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 .
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,
In claim 9, “ribs disposed on the cantilever”.
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 Objections
Claims 4, 8, 12-13, and 19 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 4, line 1, “in includes” should read ---includes---.
In claim 8, line 1 and claim 19, line 1, “wherein first receiver” should read ---wherein the first receiver---.
In claim 12, line 1 and claim 13, line 1, “at least on” should read ---at least one---.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION. —The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 1 and 10 recites the limitation "the protrusion" in line 10 of claim 1 and line 12 of claim 10. How does the “protrusion” in line 10 of claim 1 and line 12 of claim 10 relate to the “first lateral protrusion” in line 3 of claims 1 and 10? Are there two different protrusions being claimed? There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 2-9 are rejected because they are dependents of claim 1.
Claims 11-19 are rejected because they are dependents of claim 10.
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)(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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-7, and 10-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Allwood (US9637343B2).
Regarding claims 1 and 10, Allwood discloses a reel kit for forming a reel and core kit for use in a reel for supporting wound flexible media, comprising: a core (26; Figures 3-7) having at least a first section (28a) forming a first partial cylinder between a first edge (36a) and a second edge (36b), the first edge (36a) including a first lateral protrusion (34a) extending therefrom, the first lateral protrusion (34a) having a detent (D; see Allwood annotated Figure 6 below); and a second section (28b) forming a second partial cylinder and couplable to the first section (28a), the second section (28b) including a first receiver (34b) configured to receive the first lateral protrusion (34a) and engage the detent (D) via a retention structure (RS) to at least in part couple the first section (28a) to the second section (28b), and wherein at least one of the first lateral protrusion (34a; tabs 34a and CA portion could experience some bending during engagement/disengagement with the clip 34b) and the first receiver (34b) is elastically deformable to allow the first lateral protrusion (34a) to slide in an engagement direction past the retention structure (RS), and then release from at least part of an elastic deformation after the protrusion (34a) passes the retention structure (RS) to engage the retention structure (RS) to inhibit disengagement of the first section (28a) from the second section (28b); and wherein the first section (28a) and the second section (28b) are each configured to be coupled to a first flange (30a) and a second flange (30b).
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Allwood, Annotated Figure 6
Regarding claim 2, Allwood discloses wherein the first flange (30a) and the second flange (30b) are configured to couple to the core (26).
Regarding claim 3, Allwood discloses wherein the first flange (30a) includes at least a first axial protrusion (43; Figures 3-4; projections 43 protrude from the face of the flanges 30a,30b in the axial direction) configured to engage a receptacle (56) on the core (26).
Regarding claims 5 and 16, Allwood discloses wherein the first lateral protrusion (34a) comprises a cantilever (CA; see Allwood annotated Figure 6 above; CA portion could experience some bending during mating and release of the first and second sections), and wherein the detent (D) is disposed on the cantilever (CA).
Regarding claims 6 and 17, Allwood discloses wherein the first receiver (34b) comprises a window (W; see Allwood annotated Figure 6 above) extending through the second section (28b), and wherein the detent (D) extends from radially outward from the cantilever (CA) at least partially through the window (W; Figure 5).
Regarding claims 7 and 18, Allwood discloses wherein the retention structure (RS) comprises an edge of the window (W) formed by the second section (28b; Figure 5).
Regarding claim 11, Allwood discloses wherein the first section (28a) includes a plurality of lateral protrusions (34a on both sides; Figure 5) configured to be received by corresponding receivers (34b on both sides; Figure 6) on the second section (28b).
Regarding claims 12-13, Allwood discloses wherein the first section (28a) includes at least on second receiver (34b on second edge 36b of first section 28a; Figures 5-7) configured to receive a lateral protrusion (34a on second edge 36b of second section 28b) having a structure of the first lateral protrusion (34a).
Regarding claim 14, Allwood discloses wherein the first section (28a) and the second section (28b) form a cylindrical tube when coupled (Figure 5).
Regarding claim 15, Allwood discloses wherein each of the first section (28a) and the second section has a half-cylinder wall (Figures 5-7).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Allwood in view of Hoeglind (WO9819953A1).
Regarding claim 4, Allwood discloses the above reel kit and further teaches the first axial protrusion (43) and the receptacle (56) includes a void, but fails to teach the first axial protrusion includes a barb and the void receive the barb when the first flange is coupled to the core.
Hoeglind teaches a similar reel kit and further teaches the first axial protrusion (8; Figure 3) includes a barb (8b) and the void (16) receive the barb (8b) when the first flange (9) is coupled to the core (2). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to modify the reel kit of Allwood to include the barb as taught by Hoeglind in order to prevent accidental removal of the core from the flange in the axial direction while also preventing relative rotation between the flange and core.
Claim(s) 8-9 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Allwood in view of Sakon (JP2011068454A).
Regarding claims 8 and 19, Allwood discloses the above reel kit and further teaches wherein first receiver (34b) comprises a mating recess (MR; see Allwood annotated Figure 6 below; cutout behind clip 34b forms a recess for introducing and mating with the tab 34a) formed in the second section (28b), but fails to teach a pocket having an outer wall, an inner wall, and side walls configured to receive at least portion of the cantilever, and wherein the window is disposed in the outer wall.
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Allwood, Annotated Figure 6
Sakon teaches a similar reel kit and further teaches a pocket (P; see Sakon annotated Figured 3 below) having an outer wall (OW), an inner wall (IW), and side walls (SW; both sides) configured to receive at least portion of the cantilever (71; Figure 5), and wherein the window (W) is disposed in the outer wall (OW). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to modify the reel kit of Allwood to include the pocket as taught by Sakon in order to provide a guide for easy alignment during engagement/disengagement of the protrusion with the receiver.
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Sakon, Annotated Figure 3
Regarding claim 9, Allwood discloses wherein the cantilever (CA) further comprises ribs (RB; see Allwood annotated Figure 4 below) disposed on the cantilever (CA).
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Allwood, Annotated Figure 4
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Additional references listed on form PTO-892 are cited for their relevance to the disclosed invention and demonstration of the state of the art.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HENRIX SOTO whose telephone number is (571)270-5394. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, VICTORIA AUGUSTINE can be reached at (313)446-4858. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HENRIX SOTO/Examiner, Art Unit 3654
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