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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to for the following reasons:
The lines in the drawings are too thin, not sufficiently dark or well defined, which makes it difficult to distinguish several claimed features. For example, see Fig 5
Applicant is requested to provide new drawings of a better quality in which all lines and numbers are sufficiently thick, dark and well defined. 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 § 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 8 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.
In claim 8, the limitation “the accommodating cavity” lacks proper antecedent basis, thereby rendering the claim indefinite. Amending this limitation to “an accommodating cavity” will however overcome this rejection.
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.
Claims 1 and 4-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by EP 3689735 A1 (‘735)
EP ‘735 shows a double-chamber inflatable paddle board (see Figures 3-4; and ¶0016), comprising an outer chamber [5], an inner chamber [6] and a fixing connector strip [7], wherein the outer chamber and the inner chamber are both independent chambers, a middle portion of the outer chamber including an opening with an accommodating cavity (Fig 3) that matches the inner chamber, and the inner chamber being detachably connected to the outer chamber through the fixing connector strip. A first side of the fixing connector strip is fixedly connected to one of an inner edge of the outer chamber and an outer edge of the inner chamber, while an opposite side of the fixing connector strip extends, or is suspended over, to cooperate with the connected chamber to form a snap-fit connection frame, wherein in an inflated state, the opposite side of the fixing connector strip is engaged with the other of the outer edge of the inner chamber and the inner edge of the outer chamber.
Re claim 4, the inflatable paddle board is provided with two fixing connector strips respectively located on upper and lower adjoining surfaces between the outer chamber and the inner chamber (see Fig 4 and Fig 7).
Re claim 5, the fixing connector strip is made of polyvinyl chloride material (see col. 3, lines 29-31).
Re claim 6, the outer chamber includes an outer chamber body, wherein outer peripheral sides and an inner side of the outer chamber body are sealed by first and second sealing strips [3], thereby together enclosing and forming an independent chamber with the accommodating cavity (see Fig 2).
Re claim 7, the accommodating cavity is a hollow through cavity that runs vertically, wherein the second sealing strip is sealed on the inner side of the outer chamber body along a circumference of the accommodating cavity (see Fig 2).
Re claim 8, the inner chamber includes an inner chamber body, wherein peripheral sides of the inner chamber body are sealed by a third sealing strip [3], thereby together enclosing and forming an independent chamber (see Fig 2).
Re claim 9, an accommodating cavity is located at the inner edge of the outer chamber, and the third sealing strip is located at the outer edge of the inner chamber.
Re claim 10, each of the outer chamber and the inner chamber is provided with an independent air nozzle [4] (see Fig 2; and col. 2, lines 25-27).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3 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.
Huang et al. (US 12377939) and EP-2808245 each shows a double-chamber inflatable paddle board, wherein an inner chamber is fixed within a cavity of an outer chamber with connector strips.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AJAY VASUDEVA whose telephone number is (571)272-6689. The examiner can normally be reached 6:00 am - 3:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Marc Jimenez can be reached at 571-272-4530. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AJAY VASUDEVA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3615
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