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 .
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s submission dated 05/01/2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 1-4, and 7-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Pat. 11,193,328 – Huang et al., hereinafter Huang.
Regarding claim 1.
Huang discloses a variable-force coil spring (30, fig 11) comprising a central hole (at 23, fig 11) and a band coiled from the central hole outward (See fig 11), the band comprising an inner end located in the central hole (at 23, fig 11), an outer end (at 24, fig 11), and a plurality of sections arranged from the outer end toward the inner end successively (See fig 13), the plurality of sections, from the outer end toward the inner end in order, comprising:
an outer end section from the outer end to a first length (See annotated fig 13);
a first force descending section generating gradually descending elastically restoring force from the first length to a second length (See annotated fig 13);
a second force descending section generating gradually descending elastically restoring force from the second length to a third length (See annotated fig 13); and
a force maintaining section generating maintained elastically restoring force from the third length to a fourth length (See annotated fig 13), wherein the variable-force coil spring is affected by an external force to be wound onto a coil spring winding wheel (See fig 11) from an initial installed status, and when variable-force coil spring is in the initial installed status, the outer end of the band is disposed on the coil spring winding wheel (See fig 11); wherein
the outer end section is arranged for the variable-force coil spring to be installed as the initial installed status (See fig 11),
Huang does not disclose when the variable-force coil spring is in the initial installed status, the band generates the largest elastically restoring force at the first length.
However, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, with a reasonable expectation of success, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the spring of Huang for the band to generate the largest elastically restoring force at the first length when the variable-force coil spring is in the initial installed status, as claimed.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to yield the predictable result of allow for progressive decline of restoring force in the first stage to balance a venetian blind in the first stage, as the weight of the blind is gradually transferred to the ladder tapes of a conventional venetian blind.
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Regarding claim 2.
Huang teaches all limitations of claim 1.
Huang further discloses the force maintaining section generates consistent elastically restoring force from the third length to the fourth length (See annotated fig 13).
Regarding claim 3.
Huang teaches all limitations of claim 1.
Huang further discloses the force maintaining section generates gradually ascending elastically restoring force from the third length to the fourth length (See annotated fig 13), and an ascending rate of the elastically restoring force of the force maintaining section is smaller than a descending rate of the elastically restoring force of the first force descending section and smaller than a descending rate of the elastically restoring force of the second force descending section (See annotated fig 13).
Regarding claim 4.
Huang teaches all limitations of claim 1.
Huang further discloses a descending rate of the elastically restoring force of the first force descending section is larger than a descending rate of the elastically restoring force of the second force descending section (See annotated fig 13).
Regarding claim 7.
Huang discloses a pulling cord control device (2, fig 11) comprising:
a housing (200, fig 11);
at least one cord winding wheel (22, fig 11) and a coil spring winding wheel (24, fig 11), which are disposed in the housing capably of rotating each other (See fig 11); and
a variable-force coil spring (30, fig 11) comprising a central hole (at 23, fig 11) and a band coiled from the central hole outward (See fig 11), the band comprising an inner end located in the central hole, an outer end, and a plurality of sections arranged from the outer end toward the inner end successively (See figs 11 and 13), the variable-force coil spring being arranged to be affected by an external force (For example, see fig 12) to be wound onto the coil spring winding wheel from an initial installed status (See fig 11), when the variable-force coil spring is in the initial installed status, the outer end of the band being disposed on the coil spring winding wheel (See fig 11), the sections of the band wound onto the coil spring winding wheel from the initial installed status in order comprising:
a first force descending section generating gradually descending elastically restoring force from a first length to a second length (See annotated fig 13);
a second force descending section generating gradually descending elastically restoring force from the second length to a third length (See annotated fig 13); and
a force maintaining section generating maintained elastically restoring force from the third length to a fourth length (See annotated fig 13)
Huang does not explicitly disclose wherein the band generates the largest elastically restoring force at the first length.
However, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, with a reasonable expectation of success, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the spring of Huang for the band to generate the largest elastically restoring force at the first length when the variable-force coil spring is at the first length, as claimed.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to yield the predictable result of allow for progressive decline of restoring force in the first stage to balance a venetian blind in the first stage, as the weight of the blind is gradually transferred to the ladder tapes of a conventional venetian blind.
Regarding claim 8.
Huang teaches all limitations of claim 7.
Huang further discloses the pulling cord control device further comprises a coil spring sleeving wheel (231, fig 11);
the at least one cord winding wheel (22, fig 11), the coil spring winding wheel (24, fig 11) and the coil spring sleeving wheel (231, fig 11) are disposed in the housing (200, fig 11) capably of rotating each other (See fig 11);
the variable-force coil spring (30, fig 11) is sleeved onto the coil spring sleeving wheel (See fig 11).
Regarding claim 9.
Huang teaches all limitations of claim 7.
Huang further discloses the force maintaining section (See annotated fig 13) of the variable-force coil spring generates consistent elastically restoring force from the third length to the fourth length (See annotated fig 13).
Regarding claim 10.
Huang teaches all limitations of claim 7.
Huang further discloses the force maintaining section (See annotated fig 13) of the variable-force coil spring generates gradually ascending elastically restoring force from the third length to the fourth length (See annotated fig 13), and an ascending rate of the elastically restoring force of the force maintaining section is smaller than a descending rate of the elastically restoring force of the first force descending section and smaller than a descending rate of the elastically restoring force of the second force descending section (See annotated fig 13).
Regarding claim 11.
Huang teaches all limitations of claim 7.
Huang further discloses a descending rate of the elastically restoring force of the first force descending section (See annotated fig 13) of the variable-force coil spring is larger than a descending rate of the elastically restoring force of the second force descending section (See annotated fig 13).
Claim(s) 5, 6, 12, and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of PG Pub US 2009/0108511 A1 – Bivin et al., hereinafter Bivin.
Regarding claim 5.
Huang teaches all limitations of claim 1.
Huang does not disclose a descending rate of the elastically restoring force of the first force descending section is smaller than a descending rate of the elastically restoring force of the second force descending section.
However, Bivin teaches a descending rate of the elastically restoring force of the first force descending section (See annotated fig 8a) is smaller than a descending rate of the elastically restoring force of the second force descending section (See annotated fig 8a).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, with a reasonable expectation of success, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the spring of Huang with the relative rates of Bivin. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to yield the predictable result of allowing for tuning the force to accommodate coverings of different weights.
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Regarding claim 6.
The combination of Huang and Bivin teaches all limitations of claim 5.
Huang does not disclose the elastically restoring force of the first force descending section non-linearly descends from the first length to the second length first quickly and then slowly.
However, Bivin teaches the elastically restoring force of the first force descending section (See annotated fig 8a) non-linearly descends from the first length to the second length and a descending rate of the elastically restoring force of the first descending section gradually decreases from the first length to the second length. (See annotated fig 8a).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, with a reasonable expectation of success, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the spring of Huang with the non-linear rates of Bivin. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to yield the predictable result of allowing for tuning the force to accommodate coverings of different weights.
Regarding claim 12.
Huang teaches all limitations of in claim 7.
Huang does not disclose a descending rate of the elastically restoring force of the first force descending section of the variable-force coil spring is smaller than a descending rate of the elastically restoring force of the second force descending section.
However, Bivin teaches a descending rate of the elastically restoring force of the first force descending section (See annotated fig 8a) of the variable-force coil spring is smaller than a descending rate of the elastically restoring force of the second force descending section (See annotated fig 8a).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, with a reasonable expectation of success, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the spring of Huang with the relative rates of Bivin. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to yield the predictable result of allowing for tuning the force to accommodate coverings of different weights.
Regarding claim 13.
The combination of Huang and Bivin teaches all limitations of claim 12.
Huang does not disclose the elastically restoring force of the first force descending of the variable-force coil spring non-linearly descends from the first length to the second length first quickly and then slowly.
However, Bivin teaches the elastically restoring force of the first force descending section (See annotated fig 8a) of the variable-force coil spring non-linearly descends from the first length to the second length and a descending rate of the elastically restoring force of the first descending section gradually decreases from the first length to the second length. (See annotated fig 8a).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, with a reasonable expectation of success, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the spring of Huang with the non-linear rates of Bivin. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to yield the predictable result of allowing for tuning the force to accommodate coverings of different weights.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 05/01/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
While certain aspects of amended claims 1 and 7 are not explicitly disclosed in Huang, each element is taught in a contiguous section of the force/distance curve shown in fig 13.
it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, with a reasonable expectation of success, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply the teachings of Huang to the particular constraints of their desired apparatus.
Conclusion
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 JOHN W HANES JR whose telephone number is (571)272-8840. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 EST.
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/J.W.H./Examiner, Art Unit 3634
/DANIEL P CAHN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3634
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