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 § 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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 5-8 and 19 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
In claims 5-8, it is unclear what is meant by the phrase “streamlined design” – the term is indefinite and there is no clear standard by which to measure it.
In claim 19, it is unclear what is meant by “the surface on the upper side of the running platform is provided with a same number of grooves as the reinforcing plates, and the reinforcing plates are embedded into the corresponding number of grooves” – no grooves have been claimed as part of the reinforcing plates; it is unclear if the plates have grooves, or if there are a number of grooves corresponding to the number of plates as opposed to the plates having grooves. Clarification is required. The claim has been rejected under art as best understood.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-13, 15, and 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Iund et al (US 2001/0051564).
1. A running platform of a treadmill, wherein the running platform is of an integrally formed structure, and an inside of the integrally formed running platform is of a grid structure (platform 14, integrally formed in as much as applicant has shown the same, with internal ribs 43 forming a grid structure as seen in FIG 3).
2. The running platform of a treadmill according to claim 1, wherein the running platform comprises a base portion and a support portion; the support portion comprises a left support portion and right support portion; and the base portion is connected to the left support portion and the right support portion to a form an I-shaped support structure (see FIG 2 showing I-shaped structure formed by left and right support portions/skirting 42 bracketing rollers 41 with the base portion and ribs spanning between the skirting as seen in FIG 3).
3. The running platform of a treadmill according to claim 2, wherein the base portion or the support portion is internally provided with an accommodating groove (accommodating grooves for rollers 41).
4. The running platform of a treadmill according to claim 1, wherein the grid structure is arranged in the base portion (as seen in FIG 3).
5. The running platform of a treadmill according to claim 1, wherein the integrally formed running platform has a streamlined design (relatively streamlined since it is relatively thin).
6. The running platform of a treadmill according to claim 2, wherein the integrally formed running platform has a streamlined design (as discussed above).
7. The running platform of a treadmill according to claim 3, wherein the integrally formed running platform has a streamlined design (as discussed above).
8. The running platform of a treadmill according to claim 4, wherein the integrally formed running platform has a streamlined design (as discussed above).
9. A treadmill, comprising the running platform of a treadmill according to claim 1 (as seen in FIG 2).
10. A treadmill, comprising a roller (rollers 41), a servo motor (26), a running platform (14), and a belt wrapped around the roller (belt 24), wherein the running platform is of an integrally formed structure (14 integrally formed as seen and discussed above), and comprises a base portion (central portion of 14 with ribs 43) and a support portion (42s); the belt is wrapped around the base portion (as seen in FIGs 2-3), a movement contact plane is formed in an upper side of the base portion (as seen in FIG 2), a transmission shaft of the servo motor is connected to the roller of the treadmill to drive the roller to rotate (as seen in FIG 6); and the roller drives the belt to move on the movement contact plane (as seen in FIGs 2-3).
11. The treadmill according to claim 10, wherein the inside of the integrally formed running platform is of a grid structure, the grid structure is arranged in the base portion (as discussed above), and a wear-resisting plate is arranged between the upper side of the base portion and the belt (top plate 16).
12. The treadmill according to claim 10, wherein the running platform is internally provided with an accommodating groove, and the servo motor is placed in the accommodating groove (accommodating space/groove in housing 46, considered an integral part of the running platform and housing motor 26 as seen in FIG 6).
13. The treadmill according to claim 10, wherein the support portion comprises a left support portion and a right support portion; and the base portion is connected to the left support portion and the right support portion to form an I-shaped support structure (as discussed above); and the accommodating groove is formed in the base portion, an inner side of the left support portion, or an inner side of the right support portion (46 formed in and part of the base portion as seen in FIG 3).
15. The treadmill according to claim 10, wherein a material of the running platform is plastic or a composite of plastic and fiber (plastic per [0049]).
18. The treadmill according to claim 10, wherein the treadmill further includes multiple reinforcing plates arranged under the wear-resisting plate, and the multiple reinforcing plate are embedded into the running platform from an upper side of the running platform (elongate ribs 43 parallel to 42 considered reinforcing plates, with perpendicular ribs forming the grid structure).
19. The treadmill according to claim 18, wherein, the surface on the upper side of the running platform is provided with a same number of grooves as the reinforcing plates, and the reinforcing plates are embedded into the corresponding number of grooves (see space/groove under 16 for accommodating reinforcing plates 43 as best understood).
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(s) 14, 16, and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iund et al.
The Office Takes Official Notice that using glass-reinforced reinforced plastic with the claimed weight percentages to construct the plastic running platform is old and well known in the art. Including such with the prior art invention would provide the advantage of a strong, low-cost device and thus would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Regarding claims 16 and 17, Iund teaches the running platform made of reinforced plastic as discussed above, but does not teach the above wherein the plastic is made of polycarbonate, nylon, ABS or polypropylene or wherein the running platform is made of polypropylene with 10-30 wt% of glass fiber.
The Office Takes Official Notice that using glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene with the claimed weight percentages to construct a plastic running platform is old and well known in the art. Including such with the prior art invention would provide the advantage of a strong, low-cost device and thus would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Regarding claim 14, Iund teaches the treadmill according to claim 13, wherein the left support portion and the right support portion of the running platform are provided with a first accommodating groove and a second accommodating groove, respectively (as discussed above), but does not teach the servo motor is placed in the first accommodating groove; the controller is arranged in the second accommodating groove. The Office Takes Official Notice that housing components such as a motor and a controller in grooves of a structural element is old and well known in the art. Including such with the prior art invention would provide the advantage of a more compact device. Therefore, such modification would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GARRETT K ATKINSON whose telephone number is (571)272-8117. The examiner can normally be reached 0800-1800 M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, LoAn Jimenez can be reached at (571) 272-4966. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GARRETT K ATKINSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3784