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 § 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 1-11, 14-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mast (US 20210214052 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Mast discloses:
A system for stowing and deploying an accessory on a watercraft having a deck (Figure 3, paragraph 61), the system comprising:
a compartment for holding the accessory during storage, the compartment configured to be accessible from an opening in the deck (Figure 8, 54);
a support structure for supporting the accessory (Figure 8, paragraph 65);
and an actuating mechanism configured to actuating the support structure and the accessory from a stowed position in the compartment to a deployed position out of the compartment, at least the accessory exiting the compartment, during actuation, through the opening in the deck (Figure 11-15, paragraph 66).
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Regarding claim 2, Mast discloses:
The system of claim 1, wherein, in the deployed position, the accessory is in a use position on or near the deck (Figure 15).
Regarding claim 3, Mast discloses:
The system of claim 1, wherein, in the stowed position, the accessory is below the deck (Figure 11).
Regarding claim 4, Mast discloses:
The system of claim 1, wherein, in the deployed position, at least a portion of the support structure is configured to be fixed to the deck (Figure 15, 40).
Regarding claim 5, Mast discloses:
The system of claim 1, wherein, in the deployed position, at least a portion of the support structure is configured to lie substantially flat across the deck (Figure 15, 78).
Regarding claim 6, Mast discloses:
The system of claim 1, wherein the support structure includes an arm pivotably coupled to the watercraft (Figure 11, 70).
Regarding claim 7, Mast discloses:
The system of claim 1, wherein the support structure comprises a rotating support structure and a sliding support structure (Figure 15, 42, 64).
Regarding claim 8, Mast discloses:
The system of claim 7, wherein the accessory is operably connected to the rotating support structure (Figure 15, 38, 40, 42).
Regarding claim 9, Mast discloses:
The system of claim 1, wherein the actuating mechanism comprises a carriage and a guide track (Figure 8, 64, 66, paragraph 65).
Regarding claim 10, Mast discloses:
The system of claim 1, wherein the compartment includes a door configured to close the opening (Figure 6, 34).
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Regarding claim 11, Mast discloses:
The system of claim 10, wherein the accessory is arranged on the door (Figure 15, 40).
Regarding claim 14, Mast discloses:
A system for stowing and deploying an accessory on a watercraft having a deck (Figure 3, paragraph 61), the system comprising:
a compartment for holding the accessory during storage (Figure 8, 54);
a support structure for supporting the accessory (Figure 8, paragraph 65);
and an actuating mechanism actuating the support structure and the accessory from a stowed position in the compartment to a deployed position out of the compartment, wherein, in the deployed position, the accessory is in a use position on or near the deck and the support structure is arranged on or adjacent the deck (Figure 11-15, paragraph 66).
Regarding claim 15, Mast discloses:
The system of claim 14, wherein, in the deployed position, at least a portion of the support structure is arranged substantially parallel to the deck (Figure 15, 78).
Regarding claim 16, Mast discloses:
The system of claim 14, wherein the support structure comprises a rotating support structure and a sliding support structure (Figure 15, 42, 64) .
Regarding claim 17, Mast discloses:
A system for stowing and deploying an accessory on a watercraft having a deck (Figure 3, paragraph 61), the system comprising:
a compartment for holding the accessory during storage, the compartment including an opening in the deck and a cover configured to close the opening (Figure 6, 34);
a support structure for supporting the accessory (Figure 8, paragraph 65);
and an actuating mechanism actuating the support structure and the accessory from a stowed position in the compartment to a deployed position out of the compartment, the accessory exiting the compartment, during actuation, through the opening in the deck (Figure 11-15, paragraph 66).
Regarding claim 18, Mast discloses:
The system of claim 17, wherein, in the deployed position, at least a portion of the support structure is configured to lie substantially flat across the deck (Figure 15, 78).
Regarding claim 19, Mast discloses:
The system of claim 17, wherein, in the deployed position, the accessory is in a use position on or near the deck (Figure 15).
Regarding claim 20, Mast discloses:
The system of claim 17, wherein the support structure comprises a rotating support structure and a sliding support structure (Figure 15, 42, 64).
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 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mast in view of Lee (US 20070232157 A1)
Regarding claim 12, Mast does not teach:
The system of claim 1, wherein the accessory is a trolling motor.
Lee teaches an electrically powered trolling motor mounted to the deck of a boat (Figure 1, paragraphs 3-4).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention’s effective filling date to modify Mast’s stowable accessory arrangement by providing a trolling motor as the accessory, as taught by Lee, in order to provide a propulsion device that can be conveniently stored when not in use.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mast in view of Grovender (US 10427761 B2).
Regarding claim 13, Mast does not teach:
The system of claim 1, wherein the actuating mechanism comprises a lift spring assist.
Grovender teaches a marine apparatus having gas springs that provide movement assistance between stowed and deployed positions (Figure 1-8).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention’s effective filling date to modify Mast’s movement assembly to include the gas spring assistance, as taught by Grovender , in order to assist movement between the stowed and deployed positions, thereby reducing the force required by a user to move the accessory.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Greenberg et al. (US 7341018 B2) shows a boat having a deck with an opening therein and a pivotable seat assembly located within the opening, wherein the seat assembly is movable between a closed position and an open position by an actuating system.
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/K.C./Examiner, Art Unit 3615
/MARC BURGESS/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3615
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