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
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In regard to claim 1, on lines 9-10, “the circumferential direction” should be “a circumferential direction” since the circumferential direction was not previously defined. Appropriate correction is required.
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 6 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 regard to claim 6, an antecedent basis for “the thermal insulation pad” (see line 4) has not been defined. It appears claim 6 should depend from claim 2 (as opposed to claim 1) since claim 2 first defines the “thermal insulation pad”.
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 1-3, 6 and 8-10 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(g) as being anticipated by Huang et al. (US 2021/0108431, as cited by the Applicant, hereinafter Huang).
In regard to claim 1, the Huang reference discloses an inflatable pool comprising:
an upper wall (at 106, see Figure 1A);
a lower wall 108;
an outer wall 104 connected to the upper wall and lower wall;
an inner wall 102 connected to the upper wall and the lower wall and defining a water cavity together with the lower wall;
an inflatable chamber defined by the upper wall, the lower wall, the outer wall and the inner wall; and
a plurality of tensioning members 162 arranged at intervals within the inflatable chamber in the circumferential direction of the inflatable chamber; and
thermal insulation structure 136 disposed within the inflatable chamber (see paragraph 0031, lines 9-17).
In regard to claims 2 and 8-10, the thermal insulation structure comprises a thermal insulation pad 136 with the inflatable chamber.
In regard to claim 3, the thermal insulation structure comprises a side wall thermal insulation pad comprising foam (i.e.., expandable polyethylene, see paragraph 0031, line 8).
In regard to claim 6, each of the tensioning members is connected to the outer and inner walls and the thermal insulation pad comprises a plurality of thermal insulations sections 136 (see Figure 4) arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the inflatable chamber (see paragraph 0031, lines 9-17), each of the thermal insulation sections being arranged between two adjacent ones of the tensioning members.
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 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang.
Although the Huang reference does not disclose how the thermal insulation pad is mounted within the inflatable chamber, it is the examiner’s position it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made the pad can be secured within the chamber via any know and suitable method, including those claimed, without effecting the overall operation of the device, especially since the Applicant has not indicated the specific manner in which the pads are secured in the chamber is critical to the overall operation of the device and the Huang reference does not limit the manner in which the pads are secured within the chamber.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12-14, 16 and 17 are allowed.
Claim 7 is 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID J WALCZAK whose telephone number is (571)272-4895. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 6:30-4:00.
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DJW
1/20/26
/DAVID J WALCZAK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3754
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