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 .
Priority
Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application(s) under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) is acknowledged.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 7, 19-22 and 36-38 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Gregory (US PG Pub. No. 2021/0236876, effectively filed Sept. 9, 2020).
Regarding claim 1, as broadly interpreted, Gregory teaches an exercise machine, comprising: a platform that is configured to be placed on a floor and has a top surface 11,12’ (see Fig. 4 below and para. [0052]) upon which a user stands when performing a strength activity using the exercise machine, wherein the platform contains a motor 30 and a motor controller 40 (see para. [0057] and Fig. 1 below); a cable adjustment mechanism (i.e., pulley 26, see para. [0056]) disposed at least partially within a top surface of the platform, wherein the cable adjustment mechanism 26 includes multiple selectable pull points through which a cable 21 extends from the motor 30 out of the platform (i.e., where the pulley guide 26 pivots or swivels about a vertical axis as the cable 21 winds or unwinds so that the cable 32 has multiple directions of pull points); and an attachment (i.e., handle 25) coupled to the cable 21.
PNG
media_image1.png
388
645
media_image1.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image2.png
558
645
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 7, as broadly interpreted, Gregory teaches further comprising: a second motor 30 (see Fig. 1 above); a second cable adjustment mechanism 26 disposed at least partially within the top surface of the platform, wherein the second cable adjustment mechanism 26 includes second multiple selectable pull points through which a second cable 21 extends from the second motor 30 out of the platform (i.e., where the pulley guide 26 pivots or swivels about a vertical axis as the cable 21 winds or unwinds so that the cable 32 has multiple directions of pull points, see para. [0056]); and a second attachment 25coupled to the second cable.
Regarding claim 19, as broadly interpreted, Gregory teaches a platform for use with a strength machine, the platform comprising: a top surface 11,12’ (see Fig. 4 above and para. [0052]) upon which a user stands when performing a strength activity using the strength machine; one or more resistance mechanisms 30 (see para. [0050], [0053], and Figs. 5, and 6 below) contained within the platform; one or more cable adjustment mechanisms (i.e., pulley 26, see para. [0056]) disposed on the top surface that each define multiple pull points (i.e., where the pulley guide 26 pivots or swivels about a vertical axis as the cable 21 winds or unwinds so that the cable 32 has multiple directions of pull points, see para. [0056]); and one or more cables 21 attached to the one or more resistance mechanisms 30 that extend out of the multiple pull points for the one or more cable adjustment mechanisms 26.
Regarding claim 20, as broadly interpreted, Gregory teaches wherein the one or more cable adjustment mechanism 26 includes two cable adjustment mechanisms (see Figs. 1 and 4 above), wherein each of the two cable adjustment mechanisms includes multiple pull points (i.e., where the pulley guide 26 pivots or swivels about a vertical axis as the cable 21 winds or unwinds so that the cable 32 has multiple directions of pull points, see para. [0056]) and is associated with a resistance mechanism (i.e., resistance mechanism including the motor 30).
Regarding claim 21, as broadly interpreted, Gregory teaches wherein the one or more cable adjustment mechanisms includes two vertically aligned cable adjustment mechanisms 26 (see Figs. 1 and 4 above, the pulleys 26 being vertically aligned through axes through the platform), wherein each of the two vertically aligned cable adjustment mechanisms includes multiple pull points (i.e., where the pulley guide 26 pivots or swivels about a vertical axis as the cable 21 winds or unwinds so that the cable 32 has multiple directions of pull points, see para. [0056]) and is associated with a resistance mechanism (i.e., resistance mechanism including the motor 30).
Regarding claim 22, as broadly interpreted, Gregory teaches wherein the one or more cable adjustment mechanisms includes two horizontally aligned cable adjustment mechanisms 26 (see Figs. 1 and 4 above, the pulleys 26 being horizontally aligned through axes through the platform), wherein each of the two horizontally aligned cable adjustment mechanisms includes multiple pull points (i.e., where the pulley guide 26 pivots or swivels about a vertical axis as the cable 21 winds or unwinds so that the cable 32 has multiple directions of pull points, see para. [0056]) and is associated with a resistance mechanism (i.e., resistance mechanism including the motor 30).
Regarding claim 36, Gregory teaches a strength machine 100, comprising: a platform that is configured to be placed on a floor and has a top surface 11,12’ (see Fig. 4 above and para. [0052]) upon which a user stands when performing a strength activity using the exercise machine; one or more resistance mechanisms 30 (see para. [0050], [0053], and Figs. 5, and 6 below) contained within the platform, wherein the one or more resistance mechanisms 30 include an integrated motor 31 and spool device 22 (see Figs. 5 and 6 below and para. [0050], and [0053]); one or more cables 21 attached to the spool device 22 that extend out of one or more pull points disposed on the top surface 11,12’ of the platform; and one or more handles 25 (see Figs. 1 and 4 above and para. [0049]) coupled to the one or more cables 21.
PNG
media_image3.png
484
599
media_image3.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image4.png
434
595
media_image4.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 37, Gregory teaches wherein the spool device 22 includes grooves (i.e., as shown in Fig 8. and para. [0056], where an embodiment of the spool 22 includes helical grooves to prevent twisting) that receive sections of the one or more cables 21 when the one or more cables wrap around the spool device 22.
Regarding claim 38, Gregory teaches wherein the spool device 22 is configured to wrap the one or more cables 21 in a single horizontal layer (see para. [0056], and Fig. 8, where spool 22 is oriented horizontally).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-10 are allowed.
Regarding claim 8, none of the prior art teach or suggest all the limitations of the claim and more specifically a cable adjustment mechanism located on a top surface of a platform that includes an internal motor and a motor controller that controls operation of the internal motor, wherein the cable adjustment mechanism comprises: a track that includes multiple stop positions; and a carriage that travels along the track to the multiple stop positions and includes: a cable guide through which a cable extends from the internal motor out of the platform; and a button that, when pressed, facilitates the carriage to move along the track to the multiple stop positions.
Claims 9-10 depend from claim 8.
Claims 2-6, 23, and 70-71 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.
Regarding claim 2, none of the prior art teach or suggest all the limitations of the preceding and intervening claims and further reciting wherein the cable adjustment mechanism disposed at least partially within a top surface of the platform includes: a track that includes multiple stop positions; and a carriage that travels along the track and includes: a carriage body; one or more rollers rotatably fixed to the carriage body that engage the track; and a cable guide through which the cable extends from the motor out of the platform.
Regarding claim 3, none of the prior art teach or suggest all the limitations of the preceding and intervening claims and further reciting wherein the cable adjustment mechanism disposed at least partially within a top surface of the platform includes: a track that designates multiple index positions; a carriage that travels along the track and includes: a cable guide through which the cable extends from the motor out of the platform; and an indexing roller and lock pin that lock the carriage into the multiple index positions of the track.
Regarding claim 4, none of the prior art teach or suggest all the limitations of the preceding and intervening claims and further reciting wherein the cable adjustment mechanism disposed at least partially within a top surface of the platform includes: a carriage that travels along a track of the cable adjustment mechanism and includes: a cable guide through which the cable extends from the motor out of the platform; and one or more magnets that are detected by sensors located at multiple grooves of a sensor rail of the track.
Regarding claim 5, none of the prior art teach or suggest all the limitations of the preceding and intervening claims and further reciting wherein the cable adjustment mechanism disposed at least partially within a top surface of the platform includes: a sensor rail having multiple grooves and sensors located at each of the multiple grooves and configured to detect a position of a carriage as the carriage travels along the cable adjustment mechanism.
Regarding claim 6, none of the prior art teach or suggest all the limitations of the preceding and intervening claims and further reciting wherein the cable adjustment mechanism disposed at least partially within a top surface of the platform includes: a carriage that travels along the cable adjustment mechanism and includes: a button that, when pressed, facilitates the carriage to move along the cable adjustment mechanism to locations associated with the pull points; a cable guide through which the cable extends from the motor out of the platform; and one or more sensors that provide information that identifies a status of the button and a status of a position of the carriage along the cable adjustment mechanism.
Regarding claim 23, none of the prior art teach or suggest all the limitations of the preceding and intervening claims and further reciting wherein the one or more cable adjustment mechanisms includes a two-dimensional cable adjustment mechanism having at least one vertically aligned track segment and at least one horizontally aligned track segment.
Regarding claim 70, none of the prior art teach or suggest all the limitations of the preceding and intervening claims and further reciting wherein the one or more resistance mechanisms include a locking mechanism that locks the motor from rotating when the strength machine is not in use.
Claim 71 depends from claim 70.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW S LO whose telephone number is (571)270-1702. The examiner can normally be reached Mon. - Fri. (9:30 am - 5:30 pm EST).
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, LoAn Jimenez can be reached at (571) 272-4966. 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.
/ANDREW S LO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3784