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 .
Examiner’s Comments
Claims 1-2 have been cancelled by applicant. Claims 3-8, 10-11, 13-21, 23, 26, and 29-32 have been amended by applicant.
In light of the amendments made by applicant, the claim objection from the previous office action has been withdrawn by the examiner. However, there are new claim objections seen below.
Similarly, the 112a and 112b rejections have been withdrawn in light of amendments made by applicant.
Upon reconsideration of the allowability of the claims, claims 3-28 and 30-33 are rejected. Claim 29 is considered allowable. This is a second action Non-Final Rejection, the previous non final and final rejections have been withdrawn.
Claim Objections
Claims 12 and 26 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 12, line 1, “the tensioner” should read –the movable tensioner--
In claim 26, line 10, “support structure The exercise device system of claim 1, further including” should read – support structure; and--.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Stevens (U.S. Patent No. US5,938,571).
Regarding claim 10, Stevens shows an exercise device system (Stevens, sliding exercise machine 10, col. 3, line 33), comprising: a tower (Stevens, resistance rail or upright post 30, col. 3, line 48); a support structure (Stevens, incline rails 18, col. 3, line 35) inclinable at different angles relative to the tower (Stevens; The incline rails 18 of Stevens are attachable at different heights along the upright post 30, see col. 3, lines 43-51, col. 5, lines 34-37, and FIG. 1); a movable user support platform assembly (Stevens, glide board 19, col. 3, line 35) movably associated with the support structure for movement relative to the support structure (Stevens, “The incline frame 12 includes incline rails 18 upon which a glide board 19 is slidably mounted”, col. 3, lines 34-36); a pulley system (Stevens, “A central pulley 78 is positioned at the upper end of glide board 19. One each of a pair of spaced apart secondary pulleys 80 is secured to the transverse tube members 22. Cord 82 extends around central pulley 78 and each end of the cord is engaged around a corresponding secondary pulley 80. A clip 84 at each end of the cord connects the cord to a handle 86”, col. 4, lines 42-48; The central pulley and the pair of spaces apart secondary pulleys of Stevens teaches the pulley system of the claimed invention) associated with the movable user support platform assembly (Stevens, see FIG. 1); a cable (Stevens, cord 82) extending through the pulley system (Stevens, “Cord 82 extends around central pulley 78 and each end of the cord is engaged around a corresponding secondary pulley 80”) and including opposite ends (Stevens, The handles of Stevens attached to the ends of the cable 82 show the opposite ends of the cable of the claimed invention); exercise device handles (Stevens, handles 86) coupled to the opposite ends of the cable (Stevens, “Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, this may be accomplished, for example, by pulling on handles 86 connected to the glide board via cord 82 and pulley 80”; see FIG. 1 below), whereby movement of the handles causes movement of the movable user support platform assembly relative to the support structure (Stevens, “A user may sit or lie upon the glide board and perform various exercises which entail moving the glide board from a lower position to an upper position along the aforementioned inclined plane. Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, this may be accomplished, for example, by pulling on handles 86 connected to the glide board via cord 82 and pulley 8”); a carriage (Stevens, see annotated FIGS. 1 and 2 below) movably coupling the support structure to the tower to incline the support structure at different angles relative to the tower (Stevens, “at the upper end of each incline rail 18 there are secured transverse tube members 22, each having an inner section 24 and an outer section 26. The rail slider 28 is adapted to receive simultaneously the inner section 24 of each transverse tube member 22. The rail slider 28 is movably mounted to resistance rail or upright post 30, which passes snugly through rail slider 28, so that the slider can move along resistance rail 30 in a generally vertical direction”, col. 3, lines 43-51, and “holes 97 adapted for receiving accessories, such has pulling handles 100 or push board 102, are defined by transverse tube members 22”, col. 5, lines 27-30), the carriage including a main carriage body (Stevens, see annotated FIGS. 1 and 2 below) with a recess (Stevens, see annotated FIG. 2 below), an upper carriage insert (Stevens, see annotated FIGS. 1 and 2 below) and a lower carriage insert (Stevens, see annotated FIGS. 1 and 2 below) received in the recess (Stevens, “holes 97 adapted for receiving accessories, such has pulling handles 100 or push board 102, are defined by transverse tube members 22”, see annotated FIGS. 1 and 2 below), a handle assembly (Stevens, see annotated FIGS. 1 and 2 below) operably associated with the main carriage body to secure the carriage and the support structure at a desired incline to the tower (Stevens; In the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim, and in light of the functional language, the identified components in FIGS. 1 and 2 for the handle assembly is operable associated with the parts annotated in FIGS. 1 and 2 for the main carriage body to secure the parts identified as the carriage with the resistance rail 30, as the inner section of each incline rail of Stevens is adjustable along the rail with the moving rail slider 28), the main carriage body including spaced tower support receiving sections that slidably receive the tower (Stevens, “Referring also to FIG. 2, at the upper end of each incline rail 18 there are secured transverse tube members 22, each having an inner section 24 and an outer section 26. The rail slider 28 is adapted to receive simultaneously the inner section 24 of each transverse tube member 22. The rail slider 28 is movably mounted to resistance rail or upright post 30, which passes snugly through rail slider 28, so that the slider can move along resistance rail 30 in a generally vertical direction”, col. 3, lines 43-51, see annotated FIG. 2 below; The inner sections 24 and the outer sections 26 of Stevens show, in the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim, the spaced tower support receiving sections of the claimed invention, respectively. They are shown to slidably receive the tower via the rail slider) and pulley arms extending laterally outward and upward there from (Stevens; The pair of spaced apart secondary pulleys of Stevens are shown in FIG. 2 to extend laterally outward and upward from the spaced inner section and the outer section, specifically integrated into the outer section 26).
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Claims 11 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Campanaro (PG Patent Publication No. 2007/0203004A1).
Regarding claim 11, Campanaro shows an exercise device system (Campanaro, collapsible exercise device 100, paragraph 0064), comprising: a tower (Campanaro, vertical support member or tower 110, paragraph 0064); a support structure (Campanaro, pair of upper rails 230 and pair of lower rails 240, paragraph 0065) inclinable at different angles relative to the tower (Campanaro, “the first end of the adjustable incline adjustably supported by, and vertically movable with respect to, the vertical support ember for adjusting the incline of the adjustable incline”, Abstract); a movable user support platform assembly (Campanaro, user support platform 340, Abstract) movably associated with the support structure for movement relative to the support structure (Campanaro, “movably attached to the adjustable incline”, Abstract); a pulley system (Campanaro, first and second pulleys, Abstract, and pulleys 940, paragraph 0079) associated with the movable user support platform assembly (Campanaro, The third pulley of Campanaro being attached to the user support platform shows the pulley system being associated with the movable user support platform form assembly of the claimed invention); a cable (Campanaro, cable 970, paragraph 970) extending through the pulley system (Campanaro, see FIG. 1, paragraph 0079) and including opposite ends (Campanaro, “one or more cables include a single cable with opposite ends, and handles each connected to the opposite ends of the single cable”, paragraph 0015); exercise device handles (Campanaro, handles 980, paragraph 0079) coupled to the opposite ends of the cable (Campanaro, “each connected to the opposite ends of the single cable”, paragraph 0015), whereby movement of the handles causes movement of the movable user support platform assembly relative to the support structure (Campanaro, “In use, the exerciser positions himself or herself on the user support platform 320 and grasps one or both of the handle 980. The exerciser then draws one or both of the handles 980 toward the exerciser and by doing so transports the user support platform 320 up along the lower rails 240 and upper rails 230”, paragraph 0084), wherein the pulley system includes a plurality of pulleys (Campanaro, first and second pulleys) and a cable tensioning system including a movable tensioner coupled to pulleys via the cable and integrated into the tower (Campanaro, “Pulleys 940 are slidably attached to the bars 830. Each pulley 940 includes a collar 950 and a spring-loaded pull pin 960. An exerciser may move each pulley 940 to a desired position on the bar 830 by pulling on the pull pin 960, sliding the pulley 940 via the collar 950 to a desired position on the bar 830, and releasing the pull pin 960 to lock the pulley 940 in place on the bar 830. It should be noted, the pulley 940 may be slid onto sections or elbows other than the inner tubular section 870”, paragraph 0078; In the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim, the collar and the spring loaded pull pin of Campanaro shows the cable tensioning system of the claimed invention, and the collar of Campanaro shows the movable tensioner of the claimed invention as the pulleys of Campanaro being movable shows adjustable tension. More specifically, the pulleys are adjustable along bar 830 via the collar and the spring loaded pull pin, thereby adjusting the tension of the cables depending on the position of the pulleys along the bar 830. Furthermore, the collar of Campanaro is shown to be coupled to the pulley, and in the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim, via the cable and integrated into the tower).
Regarding claim 12, Campanaro shows the exercise device system of claim 11, wherein the tensioner is configured to adjust tension in the cable (Campanaro; The examiner explained above how the collar and the spring loaded pull pin of Campanaro how the movable tensioner adjusts the tension in the cable), adjust exposed length of the cable (Campanaro; In light of the functional language of the claimed invention, the collar and the spring loaded pull pin are able to adjust the exposed length of the cable upon the adjustment of the position of the pulleys on the bar via the collar and spring loaded pull pin), serve as an isokinetic resistance device that increases and/or decreases load for increased resistance and/or increased assistance in performing exercises (Campanaro, “Speed: Slow to fast--Moving slowly allows more control both in the concentric and eccentric movement phases. As the client becomes more capable and proficient with a movement pattern, speed or tempo can increase”, paragraph 0193; In light of the functional language of the claimed invention, the concentric and eccentric movements that are able to be performed with the exercise device of Campanaro, the collar and the spring loaded pull pin is therefore able to serve as an isokinetic resistance device that increase and/or decreases the load), and/or automatically retract the pulley system and the cable when not in use.
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Campanaro (PG Patent Publication No. US20120053028A1).
Regarding claim 19, Campanaro shows an exercise device system (Campanaro, inclinable exercise devices 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, paragraph 0025), comprising: a tower (Campanaro, tower 120, paragraph 0025); a support structure inclinable at different angles relative to the tower (Campanaro, “The inclinable exercise devices 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D include tower 120 with a carriage 130 vertically slidable along the tower 120… bottom rails 140 are pivotally coupled to top rails 150 at pivot(s)/hinge(s) A. Top rails 150 are pivotally connected to carriage 130 at pivot(s)/hinge(s) B”, paragraph 0025-0026; The top rails 150 and the bottom rails 140 of Campanaro shows the support structure of the claimed invention. The position of the carriage defines the angle of the of the top rails and the bottom rails with the tower of Campanaro); a movable user support platform assembly movably associated with the support structure for movement relative to the support structure (Campanaro, “a user support platform or glideboard 210 with rollers (not shown) rolls along the rails 140, 150”, paragraph 0067; The user support platform or glideboard 210 shows the movable user support platform assembly of the claimed invention); a pulley system associated with the movable user support platform assembly (Campanaro, “The carriage 130 is coupled to arms 220A, pulley arms 220B. Attached to the arms 220A, pulley arms 220B are pulleys 230 Although not shown, a connector extends through the pulleys 230 and connects to the user support platform 210”, paragraphs 0029-0030); a cable extending through the pulley system and including opposite ends (Campanaro, “The cable extends through the pulleys 230 positioned on the pulley arms 220A, 220B and loops through a third pulley attached to the user support platform 210… The cable should preferably be of sufficient length to extend through the pulleys 230 and allow the exerciser to grasp one or both of the handles while the exerciser is on the user support platform 210 and the user support platform 210 is at rest”, paragraph 0030; The opposite ends of the cable are shown attached to the handles of Campanaro); exercise device handles (Campanaro, see FIG. 1F below) coupled to the opposite ends of the cable (Campanaro, see FIG. 1F below), whereby movement of the handles causes movement of the movable user support platform assembly relative to the support structure (Campanaro, “As shown in FIGS. 1A-1G, a user support platform or glideboard 210 with rollers (not shown) rolls along the rails 140, 150… This position allows for unilateral (i.e. one arm), bilateral (i.e., two arm) and static equilibrium (i.e. holding the user support plaform 210 suspended by keeping a constant force on each handle) use. The cable should preferably be of sufficient length to extend through the pulleys 230 and allow the exerciser to grasp one or both of the handles while the exerciser is on the user support platform 210 and the user support platform 210 is at rest”, paragraphs 0028-0030), wherein the tower includes a rail adjustment member (Campanaro, “With reference to FIGS. 16A and 16B, an embodiment of a carriage lock mechanism 650A includes a carriage lock pin 651 that engages a hole on a rear face of slidable carriage cuff 670 for locking the carriage 130 to the tower 120”, paragraph 0053; The carriage lock pin 651 shows the rail adjustment member of the claimed invention) with 180 degree opposite circumferential locations with squeezable touchpoints (In the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim, the 180 degree opposite circumferential locations with squeezable touchpoints is shown in annotated FIG. 16B below. In order to effectively operate the carriage lock pin of Campanaro, a person grasps the carriage lock pin at opposite locations and squeezes to engage), centered in the support structure (Campanaro; The carriage lock pin 651 is seen in FIGS. 16A and 16B to be centered with the tower), and are squeezable and releasable to disengage and engage the support structure relative to the tower (Campanaro, “The carriage lock pin 651 allows a user to lift the tower 120 from the back 670 for moving the inclinable exercise device 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D in a room”, paragraph 0053).
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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 6, 3, 5, 7, 15-16, and 31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Campanaro (PG Patent Publication No. US20120053028A1), in view of Lagree (PG Patent Publication No. US20220140652A1).
Regarding claim 6, Campanaro shows an exercise device system (Campanaro, inclinable exercise devices 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, paragraph 0025), comprising: a tower (Campanaro, tower 120, paragraph 0025); a support structure inclinable at different angles relative to the tower (Campanaro, “The inclinable exercise devices 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D include tower 120 with a carriage 130 vertically slidable along the tower 120… bottom rails 140 are pivotally coupled to top rails 150 at pivot(s)/hinge(s) A. Top rails 150 are pivotally connected to carriage 130 at pivot(s)/hinge(s) B”, paragraph 0025-0026; The top rails 150 and the bottom rails 140 of Campanaro shows the support structure of the claimed invention. The position of the carriage defines the angle of the of the top rails and the bottom rails with the tower of Campanaro); a movable user support platform assembly movably associated with the support structure for movement relative to the support structure (Campanaro, “a user support platform or glideboard 210 with rollers (not shown) rolls along the rails 140, 150”, paragraph 0067; The user support platform or glideboard 210 shows the movable user support platform assembly of the claimed invention); a pulley system associated with the movable user support platform assembly (Campanaro, “The carriage 130 is coupled to arms 220A, pulley arms 220B. Attached to the arms 220A, pulley arms 220B are pulleys 230 Although not shown, a connector extends through the pulleys 230 and connects to the user support platform 210”, paragraphs 0029-0030); a cable extending through the pulley system and including opposite ends (Campanaro, “The cable extends through the pulleys 230 positioned on the pulley arms 220A, 220B and loops through a third pulley attached to the user support platform 210… The cable should preferably be of sufficient length to extend through the pulleys 230 and allow the exerciser to grasp one or both of the handles while the exerciser is on the user support platform 210 and the user support platform 210 is at rest”, paragraph 0030; The opposite ends of the cable are shown attached to the handles of Campanaro); exercise device handles (Campanaro, see FIG. 1F below) coupled to the opposite ends of the cable (Campanaro, see FIG. 1F below), whereby movement of the handles causes movement of the movable user support platform assembly relative to the support structure (Campanaro, “As shown in FIGS. 1A-1G, a user support platform or glideboard 210 with rollers (not shown) rolls along the rails 140, 150… This position allows for unilateral (i.e. one arm), bilateral (i.e., two arm) and static equilibrium (i.e. holding the user support plaform 210 suspended by keeping a constant force on each handle) use. The cable should preferably be of sufficient length to extend through the pulleys 230 and allow the exerciser to grasp one or both of the handles while the exerciser is on the user support platform 210 and the user support platform 210 is at rest”, paragraphs 0028-0030).
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Campanaro fails to show a tracking sensor module configured to capture metrics related to use of the exercise device system; a distal base that the support structure is coupled to, the movable user support platform assembly includes the tracking sensor, which includes a rechargeable or replaceable battery, and the distal base includes a charger configured to charge the rechargeable or replaceable battery of the tracking sensor when the movable user support platform assembly is adjacent to the distal base.
However, Lagree, from the same field of endeavor, teaches a tracking sensor module configured to capture metrics related to use of the exercise device system (Lagree, “electrical devices 60 may include a resistance selector 61, a control unit 64, various types of sensors 66, lights 67, speakers 68, and/or displays 69… Various types of sensors 66 may be utilized, such as but not limited to biometric sensors, health sensors (such as oxygen saturation, heart rate, heart rate variability, body temperature, moisture, and the like), velocity sensors, acceleration sensors, position sensors, or various other types of sensors. Further, the positioning of the sensors 66 may vary. While the figures illustrate sensors 66 being positioned on the upper surface 31 of the carriage 30, one or more sensors 66 may instead be connected to the lower surface 32, first end 33, second end 34, first side 35, and/or second side 36 of the carriage 30”, paragraphs 0122-0138, see FIG. 12 below; The electrical devices including the control unit and the sensors disclosed by Lagree teach the tracking sensor module of the claimed invention); a distal base that the support structure is coupled to (Lagree, “FIGS. 3-5 illustrate an embodiment in which the wireless power transmitter 40 is positioned on or attached to a spring box 37”, paragraph 0086; The spring box of Lagree teaches the distal base of the claimed invention), the movable user support platform assembly includes the tracking sensor (Lagree, “While the figures illustrate sensors 66 being positioned on the upper surface 31 of the carriage 30, one or more sensors 66 may instead be connected to the lower surface 32, first end 33, second end 34, first side 35, and/or second side 36 of the carriage 30”), which includes a rechargeable or replaceable battery (Lagree, a battery 54 ; the Examiner notes that all batteries are either rechargable or replaceable), and the distal base includes a charger (Lagree, “FIGS. 3-5 illustrate an embodiment in which the wireless power transmitter 40 is positioned on or attached to a spring box 37”) configured to charge the rechargeable or replaceable battery of the tracking sensor when the movable user support platform assembly is adjacent to the distal base (Lagree, “FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate a wireless power receiver 50 being positioned directly on top of a corresponding wireless power transmitter 40 such that the wireless power receiver 50 is in range of the wireless power transmitter 40. In such a position, electrical energy will be transferred from the wireless power transmitter 40 to the wireless power receiver 50. FIG. 5 illustrates a wireless power receiver 50 which has been moved to be away from the wireless power transmitter 40 such that the wireless power receiver 50 is not in range of the wireless power transmitter 40. In such a position, electrical energy will not be transferred (or will be transferred with reduced efficiency depending on the distance)”, paragraph 0143).
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It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the user support platform of Campanaro with the electrical devices including the control unit and the sensors of Lagree in order to more accurately retrieve data. Furthermore, it would be obvious to attach the sensors of Lagree to the user support platform of Campanaro as the carriage of Lagree is comparable to the user support platform of Campanaro. Furthermore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have also included the spring box with the wireless power transmitter of Lagree in order to charge the sensors.
Regarding claim 3, Campanaro, in view of Lagree, the exercise device system of claim 6, including the tracking sensor module.
Campanaro specifically fails to show the tracking sensor module having a housing that mounts to the exercise device system in one or more of the tower, the support structure, and the cable.
However, Lagree teaches a housing that mounts to the exercise device system in the support structure (Lagree, see annotated FIG. 12 below).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to specify a housing in order to structurally incorporate the sensors into the user support platform of the Campanaro. In the broadest reasonable interpretation of the modified inclinable exercise devices of Campanaro teaches the housing being mounted to the support structure as the user support assembly is slidably mounted on the pair of upper rails and pair of lower rails, which shows the support structure of the claimed invention, and the sensors 66 of Lagree is shown to be integrated into the carriage.
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Regarding claim 5, Campanaro, in view of Lagree, teaches the exercise device system of claim 6, including the movable user support platform assembly.
Campanaro fails to specifically show the movable user support platform assembly including a receiving member, and the tracking sensor module is removably receivable with respect to the receiving member.
However, Lagree teaches a receiving member (Lagree, see annotated FIG. 4B below; In the broadest reasonable interpretation of the receiving member of the claimed invention, the portion identified in the carriage of Lagree in FIG. 4B below teaches the receiving member), and the tracking sensor module is removably receivable with respect to the receiving member (Lagree, “Further, the positioning of the sensors 66 may vary. While the figures illustrate sensors 66 being positioned on the upper surface 31 of the carriage 30, one or more sensors 66 may instead be connected to the lower surface 32, first end 33, second end 34, first side 35, and/or second side 36 of the carriage 30”, paragraph 0138, see FIG. 12 below; The electrical devices disclosed by Lagree are integrated into the carriage, which is comparable to the user support platform of Campanaro. As can be seen from the FIGS. 4A-5 and FIG 12 above, the tracking sensor module, taught by Lagree, is integrated into the carriage, and in light of the modification by Lagree, the electrical devices including the control unit and the sensors are integrated into the user support platform).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed inventio to modified the user support platform of Campanaro to have a cushioned top and receiving member for the electrical devices to protect electrical devices while the user engages with the user support platform.
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Regarding claim 7, Campanaro, in view of Lagree, teaches the exercise device system of claim 6, wherein the tracking sensor module is configured to capture one or more of incline level, reps, distance traveled (Lagree, “Various types of sensors 66 may be utilized, such as but not limited to biometric sensors, health sensors (such as oxygen saturation, heart rate, heart rate variability, body temperature, moisture, and the like), velocity sensors, acceleration sensors, position sensors, or various other types of sensors”, paragraph 0137; The position sensors of Lagree teaches the distance traveled to be captured by the tracking sensor module as position sensors measure the distance traveled from a reference point), body weight, and resistance level of the movable user support platform assembly along an incline.
Regarding claim 15, Campanaro, in view of Lagree, teaches the exercise device system of claim 6, further including a rail incline adjustment mechanism movably coupling the support structure to the tower to incline the support structure at different angles relative to the tower (Campanaro, “With reference to FIGS. 15A-15C, a handle 600 at a top 610 of the tower 120 functions like a car door handle at the top of inclinable exercise device 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D. The user first lifts the rails 140, 150 slightly to unload the handle 600, then pulls the handle 600 forward toward the rails 140, 150, and then lowers the rails 140, 150 to the desired incline”, paragraph 0052; The handle 600 shows the rail incline adjustment mechanism of the claimed invention), which includes vertical holes, the rail incline adjustment mechanism including a handle assembly and a latch assembly (Campanaro, “The handle 600 is operably coupled to latch 611 in the tower 120 to lock/unlock the position of the carriage 130. The handle 600 includes a plate 612 with a hole 613 that receives an actuation lever pin 614. A cam tube 615 rotates about off-axis pivot bolt 616, causing actuation lever pin 614 to move within directing slot 617 of top tower plate 618. The off-axis rotation of cam tube 615 causes lever 619, which receives tube 615, to move towards (or away from) the rails 140, 150. Pulling of the handle 600/rotation of the tube 616 towards the rails 140, 150 causes latch 611, which is welded to lever 619 to move outward, and disengage slot 622 (to unlock the position of the carriage 130) and releasing of the handle 600/spring-biased rotation of the tube 616 away from the rails 140, 150 causes latch 611 to move inward, and engage slot 622 (to lock the position of the carriage 130)… The user can always raise the rails 140, 150 by lifting them from any convenient hand hold position, including lifting via the arms 220A, 220B and/or via the carriage 130”, paragraph 0052, FIGS. 15B and 15C; The handle 600 shows the handle assembly of the claimed invention, the lever 619 and lever 611 show the latch assembly of the claimed invention, and the slots 622 show the one or more vertical holes of the claimed invention. The corresponding slot of the slots seen in FIG. 15B and 15C below shows the vertical holes of the claimed invention), the handle assembly is squeezable and releasable to disengage and engage the latch assembly with respect to the one or more of the vertical holes to adjust the incline of the support structure (Campanaro, “Pulling of the handle 600/rotation of the tube 616 towards the rails 140, 150 causes latch 611, which is welded to lever 619 to move outward, and disengage slot 622 (to unlock the position of the carriage 130) and releasing of the handle 600/spring-biased rotation of the tube 616 away from the rails 140, 150 causes latch 611 to move inward, and engage slot 622 (to lock the position of the carriage 130)… The user can always raise the rails 140, 150 by lifting them from any convenient hand hold position, including lifting via the arms 220A, 220B and/or via the carriage 130”; In the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim, the pulling of the handle/rotation of the tube of Campanaro shows the handle assembly of the claimed invention being squeezable and releasable), wherein the handle assembly includes a handle section (Campanaro, tube 616), squeeze release (Campanaro, tube 615), and squeeze spring (Campanaro, Springs 623, 624, 625; In the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim, one of the springs 623, 624, or 625 shows the squeeze spring of the claimed invention), the latch assembly includes a catch (Campanaro, latch 611) and catch spring (Campanaro, Springs 623, 624, 625; In the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim, similar to that of the squeeze spring of the claimed invention, one of the springs 623, 624, or 625 shows the catch spring of the claimed invention, wherein whichever spring 623, 624, or 625 which shows the catch spring of the claimed invention is different from the spring of the springs 623, 624, or 625 that shows the squeeze spring of the claimed invention), and the rail incline adjustment mechanism includes an internal linkage (Campanaro, cam tube 615) that couples the catch to the squeeze release (Campanaro, “A cam tube 615 rotates about off-axis pivot bolt 616, causing actuation lever pin 614 to move within directing slot 617 of top tower plate 618. The off-axis rotation of cam tube 615 causes lever 619, which receives tube 615, to move towards (or away from) the rails 140, 150. Pulling of the handle 600/rotation of the tube 616 towards the rails 140, 150 causes latch 611, which is welded to lever 619 to move outward, and disengage slot 622 (to unlock the position of the carriage 130).
Regarding claim 16, Campanaro, in view of Lagree, teaches the exercise device system of claim 6, further including a rail elevator mechanism (Campanaro, “The handle 600 is operably coupled to latch 611 in the tower 120 to lock/unlock the position of the carriage 130. The handle 600 includes a plate 612 with a hole 613 that receives an actuation lever pin 614”, paragraph 0052; The handle 600, the latch 611, and the actuation lever pin 614 of Campanaro teaches the rail elevator mechanism of the claimed invention) movably coupling the support structure to the tower to incline the support structure at different angles relative to the tower (Campanaro, “With reference to FIGS. 15A-15C, a handle 600 at a top 610 of the tower 120 functions like a car door handle at the top of inclinable exercise device 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D. The user first lifts the rails 140, 150 slightly to unload the handle 600, then pulls the handle 600 forward toward the rails 140, 150, and then lowers the rails 140, 150 to the desired incline”, paragraph 0052), which includes vertical catches (Campanaro, lever pin 614, see FIG. 15C below), the rail elevator mechanism including a rail elevator member with a spring-loaded latch and a recess, a handle with an engagement member (Campanaro, “releasing of the handle 600/spring-biased rotation of the tube 616 away from the rails 140, 150 causes latch 611 to move inward, and engage slot 622 (to lock the position of the carriage 130)”, paragraph 0052; The spring-loaded latch of the claimed invention is taught by spring biased rotation of the tube 616 and the latch 611 with lever 619, the recess of the claimed invention is taught by the directing slot 617, and the handle with the engagement member of the claimed invention is taught by the rotation of tube 616), wherein handle is vertically engageable and releasable to cause the engagement member to disengage and engage the spring-loaded latch with respect to one or more of the vertical catches to adjust the incline of the support structure (Campanaro, “The handle 600 is operably coupled to latch 611 in the tower 120 to lock/unlock the position of the carriage 130. The handle 600 includes a plate 612 with a hole 613 that receives an actuation lever pin 614. A cam tube 615 rotates about off-axis pivot bolt 616, causing actuation lever pin 614 to move within directing slot 617 of top tower plate 618. The off-axis rotation of cam tube 615 causes lever 619, which receives tube 615, to move towards (or away from) the rails 140, 150. Pulling of the handle 600/rotation of the tube 616 towards the rails 140, 150 causes latch 611, which is welded to lever 619 to move outward, and disengage slot 622 (to unlock the position of the carriage 130) and releasing of the handle 600/spring-biased rotation of the tube 616 away from the rails 140, 150 causes latch 611 to move inward, and engage slot 622 (to lock the position of the carriage 130). Springs 623, 624, 625 respectively bias the handle 600, tube 616, and latch 621 into a home position and inhibit play/rattling in the handle 600, tube 616, and latch 62. The user can always raise the rails 140, 150 by lifting them from any convenient hand hold position, including lifting via the arms 220A, 220B and/or via the carriage 130”, paragraph 0052, see FIG. 15C below), wherein the tower includes vertically spaced rail grooves (Campanaro, slots 622), the handle is a central handle with the engagement member receivable with the recess of rail elevator member (Campanaro, “Pulling of the handle 600/rotation of the tube 616 towards the rails 140, 150 causes latch 611, which is welded to lever 619 to move outward, and disengage slot 622 (to unlock the position of the carriage 130) and releasing of the handle 600/spring-biased rotation of the tube 616 away from the rails 140, 150 causes latch 611 to move inward, and engage slot 622 (to lock the position of the carriage 130)”; The rotation of tube 616 is receivable with the directing slot 617 via the lever pin 614. In the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim, the handle being a central handle of the claimed invention is shown with the rotation tube 616),
Campanaro fails to explicitly show the spring-loaded latch includes a pair of spring- loaded latches that are urged laterally outwardly to cause the vertical catches of the latches to laterally engage vertically spaced rail grooves of the tower to secure the rail elevator member and associated support structure at a desired height and incline.
However, Campanaro discloses a latch 611 and a series of slots 622.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Campanaro by duplicating the latch along lever 619 and the series of slots in order to further reinforce the connection between the rails with the tower. This duplication therefore teaches the spring-loaded latch being a pair of spring- loaded latches of the claimed invention. It is well known in the art to duplicate parts, see MPEP2144.04.VI (Reversal, Duplication, or Rearrangement of Parts). Campanaro also discloses in paragraph 0052, “Pulling of the handle 600/rotation of the tube 616 towards the rails 140, 150 causes latch 611, which is welded to lever 619 to move outward, and disengage slot 622 (to unlock the position of the carriage 130) and releasing of the handle 600/spring-biased rotation of the tube 616 away from the rails 140, 150 causes latch 611 to move inward, and engage slot 622 (to lock the position of the carriage 130). Springs 623, 624, 625 respectively bias the handle 600, tube 616, and latch 621 into a home position and inhibit play/rattling in the handle 600, tube 616, and latch 62”, thereby teaching a latch being urged laterally outwardly to cause the vertical catches of the latches to laterally engage vertically spaced rail grooves of the tower to secure the rail elevator member and associated support structure at a desired height and incline of the claimed invention.
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Regarding claim 31, Campanaro, in view of Lagree, teaches the exercise device system of claim 6, wherein the movable user support platform assembly includes a lower half with a perimeter (Campanaro, see annotated FIG. 1B below; In the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim, the edge labeled in the view of FIG. 1B shows the lower half with a perimeter) and a squat handle along the perimeter configured to be grabbed by a user when performing squats or other exercises on the movable user support platform assembly, wherein the squat handle is integral with and extends longitudinally in a direction of travel of and near of bottom of the movable user support platform assembly (Campanaro, “FIG. 19A (closed chain platform/BAPS attachment), FIG. 19B (press bar), FIG. 19C (foot stand), FIG. 19D (toe bar), FIGS. 19E/19F (squat handle bar, grip bar, slide distance regulator, dip bar), FIG. 19G (weight bar), FIG. 19H (3-grip pull-up bar), and FIG. 19I (scrunch bar/handle /platform) show embodiments of a number of accessories for the exercise device 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D. Other accessories may include, but are not limited to, a leg pulley system, an accessory rack/cart, and/or a wooden dowel. One or more implementations of the exercise device 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, includes one or more of the accessories shown in FIGS. 19A-19I”, paragraph 0060; The squat handle bar seen in FIGS. 19E/19F teaches the squat handle configured to be grabbed by a user when performing squats or other exercises of the claimed invention and teaches the squat handle, in the broadest reasonable interpretation, being positioned along the perimeter of the movable user support platform assembly. Furthermore, the squat handle seen in FIG. 19E below shows the squat handle extending longitudinally in a direction of travel. Although Campanaro shows the squat handle bar positioned at the top of the support platform, Campanaro also shows a press bar positioned at the bottom of the support platform. It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill to have modified the squat handle bar to be at the bottom of the support platform for a user to perform a variety of exercises as Campanaro already shows a comparable handle accessory positioned at the bottom of the support platform. Also see MPEP 2144.04.VI (Reversal, Duplication, or Rearrangement of Parts)).
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Claims 4 and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Campanaro (PG Patent Publication No. US20120053028A1), in view of Lagree (PG Patent Publication No. US20220140652A1), as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of Belson (PG Patent Publication No. 2021/0402259A1).
Regarding claim 4, Campanaro, in view of Lagree, teaches the exercise device system of claim 6, including the tracking sensor module.
Campanaro fails to explicitly teach the tracking sensor module including an inertial measurement unit, a microprocessor, a wireless communication device to wirelessly communicate data, and a rechargeable or replaceable battery.
However, Lagree teaches a microprocessor (Lagree, control unit 64), a wireless communication device to wirelessly communicate data (Lagree, “The electrical device 60 may be comprised of various other types of electrically powered devices such as but not limited to an electric motors, electric actuators, wireless communication devices and electric power ports (e.g. USB port)”, paragraph 0140), and a rechargeable or replaceable battery (Lagree, battery 54).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have also included the wireless communication devices of Lagree into the user support platform of Campanaro in order to remotely access tracked data remotely. It is well known in the art to incorporate wireless communication devices into exercise devices to remotely access exercise data. Moreover, it would have been obvious to incorporate the battery of Lagree to provide power to the electrical components.
Campanaro and Lagree fail to teach the tracking sensor module including an inertial measurement unit.
However, Belson, from the same field of endeavor, teaches the inertial measurement unit (Belson, IMUs, paragraph 0108). Belson also discloses “The measurements taken from sensors (e.g., IMUs) in the two handles are passed to accessories engine 212 of the exercise machine” (Belson, paragraph 0108).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the sensors of the modified inclinable exercise devices of Campanaro to include the IMUs of Belson in order to “aggregates, for example, sensor readings from all actuators. The actuator sensor data is then passed to exercise processing engine 208” (Belson, paragraph 0108). More specifically, it would be obvious to include IMUs into the user support platform to retrieve exercise and/or biometric data of the user for processing and to produce recommendations and evaluations. Moreover, Lagree already discloses, in paragraph 0137, that other sensors may be utilized, making this modification obvious.
Regarding claim 8, Campanaro, in view of Lagree and Belson, the exercise device system of claim 6, wherein the exercise device handles include integrated electronics configured to wirelessly transmit data on measured handle movement characteristics (Belson discloses “the sensors used by the exercise machine include accessories such as smart watches, with which the exercise machine may be communicatively coupled (e.g., via a wireless connection such as Bluetooth or WiFi)” (Belson, paragraph 0050); It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the handles of Campanaro to wirelessly stream data in order to provide “readings from such sensors to be used to monitor form” (Belson, paragraph 0050)).
Regarding claim 9, Campanaro, in view of Lagree and Belson, the exercise device system of claim 8, wherein the integrated electronics are configured to measure and wirelessly transmit at least one of data related to handle rotation, handle acceleration, line of handle pull, and plane of handle pull (Belson, “IMUs are used to measure the acceleration and rate of rotation of actuators”, paragraph 0042; The acceleration measured by the IMUs of Belson teach the handle acceleration of the claimed invention, and the rate of rotation of the actuators of Belson teaches the handle rotation of the claimed invention).
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Campanaro (PG Patent Publication No. US20120053028A1), in view of Lagree (PG Patent Publication No. US20220140652A1), as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of Hamilton (UK Patent Publication No. GB2583958A).
Regarding claim 17, Campanaro, in view of Lagree, teaches the exercise device system of claim 6, wherein the tower is vertically aligned (Campanaro, tower 120, seen in FIG. 1B and 1F of Campanaro above), and the exercise device system further including a movable carriage (Campanaro, “With reference to FIGS. 16A and 16B, an embodiment of a carriage lock mechanism 650A includes a carriage lock pin 651 that engages a hole on a rear face of slidable carriage cuff 670 for locking the carriage 130 to the tower 120”, paragraph 0053; The carriage of Campanaro shows the movable carriage of the claimed invention) coupling the support structure to the tower to incline the support structure at different angles relative to the tower (Campanaro, “With reference to FIGS. 15A-15C, a handle 600 at a top 610 of the tower 120 functions like a car door handle at the top of inclinable exercise device 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D. The user first lifts the rails 140, 150 slightly to unload the handle 600, then pulls the handle 600 forward toward the rails 140, 150, and then lowers the rails 140, 150 to the desired incline. The handle 600 is operably coupled to latch 611 in the tower 120 to lock/unlock the position of the carriage 130, paragraphs 0052).
Although Campanaro discloses in paragraph 0080, “The cable 970 and the handles 980 may hang from attachment member 1002 (FIG. 4A) when not in use for storage purposes. The attachment member 1002 may also be used for connecting a separate pulley and leg ankle cuff”, Campanaro and Lagree fail to teach the movable carriage or the tower including a rear with a handle storage mechanism configured to store the exercise device handles in a vertical aligned orientation, parallel with the vertically aligned tower, when not in use.
However, Hamilton, from the same field of endeavor, discloses “the footplate assembly 142 comprises a carriage which enables the footplate assembly 142 to slide back and forth along the rail 106”, (Hamilton, page 4). Hamilton also discloses “a handle connector 222 is provided (see FIG. 2 where handle connector 222 is schematically shown attached to footplate assembly 142)… In some examples, when the connector 222 is attached to footplate assembly 142, then the connector 222 can act as a usefu