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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This is a non-final First Office Action on the Merits in application 18/711,413, filed 5/17/2024.
The abstract and specification and claims 2-18 were amended in the preliminary amendment filed.
Claims 1-18 are pending and examined.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 5/17/2024 is being considered by the examiner.
The U.S. Patent Publication documents have incorrect publication numbers and have been lined thru. The citations were included in PTO 892.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: there are no headings, and on page 11, line 24, “5” should be changed to “5(a)” or “5(a) and 5(b)”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claims 2-17 are objected to because of the following informalities: in claims 2-10, line 1, “A cord” should be changed to “The cord”; in claim 11, line 1, “a cord” should be changed to “the cord”; and in claims 12-17, “An architectural” should be changed to “The architectural”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
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 and 9-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nakamura(WO2014/171422; cited on IDS filed).
Nakamura discloses a cord spool assembly(8, 9, 10, see Fig. 3-5) for an architectural covering (see Fig. 1), the assembly including:
a housing(8);
a first cord spool(9); and
a second cord spool(10); wherein:
the housing(8) is configured to support the first cord spool(9) for rotation about a first axis and to support the second cord spool(10) for rotation about a second axis, the first axis and the second axis extending longitudinally in a first direction such that the first axis is parallel with the second axis, and the first cord spool and the second cord spool being supported side- by-side in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction(see Figs. 3 and 4);
the housing(8) has an upper portion(8b, see Fig. 12) and a lower portion(8, see Figs. 7-9) and has a depth in a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions, the depth of the housing extending in the third direction from the upper portion to the lower portion (see Fig. 12);
the first cord spool(9) is configured to supply and withdraw a first cord(6) through the lower portion of the housing(see Figs. 4(c), and 7-9) and the second cord spool(10) is configured to supply and withdraw a second cord(7) through the lower portion of the housing (see Figs. 4(c), and 7-9); and
the housing(8) defines, in the lower portion, a first bottom aperture(18d, see page 23 and Fig. 7) facing in the third direction for guiding the first cord(6) to and from the first cord spool(9) out of the housing(8) in the third direction and a second bottom aperture(28d, see page 23 and Fig. 7) facing in the third direction for guiding the second cord(7) to and from the second cord spool(10) out of the housing in the third direction, and defines, in the lower portion, a first side aperture(18e, see page 13 and Figs. 7 and 9) facing in the first direction for guiding the first cord(6) to and from the first cord spool(9) out of the housing(8) in the first direction and a second side aperture(28e, see page 23 Figs. 7 and 9, the second unnumbered aperture in the side wall facing to the left next to aperture 28g) facing in the first direction for guiding the second cord(7) to and from the second cord spool(10) out of the housing(8) in the first direction(the first and second side apertures are suitable for guiding the cords, as these side apertures have a suitable dimension and location to guide the disclosed first and second cords meeting the claim limitation).
Regarding claim 9, Nakamura discloses the cord spool assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first bottom aperture(18d) and the second bottom aperture(28d) are side-by-side in the second direction(see Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 10, Nakamura discloses the cord spool assembly according to claim 1, wherein the upper portion(bb) and the lower portion(8) of the housing are separate parts assembled together to form the housing(see Fig. 12).
Regarding claim 11, Nakamura discloses an architectural covering(see Fig. 1) including the cord spool assembly according to claim 1 and a headrail(1) having an elongate extent(see Figs. 1 and 2), wherein the cord spool assembly is configured to be mounted to the headrail with the first direction parallel to the elongate extent of the headrail(see Figs. 1 and 2).
Regarding claim 12, Nakamura discloses the architectural covering according to claim 11, wherein the headrail(1) includes at least one through hole for passage of the first cord and the second cord from the cord spool assembly through the headrail in the third direction(see Figs. 4(c), 5(c) and 6(c)).
Regarding claim 13, Nakamura discloses the architectural covering according to claim 12, wherein the cord spool assembly is configured to be mounted to the headrail with the first and second bottom apertures facing, in the third direction, the at least one through hole so that the first and second cords are able to extend in the third direction directly through the first and second bottom apertures and the at least one through hole(see Figs. 4(a), (b) and (c).
Regarding claim 14, Nakamura discloses the architectural covering according to claim 12, wherein the cord spool assembly is configured to be mounted to the headrail at a position remote, in the first direction, from the at least one through hole(the assembly is capable of being used as claimed meeting the claim limitation), whereby the first and second cords are able to extend out of the first and second side apertures in the first direction to the at least one through hole and then through the at least one through hole in the third direction(the structure of the headrail, assembly and cords is such that the assembly can be remote from the through holes with the cords extending through the side apertures meeting the functional claim limitation).
Regarding claim 15, Nakamura disclose the architectural covering according to claim 14, further including a grommet(considered 23 with holes 23g for cords, see Fig. 10) configured to be mounted in the at least one through hole(see Fig. 11) and defining a first passage for guiding, in the third direction, the first cord through the at least one through hole and a second passage for guiding, in the third direction, the second cord through the at least one through hole(see Fig. 10).
Regarding claim 16, Nakamura discloses the architectural covering according to claim 15, wherein the first passage and the second passage are side-by-side in the second direction(see Figs. 4(c), 7 and 9-11).
Regarding claim 17, Nakamura discloses the architectural covering according to claim 15, wherein the grommet(flat surface adjacent 23g thru 23g, see Fig. 10) includes a first transition surface that transitions continuously from the first direction to the third direction and is configured to guide the first cord extending from the cord spool assembly in the first direction to and through the first passage extending in the third direction and a second transition surface(flat surface adjacent 23g thru 23g, see Fig. 10) that transitions continuously from the first direction to the third direction and is configured to guide the second cord extending from the cord spool assembly in the first direction to and through the second passage extending in the third direction.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-8 and 18 are 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.
No prior art of record shows a spool assembly with a housing with first and second cord spools, an upper and lower portion, the lower portion having first and second side apertures and a nose portion with first and second bottom apertures for the cords to extend therethrough, the nose portion having an internal space configured to accommodate the cords from the cord spools through the bottom apertures, as in claim 2, nor any motivation to do so.
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BETH A. AUBREY whose telephone number is (571)272-1851. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8a-4:30p.
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BETH A. STEPHAN(Aubrey)
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3633
/Beth A Stephan/