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 . 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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). Figures 2 and 9 appear incomplete and unclear and fail to show the features described in the specification. Drawings should be submitted which clearly show the structures described in the specification with regard to these figures. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. Claim 10 recites “a height of a wire wound on the two inner base strip reels.” This is unclear because the wire winding device is disposed around the base plate and winds the wire on the inner base strips while they are disposed on the base plate rather than winding the wire on the base strip reels as claimed. If wires were wound on the supply reels for the strips rather than the strips themselves, the apparatus would be rendered inoperable. For examination purposes, the claim has been construed as reciting “a height of a wire wound on two inner base strips supplied by the two inner base strip reels.”
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9 and 11-20 are allowed. Claim 10 would also be allowable if amended to overcome the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) detailed above.
As of the date of this Notice of Allowability, the Examiner has not identified any reference which anticipates the instantly claimed invention or any combination of references which renders the instantly claimed invention obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art. The closest prior art references are Lin (US 2013/0230671) and Pennel (US 3,683,431). Pennel teaches an apparatus for manufacturing a tie for an inflatable mattress, the apparatus comprising slide blocks (48,49), two reels (42,43) for supplying two inner bands (6,7), and a rotary thread guide (31) disposed around the slide blocks which winds coils (11) of thread around the inner bands while they are supported by the slide blocks (See Figures; col. 2, line 43 to col. 3, line 65). Pennel does not expressly disclose a traction wheel which cooperates with the reels to form a base strip conveying device, a welding device in the claimed position, or a thread which is a wire. Lin teaches an apparatus for manufacturing a tensioning structure comprising wire between inner and outer strips (31,31’), the apparatus comprising reels (550) for the strips and a joining base on which the wire and strips are welded together (See Figures 25-32 and their descriptions). While Pennel and Lin teach many elements of the instantly claimed invention, they do not teach or fairly suggest a wire winding device comprising a rotation device around a base plate and wire winding guide shafts symmetrically arranged with respect to the base plate as claimed. There is no teaching or suggestion in the prior art which would have led one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the inventions of Pennel or Lin to include such components.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CARSON GROSS whose telephone number is (571)270-7657. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5pm Eastern.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Orlando can be reached at (571)270-5038. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CARSON GROSS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1746
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