DETAILED ACTION
The Information Disclosure Statement filed on June 18, 2024 has been reviewed and considered by the Examiner.
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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-7, 9-11, 14 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Morey (US 2018/0093852).
Morey discloses a cable holder case for vehicles comprised of at least one transportable container 10 resting on the ground and defining at least one containment compartment inside it, as defined by a base plate 96. A single cable 20for electrically charging electrically driven vehicles which is housed at least partly inside said compartment in a winding and unwinding manner and comprises at least two movable ends 20, 24 and located externally to said compartment. The cable is further comprised of at least one first end provided with at least one first connector connectable to at
least one electric charging device as described in paragraph 0011. a second end, opposite said first end (6), is provided with at least one second connector connectable to at least one inlet of at least one electrically driven vehicle, also described in paragraph 0011. A Winding/unwinding means which are associated with the container and are adapted to wind and unwind said cable, as described in paragraph 0012. The
winding/unwinding means is further comprised of at least one winding/unwinding member around which the cable is wound which is associated with said container in a rotatable manner around at least one winding/unwinding axis of said cable, as descried in paragraph 0011 as the cord take up hub.
The cable further comprises at least one first stretch (10) associated with said first end and at least one second stretch substantially parallel to said first stretch associated with said second end and the winding/unwinding member comprises at least one housing area around which said first stretch and said second stretch are wound, as described in paragraph 0015.
The winding/unwinding member is rotatable around said winding/unwinding axis between at least one configuration of maximum winding of the cable and at least one configuration of maximum unwinding of said cable and the winding/unwinding means comprise return means associated with the winding/unwinding member and adapted to place the latter in said configuration of maximum winding, also described in paragraph 0015.
The return means are comprised of at least one return element which is elastically deformable by traction and is provided with at least one fixed portion and associated with the container and with at least one movable portion, opposite the fixed portion, associated with said housing area and movable between said configuration of maximum winding and said configuration of minimum winding, as described in paragraph 0014. The return element is a strip spring 44.
The winding/unwinding means further comprise securing means for securing the rotation of said winding/unwinding member around said winding/unwinding axis and the securing means are in the form of at least one gear wheel locked together in rotation to said winding/unwinding member around said winding/unwinding axis and provided with a plurality of teeth arranged circumferentially the one with respect to the other, as described in paragraph 0071. A securing pin 126 is insertable between said teeth to stop the rotation of said gear wheel and of said winding/unwinding member around said
winding/unwinding axis.
The cable is further comprised of an intermediate stretch 66 positioned between said first stretch and said second stretch and that the gear wheel comprises at least one fitting slot into which said intermediate stretch is fitted.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8, 12, 13, 15-17 and 19 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Robert J McCarry Jr. whose telephone number is (571)272-6683. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:00-3:00.
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, S. Joseph Morano can be reached at 571-272-6684. 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.
/Robert J McCarry Jr/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3615
RJM
August 3, 2026