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
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.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 6, 7, 10, 13, 18, 20, 21 & 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chebil (US 8,656,767) in view of Robinson (US 10,035,688) and Tenant (US 11,618,658).
Chebil discloses-
a base comprising:
a connecting plate (unlabeled but shown in FIG. 1 as supporting controls 26);
a hydraulic lift 12 mounted upon a connecting plate;
a support plate 14 mounted upon a hydraulic lift 12;
first, second, and third support arms 16, 16, 20 attached to a support plate; and
a lift actuator 26 configured to alter fluid pressure within a hydraulic lift, wherein:
third support arm 20 extends upward from a support plate,
first and second support arms are substantially orthogonal to a third support arm, and
supplemental rollers 20 attached to a support plate, wherein the one or more supplemental rollers are configured for contacting at least a portion of a sidewall of a tire positioned on the first and second rollers or a wheel to which the tire is attached.
Chebil does not disclose first and second base elements which diverge from each other, a connecting plate mounted on base elements, a set of wheel assemblies, and first and second support arms extend away from a support plate and substantially orthogonal to a third support arm.
Robinson discloses-
first and second base elements 230, 230, 230, 230,
a set of wheel assemblies 200, 200, 200, 200 and
a connecting plate 35, wherein-
the first longitudinal end of the connecting plate is disposed above the first base element, and
the second longitudinal end of the connecting plate is disposed above the second base element.
a hydraulic lift 61 mounted upon a connecting plate 35;
a support plate 40,48, 160 mounted upon a hydraulic lift;
a connecting plate 35 is mounted upon top sides of first and second base elements 230, 230, 230, 230 proximate a second end of a base, and
first and second support arms 110, 110 are extend away from a support plate 160 and substantially orthogonal to a third support arm 50, 52.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the invention of Chebil to include a connecting plate mounted upon top sides of first and second base elements proximate a second end of a base, and a support plate mounted upon a hydraulic lift, and first and second support arms that extend away from a support plate 160 and substantially orthogonal to a third support arm, as taught by Robinson, portable wheel installation apparatus that is easy to maintain and superior to large, fixedly-mounted wheel maintenance devices such as disclosed in Chebil.
Tenant discloses-
first and second base elements 104, 104,
a first and second wheel assemblies 108, 108, and
first and second base elements diverge from each other as first and second base elements extend in directions toward a second end of a base opposite a first end of a base,
a set of wheel assemblies is arranged to keep a first and second base elements above a ground surface below the first and second base elements, and
a third base element, wherein:
the third base element 107 extends between a first and second base elements 104, 104,
a first longitudinal end of a third base element is fixedly attached to a first base element proximate a first end of a base, and
a second longitudinal end of a third base element is fixedly attached to a second base element proximate a first end of a base.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the invention of Chebil to include first and second base elements that diverge from each other as first and second base elements extend in directions toward a second end of a base opposite a first end of a base, a set of wheel assemblies is arranged to keep a first and second base elements above a ground surface below the first and second base elements, as taught by Tenant and a third base element, such that thereby a trolley may be portable as well as stored in a more compact form.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chebil in view of Robinson and Tenant and further in view of Willis (US 2008/0056853) which discloses-
a hydraulic lift shield 22 configured to transmit lateral forces to a base; and
first and second braces 27, 27 fixedly attached to a connecting plate (shown as flat, plate element which attaches wheel 21 to braces 27, 27) and to a hydraulic lift shield 22.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the invention of Chebil to include a shield and braces, as taught by Willis, which increases on the amount of lifting force a trolley can apply.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chebil in view of Robinson and Tenant and further in view of Hernandez (US 7,597,524) which discloses a first roller 30 attached to a first support arm 22, and a second roller 30 attached to a second support arm 24. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the invention of Chebil to include first and second rollers respectively attached to first and second arms, as taught by Hernandez, which improves on previously known support arms by reducing the surround space to operate a lift-supported trolley.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17 & 19 are 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GREGORY W ADAMS whose telephone number is (571)272-8101. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri, 8am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Saul Rodriguez can be reached at (571)272-7097. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GREGORY W ADAMS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3652
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