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 status of the claim(s) is as follows:
Claim 1 has been amended,
Claims 2-21 were previously presented, and
Therefore, claims 1-21 are currently pending in this application.
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.
Claims 1-15 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Talarico (10,278,466).
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As to claim 1, Talarico discloses a card-holding device (10) comprising: a housing (front cover 12 and rear cover 16); a plurality of blades (14, Figure 3), each blade including a sleeve (the holder with article grooves forming a sleeve) to receive a card (19), each sleeve having a plurality of side rail (as annotated above, one at the side and one at the bottom) at a respective edge of the sleeve, and at least one retaining member (as annotated in Figure 3 above) to exert a force on the card against at least one side rail (the retaining member 38 as annotated above extend upward at a slight inward angle A which push the card toward the opposite side rail) of the plurality of side rails; and at least one fastener (18) coupled to the housing and the plurality of blades to enable each blade of the plurality of blades to rotate relative to each other and the housing (Figure 5).
As to claim 2, Talarico further discloses each blade of the plurality of blades includes an opening (24) configured to be rotatably coupled to the at least one fastener.
As to claim 3, Talarico further discloses each blade (14) of the plurality of blades includes a protrusion (holder stop 26) configured to be rotatably coupled to a corresponding slot (cutout 30 of the adjacent blade, column 3, lines 41-45).
As to claim 4, Talarico further discloses each blade (14) of the plurality of blades includes a slot (cutout 30) configured to be slidably and rotatably coupled to a corresponding protrusion (holder stop 26) of at least one other blade (column 3, lines 41-45).
As to claim 5, Talarico further discloses the blades of the plurality of blades are stacked on one another (Figure 1 shows the stack of the plurality blade 14).
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As to claims 6-8, 12-13 Talarico further discloses a first blade of the plurality of blades includes a first slot and a first protrusion, a second blade of the plurality of blades includes a second slot, and a third blade of the plurality of blades includes a second protrusion (as shown in Figure 5 above, each of the blade comprises a first protrusion (holder stop 26) and a slot (cutout 30), wherein the second blade is stacked on a first side of the first blade, and the third blade is stacked on a second side of the first blade (as shown in above Figure 5 showing the exploded view and Figure 6 shows the assembled view of all the blades stacked on each other), the first side is opposite the second side, the first protrusion is slidably and rotatably coupled to the second blade about the second slot and the second blade rotates about the third blade responsive to the first protrusion sliding within the second slot (Figure 2).
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As to claims 9-11 and 14-15, Talarico further discloses the first protrusion is inserted within the second slot and the second protrusion is inserted within the first slot (with the different orientation of the blade, the first protrusion on the first blade inset into the second slot, i.e., second cutout 30 on the second blade, and the second protrusion on the third blade as shown in above insert into the first slot of the first blade), the first slot is slidably and rotatably coupled to the third blade about the second protrusion, and the third blade rotates about the second blade responsive to the second protrusion sliding within the first slot (with the different orientation as shown in Figure 5 above, the first slot is form on the first blade between the second and third blade and coupled to the second protrusion on the third blade).
As to claim 17, Talarico further discloses the at least one retaining member includes a plurality of cut-outs to reduce the force applied by the at least one retaining member on the card against the at least one side rail (as shown in above Figure 3).
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.
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Talarico (10,278,466) in view of Campain et al (2021/0251354).
As to claim 16, Talarice does not specifically disclose the housing includes an RFID-blocking material. Nevertheless, Campain discloses a wallet (2) comprises a casing (10), the casing 10 of the wallet may contain a thin layer of metal or foil material capable of blocking RFID signal ([0073]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the housing material of Talarice with RFID blocking material as taught by Campain in order to prevent theft of information stored on card.
Claims 18-19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Talarico (10,278,466) in view of Yang (12,295,470) and Wright et al (2024/0254809
As to claim 18, Talarico does not discloses a clip coupled to a back surface of the housing and a tracking-device attachment configured to be removably slid over the clip and configured to hold a tracking device. Yang discloses a card holder (Figure 2) with a clip 50) coupled to a back surface of the housing (30) and a tracking device attachment configured to hold a tracking device (the clip member 50 comprises a resilient arm 53 with a ring shape holder 54 integrally extended from the clipper for holding an air tag (Figure 9). Wright further discloses a tracking-device attachment (Figure 15 and 16) that can be use with a money clip [0096] and the structure of Figure 15 can be use to removably slide over the clip of Talarico as modified.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the housing of Talarice with a clip with removable tracking device attachment on the clip as taught by Yang and Wright in order to provide a mean to secure the card holding device onto a person and the removably tracking device provide an tracking of the location of the card holding device.
Claims 20 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Talarico (10,278,466) in view of Maietta (7,464,819).
As to claim 20-21, Talarico does not specifically disclose a blade of the plurality of blades includes a release mechanism configured to physically contact the housing and prevent the plurality of blades from rotating about the at least one fastener, the blade is configured to deflect in a first direction responsive to a force being applied to the release mechanism in the first direction, and wherein deflecting the blade decouples the release mechanism from the housing and enables the plurality of blades to rotate about the at least one fastener. Nevertheless, Maietta discloses a container (110) comprising a housing (118), a plurality of blades (112, 116, 132), a blade of the plurality of blades includes a release mechanism (130) configured to physically contact the housing (the release mechanism 130 that is similar to the latch 64 embodiment Figure 2, which include a latch end that lock on to the housing, Figure 3A) and prevent the plurality of blades from rotating about the at least one fastener (pivot 48), the blade is configured to deflect in a first direction responsive to a force being applied to the release mechanism in the first direction, and wherein deflecting the blade decouples the release mechanism from the housing and enables the plurality of blades to rotate about the at least one fastener (as shown in Figure 3A, a force is applied to the flexible member 64 and deflecting the blade and decoupled the release mechanism). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify one of the blade of Talarico with latching mechanism as taught by Maietta in order to secure the blades within the housing without accidentally pivot the blade and expose the card within.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-21 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 CHUN HOI CHEUNG whose telephone number is (571)270-5702. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday 9AM-5:30PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Orlando E Aviles can be reached at (571)270-5531. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHUN HOI CHEUNG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3736
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