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 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.
Claim(s) 1 and 14-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Arney (US 5,380,020).
In re claim 1, Arney discloses an easy-wearing skate including a boot having a chamber open upward, wherein the boot further includes a fixed shell (52) having a rear opening (part immediately behind), and a movable shell (46) rotatably connected to the fixed shell and configured to cover the rear opening, the movable shell is swingable away from the rear opening (clear from image and conventional feature of inline skates so a foot can be easily placed inside), a first tightening strap (60) is connected to a side of the fixed shell, a locking device is connected to another side of the fixed shell, the first tightening strap is releasably locked by the locking device, and as the first tightening strap is released from the locking device, the movable shell can swing away relative to the fixed shell (that’s how quick release buckles work).
In re claim 14, Arney teaches each of two sides of a lower end of the movable shell is rotatably connected to the fixed shell by a hinge (48, 50).
In re claim 15, Arney teaches including a frame connected to a bottom of the boot and rollers mounted on the frame (fig. 4).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-13 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
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/EREZ GURARI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3615