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 07/24/2025 has been entered. Claims 1 and 7 have been amended. Claims 1-7 are pending.
Specification
The substitute specification filed 07/24/2025 is acknowledged and has been approved for entry by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Figures: The examiner provides illustrations from the prior art with additional annotations as needed to facilitate discussion of the claim elements. Moreover, it is held that guidance as provided by the figures is sufficient to enable public possession of an inventive concept. That is, an enabling picture may be used to reject claims directed to an article to include: anticipating claims if they clearly show the structure which is claimed. In re Mraz, 455 F.2d 1069, 173 USPQ 25 (CCPA 1972). And when the reference is a utility patent, it does not matter that the feature shown is unintended or unexplained in the specification. The drawings must be evaluated for what they reasonably disclose and suggest to one of ordinary skill in the art. In re Aslanian, 590 F.2d 911, 200 USPQ 500 (CCPA 1979), see MPEP 2125.The examiner provides marked-up reproductions of applicable drawings (as needed) to facilitate discussion of the prior art.
Claims 1-3, 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Young (US 2008/0302458 A1), in view of Onishi (JP 61253201 A – of record), in view of Baker et al. (WO 97/25215A1).
Regarding claims 1-3, 5, Young discloses an adjustable inner tube for a tire. The inner tube being configured to have a torus body having an outer circumferential side and an inner circumferential side opposite to the outer circumferential side; and an air nozzle stem 14 protruding from the inner circumferential side and communicating with an inside of the torus body.
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And has a telescoping segment 22 – (construed as a first overlap connecting part). Young does not explicitly disclose the telescoping segment is distributed in a complete circle along the toroidal direction of the tire. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Young’s telescoping segment as claimed since: Young discloses the telescoping segment is configured to be a one-size-fits-all inner tube which may be fitted to tires of various sizes. More particularly, the circumference of the tube may be adjusted to enable the inner tube to conform to the shape of tires having different circumferences, see at least [0005]. Thus, one would readily envision form the telescoping segment such that it is distributed in a complete circle along a toroidal direction of the torus body, and has a first connecting sheet and a second connecting sheet, which are overlapped and fixed to each other in the compete circle along the toroidal direction of the torus body. To include having the first overlap connecting part is distributed in the complete circle along the outer/inner circumferential side of the torus body.
Young does not explicitly disclose the rubber composition of the inner tube is a thermoplastic composition. Onishi discloses an inner tube that is easy to remove without air leakage. The inner tube is formed of a thermoplastic urethane, wherein such a composition is easy to manufacture and has favorable strength over conventional inner tube compositions, see [0001] – (construed as a thermoplastic polyurethane). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Young’s inner tube to be formed of thermoplastic urethane as disclosed by Onishi to form an inner tube that is easy to manufacture having favorable strength over conventional inner tube compositions as suggested by Onishi.
Young does not explicitly disclose the claimed second overlap connecting part. Baker discloses a tire inner tube having tapered ends which overlap. The tapered ends forming a scarf overlap – (construed as a second overlap connecting part) are configured to be adjustable to different tire sizes, see at least page 6 paragraph 3. Thus, one would readily envision forming Young’s inner tube to have a second overlap connecting part distributed in a complete circle along a poloidal direction of the torus body, and has a first tube open end portion and a second tube open end portion fixedly inserted into the first tube open end portion in a way that the torus body defines a continuous internal cavity that extends along the toroidal direction through the second overlap connecting part. This being done to further enhance Young’s inventive adjustable inner tube. Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Young’s inner tube as claimed since: Baker discloses the use of a scarf overlap/second connecting part is beneficial for forming an adjustable inner tube.
Regarding claims 6-7, the claims are directed to an article of manufacture, limitations pertaining to the method of manufacture fail to further define the structure of the claimed article. Thus, the claimed fixation by welding of the first and second connecting sheets and the first and second tube end portions are not germane to the patentability of the tire product.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Young (US 2008/0302458 A1), in view of Onishi (JP 61253201 A – of record), in view of Baker et al. (WO 97/25215A1), as applied to claim 1, and further in view of Aoki (JP 2015123853 A – of record).
[AltContent: textbox (Second connecting sheet)]Regarding claim 4, modified Young does not explicitly disclose the claimed air valve scheme. Aoki discloses a wheel tube which can be applied to a plurality of wheel sizes. The wheel tube being configured to have an end sealing section 8 wherein:
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A first connecting sheet and second connecting sheet are configured such that each of the first connecting sheet and the second connecting sheet has an inner surface and an outer surface, and the inner surface of the second connecting sheet is overlapped with and fixed to the outer surface of the first connecting sheet; an air filling valve 12 – (construed as an air nozzle stem) has a valve attachment member 14 – (construed as a base) and a stem body; the base is fixed to the inner surface of the first connecting sheet; the stem body is inserted through the first connecting sheet and the second connecting sheet to protrude from the inner circumferential side of the torus body, see figure 2 depiction above.
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to adjust modified Young’s air valve as claimed since Aoki discloses such an air valve scheme forms a stable fixed connection for an air stem, see [0028].
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-7 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CEDRICK S WILLIAMS whose telephone number is (571) 272-9776. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Thursday 8:00am-5:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Katelyn Smith can be reached on (571) 270-5545. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
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/CEDRICK S WILLIAMS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1749