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 § 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.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun in US Publication 2022/0268052 in view of Chen in US Publication 2014/0099155 and Price in US Publication 2003/0164185.
Regarding Claims 1, 7, 9, and 10, Sun teaches a double-roof foldable tent, comprising a tent roof connection block (5), wherein a plurality of double-roof assemblies are arranged at a bottom of the tent roof connection block, the double-roof assemblies comprise connection rods (21), the connection rods are arranged at the bottom of the tent roof connection block, one sides of the connection rods are fixedly connected to fastener posts (A, see below), the one sides of the connection rods are provided with double-roof rods (3), and one sides of the double-roof rods are provided with double-roof linkage rods (4); one ends of the connection rods are connected to connection blocks (23), the other ends of the connection blocks are connected to long rods (22), the other ends of the long rods are connected to corner connection blocks (11), one sides of the long rods are provided with short rods (B), and one ends of the short rods are connected to fastener blocks (C); and a foldable unit is arranged between every two double-roof assemblies, and the foldable unit comprises a foldable supporting rod I (D) and a foldable supporting rod II (E).
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Sun is silent on the details of the fastener blocks. Chen teaches a foldable tent including fastener blocks (5) with fastener buttons (54) arranged inside the fastener blocks, movable supporting rods (42) are inserted into the fastener blocks and corner connection blocks (at the top end of 42), the movable supporting rods are internally fixedly connected to leaf springs I (2) wherein one sides of the leaf springs I are fixedly provided with bulges I (see Figs. 5 and 7), and the bulges I penetrate one side walls of the movable supporting rods and extend into the fastener blocks. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Sun by using a fastener block with a button and leaf spring as taught by Chen in order to securely retain the tent in the open condition.
Sun, as modified, is silent on the use of movable supporting rods. Price teaches a foldable tent including fastener blocks (122), movable supporting rods (112) are inserted into the fastener blocks and corner connection blocks (154), fixed supporting rods (110) are inserted into the movable supporting rods, the fixed supporting rods are internally fixedly provided with leaf springs II (126/130), wherein one sides of the leaf springs II are fixedly provided with bulges II (130), and the bulges II penetrate one side walls of the movable supporting rods and the fixed supporting rods (see Fig. 16), the fixed supporting rods are snapped into rod sleeves (138), and the rod sleeves are fixedly connected to inner walls of the movable supporting rods. Price further teaches that the movable supporting rods are snapped into the fastener blocks, and the fastener blocks are slidably connected to the movable supporting rods (see Fig. 13). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Sun, as modified, by using a leaf spring inside the movable supporting rod as taught by Price in order to allow the user to adjust the height of the tent.
Regarding Claims 2, 4, and 5, Sun, as modified, teaches that the connection rods are movably connected to the double-roof rods through rotary shafts (A), and bottoms of the connection rods are movably connected to the connection blocks through rotary shafts (G), that tops of the long rods are movably connected to the connection blocks through rotary shafts (at 23), Sun, as modified, is silent on the use of rotary shafts at the connection block, corner connection block, between the long and short rods, and at the fastener blocks. Price teaches a tent wherein tops of connection rods (214) are movably connected to a tent roof connection block (210) through rotary shafts (260), bottoms of long rods (216) are movably connected to corner connection blocks (154) through rotary shafts (180), tops of short rods (200) are movably connected to the long rods through rotary shafts (at 266), and bottoms of the short rods are movably connected to the fastener blocks through rotary shafts (202). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Sun, as modified, by using rotary shafts between pivotably connected elements as taught by Price in order to allow the device to pivot and collapse properly.
Regarding Claim 3, Sun, as modified, teaches that tops of the double-roof linkage rods are movably connected to the double-roof rods through rotary shafts (F), and bottoms of the double-roof linkage rods are movably connected to the long rods through rotary shafts (8).
Regarding Claim 6, Sun, as modified teaches that the corner connection blocks are fixedly arranged at tops of the movable supporting rods (see Fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 8, Sun, as modified is silent on the details of the intersections between the foldable supporting rods. Price teaches that an intersection between a foldable supporting rod I (190/104) and a foldable supporting rod II (168/156) is movably connected through a rotary shaft (206); a top of the foldable supporting rod I is movably connected to one corner connection block through a rotary shaft (170), and a bottom of the foldable supporting rod I is movably connected to one fastener block through a rotary shaft (192); and a top of the foldable supporting rod II is movably connected to another corner connection block through a rotary shaft (174), and a bottom of the foldable supporting rod II is movably connected to another fastener block through a rotary shaft (196). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Sun, as modified, by using rotary shafts to connect the foldable supporting rods to each other and to the corner and fastener blocks as taught by Price in order to allow the device to pivot and collapse properly.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Choi, Zhu, Yuan, Seo, Sun, Suh, Lovley, II, and Volin teach foldable tents.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NOAH C. HAWK whose telephone number is (571)272-1480. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am to 5:30pm.
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NOAH C. HAWK
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3636
/Noah Chandler Hawk/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3636