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 § 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 1, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bedson (US20220238086A1) in view of Gatzen
Regarding claim 1, Bedson (US20220238086A1) discloses the use of a drumhead for a percussion drum of the type played as a musical instrument, said drumhead comprising: a membrane (14) having a generally circular playing field surrounded by an outer periphery, said outer periphery being generally circular, a frame (40) fixedly connected to said outer periphery, said membrane of said drumhead (14). Bedson further discloses that the use of fibers made from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene.
Bedson does not disclose a multi-layer composite assembly.
Gatzen discloses the use of a multi-layer composite assembly (column 4, lines 8-12).
However, 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 Bedson to include the multi-layer composite assembly as disclosed in Gatzen in order to provide a drumhead with tone control capabilities.
Regarding claim 2, Gatzen does not disclose wherein said membrane includes upper and lower polyester layers disposed on opposite sides of a layer.
Gatzen does not disclose wherein said membrane includes upper and lower polyester layers disposed on opposite sides of a UHMWP layer.
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 Bedson to include the multi-layer composite assembly as disclosed in Gatzen and the specific layer arrangement as disclosed by the applicant since drumhead with specific layering arrangements in convention and well known in the art.
Regarding claim 3, Gatzen discloses one of said upper and lower polyester layers.
Gatzen does not disclose that the layers are generally transparent.
However, 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 Bedson to include the multi-layer composite assembly as disclosed in Gatzen since Gatzen discloses that the use of a transparent drumhead is conventional and well known in the art (see column 4, lines 25-29).
Regardng claim 4, Bedson and Gatzen do not specifically disclose a top layer comprising woven strands of polyester.
However, 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 Bedson to include the multi-layer composite assembly as disclosed in Gatzen and top layer of woven strands of polyester since the use of film as a top layer with woven strands is conventional and well known in the art (see column 4, lines 25-29).
Regardng claim 5, Bedson and Gatzen do not specifically disclose fibers that are randomly oriented.
However, it would since Gatzen discloses that the use if a transparent drumhead is conventional and well known in the art (see column 4, lines 25-29).
Regarding claim 6, Gatzen discloses wherein said frame is comprised of a core and a jacket (see the core and the jacket in figure 2).
Regarding claim 7, Gatzen discloses wherein, wherein said outer periphery of said membrane is folded around said core, said jacket compressing said outer periphery of said membrane against said core (see the jacket fold in figure 2).
Regarding claim 8, Gatzen discloses wherein,, wherein said membrane has a collar bend between said playing field and said outer periphery (see the collar bend in figre 2).
Claim 9 is 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.
Claims 16-20 are allowed.
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.
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/KIMBERLY R LOCKETT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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