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 .
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 1, 6-8, 21 and 26-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brintons (EP 0058478 B1). Brintons discloses a system including a plurality of tubular/curcukar crosse section containers (21) of a trolley, page 12, lines 1-32 and that are coupled together as a movable unit, 38-49 and as shown in figures 2-3 Each container (21) of the plurality of containers is configured to receive a respective yarn (27) as shown in figure 2. Further, a header (20) that is configured to receive yarn ends of the yarns (27) in the plurality of containers, the header having a longitudinal axis as shown in figure 3. Also, each of the plurality of containers have a consistent cross section along their length as shown in figure 3.
However, Brintons does not show a retainer that is configured to extend across the header along the longitudinal axis to secure the respective yarns in respective positions relative to each other along the longitudinal axis.
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective date of the claimed invention that the system of Brintons discloses a retainer not labeled as shown in figure 3 that is configured to extend across the header along the longitudinal axis to secure the respective yarns in respective positions relative to each other along the longitudinal axis that received the yarn ends in each of the plurality of containers.
With regard to claims 6 and 8, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective date of the claimed invention that the tubular containers of Brinton can include but not limited to being see-through, have a flexible sidewall, etc. so that the yarn can easily be viewed being transported and made from a substantially flexible cost effective material or depending on particular application thereof.
With regard to claim 21, page 12, lines 21-32 discloses the system of Brintons having a plurality of containers. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective date of the claimed invention that the tubular containers of Brintons can include but not limited to 24, 48, 72 or 96 containers as required for a particular application thereof.
With regard to claim 26, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective date of the claimed invention that the tubular containers of Brintons receiving the yarns are hollow elongate bodies that substantially have rigid walls.
Furthermore, with regard to claims 29-30, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective date of the claimed invention that the plurality of tubular containers of Brintons can have but not limited to containers having hexagonal cross section being arranged in honeycomb configuration, etc. that substantially defines a rigid side wall.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 22-25 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.
Claims 18 with its respective dependents are allowable because the prior art does not teach or suggest the recitation therein including a system including steps of having a plurality of containers that are coupled together as a movable unit, securing a retainer to a first header to fix the respective yarns of the first plurality of yarns in respective positions relative to each other along a longitudinal axis of the first header in combination wherein each yarn of the first plurality of yarns has a first end within a respective container and an opposing loose end, and wherein the retainer is secured to the first header between the first ends and the loose ends of the first plurality of yarns in a efficient manner without need of heavy yarn packages/creel.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Each of the prior art cited on PTO-892 discloses yarn processing machine having transport containers.
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September 27, 2026 /TAJASH D PATEL/ Primary Examiner,
Art Unit 3732
