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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claim 10 objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 10 recites the limitation “undormed elastic structure” in line 2. For the purpose of prosecution, examination will continue under the assumption that “undormed” will later be amended to state “undeformed.” . Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tan (CN-214295787-U).
Tan discloses A coin sorting and storage device, comprising a storage device body (1), an elastic component (6) and a coin holder (9), wherein the storage device body is provided with a coin storage cavity (5) with an open end (9), the elastic component is arranged inside the coin storage cavity, and the coin holder is arranged at the open end of the coin storage cavity, characterized in that,
the open end is provided with a shielding part (10) and a taking-out part (9), wherein the shielding part can shield the open end partially so that coins are partially blocked after they are put into the coin storage cavity; the taking-out part is a part of the open end that is not shielded by the shielding part, and is used for a user to take out the coins.
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) 1-7 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tan (CN-214295787-U) in view of Finn (US-20180012435-A1) .
Regarding claim 1, Tan teaches A coin sorting and storage device, comprising a storage device body (1), an elastic component (6) and a coin holder (9), wherein the storage device body is provided therein with a coin storage cavity (5) with an open end (9); the elastic component is arranged inside the coin storage cavity; the coin holder is arranged at the open end of the coin storage cavity; the open end is provided with a shielding part (10) and a taking-out part (9), the shielding part can shield the open end partially so that coins are partially blocked after they are put into the coin storage cavity, and the taking-out part is a part of the open end that is not shielded by the shielding part and is used by a user to take out the coins, characterized in that,
the storage device body has a first coin storage cavity (Leftmost cavity 5, as shown in figure 3) and a second coin storage cavity (rightmost cavity 5, as shown in figure 3) therein, an open end of the first coin storage cavity is provided with a first coin chute (9a, Annotated figure 1), an open end of the second coin storage cavity is provided with a second coin chute (9b, Annotated figure 1),
Regarding claim 1, Tan does not teach, however Finn teaches and the first coin chute (“sliding section”, Paragraph 26 lines 15-20 and aperture 112 on second level 132) is at a level higher than that of the second coin chute (“sliding section”, Paragraph 26 lines 15-20 and aperture 122 on first level 106).
Regarding claim 1, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the multiple heights of coin chutes taught by Finn with the coin storage and sorting device taught by Tan. One of ordinary skill in the art would identify that having the chutes at different heights would allow a user to determine the coins they were dispensing by feel alone. This would ensure someone would not need to look away from the road to dispense change while operating a vehicle. In addition, having coin chutes at separate heights would allow higher chutes that accommodate larger coins to pass over the lower chutes which accommodate smaller coins. This would reduce the overall size of the device, as all coins can be removed along one edge of the device.
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Annotated Figure 1
Regarding claim 2, Tan in view of Finn teaches The coin sorting and storage device according to claim 1. Tan further teaches characterized in that both the first coin chute and the second coin chute extend radially along the open end (black dotted line, Annotated figure 1).
Regarding claim 3, Tan in view of Finn teaches The coin sorting and storage device according to claim 2. Tan further teaches characterized in that a projection of the second coin chute in the vertical direction is fully within a projection of the first coin chute in the vertical direction (projection along black dotted line, annotated figure 1).
Regarding claim 4, Tan in view of Finn teaches The coin sorting and storage device according to claim 1. Tan further teaches characterized in that the width of the first coin chute (9a, annotated figure 1) is greater than the width of the second coin chute (9b, annotated figure 1).
Regarding claim 5, Tan in view of Finn teaches The coin sorting and storage device according to claim 1. Tan further teaches characterized in that the diameter of the open end of the first coin storage cavity is approximately equal to the width of the first coin chute (9a, annotated figure 1), and the diameter of the open end of the second coin storage cavity is approximately equal to the width of the second coin chute (9b, Annotated figure 1).
Regarding claim 6, Tan in view of Finn teaches The coin sorting and storage device according to claim 1. Tan further teaches characterized in that the first coin chute extends from the open end of the first coin storage cavity to an outer edge of the coin sorting and storage device (direction downward along black dotted line, Annotated figure 1), and the second coin chute extends from the open end of the second coin storage cavity to the outer edge of the coin sorting and storage device (direction upward along black dotted line, Annotated figure 1).
Regarding claim 7, Tan in view of Finn teaches The coin sorting and storage device according to claim 6. Finn further teaches characterized in that the first coin chute and the second coin chute terminate at approximately the same position on the outer edge of the coin sorting and storage device (Termination point 1, Annotated figure 2).
Regarding claim 7. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the invention to combine the second level taught by Finn with the coin chutes taught by Tan. One of ordinary skill in the art would identify that positioning a coin chute (Finn, sliding section) along the surface of the second level (Finn, 132) to accommodate the larger sized coins (Finn, 112) and the first level (Finn, 104) to accommodate the smaller sized coins (Finn, 122) so that they terminate in the same location along the outer edge of the device would reduce the overall size of the device, as higher chutes could overhang smaller chutes rather then needing to terminate on a separate edge of the device.
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Annotated Figure 2
Regarding claim 10, Tan in view of Finn teaches The coin sorting and storage device according to claim 1. Tan further teaches characterized in that the length of undormed elastic structure is greater than the length of the coin storage cavity (“the coin stored by the elastic piece is always on the upper end,” Page 2, lines 19-20) and the elastic structure contacts with the coin holder in the coin storage cavity (6, Figure 3).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tan (CN-214295787-U) in view of Finn (US-20180012435-A1) as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of Zoldan (US-6302777-B1).
Tan in view of Finn teaches The coin sorting and storage device according to claim 6.
Tan in view of Finn does not expressly teach, however Zoldan teaches characterized in that the length of the first coin chute (L1, Annotated figure 3) is greater than that of the second coin chute (L2, Annotated figure 3).
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Annotated Figure 3
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the invention too combine the variable lengths of coin chutes taught by Zoldan with the coin sorting and storage device taught by Tan in view of Finn. One of ordinary skill in the art would identify that a longer chute would be necessary to terminate the higher coin chute of claim 6 in the same location as the lower coin chute, as the higher coin chute originates closer to the center of the device.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tan (CN-214295787-U) in view of Finn (US-20180012435-A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Auguste (US-7083512-B2.
Tan in view of Finn teaches The coin sorting and storage device according to claim 1.
Tan in view of Finn does not expressly teach, however Auguste teaches characterized in that the coin storage cavity is provided with a coin holder chute therein, and the coin holder comprises a coin holder sliding part (62) that is slidably connected to the coin holder chute (“the top surface of the base element (62) will be in biased contact with the bottom surface (54) of the upper plate”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the invention to combine the coin holder sliding part taught by Auguste with the coin sorting and storage device taught by Tan in view of Finn. One of ordinary skill in the art would identify that including a base at the top of the elastic structure would ensure coins did not erroneously slide into the coin holder below the elastic structure, thereby jamming the holder and preventing the elastic structure from deforming.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Zhou (CN-2751364-Y) discloses a coin holder channel structure to accommodate the sliding part similar to the one disclosed in the specification of this application.
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/J.R.U./ Examiner, Art Unit 3653
/MICHAEL MCCULLOUGH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3653
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