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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed 4/22/2024 fails to comply with 37 CFR 1.98(a)(2), which requires a legible copy of each cited foreign patent document; each non-patent literature publication or that portion which caused it to be listed; and all other information or that portion which caused it to be listed. NOTE: The first Non-Patent Literature document is missing and the information in the second Non-Patent Literature document is in Chinese and there is no information that explains why it is listed It has been placed in the application file, but the information referred to therein has not been considered.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “two filler portions” recited in Claims 3-5, the arrangement recited in Claim 3 where two tent materials and a filler portion are connected and form the same shape as the first tent material, and the “a hinged framing apparatus” “seven ridged members” and “two hinges” recited in Claim 15 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
(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 1-10, 12, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Voege et al. in US Patent 2932304.
Regarding Claim 1, Voege teaches a customizable tenting system comprising: a tent material (13/81) having location points for coupling, wherein the tent material comprises a rectangular portion (defined by corners A/B/C/D, see below), at least a first and second triangular portions (defined by corners C/D/F and A/B/E) on opposing sides of the rectangular portion, wherein the rectangular portion comprises a first side edge (between A and D) and a second side edge (between B and C) between the first and second triangular portions; a plurality of anchor points (95) disposed in the periphery of the tent material, wherein the anchor points are adapted to couple with an anchor apparatus (R), wherein the anchor apparatus is adapted to couple the tent material to at least one of a surface (at S) and other structure (such as wall 15); and a plurality of manipulation positions (87) extending along lines in proximity to the location points, wherein the manipulation positions are adapted to guide the forming of a plurality of shapes of the tent material (the material can be folded in any number of configurations along the fold lines 87), wherein the tent material is adapted to be configured in a plurality of forms and attach to a second tent material (13/85) along the first side edge and a third tent material (13/83) along the second side edge (see Fig. 15), wherein the second and third tent material have the same shape and size as the tent material (if the entire panel 13 is constructed with three layers as shown in Fig. 15, then all three layers will be the same shape).
PNG
media_image1.png
570
653
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Regarding Claim 2, Voege teaches that the first and second triangular portions each comprise additional triangular portions (such as the right triangles D/G/F, C/G/F, A/E/H, and B/E/H), wherein all of the triangles are right triangles, wherein at least one of the lines (such as 33/F or 33/E) forming the triangular portions define the manipulation portions extending from a mid-portion of a side of the rectangular portion to the periphery of the tent material.
Regarding Claim, Voege teaches (See Fig. 15) that the second tent material (85) having the same shape and size as the tent material wherein the second tent material is coupled to the tent material along the first side edge; two filler portions (85 within the triangular portions) adapted to each couple to one side of the triangular portions between the tent material and the second tent material; wherein a combined tent material, second tent material and two filler portions form a same shape as the tent material.
Regarding Claim 3, Voege teaches the second tent material (85) wherein the second tent material is coupled to the tent material along the first side edge; two filler portions (85 within the triangular portions) adapted to each couple to one side of the triangular portions between the tent material and the second tent material; wherein a combined tent material, second tent material and two filler portions form a same shape as the tent material.
Regarding Claim 5, Voege teaches that the two filler portions are pre-attached to the tent material (the layers are integrated in the fabric).
Regarding Claim 6, Voege teaches a tent coupling apparatus (the “tie rope loops” – see Column 4, lines 58-59) adapted to couple the customizable tent to at least one of another tent and an accessory.
Regarding Claim 7, Voege teaches that a line (F/33/E) bisecting the middle of the rectangular portion and extending through the triangular portions are at least two central anchor points (the openings of 95 at each end) adapted to connect with the anchor apparatus to hold up and suspend the tent material above the ground.
Regarding Claim 8, Voege teaches that the central anchor points are adapted to attach to the anchor apparatus (R), wherein the anchor apparatus comprises at least one of a split ring, cord (“guy ropes”), and stake.
Regarding Claim 9, Voege teaches that the anchor apparatus comprises at least one of a split ring, cord (“guy ropes”), and stake.
Regarding Claim 10, Voege inherently teaches that the tent material is configurable into the plurality of forms including a fully enclosed form, a side open half-way form, a side fully open form, and an end open form (insofar as the material of Voege is capable of the same use as that claimed by the applicant is capable of these forms due to its shape).
Regarding Claim 12, Voege teaches a “frame hinge anchor apparatus” (S) that is adopted to be used with the tent material.
Regarding Claim 13, Voege teaches an anchor apparatus (S) for coupling with one of the anchor points and anchoring the tent material to a surface or an object.
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 11, 15, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Voege, as applied to Claim 1 above in view of Anderson in US Patent 3847170. Voege is silent on the use of a frame. Anderson teaches a customizable tenting including an embedded frame (12), wherein the embedded frame follows along at least some of the lines of the manipulation portions (the edges and the fold portions of the device) on the tent material, wherein the embedded frame is adapted to form a plurality of shapes in conformity with the tent material (Figs 1, 2, or 3), wherein the frame is a hinged framing apparatus, wherein the framing apparatus comprises at least seven ridged members (such as 16/17/18/20/45/44/48) and two hinges (50) wherein each of the ridged members attach at one end to one of the two hinges, the hinges are adapted to hold in a multitude of predefined positions the at least seven ridged members, wherein the hinges allow for holding in position the forms of the plurality of shapes of the tent top material. 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 Voege by adding a frame as taught by Anderson in order to allow the user to better support the tent material in multiple positions.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 14 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Burch, Barnard, Thomspon, Michaelis, Kojima, Angress, Wigutow, and Faulkner teach convertible 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.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, David Dunn can be reached at 5712726670. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
NOAH C. HAWK
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3636
/Noah Chandler Hawk/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3636