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 .
Status of Claims
In an amendment filed 3/9/2026 with an RCE (3/24/2026), Applicant amended claims 1, 5 and cancelled claims 2, 4. This amendment is acknowledged. Claims 1, 3, and 5 are pending and are currently being examined.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claims 1, 3, and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Ochi US Pat. No. 6,511,382 in view of Ootsuta et al. US Pat. No. 6,836,986.
In Reference to Claim 1
Ochi teaches:
A production system for causing a floating object to float in air (air propelling production system for floating objects, Fig. 1-13); comprising:
a control device/means (the air supply means are at least minimally controlled via on/off switches, and the airflow may be controlled in various ways by the user or automatically which would inherently require a control device (Col. 4 lines 26-34)); and
a plurality of air discharge devices (air supply means 7 including a plurality of air supply mechanisms 8/50 arranged around the production space); and
the floating object movable in a production space surrounded by air discharge ports of the plurality of air discharge devices (air discharge ports 13 with movable louvers output airflow into the production space to move the floating objects in the space in various and adjustable manners, Fig. 1-13, Col. 4 lines 26-34, Col. 6 lines 5-61, Col. 10 line 1 – Col. 11 line 18), wherein
the floating object is configured such that gas is contained by a flexible outer membrane (floating object(s) 4 are balloons formed of flexible membranes filled with gas as is common and known in the art, Fig. 1, Col. 5 lines 46-54),
the plurality of air discharge devices generate an airflow that rotates clockwise or counterclockwise in plan view within the production space, and to cause the floating object to float within the production space by the airflow (Fig. 1, Col. 3 lines 63 – Col. 4 lines 34), and
the control device/means controls air volume or air speed of the air discharge devices such that when the floating object approaches a floor surface, the control device/means increases the air volume of the plurality of air discharge devices to lift the floating object upward, and when the floating object approaches a ceiling, the control device/means decreases the air volume of the plurality of air discharge devices to lower the floating object downward (the provided airflow provides a generally upwards swirl (which is inherently at least partially clockwise or counterclockwise) that moves the floating object upward when near the floor of the production space and downward when near the ceiling of the production space, wherein the airflow may be automatically controlled to increase or decrease the provided airflow from each air discharge device which is capable of having increased flow at the lower portion near the floor to raise the floating object and decrease the flow at the upper portion near the ceiling to drop the floating object (manually or automatically via driven louvres or other airflow controlling means, of which automatic driven control would inherently include a controller and sensor means of some sort known to one having ordinary skill in the art), Col. 4 lines 26-34, Col. 6 lines 5-61, Col. 10 line 1 – Col. 11 line 18).
Ochi does not specifically teach:
A specific control device operating the air discharge devices and a sensor configured to detect a position of the floating object in a production space surrounded by air discharge ports of the plurality of air discharge devices so that the control device controls air volume or air speed of the air discharge devices based on detection information of the sensor.
Ootsuta teaches:
A production system for causing a floating object to float in air (air powered flying object system, Fig. 1-9); comprising:
a control device and a plurality of air discharge devices (controlling unit 70 (Col. 4 lines 22-46, Col. 6 line 49 – Col. 7 line 28) operates a group of controllable blowers 10 including a plurality of blowers 11);
a floating object a flexible outer membrane (floating objects 30 formed of lightweight flexible material/membrane, Col. 4 lines 47-65, Col. 5 lines 41-55)
wherein the control device controls the plurality of air discharge devices to generate an airflow that rotates clockwise or counterclockwise in plan view within a production space surrounded by air discharge ports of the plurality of air discharge devices, and to cause the floating object to float within the production space by the airflow (plurality of blowers 11, each having inlets and discharge ports/outlets on respective rear (facing guide blade 22) and front ends (facing guide blade 21) are arranged within the production/flying space 25 within the housing/duct 20 to produce a clockwise or counterclockwise 15 airflow to interact with flying/levitating objects 30 within the production/flying space, Fig. 1-5, Col. 2 line 55 – Col. 10 line 17); and
a sensor configured to detect a position of the floating object in the production space; wherein the control device controls air volume or air speed of the air discharge devices based on detection information of the sensor (optical sensor 90 and other input devices (ex. microphone (sound sensor)) respectively monitor the light and sound of the device and monitor the changing position of the flying objects and based on that sensor detected location information, modifies, via the controller, air volume and/or speed of any of the blowers of the group of blowers via the controlling unit, Col. 3 lines 39-49, Col. 4 lines 23-46, Col. 6 line 49 – Col. 7 line 28).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to have modified the invention of Ochi to have further included an object position sensor in the device in order to allow the a user to track and control a position of an item(s) effected by the airflow within the production space and a control device in communication with the position sensor to allow the plurality of blowers to be easily controlled and adjusted during use automatically (as contemplated and desired by Ochi, Col. 4 lines 26-34) or by the user allowing for the device/user to automatically control each of the blowers to allow varied airflow and selective operation of the device based on the object’s positional information provided by the sensor to keep the floating object at or within a desired location or area within the production space (above the floor and below the ceiling) as is common and known in the art and as an electronic system as shown by Ochi would inherently require a control device to achieve the described airflow control within the space as described and this type of control device and sensor means are known and used in the art for adjustably operating a plurality of air discharging devices to control the airflow within a production space is known and common in the art as taught by Ootsuta (Col. 4 lines 22-46, Col. 6 line 49 – Col. 7 line 28).
In Reference to Claim 3
Ochi as modified by Ootsuta teaches:
The production system according to claim 1, further comprising an air intake device; wherein the air intake device or an air intake port of the air intake device is provided above the production space, so as to take in air discharged by the air discharge devices (Ochi: the air devices 7 have intakes 15 thereon and the air devices may be placed about the production space as desired (numerous arrangements are shown and described), including at the top of the production space (air devices 50 place an inlet at the top of the space and blow air downward into the space, Fig. 11, Col. 10 line 62 – Col. 11 line 18). Also, Ootsuta shows the housing may include air intake ports/devices 130 which may be placed at the top of the housing/blowers (ex. Fig. 7) to allow air to flow into the air blower devices).
Further, though Ochi doesn’t specifically teach the air inlets being positioned above the production space, Ochi teaches that the air supply devices may be positioned about the production space as desired and one having ordinary skill in the art would find placing an inlet on top of the device would be obvious to collect discharged air escaping the top of the device and further to allow air to be blown in from the top of the production space to prevent the floating object from contact with the ceiling. Further, Oosuta teaches this placement of an air intake is known and common in the art as described above. Further, the exact placement or location of an air intake port/device is merely a matter of obvious design choice in order to allow the user to provide a desired air flow shape through the production space and Ootsuta teaches this is an obvious modification (Col. 11 lines 26-39), further it has been held that the rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art (In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70).
In Reference to Claim 5
Ochi teaches:
A production method that causes a floating object to float in air (air propelling production system for floating objects, Fig. 1-13), wherein
the floating object is configured such that gas is contained by a flexible outer membrane (floating object(s) 4 are balloons formed of flexible membranes filled with gas as is common and known in the art, Fig. 1, Col. 5 lines 46-54),
the floating object movable within a production space surrounded by air discharge ports of a plurality of air discharge devices (air supply 7 having a plurality of air discharge devices 8 having air discharge ports 13 with movable louvers output airflow into the production space to move the floating objects in the space in various and adjustable manners, Fig. 1-13, Col. 4 lines 26-34, Col. 6 lines 5-61, Col. 10 line 1 – Col. 11 line 18),
the production method comprises;
a step of controlling a plurality of air discharge devices by a control device to generate an airflow that rotates clockwise or counterclockwise in plan view within the production space, and to cause a floating object to float within the production space by the airflow (the air supply means are at least minimally controlled via on/off switches, and the airflow may be controlled in various ways by the user or automatically which would inherently require a control device (Col. 4 lines 26-34), the air supply means 7 including a plurality of air supply mechanisms 8/50 arranged around the production space and having air discharge ports 13 with movable louvers output airflow into the production space to move the floating objects in the space in various and adjustable manners, Fig. 1-13, Col. 4 lines 26-34, Col. 6 lines 5-61, Col. 10 line 1 – Col. 11 line 18)Fig. 1, Col. 3 lines 63 – Col. 4 lines 34); and
a step of controlling air volume or air speed of the air discharge devices such that when the floating object approaches a floor surface, the control device increases the air volume of the plurality of air discharge devices to lift the floating object upward, and when the floating object approaches a ceiling, the control device decreases the air volume of the plurality of air discharge devices to lower the floating object downward (the provided airflow provides a generally upwards swirl (which is inherently at least partially clockwise or counterclockwise) that moves the floating object upward when near the floor of the production space and downward when near the ceiling of the production space, wherein the airflow may be automatically controlled to increase or decrease the provided airflow from each air discharge device which is capable of having increased flow at the lower portion near the floor to raise the floating object and decrease the flow at the upper portion near the ceiling to drop the floating object (manually or automatically via driven louvres or other airflow controlling means, of which automatic driven control would inherently include a controller and sensor means of some sort known to one having ordinary skill in the art), Col. 4 lines 26-34, Col. 6 lines 5-61, Col. 10 line 1 – Col. 11 line 18).
Ochi does not specifically teach:
A specific control device operating the air discharge devices and a sensor configured to detect a position of the floating object in a production space surrounded by air discharge ports of the plurality of air discharge devices so that the control device controls air volume or air speed of the air discharge devices based on detection information of the sensor.
Ootsuta teaches:
A production system and method for causing a floating object to float in air (air powered flying object system, Fig. 1-9); comprising:
a control device and a plurality of air discharge devices (controlling unit 70 (Col. 4 lines 22-46, Col. 6 line 49 – Col. 7 line 28) operates a group of controllable blowers 10 including a plurality of blowers 11);
a floating object a flexible outer membrane (floating objects 30 formed of lightweight flexible material/membrane, Col. 4 lines 47-65, Col. 5 lines 41-55)
wherein the control device controls the plurality of air discharge devices to generate an airflow that rotates clockwise or counterclockwise in plan view within a production space surrounded by air discharge ports of the plurality of air discharge devices, and to cause the floating object to float within the production space by the airflow (plurality of blowers 11, each having inlets and discharge ports/outlets on respective rear (facing guide blade 22) and front ends (facing guide blade 21) are arranged within the production/flying space 25 within the housing/duct 20 to produce a clockwise or counterclockwise 15 airflow to interact with flying/levitating objects 30 within the production/flying space, Fig. 1-5, Col. 2 line 55 – Col. 10 line 17); and
a sensor configured to detect a position of the floating object in the production space; wherein the control device controls air volume or air speed of the air discharge devices based on detection information of the sensor (optical sensor 90 and other input devices (ex. microphone (sound sensor)) respectively monitor the light and sound of the device and monitor the changing position of the flying objects and based on that sensor detected location information, modifies, via the controller, air volume and/or speed of any of the blowers of the group of blowers via the controlling unit, Col. 3 lines 39-49, Col. 4 lines 23-46, Col. 6 line 49 – Col. 7 line 28).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to have modified the invention of Ochi to have further included an object position sensor in the device in order to allow the a user to track and control a position of an item(s) effected by the airflow within the production space and a control device in communication with the position sensor to allow the plurality of blowers to be easily controlled and adjusted during use automatically (as contemplated and desired by Ochi, Col. 4 lines 26-34) or by the user allowing for the device/user to automatically control each of the blowers to allow varied airflow and selective operation of the device based on the object’s positional information provided by the sensor to keep the floating object at or within a desired location or area within the production space (above the floor and below the ceiling) as is common and known in the art and as an electronic system as shown by Ochi would inherently require a control device to achieve the described airflow control within the space as described and this type of control device and sensor means are known and used in the art for adjustably operating a plurality of air discharging devices to control the airflow within a production space is known and common in the art as taught by Ootsuta (Col. 4 lines 22-46, Col. 6 line 49 – Col. 7 line 28).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 4-12, filed 3/9/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-5 under 103 (Matsui and Ootsuta) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Ochi and Ootsuta.
Brief Discussion of Other Prior Art References
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See the references cited page for publications that are noted for containing similar subject matter as the applicant. For example, Inoko (12,502,620), Ochi (JP 2729364, JP 2000250449), and Kashar (3,643,941) teach similar devices and methods.
Conclusion
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/ALEXANDER R NICONOVICH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3711
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