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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 2-8, 11, 12, 17, and 19-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ginest (US20220189437).
Ginest discloses the use of a stringed musical instrument, comprising: a body, a neck extending from the body; a head (120) extending from the neck (110); and a coupler (140) disposed between and coupled to each of the neck and the head, the coupler having a bulkhead portion that divides the coupler into first and second opposed sides (see figure 4), the first side having a shape adapted to match at least a portion of the shape of the neck and the second side having a shape adapted to match at least a portion of the shape of the head (see figure 4).
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 2-8, 11,12, 17 and 19-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ginest.
Regarding claims 2 and 18, Ginest does not disclose a specific abutting and releasing means.
CN 213844724 U disclose a coupler wherein first side of the that is adapted to
abut and be permanently affixed to the neck and the second side of the
coupler (7) (see figures 1-3) is adapted to abut and be releasably attached the head.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date to modify the device as disclosed in Ginest in order to provide an efficient means of releasing a guitar head from the neck.
Regarding claim 3, Ginest discloses wherein, wherein the coupler further comprises first and second positioning keys (140)extending on opposing sides of the bulkhead portion to releasably attach the head to the neck.
Regarding claim 4, Ginest discloses wherein the first positioning key (140) is affixed to the neck (110) so that the bulkhead portion of the coupler facing the neck provides a first finishing surface to the neck and the second positioning key is affixed to the head so that the bulkhead portion of the coupler facing the head provides a second finishing surface to the head.
Regarding claim 5, Ginest discloses wherein at least one of: the first positioning key (140) is releasably affixed to the neck; or the second positioning key is releasably affixed to the head (see figure 1).
Regarding claim 6, Ginest discloses wherein the first positioning key (140) is
permanently affixed to the neck and the second positioning key is adapted to
releasably fit into a cavity formed in a portion of the head so as to permit a releasable
connection of the head to the neck when the second positioning key is positioned in
the cavity of the head (see the attachment to the head and the neck in figure 4).
Regarding claim 7, Ginest discloses wherein further comprising a first threaded
means adapted to pass through a hole formed along a longitudinal axis of the head and
thread into a hole in the second positioning key (see the screw attachment which
includes a thread and the hole its attached to in figure 4).
Regarding claim 8, Ginest discloses wherein the second positioning key has a
width of at least 50% or more of the average width of the head at its connection with
the coupler and a thickness of about 25% or more of the average thickness of the
head at its connection with the coupler (see the width and the thickness in figure 4).
Regarding claims 11 and 12, Ginest discloses wherein the first positioning key is
permanently affixed and can be a metallic support (paragraph 0054) in the neck.
Ginest further discloses a permanent fix for the positioning key (see figure 4) wherein a neck side of the bulkhead portion provides finish to a grip portion of the neck and a nut mounted on the second positioning key provides a finishing surface for a fingerboard portion of the neck (see paragraph 0027).
Regarding claim 17, Ginest discloses a neck assembly for a stringed musical instrument, wherein the neck (110) includes a coupler (140) having a bulkhead portion that divides the coupler into first and second opposed sides (see figure 4), the first side being permanently attached to the neck and having a shape that matches at least a portion of the shape of the neck (110) wherein the second side of the coupler has a shape adapted to match at least a portion of the shape of ahead to be releasably secured to the neck (see figure 4).
Regarding claim 19, Ginest discloses a headstock for attachment to a neck of a stringed musical instrument, wherein the headstock (120) includes structural formations adapted to attach to a coupler (140) affixed to a head attachment end of the neck, the structural formations including a cavity adapted to receive a positioning key of the coupler (see the attachment means in figures 1 and 4), and the structural formations including through holes in the headstock for receiving bolts to be used to thread into the positioning key when it is received in cavity (see the attachment means in figure 6) , for releasably affixing the headstock to the neck (see claim 9).
Regarding claim 20, Ginest discloses wherein the structural formations of the headstock define at least a portion of a shape of the headstock at its connection to the neck, said shape adapted to match a shape of the coupler, so as to provide a physically smooth transition from the headstock to the neck when the headstock is affixed to the neck.
Regarding claim 21, Ginest discloses a method for manufacturing a stringed musical instrument, comprising: fastening a headstock (120) to a neck via a coupler(140), the coupler (140) having first and second positioning keys (see figures 1 and 4) extending therefrom in opposed directions, wherein the first positioning key is fastened to the neck and the second positioning key is fastened to the head (see figure 4), wherein at least one of the first and second positioning keys are fastened using threaded screws that are accessible for being removed after the musical instrument has been assembled (as disclosed in figure 4).
Regarding claim 22, although Ginest does not disclose manufacturing an instrument body.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date to modify the device as disclosed in Ginest in order to
manufacturing the head; neck and coupler for connecting the instrument body to the neck.
Regarding claim 23, Ginest discloses wherein the first positioning key is
permanently affixed and can be a metallic support (paragraph 0054) in the neck.
wherein the shape of a first side of the coupler is adapted to match at least a portion of the shape of the neck (110)at an interface of the coupler and the neck and the shape of a second side of the coupler is adapted to match the shape of at least a portion of the head at an interface between the coupler and the head (see figure 4), and further comprising securing the first side of the coupler to the neck in a permanent manner and securing the second side of the coupler to the head using threaded screws that are accessible for being easily removed after the musical instrument has been assembled (see figure 6) .
Claims 9, 10, 13-16 and 18 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KIMBERLY R LOCKETT whose telephone number is (571)272-2067. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30-5:00 pm M-F.
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, Dedei Hammond can be reached at 571-270-7938. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KIMBERLY R LOCKETT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
