`DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
Claim Objections
Claim 12 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Line 7, “brace” should be replaced with –buckle--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 14 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Line 14, line 2, “is” should be replaced with –in--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 19 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Line 2, --the—should be inserted between “through” and “rope”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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, 3-11, and 12-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Antonio (US10765437).
A ladder coupling assembly comprising:
a pole brace strap (15, Fig. 6) formed of flexible webbing (col. 4, line 52: “belt”) and including a rope guide ring (16, Fig. 6) structured to guide a rope lifeline, and a buckle (30, Fig. 6) structured to selectively attach to a corresponding buckle attached to the rope lifeline, the rope guide ring and buckle disposed proximate a central portion of the pole brace strap (see Fig. 6); and
a rung buckle strap (left 20, Fig. 6) coupled to a central portion of the pole brace strap (at 16) and formed of flexible webbing (col. 5, line 31: “nylon webbing”) and structured to wrap around a first rung or a rail of a ladder proximate an upper portion of the ladder (Fig. 6) and including rung buckles (22, Fig. 2) structured to selectively attach to each other to secure the rung buckle strap in a position wrapped around the first rung or rail of the ladder, and
a rung brace strap (right 20, Fig. 6) formed of flexible webbing and structured to attach to central portions of the pole brace strap (at 16, Fig. 6) and rung buckle strap (via left 26 and right 26, Fig. 6) wherein the rung brace strap is structured to attach to a second rung of the ladder adjacent to the first rung of the ladder (note Fig. 6 shows the rung buckle strap and the rung brace strap attached to left and right legs, respectively).
3. The ladder coupling assembly of claim 1, wherein the rung brace strap (right 20, Fig. 6) includes a rung brace attachment (see the buckle at the front of the right leg in Fig. 6), wherein the rung brace strap is structured to wrap around the second rung of the ladder (right leg), and wherein the rung brace attachment is structured to secure the rung brace strap in a position wrapped around the second rung of the ladder (Fig. 6).
4. The ladder coupling assembly of claim 1, wherein the rung brace strap (right 20, Fig. 6) extends in a first direction and the pole brace strap (15, Fig. 6) and rung buckle strap (left 20, Fig. 6) extend in directions perpendicular to the first direction (note that the pole brace stap and rung buckle straps appear to be perpendicular to the rung brace strap in Fig. 6, moreover, because the straps are flexible, each may extend in myriad ways including perpendicularly to each other, for example, when in a non-use or stowed configuration).
5. The ladder coupling assembly of claim 1, wherein the rung brace strap (right 20, Fig. 6) is attached to the pole brace strap (15, Fig. 6) or the rung buckle strap (left 20, Fig. 6) by stitching (note the stitching adjacent the buckle on the rung brace strap in Fig. 6).
6. The ladder coupling assembly of claim 1, wherein the rung brace strap (right 20, Fig. 6) includes a loop (right 26, Fig. 6), and wherein the pole brace strap (15) or the rung buckle strap are attached to the rung brace strap by passing the pole brace strap or the rung buckle strap through the loop (note that the pole brace strap passes through the loop 26 of the rung brace strap via the buckle 30).
7. The ladder coupling assembly of claim 1, wherein the pole brace strap (15, Fig. 6) is structured to wrap around a portion of a circumference of a pole.
8. The ladder coupling assembly of claim 1, wherein the pole brace strap (15, Fig. 4) includes at least one additional rope guide ring (19, Fig. 1), the additional rope guide ring disposed proximate a distal portion of the pole brace strap.
9. The ladder coupling assembly of claim 8, wherein the pole brace strap (15, Fig. 6) is structured such that when the corresponding buckle of the rope lifeline is attached to the buckle (30, Fig. 6) of the pole brace strap (15) and the rope lifeline is guided through the rope guide ring (16) and the at least one additional rope guide ring (19), the rope lifeline and the pole brace strap form a closed loop.
10. The ladder coupling assembly of claim 1, wherein the rung buckle strap (left 20) is structured to wrap around the first rung and the rail of the ladder (note from Fig. 6 that the rung buckle strap has sufficient length to wrap around the first rung and the rail of the ladder), and wherein the rung buckles (22, Fig. 2) are structured to selectively attach to each other to secure the rung buckle strap in a position wrapped around the first rung and the rail of the ladder.
11. The ladder coupling assembly of claim 1, wherein the rung buckles includes include a first rung buckle (22, Fig. 2) slidably attached to the rung buckle strap and a second rung buckle (22, Fig. 2, see also col. 5, lines 41-45: “Depending upon the particular type of suitable buckle used, the first or free end 23 of the strap 20 alternatively may also have a second buckling component (not shown in the drawing figures, but known in the art) of a two-part buckling device, for secure engagement with the first buckle part 2”) adjustably attached to a distal part of the rung buckle strap
12. A ladder coupling assembly comprising:
a pole brace strap (15, Fig. 6) formed of flexible webbing (col. 4, line 52: “belt”) and including a rope guide ring (16, Fig. 6) structured to guide a rope lifeline and a buckle (30) structured to selectively attach to a corresponding buckle attached to the rope lifeline, the rope guide ring and buckle disposed proximate a central portion of the pole brace strap (at 16); and
a rung buckle strap (left 20, Fig. 6) coupled to a central portion of the pole brace strap (at 16) and formed of flexible webbing, wherein the rung buckle strap (left 20, Fig. 6) is structured to attach to a first rung of the ladder (Fig. 6);
a rung brace strap (right 20, Fig. 6) formed of flexible webbing and structured to attach to central portion portions of the pole brace strap and the rung buckle strap (at 16), wherein the rung brace strap (right 20, Fig. 6) is structured to attach to a second rung of the ladder (Fig. 6).
13. The ladder coupling assembly of claim 12, wherein the rung brace strap (right 20, Fig. 6) includes a rung brace attachment (see the buckle at the front of the right leg in Fig. 6), and wherein the rung brace attachment is structured to secure the rung brace strap in a position wrapped around the second rung of the ladder (Fig. 6).
14. The ladder coupling assembly of claim 12, wherein the rung brace strap (right 20, Fig. 6) extends in a first direction and the pole brace strap (15, Fig. 6) extends outward from the rung brace strap in directions perpendicular to the first direction (note that left 26 and right 26 appear to be vertically perpendicular to pole brace strap which extends horizontally, moreover, because the straps are flexible, each may extend in myriad ways including perpendicularly to each other, for example, when in a non-use or stowed configuration).
15. The ladder coupling assembly of claim 12, wherein the pole brace strap (15, Fig. 4) includes at least one additional rope guide ring (19, Fig. 1), the additional rope guide ring disposed proximate a distal portion of the pole brace strap.
16. The ladder coupling assembly of claim 15, wherein the pole brace strap (15, Fig. 6) is structured such that when the corresponding buckle of the rope lifeline is attached to the buckle (30) of the pole brace strap and the rope lifeline is guided through the rope guide ring (16, Fig. 6) and the at least one additional rope guide ring (19, Fig. 1), the rope lifeline and the pole brace strap form a closed loop.
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 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Antonio (US10765437) in view of Wilcox (US20040140158).
17. Antonio discloses a fall protection system comprising:
a ladder coupling assembly including:
a pole brace strap (15, Fig. 6) formed of flexible webbing (col. 4, line 52: “belt”) and including a rope guide ring (16, Fig. 6) structured to guide the rope lifeline, and a buckle (30, Fig. 6) structured to selectively attach to the rope buckle, the rope guide ring (16) and buckle (30) disposed proximate a central portion of the pole brace strap; and
a rung buckle strap (left 20, Fig. 6) coupled to a central portion of the pole brace strap and formed of flexible webbing (col. 5, line 31: “nylon webbing”) and structured to wrap around a first rung or a rail of a ladder proximate an upper portion of the ladder and including rung buckles (22, Fig. 2) structured to selectively attach to each other to secure the rung buckle strap in a position wrapped around the first rung or rail of the ladder.
Antonio fails to disclose a rope lifeline including an attachment portion having a rope buckle disposed at a first end. Wilcox teaches, in the context of fall protection systems, a rope lifeline (34, Fig. 1 of Wilcox) including an attachment portion (see the end of 34) having a rope buckle disposed at a first end. It 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 to have included a rope lifeline including an attachment portion having a rope buckle disposed at a first end in order to further protect a worker using the fall protection system.
18. Antonio in view of Wilcox discloses the fall protection system of claim 17, wherein the pole brace strap (15, Fig. 6 of Antonio) is structured such that when the rope buckle (end of 34 in Fig. 1 of Wilcox) is attached to the buckle (30, Fig. 6 of Antonio) of the pole brace strap and the rope lifeline is guided through the rope guide ring (19, Fig. 2 of Antonio), the rope lifeline (34, Fig. 1 of Wilcox) and the pole brace strap (15, Fig. 6 of Antonio) form a closed loop.
19. Antonio in view of Wilcox discloses the fall protection system of claim 18, wherein the rope lifeline is structured to extend through rope guide ring (24, Fig. 1 of Wilcox) and down to a lower portion of the ladder (45, Fig. 1 of Wilcox).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 20 is 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Ben Pezzlo whose telephone number is (571)272-9656. The examiner can normally be reached M to Th 7 to 5.
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/BAP/ Examiner, Art Unit 3634
/COLLEEN M CHAVCHAVADZE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3634
