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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of specie 4 to figure 4 claims 4, 7-10, 12-20 in the reply filed on 6/5/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the species share the same or corresponding special technical features. This is not found persuasive because the species have features that are different and distinct from each, and a search for all the different features would be a serious burden.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claims 1-3, 5-6 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 6/5/2026.
Claim Objections
Claims 4, 7-10, 12-20 are objected to because of the following informalities:
The claims are not in proper claim format as each claim needs to be one sentence. Each claim thus only has one capital letter.
Appropriate correction is required.
Furthermore, each can only depend on currently prosecuted independent claim, and not withdrawn claims. The dependent claims need to be corrected accordingly.
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) 4, 7-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dylewski (2021/0016646) in view of Maimin et al (2007/0210609).
Dylewski (figures 1-7) shows an ultra-thin embedded rigid cover without joints, wherein, it includes a side rubber strip (132; par. 139), a guide rail system, a clamp system, a fixing lock bolt, a plurality of cover plates(18-26) and a plurality of soft rotating shafts (164, figure 8), the cover plate includes a front plate (18), a second intermediate plate (20) and a small plate (26) are all connected to each other by soft rotating shafts (164), the soft rotating shaft is of a flexible material or of a material combining flexibility and rigidity(par. 109), the front plate, the second intermediate plate, the small plate (26) and the soft rotating shaft (164) are connected to a side rubber strip (132), two ends of the front plate, two ends of the second intermediate plate and two ends of the small plate are connected to a side rail, the small plate is connected with a fixing lock bolt, the front plate is connected with a front bar fixing rod(figure 7).
Dylewski does not show the side rail is provided with a bonding section, the side rubber strip is provided with a gluing section, the bonding section is bonded to the gluing section, the gluing section is bonded to the soft rotating shaft.
Maimin et al discloses bonding a strip (136) with the side rail.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Dylewski’s structures to show the side rail is provided with a bonding section, the side rubber strip is provided with a gluing section, the bonding section is bonded to the gluing section, the gluing section is bonded to the soft rotating shaft with a reasonable expectation of success since bonding/gluing would allow for the easy connecting of the strip to the rail as taught by Maimin et al.
Per claim 7, Dylewski(figure 10, as modified further shows the front plate (18) includes a front plate side rail (figure 10), a front plate front bar (figure 10), a front plate rear bar (figure 10), a plate body, a front bar support figure 10), a front bar buckle (figure 27), a front plate rubber strip and a front plate fixing rod; the plate body is surrounded by a front plate front bar, a front plate rear bar and two front plate side rails, the front plate side rail is provided with a rear protrusion and a front protrusion(figure 28), the rear protrusion(figure 28) is connected to the front plate rear bar, the front protrusion is connected to the front plate front bar, the front bar buckle and the front plate fixing rod (208) are symmetrically connected to the front plate front bar, the fixing lock bolt (8) is connected to the front plate rear bar, the front plate side rail is provided with a side rail bending hook, the side rubber strip is provided with a bending hook section, the bending
hook section is used for hooking the side rail bending hook; the front plate is connected to the guide rail system by a front plate fixing rod, the front plate rubber strip is provided with an extension surface and a front plate rubber strip insertion head, the front plate, the front bar is provided with a front plate front bar groove, the front plate rubber strip insertion head is clamped with the front plate front bar groove.
Dylewski as modified does not show the thickness of the plate body (204) is less than or equal to 10 mm.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Dylewski’s modified structures to show the thickness of the plate body (204) is less than or equal to 10 mm since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing of the invention modify Dylewski to show the claimed dimension as long as the dimension provides the needed strength for the covering to cover the truck bed.
Per claim 8, Dylewski et al as modified further shows the small plate includes a rear rail(figure 7), a small plate body, a small plate side rail, a small plate front bar and a rear bar rubber strip; the rubber strip is provided with a rear bar rubber strip hole, a rear bar rubber strip insertion head and a rear bar rubber strip adhesive surface, the rear bar is provided with a rear bar profile lower surface and an insertion groove, the rear bar rubber strip insertion head is stuck into the insertion groove, the rear bar rubber strip adhesive surface is bonded to the rear bar profile lower surface.
Per claim 9, Dylewski et al as modified the side rubber strip is provided with a gluing section, a bending hook section, a groove and a lower pressing and bending surface, the gluing section is for bonding with the side rails and the intermediate rotating shafts.
Per claim 10, Dylewski et al as modified further shows the soft rotating shaft (164) includes an intermediate connecting bubble (figures 13-14), a pressing bar, a snap-in head, and a snap-in neck section; a pressing rod, a rod groove, an upper
pressing head, a screw fixing hole, a snap-in plate groove and an upper plane; the pressing bar is provided on the upper side of the upper plane, the snap-in head
is clamped with the rod groove, the pressing rod squeezes the snap-neck section in cooperation with the upper pressing head after deformation, the snap-in
plate groove is used to connect the plate body, the screw fixing holes are used to connect the side rails by screws.
Per claim 11, Dylewski et al as modified further shows the soft rotating shaft includes an intermediate connecting bubble (figure 14), a pressing bar, a snap-in head, and a snap-in neck section; plate front bar includes a pressing rod, a rod groove, a resisting rod, an upper pressing head, a screw fixing hole, a snap-in plate groove and an upper plane; the pressing ng bar is provided on the upper side of the upper plane, the snap-in head is clamped with the rod groove, the pressing rod is connected with the
resisting rod, the pressing rod squeezes the snap-neck section in cooperation with the upper pressing head after deformation, the snap-in plate groove is used to connect the plate body, the screw fixing holes are used to connect the side rails by screws.
Per claim 12, Dylewski et al as modified further shows wherein, the fixing lock bolt (figure 20) includes a lock bolt base, a lock bolt cover, a lock bolt, a lock bolt spring steel, a steel wire, a lock bolt cylinder, a spring, and a cylindrical rod; the lock bolt base is connected with a lock bolt cover, the lock bolt base is provided with a lock bolt cavity , a spring arrangement compartment and a cylindrical travelling compartment, the lock bolt cavity, the spring arrangement compartment and the cylindrical travelling compartment are mutually connected; the lock bolt includes a sliding block (figure 20), the sliding block is provided in the lock bolt cavity; the lock bolt cylinder is located within the spring arrangement compartment and the cylinder traveling compartment, one end of the lock bolt cylinder is connected to the sliding block through the lock bolt spring steel, the other end of the lock bolt cylinder is connected to a steel wire, the lock bolt cylinder is sleeved with a spring, the spring is located in the spring arrangement compartment, the lock bolt pulling rope is connected to a pulling strap, the pulling strap is located in the cylinder travelling compartment, the pulling strap extends out from the lock bolt cover(figure 23).
Per claim 13, Dylewski et al as modified further shows the locking tongue groove is connected with a steel wire support block, the steel wire passes through the steel wire support block; a steel wire hole, the steel wire passes through the steel wire hole; the cylindrical travelling compartment is connected with two cylindrical rods, the
cylindrical rod is used for positioning the pulling strap.
Per claim 14, Dylewski et al as modified further shows the clamp system includes a left clamp, a right clamp and a T-rod, the left clamps and the right clamps are connected by screws, the T-rod passes through the left clamp and the right clamp, the T-rod is connected with a nut, one end of the T-rod is a positioning head; the left clamp is provided with a waist hole, the right clamp is provided with a threaded connection hole and a half-waist hole, the screw passes through the waist hole and the threaded connection hole, the T-rod passes through the half-waist hole.
Per claim 15, Dylewski et al as modified further shows the guide rail system includes a guide rail, the guide rail includes a guide rail groove, a lock bolt arching surface, a guide rail support plane and a rubber strip gluing surface, the lock bolt arching surface is located on the inner side of the guide rail, the guide rail support plane is located on the outer side of the guide rail; the guide rail support plane includes a support upper surface and a support lower surface, the support upper surface is attached to the lower pressing and bending surface, the first guide rail rubber strip includes an rubber strip top surface and a rubber strip gluing surface, the rubber strip top surface is glued to the support lower surface, the rubber strip gluing surface is glued to the guide rail groove, the lock bolt arching surface is connected to the guide rail groove by an adhesive surface, the adhesive surface is provided with a positioning strip, the adhesive surface is bonded with a second guide rail rubber strip, the second guide rail rubber strip is provided along the positioning strip, the guide rail support surface is located on the outer side of the guide rail.
Per claim 16, Dylewski et al as modified further shows the guide rail groove is connected to a front plate fixing clamp, the front plate fixing rod includes a threaded rod, one end of the threaded rod is connected to a square head, which is used to clamp with the front plate front plate groove, the threaded rod passes through the front plate fixing clamp and is connected to a plum nut and butterfly nut.
Per claim 17, Dylewski et al as modified further shows the front bar fixing clamp includes a front and rear groove, a snap-in notch and a slide-in opening, the slide-in opening is connected to the guide rail groove, the snap-in notch is connected to the front and rear grooves, the snap-in notch and the front and rear grooves are used to connect a threaded rod.
Per claim 18, Dylewski et al as modified further shows at least one of the first intermediate plate or the second intermediate plate is connected with a fixing lock bolt.
Per claim 19, Dylewski et al as modified further shows the front plate is connected with a fixing lock bolt, the fixing lock bolt is connected to the end of the front plate, the front bar fixing rod is connected to the front of the front plate.
Per claim 20, Dylewski et al as modified further shows the profile frame around the front plate, the first intermediate plate, the second intermediate plate and the small plate are all glued to the plate, the side rails for threading the rubber strips are connected to the plate by means of rivets punched at the bottom surface of the side rails.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The prior art shows different rigid covers.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHI D Tran whose telephone number is (571)272-6864. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 EST.
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/PHI D A/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3633
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