DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is in response to amendments received 22 May 2026.
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 were received on 22 May 2026. These drawings are accepted.
Claim Objections
Claims 59-60 are objected to because of the following informalities: Regarding claim 59, line 14, “and environmental smoke effect generator” should be deleted since an environmental smoke effect generator was already introduced in lines 11-12. 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.
Claims 43-45 and 60-61 are 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.
Regarding claims 43-45 and 60-61, the word "if" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d). It is suggested to delete the word “if” from these claims to positively recite that the special effects cabinet or the set of environmental special effects generators comprise the recited limitation(s) to remedy this rejection. The examiner would like to point out that the word “if” in claims 42 and 59 is not indefinite since it is clear that the special effects cabinet or the set of environmental special effects generators can comprise other structures.
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 59-61 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Park (US 2022/0258062 A1; hereinafter Park).
Regarding claim 59, Park discloses an environmental special effects box [410] for use with a plurality of audiovisual sources (paragraph 0076: “a projection means such as a beam projector” and “[i]n addition, a screen such as a wall-mounted TV or LED billboard whose screen 200 projects an image may be disposed as the projection unit in addition to the projection means”; also see paragraph 0078 “a size of the sound” where the 4D screen shooting range must include a speaker), and with a user console [416, 417], the environmental special effects box [410] comprising: a set of environmental special effects generators [415, 419, 430, 461]; a controller (see Figures 11A-11B; wherein the system inherently includes a controller to execute the associated programming) configured to selectively communicate with one of the plurality of audiovisual sources (paragraph 0076: “a projection means such as a beam projector” and “[i]n addition, a screen such as a wall-mounted TV or LED billboard whose screen 200 projects an image may be disposed as the projection unit in addition to the projection means”; also see paragraph 0078 “a size of the sound” where the 4D screen shooting range must include a speaker) and with the user console [416, 417], said controller being configured to receive an input signal [S40] based on an audiovisual signal from the selected audiovisual source or from the user console [416, 417] and to send a set of synchronized signals [S50] to the set of environmental special effects generators [415, 419, 430, 461] contained therein in response to the received audiovisual signal or the received signal [S40] from the console [416, 417]; wherein said set of environmental special effect generators [415, 419, 430, 461] contained in the environmental special effects generator box [410] comprise at least one of: an environmental smoke effect generator, an environmental light effect generator [461], an environmental wind effect generator, an environmental aroma effect generator, an environmental water spray effect generator [419] (wherein fog is a suspension of water droplets or “water spray”), and environmental smoke effect generator; wherein if the set of environmental special effects generators comprise the environmental smoke effect generator (Park’s system does not include a smoke effect generator, therefore the following limitations are not addressed), said environmental smoke effect generator comprises a water tank to store water, and wherein the water tank contains an ultrasonic transducer inserted into a floating device and wherein the ultrasonic transducer vibrates at an ultrasonic frequency breaking the water particles in the water tank to generate mist that simulates smoke; and wherein the environmental smoke effect generator also comprises a turbine blower that pushes the mist to an air outlet port of the environmental special effects box [410]; wherein the set of environmental special effects generators [415, 419, 430, 461] are capable of generating all the environmental special effects autonomously free of requiring a continuous and fixed external water or air supply connection (wherein the setting box [410] houses the special effects) (paragraphs 0068, 0076-0078, 0087-0091, 0095-0097, 0123-0127, and Figures 1-4C, 6, and 9-11B).
Regarding claim 60, Park discloses the environmental special effects box according to claim 59, wherein if the set of environmental special effects generators comprise the environmental smoke effect generator and the environmental water spray effect generator (Park’s system does not include a smoke effect generator, therefore the following limitations are not addressed), the environmental smoke effect generator shares the water tank with the environmental water spray effect generator.
Regarding claim 61, Park discloses the environmental special effects box according to claim 59, wherein if the set of environmental special effects generators comprise the environmental smoke effect generator, the environmental aroma effect generator, and the environmental wind effect generator (Park’s system does not include a smoke effect generator, and aroma effect generator, or a wind effect generator, therefore the following limitations are not addressed), the environmental smoke effect generator shares the turbine blower with the environmental aroma effect generator and with the environmental wind effect generator.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 40-42, 46-58, and 62-63 are allowed.
Claims 43-45 would be allowable if rewritten, as suggested by the examiner above, to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claims 40 and 58, the combinations including each special effects cabinet comprising an integrated water tank and an integrated air compressor or turbine device capable of generating the special effects autonomously free of requiring a continuous and fixed external water or air supply connection in the inventions as claimed are neither disclosed nor rendered obvious by the prior art. Regarding claim 62, the combination including providing a menu to a user to select a mode from: a cinema mode, a gaming mode, a relaxing mode, and a simulator mode in the invention as claimed is neither disclosed nor rendered obvious by the prior art
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 13 of the Remarks, filed 22 May 2026, with respect to the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection of claim 62 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of claim 62 has been withdrawn and the claim is in condition for allowance.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See Huang (CN 211349423 U), Tan et al. (CN 208371329 U), and Li (CN 207640968 U) which all disclose similar motion chairs but none disclose or render obvious a dedicated cabinet containing both an integrated water tank and an integrated air compressor or turbine device.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AUDREY B. WALTER whose telephone number is (571)270-5286. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eugene Kim can be reached at (571)272-4463. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AUDREY B. WALTER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3711
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