re Dailey, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1976). It appears that the disclosed device would perform equally well shaped as disclosed by Fauveaux as modified by Zhu.
Regarding Claim 26, Fauveaux discloses an assembling method for a quick-installation cabin (1; Pg. 2, Para. 2; Fig. 1), comprising following steps:
(1) placing a bottom of an end sealing assembly on a supporting structure of a cabin frame, using a contact point between the bottom of the end sealing assembly and the supporting structure as a pivot to turn over the end sealing assembly to an assembly position matched with the cabin frame (Bottom end 20 of assembly 6 on supporting structure 7 of frame 2 using 7 as a contact point/pivot to mate to face 5 of frame 2; Pg. 7, Lines 5-15; Fig. 3); and
(2) assembling the end sealing assembly with the cabin frame (6 assembled with frame 2; Fig. 1).
Fauveaux fails to explicitly disclose the quick-installation cabin (1; Fig. 1) as a quick-installation soundproof cabin and the cabin frame (2; Fig. 2) as a soundproof cabin frame. However, Zhu teaches a quick-installation soundproof cabin and a soundproof cabin frame (Zhu: Cabin of Fig. 1 with frame 2 and 3 with 23, 32-33, 41 having sound insulating properties and convenient to assemble/disassemble; Pg. 5, Para. 2-3; Fig. 1,3-4). Fauveaux and Zhu are in similar fields comprising prefabricated and transportable housing. Modifying Fauveaux with teachings of Zhu would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a quick-installation soundproof cabin and a soundproof cabin frame for the purpose of being convenient to assemble while maintaining sound insulation (Zhu: Pg. 5, Para. 2-3).
Regarding Claim 27, Fauveaux as modified by Zhu disclose the assembling method according to claim 26, further comprising: in step (1), turning over the end sealing assembly to the assembly position under cooperation of a positioning guider and a matching cavity (Turning over 6 to assembly position under cooperation of guider 8 and matching cavity 8’; Pg. 7, Lines 5-15; Fig. 3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-10, 15-23, and 28 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: US-11149462-B1, US-20120110926-A1, US-20220220727-A1, US-3397496-A, US-3885362-A, US-5123874-A, US-5947266-A, US-6299011-B1, US-8136324-B2, US-9016003-B2, KR-20200142904-A, CN-106088343-A, DE-19543979-A1.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JENNIFER B OLSON whose telephone number is (571)272-3041. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:00am -4:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dedei Hammond can be reached at (571)270-7938. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JENNIFER B OLSON/Examiner, Art Unit 2837
/FORREST M PHILLIPS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837