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.
Claim(s) 1 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chih-Ting Pao U.S. Patent Publication 2015/0196103 A1 (Pao).
Regarding claims 1 and 20, Pao discloses a method and stool with adjustable handle device that provides a user with a stool manipulated solely by a handle (Figure 1 Element 1), the stook with adjustable handle device comprising: a stool component (Element 3); and adjustable handle (Element 11); wherein the adjustable handle is secured to the stool component and can act to manipulate the stool component to move and adjust the stool component as needed ([0039-0041]); and further wherein the stool component and the adjustable handle can be collapsed and compacted to a wall for storage ([0049], travel or storage and to lean).
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(s) 2-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chih-Ting Pao U.S. Patent Publication 2015/0196103 A1 (Pao) in view of Philip Saad et al. U.S. Patent 11,470,971 B2 (Saad).
Regarding claim 2, Pao discloses the stool with adjustable handle device with the stool component (Element 3). Pao does not directly disclose the stool component to have a round base shape. Saad discloses a stool wherein the stool component is configured in a round base shape (Figure 1) with a vertical center support (Element 22) and a plurality of legs arranged in a radial configuration to support he stool component off ground during use (Element 16).
Therefore it would have been an obvious modification well known in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Pao as taught by Saad to include Saad’s round base shape with vertical center support and plurality of legs for the stool component elements. Such a modification would provide an alternative means of configuring a stool used with a handle for a portable system.
Regarding claim 3, Pao in view of Saad discloses the stool with adjustable handle device wherein the stool component comprises an exterior surface, an interior surface, and a side edge along a circumference of the stool component (Figure 1-4 Element 26 Column 8 Line 44-Column 9 Line 8, Saad).
Regarding claim 4, Pao in view of Saad discloses the stool wherein the stool component tis adjustable for heigh by lengthening or shortening the vertical center support (Column 6 Lines 24-47, Saad) via telescoping action, by a scissor-lift mechanism, or by rotation of a threaded connection.
Regarding claim 5, Pao in view of Saad discloses the stool wherein the adjustable handle is secured to an activator component which acts to engage the telescoping action, the scissor-lift mechanism, or the threaded connection to raise or lower the stool component, as needed (Element 9 [0025], Pao).
Regarding claim 6, Pao in view of Saad discloses the stool wherein the adjustable handle comprises a telescoping configuration with a plurality of telescoping segments that are extended or retracted and then secured via a slip lock component in a desired height or in a completely collapsed configuration ([0052], Figure 9, Pao).
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chih-Ting Pao U.S. Patent Publication 2015/0196103 A1 (Pao) in view of Philip Saad et al. U.S. Patent 11,470,971 B2 (Saad) further in view of Thomas Roiser U.S. Patent Publication 2020/0179776 A1 (Roiser).
Regarding claim 7, Pao in view of Saad discloses the stool with adjustable handle device (Pao). Pao in view of Saad does not directly disclose the adjustable handle to comprise an accordion style configuration. Roiser discloses an adjustable handle device wherein the adjustable handle comprises an accordion-style configuration, wherein each of a plurality of handle segments comprise pin connections, which allow the adjustable handle to be folded upon itself and then secured with a tie to the vertical center support for storage ([0039], Figure 1-3).
Therefore it would have been an obvious modification well known in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Pao in view of Saad as taught by Rosier to include Rosier’s accordion-style configuration for the adjustable handle. Such a modification would provide a means to collapse the handle for compact storage.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chih-Ting Pao U.S. Patent Publication 2015/0196103 A1 (Pao) in view of Philip Saad et al. U.S. Patent 11,470,971 B2 (Saad) further in view of Chen-Kang Lin U.S. Patent Publication 2019/0322411 A1 (Lin).
Regarding claim 8, Pao in view of Saad discloses the stool with adjustable handle device (Pao). Pao in view of Saad does not directly disclose the device to comprise a storage container. Lin discloses a foldable chair comprising at least one storage container (Figure 7).
Therefore it would have been an obvious modification well known in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Pao in view of Saad as taught by Lin to include Lin’s storage box. Such a modification would provide a means to store a collapse stool and handle for compact storage.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13-19 are allowed.
Claims 9-12 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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/SHIN H KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3636