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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Species I, drawn to embodiment shown in Figs 1-6, in the reply filed on June 26, 2026, is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Applicant’s election of Species I invention without traverse directed to the corresponding claims 1-10 in the reply filed on June 26, 2026, is acknowledged.
Claims 11-14 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on June 26, 2026.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.84 (h) because Fig 2, 3, 4 fail to show the plane upon which a sectional view is taken which should be indicated on the view from which the section is cut by a broken line. The ends of the broken line should be designated by Arabic or Roman numerals corresponding to the view number of the sectional view and should have arrows to indicate the direction of sight. MPEP § 608.02(d).
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 Objections
Claim 1 should read “[[ A curly hair device with a gear adjustment for diameter of the curly hair device, comprising several curling plates (1) enclosing an annular main body configured to wind hair bundles, and an adjustment component (2) configured to adjust the curly hair diameter of the annular main body; the adjustment component (2) comprises an adjustment disc (21), the adjustment disc (21) is provided with several slide rails (23) configured to insert corresponding of the several curling plates (1); radial distances between one end (23a) of the slide rail (23) and [[the]] other end (23b) of the slide rail (23) to a central axis of the annular main body gradually change; at least two gear slots (24) are provided in the slide rail (23), an anti-disengagement structure (25) is provided between adjacent gear slots (24) to prevent [[the]] curling plate (1) of the several curling plates from detaching from the gear slot (24).”. Correction or clarification is required to overcome this issue.
Claim 2 should read “[[ The curly hair device with the gear adjustment for the diameter of the curly hair device according to claim 1, wherein ends of the several curling plates (1) are provided with a connection rod (33), the connection rod (33) is inserted into corresponding of the several slide rails (23); when the connection rod (33) slides in the anti-disengagement structure (25), the connection rod (33) moves [[]] approximately in a circular around [[the]] central axis of the annular main body.”. Correction or clarification is required to overcome this issue.
Claim 3 should read “[[The curly hair device with the gear adjustment for the diameter of the curly hair device according to claim 2, wherein the anti-disengagement structure (25) is a circular groove, a central axis of the circular groove is collinear with the central axis of the annular main body.”. Correction or clarification is required to overcome this issue.
Claim 4 should read “[[The curly hair device with the gear adjustment for the diameter of the curly hair device according to claim 3, wherein the several slide rails (23) are uniformly distributed along a circumference of the adjustment disc (21).”. Correction or clarification is required to overcome this issue.
Claim 5 should read “[[ The curly hair device with the gear adjustment for the diameter of the curly hair device according to claim 2, further comprising a transmission component (3), wherein the transmission component (3) is provided with several guide grooves (31), the guide grooves (31) extend radially along the annular main body; the guide grooves (31) correspond to the connection rods (33), and the connection rods (33) pass through the guide groove (31) and are inserted into the slide rails (23).”. Correction or clarification is required to overcome this issue.
Claim 6 should read “[[ The curly hair device with the gear adjustment for the diameter of the curly hair device according to claim 3, further comprising a transmission component (3), wherein the transmission component (3) is provided with several guide grooves (31), the guide grooves (31) extend radially along the annular main body; the guide grooves (31) correspond to the connection rods (33), and the connection rods (33) pass through the guide groove (31) and are inserted into the slide rails (23).”. Correction or clarification is required to overcome this issue.
Claim 7 should read “[[ The curly hair device with the gear adjustment for the diameter of the curly hair device according to claim 4, further comprising a transmission component (3), wherein the transmission component (3) is provided with several guide grooves (31), the guide grooves (31) extend radially along the annular main body; the guide grooves (31) correspond to the connection rods (33), and the connection rods (33) pass through the guide groove (31) and are inserted into the slide rails (23).”. Correction or clarification is required to overcome this issue.
Claim 8 should read “[[ The curly hair device with the gear adjustment for the diameter of the curly hair device according to claim 5, wherein the several guide grooves (3 1) are uniformly distributed along a circumference of the transmission component (3).”. Correction or clarification is required to overcome this issue.
Claim 9 should read “[[ The curly hair device with the gear adjustment for the diameter of the curly hair device according to claim 5, further comprising a limit component (4), wherein the limit component (4) comprises several limit grooves (41) and a limit rod (42); the several limit grooves (41) are provided on the transmission component (3), and the several limit grooves (41) are arranged along the circumferential of the transmission component (3); the limit rod (42) is extendable connection to the adjustment component (2) to engage with any one of the several limit grooves (41) to lock the adjustment component (2); when the limit rod (42) is engaged with the limit groove (41), the connection rod (33) stays in a corresponding limit groove (24).”. Correction or clarification is required to overcome this issue.
Claim 10 should read “[[ The curly hair device with the gear adjustment for the diameter of the curly hair device according to claim 9, wherein an adjustment knob (22) is provided on the adjustment disc (21); an elastic member (43) is provided between the adjustment disc (21) and the adjustment knob (22); the adjustment disc (21) is provided with a through hole; the limit rod (42) passes through the through hole and is sleeved on the elastic member (43).”. Correction or clarification is required to overcome this issue.
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 1-2, 5 and 8 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Wong (US 20180055176 A1, hereinafter “Park”).
Claim 1. Wong discloses a device with a gear adjustment for curly hair diameter (abstract and FIGs 1-6), comprising several curling plates (Fig 7, combination of 133, 134, 131 and 132) enclosing an annular main body configured to wind hair bundles (Fig 7 and ¶0032), and an adjustment component (Fig 3, 11) configured to adjust the curly hair diameter of the annular main body (¶0032); the adjustment component comprises an adjustment disc (Fig 3, disc of body 11), the adjustment disc is provided with several slide rails (annotated Fig 7, A) configured to insert corresponding curling plates (¶0032); radial distances between one end of the slide rail (annotated Fig 7, B) and the other end of the slide rail (annotated Fig 7, C) to a central axis of the annular main body gradually change (annotated Fig 7, D); at least two gear slots (annotated Fig 7, E) are provided in the slide rail (Fig 7), an anti-disengagement structure is provided between adjacent gear slots (annotated Fig 7, F) to prevent the curling plate from detaching from the gear slot (annotated Fig 7 and ¶0032, The inner surface walls “F” prevents the curling plate from detaching from the gear slot “E”) .
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Claim 2. Wong discloses the invention of claim 1. Wong further discloses wherein ends of the several curling plates are provided with a connection rod (annotated Fig 3, G), the connection rod is inserted into corresponding slide rails (Fig 5 and ¶0032); when the connection rod slides in the anti-disengagement structure (Fig 7), the connection rod moves in approximate circular around the central axis of the annular main body (Fig 7 and ¶0032).
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Claim 5. Wong discloses the invention of claim 2. Wong further discloses comprising a transmission component (Fig 3, 12), wherein the transmission component is provided with several guide grooves (Fig 3-Fig 4 and ¶0032, ¶0034, grooves through which distal end of 131, 132, 133 passes through 12 into slide rails “A” of 11), the guide grooves extend radially along the annular main body (Fig 7); the guide grooves correspond to the connection rods (Fig 7), and the connection rods pass through the guide groove and are inserted into the slide rails (Fig 7 and ¶0032).
Claim 8, Wong discloses the invention of claim 5. Wong further discloses wherein the several guide grooves (Fig 3-Fig 4 and ¶0032, ¶0034, grooves through which distal end of 131, 132, 133 passes through 12 into slide rails “A” of 11) are uniformly distributed along a circumference of the transmission component (Fig 4).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4, 6-7 and 9-10 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
Additional references were also reviewed during the examination of this application and listed for your reference in the notice of reference cited form.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KARIM ASQIRIBA whose telephone number is 571- 270-3416. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8-5 pm.
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/KARIM ASQIRIBA/Examiner, Art Unit 3772
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