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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed on 07/07/2026 (hereinafter “amendment”) has been accepted and entered. Claims 1-2 and 4-13 are pending.
Drawings
The objection(s) to the drawings is/are withdrawn as a result of the amendment.
Claim Objections
Claim 1is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 1 contains language that appears to include more walls than that disclosed in the application. Appropriate correction is required. Claim 1 contains the following statement “the plurality of walls having a pair of side walls, a front wall, a rear wall, and a bottom wall”. It appears that the applicant intended the phrase to say that “the plurality of walls is made up of a pair of side walls, a front wall a rear wall and a bottom wall”. The way it is currently phrased, it appears that there is a plurality of walls and in addition to that plurality of walls there is a pair of side walls, a front wall, a rear wall and a bottom wall rather than that plurality of walls being made up of a pair of side walls, a front wall, a rear wall and a bottom wall. For purposes of examination, the listing of wall types will be considered what the plurality of walls comprises.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112(a)
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 12 recites “wherein the recharging circuit is configured to prevent operation of the at least one light source while the battery is being recharged through the electrical port”, there is no support for this. Applicant alleges that support can be found in paragraph [0038], examiner disagrees. Paragraph [0038] makes no mention of the charging status merely or of a recharging circuit, just the power source contains “a switch…that allows the user to disable the circuit 118 from activating the light sources 124A, 124B when the cover member 104 is in the open position”, as such there is no support for the amendment.
Claims not specifically mentioned are included due to their dependency.
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) 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Statham US 2015/0253066 A1, herein after referred to as Statham.
Regarding claim 1 Statham discloses a storage container (10 Cooler, Figs. 1-2, 4 and 6) comprising:
a housing (112 tube) having a parallelepiped shape, the housing having a plurality of walls that define a hollow interior portion (Fig. 2), the plurality of walls having a pair of side walls, a front wall, a rear wall (206 sidewall panels the front and back wall having the handles 116), and a bottom wall (218 bottom);
a cover member (114 lid) movably coupled to the housing, the cover member movable between an open position and a closed position, the cover member enclosing the hollow interior and being at least partially in contact with a top surface of the plurality of walls when in the closed position (paragraph [0019], lines 1-9);
at least one light source (202 upper lights), disposed within at least one of the plurality of walls and arranged to project light into the hollow interior (Figs. 2 and 4); and
a circuit (40 electrical system) having a power source (406 power source), the circuit being electrically coupled to the at least one light source and being configured to transfer electrical power to the at least one light source in response to the cover member being moved towards the open position (paragraph [0019]).
wherein the at least one light source (202) is positioned at a location equal to or more than 75% of a distance from the bottom wall (208) to the cover member when the cover member is in the closed position (Figs. 2, 4 and 6, the position of the cover member when closed is also the top of the sidewall of the housing), and
wherein the at least one light source is oriented to direct light towards the bottom wall of the hollow interior (the lights illuminate the interior of the interior which includes the bottom wall as recited throughout Statham and shown in Fig. 3 the light projects downwardly towards the bottom wall).
Regarding claim 2 Statham discloses the storage container of claim 1 and further discloses wherein the at least one light source (202) is disposed equal to or more than 50% of a distance from the bottom wall (218) to the cover member (114) when the cover member is in the closed position (Figs. 2 and 4).
Regarding claim 4 Statham discloses the storage container of claim 1 and further discloses wherein the circuit (40) includes a switch disposed within one of the pair of side walls and operably coupled to the cover member (Figs. 2 and 4).
Regarding claim 5 Statham discloses the storage container of claim 4 and further discloses wherein the switch (402 switch) is configured to electrically couple the power source (406) to the at least one light source (202) when the cover member (114) is in the open position (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 6 Statham discloses the storage container of claim 5 and further discloses wherein the cover member (114) includes a projection (projection surrounding the underside of the cover and surrounding recessed areas 216, Fig. 2) sized and positioned to engage the switch when the cover member is in the closed position (paragraph [0019], lines 4-7).
Regarding claim 7 Statham discloses the storage container of claim 1 and further discloses wherein the at least one light source (202) is a pair of light sources with one of the pair of light sources being disposed in one of the pair of side walls (Fig. 2, 202 on the front wall and side wall).
Regarding claim 8 Statham discloses the storage container of claim 7 and further discloses where the pair of light sources are light emitting diodes (LED) (paragraph [0018] lines 1-10).
Regarding claim 9 Statham discloses the storage container of claim 8 and further discloses wherein the pair of light sources (202) have a surface that is flush with an associated inner surface of the pair of side walls (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 10 Statham discloses the storage container of claim 5 and further discloses wherein the power source is a battery (paragraph [0020], lines 1-2).
Regarding claim 11 Statham discloses the storage container of claim 10 and further discloses wherein the battery is removably disposed within the rear wall (paragraph [0022], lines 4-8) the rear wall having the handle 116 as shown in Fig. 2).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 01/07/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues that “Statham does not disclose or teach a light source positioned at or above 75% of the height from the bottom wall nor does it require orientation of the light source to direct light specifically towards the bottom wall”, examiner disagrees. As shown in Figs. 2 and 4 the lights are positioned at 25% and 75% of the distance from the bottom wall to the cover member when the cover member is closed, which is the same height at the top of the sidewall of the cooler. It is also shown again in Fig. 6 as the upper portion of the light strips 602 are above 75% of the distance. Further, it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. The light source is orientated to illuminate the interior of tub which includes the bottom wall of the interior (paragraphs [0004], [0014] lines 1-3 (interior illumination) and shown in Fig.3 as the light shines in a downwardly direction). Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 12-13 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Lauren Kmet whose telephone number is (313)446-4834. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-6pm.
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/L KMET/ Examiner, Art Unit 3735
/Anthony D Stashick/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3735