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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1 – 20 have been examined.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 1 – 3, 6 – 7, 11 – 12, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhang (12,515,726). In regard to claim 1, Zhang discloses a cart with sliders comprising a hand lever (Fig. 1, item 70), a front frame (Fig. 1, item 10), a back frame (Fig. 1, item 20), two symmetrical side frames (Fig. 1, items 30 and 40) and a chassis (Fig. 1, items 50 and 60), the hand lever being rotatably connected with the front frame (Figs. 1 and 4), wherein the front frame and the back frame are identical in structure (Fig. 1), wherein the front frame comprises two vertical tubes, two upper fixed seats, an upper horizontal tube and a lower horizontal tube, two ends of the upper horizontal tube are mounted on the two upper fixed seats, two ends of the lower horizontal tube are connected with lower ends of the two vertical tubes (Fig. 1), and casters are mounted at the lower ends of the vertical tubes or on the lower horizontal tube (Fig. 1, item 80), each of the side frames comprises two X-shaped cross tubes (Fig. 2, items 31 – 38) and two sliders (Fig. 2, items 41 – 44), wherein one ends of the two X-shaped cross tubes are articulated, the sliders are disposed around the vertical tubes and are able to slide upwards and downwards, tops of the other ends of the two X-shaped cross tubes are riveted to the slider on the front frame and the slider on the back frame respectively, and bottoms of the other ends of the two X-shaped cross tubes are riveted to the lower horizontal tube of the front frame and the lower horizontal tube of the back frame respectively (Figs. 1 and 2), the chassis comprises a bottom tube (Fig. 1, item 60) and two bottom frames (Fig. 6, items 51 and 52), wherein one ends of the two bottom frames are articulated, and the other ends of the two bottom frames are riveted to the front frame and the back frame respectively (Figs. 5 and 6), and the bottom tube is arranged below the bottom frames (Fig. 4), and two ends of the bottom tube are riveted to an upper articulated joint of the two X-shaped cross tubes of one side frame and an upper articulated joint of the two X-shaped cross tubes of the other side frame respectively (Figs. 2, 5 and 6, riveted/connected via unnumbered center x-shaped members between items 31 – 38).
In regard to claim 2, Zhang discloses wherein the two ends of the upper horizontal tube are detachably connected with the upper fixed seats, i.e. corners, at upper ends of the two vertical tubes (Fig. 1, wherein any components which are connected are considered to be capable of being detached).
In regard to claim 3, Zhang discloses wherein two sides of one ends of the two bottom frames are articulated through bottom frame connecting pieces, and left and right sides of the other end of each of the two bottom frames are riveted to the two ends of the corresponding lower horizontal tube respectively (Figs. 5 and 6, unnumbered hinges between items 51 and 52).
In regard to claim 6, Zhang discloses wherein the hand lever comprises a handle, a telescopic rod and a bracket base which are connected in sequence, and the bracket base is rotatably connected with the lower horizontal tube and is able to rotate forward and backward (Fig. 2, items 72, 71, unnumbered base shaft, and unnumbered bracket into which unnumbered base shaft is connected).
In regard to claims 7, 11 – 12, and 15, Zhang discloses a cloth bag arranged on the chassis, wherein mounting parts are arranged on front and back sides of the cloth bag and are detachably mounted on the two upper horizontal tubes, and four sides of the cloth bag are detachably connected (Fig. 8, item 90 & column 8, line 56 – column 9, line 3).
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 10 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (12,515,726) as applied to claims 1 – 3, 6 – 7, 11 – 12, and 15 above, and further in view of Conroy et al. (2017/0129521). Zhang does not disclose the use of hook and loop fasteners. In regard to claims 10 and 18, Conroy discloses a cart wherein vertical edges of four sides of a cloth bag are detachably connected through zippers or hook-and-loop fasteners (Figs. 2 and 3, item 185).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the hook and loop fasteners of Conroy to the cart of Zhang in order to ensure a secure connection between the bag and cart.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 – 5, 8 – 9, 13 – 14, 16 – 17, and 19 – 20 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Zhang (12,515,726) discloses a cart similar to the instant invention; however Zhang, either alone or in combination, neither discloses nor suggests a cart wherein (in regard to claim 4) U-shaped parts are arranged at the two ends of the lower horizontal tube, the U-shaped parts have openings facing a center and bottoms fixed on the lower horizontal tube, and ends of the left and right sides of the other end of each of the two side frames stretch into the openings to be riveted and are able to rotate upwards and downwards, (in regard to claim 5) wherein the two X-shaped cross tubes are articulated through cross tube connecting pieces, each of the cross tube connecting pieces comprises a left connecting piece and a right connecting piece which are symmetrical in structure, one end of the left connecting piece and one end of the right connecting piece are rotatably connected, and the other end of the left connecting piece or the other end of the right connecting piece is inlaid in an opening of one said cross tube to be fixed, and (in regard to claims 8 and 16) wherein connecting belts are arranged on left and right sides of the cloth bag, and two ends of each of the connecting belts are detachably connected with one said fixed seat of the front frame and one said fixed seat of the back frame respectively. These limitations, in combination with each and every other independent claim limitation, are not shown in the currently cited prior art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Wang (11,572,091) discloses a foldable wagon;
Zhou et al. (12,448,018) disclose a folding trolley;
Zhang (12,515,727) discloses an expandable cart;
Tong (2023/0249730) discloses a double-decker collapsible cart;
Frankel et al. (2024/0190492) disclose a folding pushcart;
Wu (2025/0304131) discloses a side-folding trailer.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN DANIEL WALTERS whose telephone number is (571)272-8269. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 8 am - 5 pm (PT).
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/JOHN D WALTERS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3613