DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed on 8/8/2024 has been fully considered.
Priority
The priority claim to CN2023222596435 filed on 8/22/2023 is acknowledged. However, the Office failed to electronically retrieve the foreign application on 1/22/2025 as indicated by the Priority Document Exchange Failure Status Report. For assistance please contact the Patent Electronic Business Center:
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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 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) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun (US 10953904 B1) in view of Zhang (US 10633010 B1).
Regarding claim 1, Sun teaches a trolley frame, comprising four wheel carriers provided with roller wheels at lower ends (3 “two front wheel carrier assemblies,” and 8 “two rear wheel carrier assemblies,” taught in figure 6), wherein bottoms of the wheel carriers are connected by a bottom folding stand (taught by figure 6);
every two adjacent wheel carriers along a frame width direction are connected by an end folding stand (9 “front wall assembly,” and 91 “rear wall assembly,” taught by figure 6);
every two adjacent wheel carriers along a frame length direction are connected by a side folding stand (5 “two side wall assemblies” taught by figure 6);
the side folding stand comprises at least two first X-shaped linkage assemblies (taught by figure 6);
two ends of a lower part of the first X-shaped linkage assembly are respectively hinged to the bottom of the wheel carrier (taught by figure 6), and of two ends of an upper part of the first X-shaped linkage assembly, one close to the wheel carrier is hinged with one end of a first horizontal bar (28 “horizontal tubes” taught by figure 28), and the other close to the support bar is hinged with one end of a second horizontal bar (28 “horizontal tubes” taught by figure 28);
the other end of the first horizontal bar is hinged with a top of the wheel carrier (taught by figure 6).
However, Sun does not teach that the side folding stand comprises a support bar, the support bar being arranged between the two first X-shaped linkage assemblies, and a lower end of the support bar being hinged to the bottom folding stand;
two ends of a lower part of the first X-shaped linkage assembly are respectively hinged to a bottom of the support bar, and the other end of the second horizontal bar is hinged with a top of the support bar.
Zhang teaches the side folding stand comprises a support bar (6 “folding driving pipes” taught in figure 1), the support bar being arranged between the two first X-shaped linkage assemblies (taught by figure 1), and a lower end of the support bar being hinged to the bottom folding stand (taught by figure 1);
two ends of a lower part of the first X-shaped linkage assembly are respectively hinged to a bottom of the support bar (taught by figure 1), and the other end of the second horizontal bar is hinged with a top of the support bar (9 “horizontal connecting pipes” taught by figure 1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the X-shaped linkage assembly of Sun to include the second horizontal bar and support bar of Zhang, with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because the support bar and horizontal bar increase the strength of the structure while still enabling it to fold.
Regarding claim 2, Sun in view of Zhang teaches the trolley frame according to claim 1, as set forth in the obviousness rejection above.
However, Sun does not teach wherein the bottom folding stand comprises two sets of X-shaped hinged bars, each set of X-shaped hinged bars comprising a middle connecting member and four fulcrum bars, and one end of each of the fulcrum bars being hinged to the middle connecting member;
wherein the other ends of two of the fulcrum bars are respectively hinged to the bottoms of the two wheel carriers, and the other ends of the other two fulcrum bars are respectively hinged to the lower ends of the two support bars.
Zhang teaches wherein the bottom folding stand comprises two sets of X-shaped hinged bars (taught by figure 5), each set of X-shaped hinged bars comprising a middle connecting member (13 “bottom connecting piece” taught in figure 5) and four fulcrum bars (12 “bottom connecting pipes” taught in figure 5), and one end of each of the fulcrum bars being hinged to the middle connecting member (taught by figure 5);
wherein the other ends of two of the fulcrum bars are respectively hinged to the bottoms of the two wheel carriers, and the other ends of the other two fulcrum bars are respectively hinged to the lower ends of the two support bars (taught by figure 1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified singe set of X-shaped hinged bars of Sun to be two sets of X-shaped hinged bars as taught by Zhang, with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because having two sets of X-shaped hinged bars increases the possible size that the trolley frame can be made at and still be mechanically strong.
Regarding claim 3, Sun in view of Zhang teaches the trolley frame according to claim 2, as set forth in the obviousness rejection above.
Sun in view of Zhang also teaches wherein two sides of the lower end of the support bar are respectively provided with connecting lugs (taught by Zhang element 14 “second linkage sliding sleeve” in figure 5), and the fulcrum bars of the two sets of X-shaped hinged bars are respectively hinged to the two engaging lugs (taught by Zhang figure 5).
Regarding claim 4, Sun in view of Zhang teaches the trolley frame according to claim 1, as set forth in the obviousness rejection above.
Sun in view of Zhang also teaches wherein the first X-shaped linkage assembly comprises a first link (taught by Sun element 31 “long side tube” in figure 28) and a second link (taught by Sun element 30 “short side tube” in figure 28), and the first link and the second link are crossed and hinged (taught by Sun figure 28);
one end of the first link is hinged to the bottom of the wheel carrier (taught by Sun figure 1), and the other end is hinged with the second horizontal bar (taught by Zhang figure 1); and
one end of the second link is hinged with the first horizontal bar (taught by Sun figure 1), and the other end is hinged with a lower part of the support bar (taught by Zhang figure 1).
Regarding claim 5, Sun in view of Zhang teaches the trolley frame according to claim 1, as set forth in the obviousness rejection above.
Sun also teaches wherein the end folding stand comprises two third horizontal bars and at least one second X-shaped linkage assembly (taught by figures 4-7),
two ends of a lower part of the second X-shaped linkage assembly being respectively hinged to two of the wheel carriers (taught by figures 4-7), and
two ends of an upper part of the second X-shaped linkage assembly being respectively hinged with one end of each of the two third horizontal bars (taught by figures 4-7); and
the other ends of the two third horizontal bars are respectively hinged to the two wheel carriers adjacent thereto (taught by figures 4-7).
Regarding claim 6, Sun in view of Zhang teaches the trolley frame according to claim 5, as set forth in the obviousness rejection above.
Sun also teaches wherein the second X-shaped linkage assembly comprises a third link and a fourth link (33 “two front tubes” taught by figures 4-7, and 30), and the third link and the fourth link are crossed and hinged (taught by figures 4-7);
a lower end of the third link and a lower end of the fourth link are respectively hinged to the lower parts of two of the wheel carriers (taught by figures 4-7); and
an upper end of the third link and an upper end of the fourth link are respectively hinged with ends of the two third horizontal bars (taught by figures 4-7).
Conclusion
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/NICHOLAS R. KANDAS/Examiner, Art Unit 3613
/JAMES A SHRIVER II/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3613
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